Classless Ascension

Tons of rookie assassins were hurriedly grabbing plates strewn all over the room, trying to tidy up the place as quickly as possible. 

Some were energetically shouting: 

"The Matriarch is coming!" 

"Get everything in order, hurry up!"

"Quick, quick, quick, move your asses!"

"Get rid of that fishy smell before it spreads! 

They tried to make the giant feast they had prepared for Josh suddenly disappear. They could be seen running left and right anxiously.

When they were done, they finally slightly relaxed as they began discussing in a hushed voice. 

"Today is such a big day! First the elder and now the matriarch!" 

"Since the elder is here, of course, she'll swing by!" 

"Ah, you're right! I wonder how strong she is now."

"Able to kill us all of us on a whim as usual..." 

"Do you think the elder is here for a secret mission?" 

"That's possible, especially after that thing in Metropolis-C!" 

"Maybe he's going to suggest us a Climbing strategy for the Tower?" 

"I just hope that he came here to teach us. That would be the fucking best!" 

They enthusiastically talked about Josh, who still wondered why they called him an elder. Did he release some killing intent while sleeping? At this point, that was the only explanation that he could fathom. 

Still, weren't they jumping the gun if that was their only criteria? After all, there were plenty of Rankers that wouldn't give a fuck about his killing intent.

Still, he couldn't help but feel that this place was way friendlier than he had expected. Wasn't the LoA just a loose group of assassins? Those guys seemed so very close to one another, even cooking together. This was crazy! 

But the murmurs suddenly died. This was because a very slight tapping sound began to resonate across the lair. It was so very faint, and yet it was impossible to miss it. 

— Click! Click! Click! — 

The sound was steadily amplifying as the one making it approached. In turn, the assassins straightened their backs and stood to attention. 

— Click! Click! Click! — 

That's when a woman turned the corner, every one of her steps creating that rhythmic sound. It made the very air, along with all the assassins, tremble. 

This was the matriarch? 

As he saw her, Josh couldn't help but stare at her body, completely mesmerized. So big! Then his gaze lingered on the curves, just wow! But seriously, what kind of assassin was she to wear such a big plate armor?! 

Yes, her entire body was covered by a dark metallic alloy that seemed highly resistant. This included her shoes that appeared to be part of the set. How did that even work? 

How ridiculous would it be for an assassin to proceed to backstab someone only for their armor to give their position away?! 

The woman's black eyes matched her hair and gave her a heroic appearance. She surveyed the room. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds on the blue girl before locking on Josh. 

No words were exchanged as they peered into each other's souls. She then started releasing killing intent, it was a shaky one, but it beat the killer's aura by far. Her lips then curled upward into a grin. 

A soft whistle escaped her red cherry lips, and instantly the room's atmosphere changed as it became incredibly heavy. The spectators began to shake as the volume increased, for they knew what was coming.

Josh felt the sound penetrate his eardrums, shattering them entirely, as he began bleeding from the two orifices. He, in turn, began to emit true killing intent, not the flimsy shit she had been using. 

The spectators were losing their shit: 

"What the heck is happening?!"

"T-they're fighting! What?!" 

"Who do you think will win?" 

"The matriarch has never lost." 

"Of course, the matriarch will come on top!" 

"No, she's struggling! I think he'll be victorious!" 

That's when the girl in blue exclaimed: "Oh god, what if?!" Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed quickly in terror. 

"What is it?" 

"I've just remembered that his target was from Gemini. What if he was involved in that black sky incident?!" She said in fright. 

"Haha, nice joke. There's no way that's possible!" 

The duel continued, a clash of killing intent...and something else! She could have covered her body with magic, but she didn't. She chose to challenge him head-on. 

Josh mercilessly raised the degree of killing intent he released!! He had a pitiful appearance with his head bleeding, but the woman began vomiting a torrent of blood a second later. 

The bystanders gasped in awe. What the fuck had he done?! How?! 

But she resolutely pushed herself back upward, her meaning clear: she wouldn't cower no matter what! She grinned as she managed to regain control of her body and even began whistling even faster, producing an even more strident sound. 

This time the bystanders were affected too as they held their heads in pain, collapsing like dominoes— just collateral damage. She grinned as Josh bleeding like a fountain, yet he had the peacefulness of a man taking a warm shower in winter. 

"You will fail." She muttered.

That's when he increased the intensity once again! This time he went all in, not pulling any stops. Her eyes gleamed with awe whenever he used killing intent.

If this was the interview, then he would make one hell of an impression! 

For a second, she lost all her composure as her entire body rocked, and she began to throw up blood again, enough that it made a puddle on the ground, enough for her to slip in it. 

Then the world became deathly quiet. Partly because she was twitching on the ground and partly because he had become deaf— okay, more so the latter. 

Everyone slowly rose as if zombies, before erupting in silent cheers, with the matriarch forcefully dragging herself back to her feet. While completely covered in blood, she acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened:

"Follow me. We need to talk." She uttered in a gentle voice as she turned to show the way. 

The random assassins could only watch this elder go. They were already lucky to have met him and witnessed this fight! They only wished that he would remember their face. 

Well, he actually would, but perhaps not for the reasons they hoped. Who knew when he'd need a cook? Their potent and deadly poisons? He had no clue about that, nor did he care that much. Their ability to make tasty food? Now, this was worth considering! 

He slowly followed behind the matriarch. This would probably be a long conversation...

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[A/N] You all ready? It's fucking mass release time! ☠ 8/8 !! 🔥