Chapter 83: Deception

’What?!’

Neolan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the scene before him. Rosy noticed his shocked expression and immediately spoke up, a confident smile appearing on her face. "Now it’s your turn. Do you think you can escape me again?"

"I want to see you try that when the Goddess of Niflheim is not around, Hahaha!" Neolan stood still with Bifrost in his hand before lowering his head as though he had finally accepted his defeat.

However, the moment his head lowered, a grin slowly formed on his face.

’Those five finally took the bait. It’s best if I keep up this act of defeat until those three give me the signal. Hehehe~.’ With that thought, Neolan raised his head again, deliberately making his pupils tremble as though he were genuinely terrified of what was about to happen.

Given his current circumstances, what he had done could only be described as a tactical maneuver, one that had required him to act within an extremely short period.

After sealing the presences of Maximus, Kiozo, and Junwoo, Neolan had immediately noticed the five assassins emerging behind Rosy. The moment he sensed them, his passive talent, Ultimate Comprehension, had already begun working through the situation, allowing him to formulate a plan almost instantly.

He had immediately created three clones of himself using the cloning technique he had learned in his past life. He then gave each clone the appearance of Maximus, Kiozo, and Junwoo, respectively, before using a small amount of Spiritual Qi to seal their presences through Absolute Sealing Arts.

He had accomplished all of this within moments...yes, only a few moments. The speed at which he had executed the entire plan was something he could barely have managed before, but his recent advancement had changed that.

Following the formation of his Astrine Core, Neolan’s mental and physical capacities had increased considerably, allowing him to withstand the strain of creating the clones, altering their appearances, and sealing their presences in such a short time.

Although forming an Astrine Core might have appeared simple and might not have seemed to offer many immediate benefits, it actually provided an enormous increase in mental capacity. Without that improvement, carrying out such a complicated sequence of actions so quickly would have been impossible when someone like Rosy was watching him.

Regardless, now that he had completed his preparations, his plan was proceeding almost flawlessly.

The five assassins were currently holding nothing more than his clones, while the real Maximus, Kiozo, and Junwoo remained hidden from their perception. ’Even if they try to search for them, they won’t be able to detect them easily because the technique and energy signatures are completely different.’

Neolan paused briefly while maintaining his defeated expression, carefully ensuring that Rosy wouldn’t notice anything suspicious, ’Well, they would obviously use artifacts, and those could help them sense the three of them.’ He acknowledged that possibility before dismissing the thought for the moment.

Just then, he watched the five assassins suddenly tear the heads off the figures they were holding with their bare hands. Neolan immediately felt the strain hit him as the shared portions of consciousness connected to his clones returned to him all at once.

He clenched his teeth slightly as the sudden influx of information and the resulting pain struck him, but before he could properly recover, he noticed Rosy already standing directly in front of him. Her scythe was swinging toward him at a terrifying speed, leaving him almost no time to react.

Before Neolan could move even an inch, Rosy slashed forward without the slightest hesitation.

SHHHHK!

His right hand fell to the ground, severed from his shoulder, while blood poured from the wound almost instantly. Pain surged through his body, but before he could even scream, Rosy teleported behind him in a flash and swung her scythe again, this time targeting his back.

Another sharp sound echoed through the area as the blade cut into him, forcing Neolan to collapse onto his knees.

His head snapped upward as a scream tore from his throat.

"KHUAAGHHHHH!!!!"

Bifrost had already disappeared from his hand, leaving him defenseless as blood dripped from both his shoulder and his back. His screams continued for several moments before Rosy finally spoke, her voice carrying a chilling calmness despite the violence of her actions.

"Although I am an assassin and should eliminate my target quickly, you have caused me quite a lot of trouble, so you need to pay me back for all of that." Her voice grew colder as she raised her scythe once again and brought it down against Neolan’s back.

The blade carved another wound across his already injured body, forming a cross-shaped mark on his back. Neolan’s body convulsed under the impact, and blood immediately escaped from his mouth and eyes as the pain overwhelmed him.

"KHUUGGHHH!"

His body finally collapsed forward, leaving him barely able to maintain his consciousness. Rosy watched him fall before bursting into maniacal laughter, seemingly delighted by the sight of the boy who had caused her so much trouble.

"Hahahaha! Where is that smirk of yours now?" She stepped closer, preparing to slash off his left hand as well, intending to make him suffer even more before finishing him off.

However, just as she was about to bring her scythe down, Neolan’s head suddenly snapped toward her at an unnatural angle.

When he finally turned his face toward her, Rosy saw a grin forming across his bloodied expression, with blood dripping from between his teeth. Despite his severe injuries, Neolan somehow managed to speak, his voice hoarse and strained. "You know...why this rift is classified as a Sealed one, and an S-rank at that?"

Rosy frowned at his words, but before she could respond, she saw Neolan somehow begin to stand up again. Her eyes widened at the sheer absurdity of the sight, as she had already used one of her Aspect abilities when attacking him.

That ability should have rendered him immovable, yet he was somehow rising to his feet while a white aura gradually surrounded his entire body. Even after standing upright, Neolan struggled to maintain his posture, his upper body remaining slightly inclined forward as his injuries continued to affect him.

Nevertheless, he lifted his head toward Rosy and continued speaking through his strained breathing, "You must also know...what happens when you’re trapped inside a rift like this, right, Rosy Belmila?"

Rosy’s eyes widened even further, and for a moment, she was unable to maintain her composure. Even an experienced assassin like her couldn’t remain calm after hearing her full name spoken by someone who should never have been able to discover it, ’Even if he searched for my face and name through the Goddess of Niflheim, it’s impossible! I don’t exist in the Federation’s data...’

Her pupils trembled as she stared at Neolan, unable to understand how he had uncovered such information. ’So how? How does he know my name?!’ Before she could make sense of the situation, Neolan spoke again, his hoarse voice interrupting her thoughts.

"You might be wondering how I know your name and all, but I suggest you hear me out first. I’m going to die either way, aren’t I?" Rosy narrowed her eyes at him, but after a brief moment, she nodded. Her curiosity had been piqued to the extreme, and she wanted to hear what this seemingly dying boy had to say.

Neolan noticed her response and began moving toward her, his bloodied body struggling with every step, "What would happen if I told you that all of you are going to be trapped inside this rift while we remove the rift core?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Neolan stepped forward and immediately activated his technique.

’Void Steps!’

In an instant, he vanished from where he had been standing. Rosy and the other assassins immediately realized what had happened, recognizing the same tactic Neolan had used before, just as the reports had warned them.

"FIND THAT BASTARD RIGHT NOW! WE CAN’T LET HIM ESCAPE!"

"WE WILL BE DOOMED IF HE GETS HIS HANDS ON THE RIFT CORE!!"