Chapter 19: My Savior
The assassin staggered to her feet, blood trickling from the corner of her lips.
The purple hue surrounding her body flickered violently as she prepared to flee.
Only now did Ronan finally get a proper look at her.
She wore a tight black combat outfit that hugged her body, its dark fabric blending almost perfectly with the night. A strange mask covered the upper half of her face, its lips curved into an eerie smile that made her appearance strangely unsettling.
Her long hair spilled from beneath the mask, dancing in the wind as the purple energy gathered around her once more.
"So... that’s what she looks like."
Ronan had been far too busy trying not to die to pay attention to her appearance until now.
There was no doubt that her outfit was distinctive. Her voice had already confirmed that she was female, but just like Ronan, whose face remained hidden while only his crimson eyes were visible, she also kept her identity concealed behind a mask.
But that didn’t stop Ronan from attacking.
He quickly closed the distance between them in a few steps, but her body suddenly disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a barely visible trail of purple energy.
Ronan couldn’t help but recall how, every time she used that purple hue, her speed seemed to increase several times over.
He couldn’t help but wonder...
Ronan came to a stop and looked across the illuminated alley.
There was no sign of her.
His expression became solemn as he began to realize something.
Sometimes, you couldn’t judge someone’s combat ability solely by their realm.
Perhaps in the Abyss, if his realm was higher than his opponent’s, Ronan could confidently crush them.
But this was the human world.
Even after giving it his all, a mere Three-Star Transcendent had actually managed to escape from him despite being two entire realms below him.
It was surprising.
But more importantly...
It made Ronan cautious.
"But don’t think you’ve completely escaped..."
"I still have your stats."
Ronan muttered as a familiar System panel appeared before his eyes.
There were now three names.
The first was Levit, which had been crossed out.
The second was Bama.
And now, beneath those two, was a new entry:
Female Assassin
Host: ?????
Race: Human
Realm: Transcendent • Three-Star
Trait: Chasing Wind Lv.4
Essence: 298/300 (300 required for the next realm)
Effects:
Enhanced movement speed
Body enhancement
Low-level regeneration
Enhanced senses
Ability: Phantom Feet Lv.1
The body is covered in a purple hue, temporarily increasing the host’s movement speed. The ability has a cooldown of at least five minutes. However, with a complementary skill, it can be used more than five times for up to one minute before the body collapses under tremendous strain.
After checking her stats, a lot of information was revealed to Ronan, especially regarding the mysterious purple hue.
It truly increased her speed.
However, it wasn’t without weaknesses.
Every use placed tremendous pressure on her body.
Normally, she should only have been able to use the ability once.
Yet during her assassination attempt on Bama and her subsequent battle with Ronan, she had already used it three times.
That could only mean one thing.
She possessed a skill that complemented the ability.
She could probably use it two more times before she either lost consciousness or suffered serious injuries.
Ronan clenched his fist.
There was still a chance.
She had already used the ability once to escape.
She could probably use it one more time, but she would have to do so carefully. The ability had a one-minute limit, and she was undoubtedly trying to put as much distance between herself and the city as possible.
"Should I chase her?"
Ronan couldn’t help but mutter as he weighed his options.
Meanwhile, behind him, Bama was close to losing consciousness from excitement.
Although he could also sense the Five-Star Transcendent aura of the Crimson-Eyed Maiden, he couldn’t help but worry.
After all, he couldn’t even perceive the assassin’s movements.
Yet the maiden had completely dominated the battle and even injured the assassin.
And she had done all of it...
To protect him.
"Maiden, are you hurt?"
Bama rushed forward bravely to check on Ronan.
Ronan turned around, his thoughts interrupted.
The moment he saw the wretched smile on Bama’s face, his clenched fist tightened even further.
He desperately resisted the urge to simply punch him into the ground.
The barrier was still surrounding Bama, illuminating the alleyway.
Ronan wasn’t certain he could break through it.
And if he did...
The Duke’s family would undoubtedly hunt him down.
So even though Ronan desperately wanted to do it...
He had to resist.
He sidestepped Bama, preventing him from touching him.
"It’s over here!"
"Quickly!"
Several voices suddenly echoed through the alley, followed by the rapid sound of approaching footsteps. As they approached, the barrier surrounding Bama suddenly dimmed before finally disappearing.
More than a dozen guards soon appeared, each one at the peak of the Mortal Realm, rushing over to investigate the disturbance.
But the moment they saw the Duke’s son standing so close to the rumored Crimson-Eyed Maiden, the guards froze in place.
They had expected to find an emergency.
Instead...
They had walked into something entirely different.
Their faces flushed as they awkwardly coughed and immediately looked away, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.
Just then, Selak finally arrived.
He looked around the alley before speaking.
"Young Master... what happened?" Selak asked as he walked toward them.
His expression was solemn as he looked at Bama and the Crimson-Eyed Maiden standing so close together.
She was the owner of the Five-Star Transcendent aura he had sensed earlier that afternoon. Even while rushing here, he had felt her aura flare up.
He didn’t know what had happened, but seeing that the barrier surrounding the Young Master had disappeared, he couldn’t help but fear the worst.
However, before Selak could say anything else, Ronan sidestepped Bama’s approach, giving himself a better view of the situation.
Standing before him were several guards dressed in standard bronze armor, each carrying a long spear with a sharply pointed tip.
And at the front of them stood an elderly man with a white beard and piercing eyes.
He wore an exquisite long robe, the quality of which made it obvious that he was either a nobleman or someone closely associated with nobility.
But something about the old man made Ronan freeze in place.
His entire body tensed.
Although the old man wasn’t releasing the slightest bit of aura...
A terrifying presence was firmly locked onto Ronan.
The difference in their realms was simply too great.
This old man...
Was at the Sovereign Realm.
Ronan’s worst fear had come to pass.
"Ah, Selak..."
Bama finally broke the silence with a smile.
"This is the beautiful lady I told you about—and my savior."
He turned toward Ronan.
"Hey, Maiden. Let me introduce you to my butler and personal guard, Selak."
Bama stretched out his hand, seemingly intending to grab Ronan’s hand and display their supposed intimacy.
Ronan immediately dodged.
His crimson eyes remained locked onto the old man, who now wore a faint frown.
’Damn it...’
’Have I been discovered?’