City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Elgan Doris

Panic couldn’t help but rise in my heart as I saw the glittering arc of fire coming toward me.

It’s a Lv. 40 attack and a powerful one at that.

Earlier, we had some doubts about whether she had really advanced into Lv. 40, but now it’s clear as day that she has. Even a child could see it.

Not only has she advanced, but she is also here, and her attack is coming toward me.

It filled my mind with so many questions. First among them is how they came to know about the attack. I have been part of tens of such secret assassinations, and among them, very few gain awareness in advance.

They shouldn’t have known about it; the hire-ups had been very careful in planning this, seeing how many times Silver defeated them.

It was a matter of their reputation on the island. They have become a laughingstock.

I would become one as well with this failure. But I will bear it as long as I survive it,’ I thought and pushed away all the distracting thoughts out of my mind.

Crescent Draw. Shadow Cut.

I activated the two skills that could save me against this attack.

Yes, I have to deal with it despite it being the last thing I want to do. I am fast; even Blava couldn’t compare me to me in speed, but the attack is faster than I could dodge, and it is right in front of me.

I will have to counter the attack with my dagger.

I did it before on the island; I will do it again this time.

As I activated the skills to full power, I brought out my aura and pushed it into them. As much as I could, more than I had ever done, as my life depended on it.

My dagger moved fast, with such speed and power as it had never had.

It reached the arc that appeared in front of me and touched it. The moment, it did. I felt the power of it; it is immense, greater than the last Lv. 40 spell, I bore.

The artifact is powerful; it’s a draconic one, and the woman seemed to be quite skilled in using it.

On top of that, she had used her Lv. 40 skills in the attack. Even with a powerful class and my skills, this is scary for me.

A loud sound rang out, and I pushed back hard, with burn marks appearing across me. If not for the Nights’ Protection, I wouldn’t have come out of it only with the burns.

I stopped and looked at her. She didn’t move toward me as I expected, just watched me with hard, unemotional eyes.

“Surrender,” she said. I didn’t reply. Instead, I melded into the room and ran toward the window, pushing the massive amount of aura into the speed skill, to gain the maximum speed.

I cannot surrender, unlike the island. We didn’t have prisoners that Silver needed. So, there wouldn’t be an exchange; I would remain his prisoner like many others.

Our negotiations with Silver had broken down because he isn’t willing to release even a single powerhouse above Lv. 30.

Therefore, I know there is no way he would release me.

Not to mention the torture I might receive, I will take my chances, and it’s not like it’s my first time escaping a Lv. 40. I succeed before and will succeed now.

I need escape, and I could with my speed. I am fast, and now, I am faster than I have ever been, with the window getting closer and closer to me.

I was moving toward it when I felt the aura from behind, and the next moment, another arc came.

I saw it from the reflection in the glass of the window, and it sent a shudder deep into my soul. The arc is thinner than before, but it is radiating much more powerful energy than earlier.

A horror welled up in my heart, and I opened my mouth when I felt the searing heart at my back, before it turned to an inferno, stopping the word I was about to speak.

…

Blava Moor

I saw the fiery sword coming at me, filling my heart with rage but also fear.

I do not fear this attack, powerful as it may be; what I fear is people who are appearing out of nowhere.

It’s unmistakable that this mission had failed.

They somehow knew we were coming and were prepared to deal with it. I don’t know how they found out about it, as very few people knew about it.

I didn’t even know about it until an hour before I was dispatched for the mission.

Most of my team wasn’t aware of it in detail until we reached the city and learned the exact time just a few hours ago, and in that time, we followed all necessary precautions.

We are a heritage assassin organization.

We have been doing such missions longer than most kingdoms have existed. Our loyalty is steadfast, and protocols are solid. So, if it is a leak, then it’s not from us, but we are now paying the price for it.

We are surrounded, and we have to escape quickly, or it would be terrible.

I defended against the attack, and she shook, but it was powerful enough to force her back.

“It seemed luck is favouring you whores,” I spat and leaped back with the Shadow Walk and Ghosts Steps.

It is humiliating to run away again. It filled my heart with anger, not only toward these whores, but also at myself. If I had been powerful, I wouldn’t have had to run away.

The news of the last time spread quickly, and I have received messages and letters filled with insults and jeers.

The people who couldn’t dare to speak in front of me are now insulting me with prose.

I had only taken a step of retreat when I felt the auras coming out behind me, and a moment later. I felt the suppressions from the aura presence skill; not one but two.

They are more powerful than I had assumed they would be.

The drunk whore’s aura control seemed to have improved tremendously compared to the last time we had fought.

If she kept improving at such a speed, then it wouldn’t take her long before she could start learning the aura methods.

I activated my own aura presence skill to defend against them, but it’s hard seeing that both of them have stronger aura control than mine and are around the same level as me.

Still, I defended.

Knight Liorian had been training me hard; compared to his presence, this is light as a feather.

There is also Verven’s Kiss, my precious artifact, helping me with it.

