Chapter 186: The Calamity He Brought Upon Himself
He slowly lowered his gaze toward the two hidden Silver Knights.
"Should I kill them?"
He seriously considered it.
After all.
Dead spies couldn’t deliver information. Just as Luke was weighing the pros and cons—
The black-haired man suddenly spoke again.
"It’s fine."
His lips slowly curled into a mocking smile.
"Once the Holy Church calms down. We’ll cut Hero Luke’s wings."
A sinister chuckle escaped his mouth.
"But first he has to survive the calamity he brought upon himself."
"Hahaha." His laughter echoed softly through the forest.
There wasn’t the slightest bit of sympathy in it.
Instead it was filled with undisguised delight.
Ever since Hero Luke had appeared. The Hidden Hand had been thrown into chaos.
Assassination branches were being destroyed one after another.
Many underground organizations had gone completely silent.
Even he could no longer use the assassination network for his own missions.
But.
After hearing the latest news from his lord. His mood immediately improved.
The brown-haired man also grinned. "He deserves it."
He nodded repeatedly. "The faster Hero Luke falls the better it is for our lord."
After all.
Baron Luke’s explosive rise. wasn’t good news for their master’s ambitions.
So the the brown-haired man also joined him in laugh.
"Hahaha!"
The two of them laughed together.
Completely unaware that directly above their heads.
A pair of eyes had already turned ice-cold.
The hesitation had vanished. Only killing intent remained.
Yet.
Neither of them sensed a thing.
Null Veil of Nyx completely concealed Luke’s existence.
Even the suffocating killing intent radiating from him was swallowed by the endless Void.
Luke’s voice echoed silently inside his mind.
"Kill them all."
The command was directed toward his ten dopplegängers.
The next instant—
Far away ten armored figures moved simultaneously.
Void Steps flashed one after another.
Every scout. Every hidden observer. Every infiltrator discovered by the clones. Received the same judgment.
Meanwhile...
Luke himself descended toward the two Silver Knights.
Silently.
Without creating even the slightest ripple in the air.
"I need answers."
"I have to find out who’s targeting me."
His right hand slowly reached toward his waist.
SHING—
Voidfang silently left its sheath.
The dark blade shimmered with faint blue Void runes.
Without hesitation—
Luke disappeared.
SWISH!!
Two flashes of blue-black light crossed the forest.
The next instant. Two severed arms spun through the air.
Thud!
Thud!
They crashed onto the forest floor.
For a heartbeat everything became eerily quiet.
Then—
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
"MY ARM!!"
The agonizing screams of the two Silver Knights echoed throughout the forest.
Blood erupted from both shoulders.
Splash!
Splash!
The surrounding trees were stained crimson.
However those desperate screams never reached anyone else.
Because the remaining scouts hidden throughout the forest.
Were already dead.
Miles away Luke’s dopplegängers had carried out his order flawlessly.
Each scout lost his head before he even realized an enemy had appeared.
A single strike. One clean slash.
Authority of Severance — Physical Severance was imbued into every swing of Voidfang.
Heads rolled silently onto the ground.
Thud. Thud.
Not a single survivor remained.
Back in the forest.
Luke calmly watched the two wounded men. He had deliberately spared them.
For now.
The black-haired man and the brown-haired man staggered backward in horror.
Only now did they realize an enemy stood before them.
Their pupils violently contracted.
"W-When?!"
"H-How did he get here?!"
Neither of them had sensed anything.
It was as though the attacker had materialized from thin air.
Cold sweat instantly drenched their backs.
"An Assassin!"
The horrifying thought flashed through both of their minds simultaneously.
Only an assassin of the same strength or above.
Could approach two Peak Silver Knights without leaving behind the slightest trace.
And Nyx.
Was exactly such a predator.
A being born to hunt from the darkness. Combined with Null Veil of Nyx. The result became utterly terrifying.
The two men hadn’t even realized they were under attack. Until their severed arms landed on the ground.
Clenching their teeth against the unbearable pain. Both hurriedly summoned their weapons into their remaining hands.
Clang!
Steel gleamed beneath the forest canopy.
Their bloodshot eyes immediately locked onto the lone armored figure standing before them.
Even though every fiber of their being wanted to tear the mysterious enemy into pieces.
The black-haired man forced himself to calm down. His sharp eyes narrowed beneath the pain.
"I never sensed him."
His expression gradually became uglier.
He wasn’t an ordinary Silver Knight. He had survived many assassination attempts.
His instincts had saved his life more than once.
Yet not only had he failed to detect the enemy. He hadn’t even sensed the slightest fluctuation before losing his arm.
That alone made his heart sink.
"He’s dangerous."
Very dangerous.
His racing mind immediately began analyzing the situation.
"He didn’t kill us which means. He wants something."
Information.
Interrogation.
Or...
He was wary of the force standing behind them.
Whatever the reason.
The enemy had deliberately kept them alive.
Thinking of that the black-haired man’s eyes flashed.
He immediately tried another approach.
"Do you know who we are?" His voice carried both pain and arrogance.
Blood continued dripping onto the forest floor.
"Do you know..."
"...what will happen if you touch us?"
A naked threat.
He hoped mentioning their background would make the enemy hesitate.
Silence.
"..."
The armored figure didn’t answer. Not even a single word.
His face remained completely hidden beneath the dark helmet.
Only those cold, blue eyes silently stared at them through the visor.
The eerie silence. Made both men increasingly uneasy.
The brown-haired man swallowed hard.
"W-Why isn’t he saying anything?" His voice unconsciously trembled.
The black-haired man also felt something was terribly wrong.
Normally an enemy would either negotiate.
Or immediately attack.
This person did neither. He simply watched them.
Like a predator observing two injured prey.
A cold chill crawled up the black-haired man’s spine.
"We have to escape."
Without saying a word. He subtly glanced toward his companion.
Then using only his eyes. He gave a signal.
Run.
The brown-haired man instantly understood.
Years of fighting together allowed them to communicate without words.