Kapitel 26: Better Than Planned

"Today is a good day to die!" shouted Jun, who drew his sword and prepared to attack.

Everyone rushed at him faster than he had anticipated moving; Jun still had his hands raised to the sky, posing as if this were a great action scene—which it was, with the only downside being that everyone wanted to kill him.

"It's an honor to know I scare them so much, given I was a useless good-for-nothing until recently. This feeling of greatness is delightful; I should do things like this more often," Jun thought, letting these idiots come closer to him.

Cheng hadn't attacked. He stayed back, thinking about what Jun was doing, and just as he was about to help him, he noticed a strange smoke beneath Jun's feet.

"That lunatic..."

A strong gust whistled around them as it transformed into something like a green ocean, completely enveloping all their attackers.

Boom!

The explosion released a green smoke that left everyone blind.

"Argh!"

This was a demonstration of a real fight using brains.

And this was just the beginning...

Jun's dark silhouette stood out against that green ocean like a reef block.

He remained still like a stone pillar in the midst of moving waves.

Then, a deep roar was heard. The assassins' offensive had become more intense instead of stopping.

A thin figure flew up into the sky. It seemed as if this figure had begun to dance gracefully over the waves of that green ocean. In fact, it looked like this figure wanted to do something amid the green smoke waves that spread across the open terrain.

Then he raised his hand and unleashed countless attacks on the position where Jun had originally been. Suddenly, a figure appeared behind him and pierced his heart.

"Are they already turning on each other? Interesting. Well, this is a much fairer fight," Jun thought, watching as some of his attackers began fighting among themselves.

What Jun didn't know was that they were actually fighting because they didn't know where he was, causing some to mistake figures they encountered head-on.

Well, whatever the case, Jun was benefiting from it.

But Jun knew he couldn't remain entrenched in that green ocean. And Albion, who was the cleverest of all the participants, was finally forced to make a move.

"I hadn't planned on getting involved just yet."

Clang!

A dark sound was heard as his long sword crossed, and an extremely oppressive aura emanated from him.

Slowly and steadily, he positioned himself at the center of the green smoke, waiting for small opportunities to kill anyone who crossed his path.

Everyone went mad in this fight where their eyes were useless.

Aura-covered swords clashed, and some flew off from the powerful impacts.

People watching from outside the green smoke were getting ready to join the battle as well.

"We must move too; we can't just stand here."

Clang!

Cheng, who hadn't made a move in a long time, attacked the two figures that had stayed back. His first strike cut one assassin's throat, but it wasn't fast enough to kill the second.

Cheng's swords would have pierced his defenses had he been just a bit faster, but it was enough to create a balanced situation.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted you."

Cheng raised his sword and murmured, "The numbers have dwindled enough that a clever move is no longer necessary."

Jun now held a favorable position as he launched one counterattack after another.

However, Albion tried to regain full control of the situation once more. His delicate sword strikes began to turn more vicious as the intensity of the green smoke lessened.

And his smiling expression gradually turned serious. He swung his arms, slicing another figure in half.

The battlefield, which had witnessed a fierce and terrifying fight, had suddenly become unexpectedly pleasing to look at.

Jun, who stayed more on the sidelines, took advantage of the moment to kill anyone who was distracted, but still, he did not expose himself enough, waiting for better opportunities.

"Argh!"

The last screams were heard as the smoke lost its intensity, revealing Albion standing while holding someone by the neck.

Jun didn't move; instead, he analyzed the area, looking for more enemies.

"All dead; only the three of us remain." Jun was fascinated by this; he didn't expect the confusion to have eliminated seven more participants, leaving only the three of them.

Albion looked at Cheng with some wounds on his body, his gaze passing beyond where he saw two corpses, one of which belonged to another of his village companions.

"In the end, you're not a cowardly manipulator. Still, you know it would be more advantageous to team up to kill Jun." Albion wasn't a fool; he knew that facing Jun right now would leave him with some serious injuries that he'd prefer to avoid.

Cheng looked at Albion, then at Jun, shook his head, and said, "You can go to hell; I'll fight my way."

"This is getting more interesting; I'm getting more excited by the minute." If everyone could see Jun's face, they would notice his wide grin, because for him, moving from a disadvantageous situation to this was a step only a god could make.

Was he really that smart?

Damn, everything had gone perfectly for him, but now they had a more serious situation on their hands.

Albion was strong, Cheng seemed to want revenge, and Jun didn't know which side to take first. "Shall we take a breather?"

"We won't fall for it a second time."