บท 37: The Attack of the Fire Nati-... Assassin's!? Again!?

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"Aahhh! Someone help me!"

"There are attackers! The Yang Sect is under attack by unknown men in black cloaks! Aargh-!"

"Not my sister! No, leave her alone—!"

Screams echoed throughout the Yang Sect, and it only seemed to start the moment Azmodeus made it back.

"???"

Azmodeus looked around him and noticed hundreds of masked men slashing down every Yang Sect disciple they saw.

'What the hell is going on here?'

SHING!

A crisp sound pierced the air as a long saber sliced straight through it, aiming for his neck!

"!!!" Azmodeus quickly dodged out of the way, narrowly missing the razor-sharp blade.

The strike missed its target, but it didn't look like it was planning to stop as its momentum continued until it struck the cobblestoned ground of the Yang Sect!

BOOOM!

A loud explosion erupted, leaving a wide chasm stretching in a straight line for hundreds of meters across the center of the courtyard!

'This power… It isn't something that someone in the Body Refinement Realm should possess…'

Azmodeus stared at the damage for a moment before his dead eyes found their way toward a man with his gray hair tied in a bun and a large scar across his left eye.

"Who are you? And why are you and your buddies attacking the Yang Sect?" He questioned, his body already getting into a fighting stance.

"You wish to know why we're attacking the Yang Sect?" The scarred man replied with a mocking tone. "...Well, isn't it obvious? It's because of you, Azmodeus!"

Following the man's cryptic words, he charged forward, unleashing another powerful saber strike!

"!!!"

Before Azmodeus could even get the time to understand his words, he was forced to dodge just in the nick of time as he pulled out his sleek black sword, trying to deflect the incoming saber.

However, in the face of the 2nd Qi Condensation Realm cloaked man's power, he didn't have much of a chance.

'How could these attackers be in the 2nd Stage of Qi Condensation?? It doesn't make any sense…'

Azmodeus gritted his teeth and took the brunt of the full-force strike, holding it back with everything he had!

SHING! SHING!

Their blades violently clashed against each other, trying to determine the victor; however, after a few seconds of neither of them gaining the upper hand, both of them leaped back from their spots.

SLICE! SLICE!

Numerous large and deep gashes tore through the surrounding area as they retreated, likely due to the ferocity of their clash.

Even so, neither of the two seemed to care one bit as they once again launched themselves at each other, surpassing speeds of over a thousand meters per minute!

"As for your question of who I am, or rather, who we are…" the scarred man's voice dripped with malice. "I think I'll do a favor to the one who's about to die. We are the Twilight Assassins, from a richer area in the Fire Nation, Shadow's Grove."

The scarred man's cynical voice echoed out as his blade collided with the young black-haired boy once again, resulting in more devastation that inflicted insane damage as the battle raged on.

However, neither of the two powerful figures, locked in a ceaseless battle, had the luxury to concern themselves with damaging the Yang Sect. Their focus was solely on each other as they zipped at lightning-fast speeds, each trying to get the upper hand on the other!

This exchange repeated dozens of times, leaving streaks of Qi-charged lightning to form and crackle in the air.

'He said they're assassins from further into the Fire Nation…? But that doesn't make any sense… Why would high-level assassins be after me?? Unless…'

A sudden realization struck Azmodeus's mind as he deflected the advance of another deadly saber strike.

"The Black Tiger Lord," Azmodeus muttered.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! You got it right, but too bad for you, I don't plan to spare your life because you're a little smart!" The scarred man responded with a wide smirk plastered on his face.

'It's quite clear that this assassin from the Twilight Assassins is someone who enjoys killing, and it's highly unlikely he took on this job just for the money…'

"So you wish to kill me? But what about the Yang Sect? Why are you going after them," Azmodeus inquired as he narrowly dodged a blade that cut off a few strands of his hair. Yet, the large flame-stained saber the assassin swung around like a maniac came down with even greater force.

"Hmm… You ask a lot of questions, do you not??" the assassin replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "And why should I simply answer anything that you ask of me??"

SLICE!

"Because you…"

BOOOOM!

"Because you don't think you'll lose this battle. That's why you'll answer my questions," Azmodeus finished where he left off before being rudely interrupted by a saber aiming to cut off his head.

"Haha!" The Assassin started to laugh like a pathologically insane man as he replied, "You are definitely a quick-witted one, aren't you?? And you are right, so I will tell you why we came after the Yang Sect, for it's quite simple…"

He paused for a second for dramatic effect, before continuing, "We were offered to not only take your life but also the lives of all the Yang Sect. That includes the Sect Leader and… his daughter…"

The scarred man's laughter only appeared to grow more intense after saying this as he found this sh*t all too hilarious!

However, his conceit and underestimation of his opponent, but above all, saying two names in particular, would soon turn out to be his downfall…

"...I see," Azmodeus mumbled, his voice suddenly bereft of any emotion and his body freezing in place.

"Whaa!? Are you already giving up!?" The assassin taunted, his sinister voice echoing across the torn-out courtyard. "Come on now, at least squirm a little more before I gut you!"

However, his mocking tone suddenly disappeared the very next moment…

"Wha…? Why does it feel like the world is spinning a little bit," the assassin muttered in confusion.

However, his question wasn't going to be left unanswered for long as an apathetic voice found its way right to his ears.

"That's because you're already dead."

"Whaa…!?"

Squirt!

A fountain of blood gushed out from the spot where a neck used to be, and the assassin's body fell to the ground with his lifeless eyes staring into the void.

After this unbelievable moment, a few illusory blue figures flickered and disappeared without a trace, followed by a few system notifications appearing not long after…

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