I took a few more steps when I felt the heat behind me, without looking. I know, the flame breath is coming from that drunkard whore.

I could smell the liquor from it.

I spun in the air and harnessed the power from my artifact before swinging downward with my dagger and sending the icy arc toward the fire breath, before landing and continuing running forward.

I didn’t look back to see whether it worked or not. I didn’t need to; I know it will.

A second passed, and I sensed the spells coming toward me. Earth Lances, I only looked at them, and when they reached me, I dodged them before spinning once again and sending an arc against another fiery breath.

Dodging spells isn’t a problem for me. I am fast to begin with, and with aura and artifact, I am even quicker.

It is why it didn’t take long for me to get out of the back garden of the manor. Nobody followed me; they could not follow me, aside from the whore.

There is fire on her legs, helping her move fast. She is only slightly slower than I am.

I hate to admit it. If I didn’t have the boost from the artifact, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain this edge that I have.

She released another breath, which I had defended with an arc of frost, before moving to dodge the arrows and the spells coming at me.

These bastards have positioned themselves on the roofs of the houses and are slinging attacks at me.

They are not appearing in front of me, knowing I would kill through them, but using the spells to attack and form obstacles to slow me down. Well, they are in for a surprise if they think it would stop me.

Even the year-old initiate of Night Manor could move through these obstacles.

I dodged them as they came, until finally I could not. One of the arrows had torn through my sleeve, giving me a shallow cut and bringing along the sharp pain.

It is not the pain of the wound, but of the skills.

“You talk so big, little assassin, but once more you are running away like the little rat that you are,” mocked the whore behind.

“I am ready to fight you, filthy whore; just call back the dogs that are attacking me,” I replied, dodging another flurry of attacks.

I dodge them to the best of my abilities, but some cut through. With a stone dart hitting my leg, nearly making me stumble.

“They will stop attacking you the moment you stop,” she said. “First, ask them to stop,” I replied, before sending another arc of frost at her.

“Fuck!” I cursed as the large lightning bolt hit me.

If I had not covered myself with the heavy frost of the artifact. I would have been on the ground, struggling like a dying fish.

The power of the artifact is saving me, but it is not without cost.

I am feeding it more and more aura; I need to. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to defend against all the attacks coming toward me.

I looked toward the city gate, which is coming closer and closer, but attacks on me are increasing as well.

So, I pushed my skill harder and fed even more aura to my artifact, but despite that, more and more injuries are appearing on my body.

I am scared, and this fear is pushing me harder to survive.

I cannot die here and will not die until I take revenge for my brother. I will survive this; they will not kill me.

They have already killed or captured my men. I could not sense a single one, nor do I have hope. They were prepared for us; they will not let them escape.

Seconds passed after another, and I moved closer and closer to the gate with injuries piling up on my body.

I have become seriously injured, and it is only because of my training and the artifact that I am still running away, defending, and dodging every attack that came at me.

As I move closer to the wall, things are getting worse fast.

They are forming the net around me. I have to get out before it fully forms.

If I had been a warrior, even at a higher level than I am. I would have been dead right now. It is only due to the speed and agility of a rogue that I am alive.

It is why it shocked me so much, seeing the whore following me. Nearly matching my speed, she shouldn’t have been able, but she is.

I am taking twists and turns, using the alleys and houses as a shield, but she is following me through it all.

Time passed by, and finally, I reached the wall and saw what was waiting for me. It made me pale. I had expected it, but seeing it still made me shudder.

There are soldiers; hundreds of them, with many mages and archers pointing their staffs and bows toward me.

Hell, even ballistas are pointing at me.

“There is no way you will be able to escape, now, little assassin,” said the whore from behind. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that!” I replied, and the next moment, thick frost energy blasted out of me.

Dark blue veins are now covering all over my body, with the temperature around me dropping so low that it would freeze a normal person.

Though that is not the worst part, the worst is the poison in it.

This is my trump card. For one, I will pay the great price for it, as it will harm the blade, which can only be healed in the essence pool of the legacy.

Night Master would not like it, but it is better than being captured or killed and letting the artifact fall into their hands.

The weapon will not be the only one bearing the cost; I will as well.

These are massive, poisonous frost energies in me. There is a very good chance they will kill me. Still, I am doing it because there is no choice.

“Pray your luck holds when next time we meet whore!” I said.

She opened her mouth to reply, but I shot forward with a blast of frost so powerful that it pushed the whore back hard, while icy crystals formed across her body.

The spells and arrows rained down on me, but most were too slow to catch up to me.

Those that reached me, I dodged, before finally reaching the wall and began to run up it vertically.

Leaving a trail of frost at every step.

It didn’t take long for me to reach the top, where two soldiers greeted me.

They looked at me in terror; I want to make their terror absolute and kill them, but it will only waste a precious moment. So, I only smiled at them and jumped off the wall.

Promising myself to fill it with bodies when I return to it next time.

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