Chapter 438: A Rain of Arrows and Fire
The assassins flowed across the room as one body with a hundred limbs, their formation tightening around the three women like a closing fist.
The assassins flowed forward like water through cracks in stone, their formation shifting, adapting, tightening around the room’s center. The enchantments on their weapons pulsed faintly, eager and patient. A low hum rippled through the air as they activated their buffs—speed, reflexes, coordination all spiking in unison.
A lazy flick of Alice’s tail was the only warning they got.
"I hope you don’t die too quickly. That would be disappointing."
She raised her hand, and from the shadows around her feet, tiny forms began to emerge—small, round, with gleaming eyes and gaping maws lined with needle-sharp teeth. They tumbled out like living marbles, each one letting out a soft, almost innocent "Meow~" before launching themselves at the nearest assassins.
[Void Kittens]
The assassins scattered. They dodged, rolled, leaped over the hissing creatures—but the Void Kittens were relentless, their tiny forms weaving between their feet, snapping at ankles, forcing them to break formation.
One assassin stumbled, and a Void Kitten latched onto his leg. He howled, slashing at it with his dagger, but it dissolved into shadow and reformed behind him, biting down on his shoulder. Another swung at two at once, only to have them split into four, their laughter a chorus of distorted, playful mewls.
Selena’s subordinate watched the chaos unfold, her sharp eyes darting between the assassins.
"Lady Selena—they’re communicating. Without words. That’s telepathy, or something close to it. They’re coordinating faster than they should be able to."
A flicker of amusement crossed Selena’s face, there and gone like a ripple on still water. Her composure, once shaken, had already steadied itself.
"Telepathy? How organized. I’m almost flattered they went to such lengths for me."
The subordinate’s eye twitched.
"This is not the time for flattery, Lady Selena."
She was right.
The assassins had pulled back, reforming their line, their eyes fixed on Alice with renewed focus. The Void Kittens still circled at her feet, purring, waiting, but the assassins had learned to avoid them or at least, they had learned not to let them break their formation.
The lead assassin’s hand rose, fingers curling into a silent command. The formation responded instantly—some falling back, others fanning wide to flank.
Then they moved.
Three broke from the main line, their charge synchronized as if they shared a single pulse. The rest spread outward, hands already tracing patterns in the air as their voices rose in a low, unified chant. The sound was barely audible at first but it grew, layering upon itself until the air around them began to thicken.
Mist coiled from their palms, grey and dense, swallowing the light in slow, greedy waves. It crept across the floor, curled around the pillars, and rose like a living thing, muffling sound and sight alike.
Alice’s claws extended, dark violet energy flaring along their edges. She slashed through the first wave of mist, but more poured in to fill the gaps. A blade materialized from the fog, aimed at her ribs. She twisted, deflecting it, but another came from the other side, then another, forcing her back a step.
"Tch!" Alice’s tail lashed with irritation. "They’re using the mist to cover their movements. I can’t track them all."
The subordinate had already positioned herself between Selena and the encroaching fog, her blade raised, her eyes scanning the shifting grey.
"Lady Selena, stay behind me. I’ll hold them off."
Selena’s voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge beneath it. "Where are the other guards? They should have responded by now."
The subordinate’s jaw tightened. "I don’t know, Lady Selena. The signal was sent, but..." She paused, listening. The building was silent, save for the soft hiss of the mist and the whisper of movement within it. "There’s no response."
Selena’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of cold understanding passing through them. "Then we’re on our own."
Alice shot her a flat, unimpressed look over her shoulder.
"Oh, so now you’re including me in ’we’? I thought you were the one who had everything under control."
Selena’s composure didn’t waver. "I’m not above admitting when I’m outmatched. And right now, we’re outmatched."
"Finally, some honesty."
The assassins closed in with the precision of a hunting pack, each one covering the gaps of the others, their formation a perfect, living trap. The enchantments on their weapons pulsed, humming with stored power. A low, synchronized chant rose from their ranks and then the world went white.
The explosion came in layers—first a shockwave that buckled the floor, then a searing pulse of heat that scorched the walls, then a concussive roar that shattered the windows and sent glass raining into the street below.
Selena’s subordinate moved before the wave could reach them. Her hands shot forward, and a shimmering barrier of interlocking hexagonal light snapped into place around the three women. The explosion struck it like a battering ram, and the barrier bowed inward, cracks spider-webbing across its surface—but it held.
Dust and debris rained down. The room was unrecognizable—walls scorched, windows blown out, the ceiling groaning overhead. Selena’s desk was splinters. Her papers were ash.
Selena stared at the wreckage, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and exhausted resignation.
"It took me weeks to get this place renovated. And now... it’s gone."
A faint, approving smirk tugged at Alice’s lips as she glanced at the subordinate, still maintaining the barrier with gritted teeth and trembling arms.
"Turns out you’re not completely useless after all."
The subordinate’s eye twitched. Her voice was strained, sharp with indignation.
"I’ve been protecting Lady Selena since before you even arrived in this city. Don’t mistake my silence for incompetence."
The assassins didn’t wait for the dust to settle. They surged through the haze, their weapons already raised, their formation reforming around the barrier. The subordinate’s barrier flickered under the renewed assault—but before the assassins could press their advantage, something changed.
A faint whistle cut through the chaos.
Then—thwip.
An arrow appeared in the back of the lead assassin’s skull. He crumpled mid-step, his body hitting the ground before his comrades could react. Another arrow, then another—each one finding its mark with surgical precision, piercing through helmets, slipping between armor plates, striking throats and eye sockets.
The assassins scrambled, their formation breaking as they tried to locate the source of the attack. A few turned toward the windows, raising their weapons, but they were already dead—arrows embedded in their chests before they could take a single step.
Alice’s grin widened as she watched the chaos unfold.
"You’re late, Az."
Azrynn emerged from the shadows near the shattered window, her bow still drawn, her yellow eyes scanning the remaining assassins with cold, unyielding focus.
"I took the scenic route. The city’s rebuilding is quite a mess."
The surviving assassins regrouped—but before they could mount another assault, a different sound filled the room.
Golden flames erupted from the ceiling, raining down like a blazing waterfall, carving a path of molten stone and scorched air through the heart of the assassin formation. The heat was immense—intense enough to make the air itself shimmer and warp.
Ignis dropped through the hole she’d burned in the roof, landing in a crouch. Her flames flickered eagerly around her shoulders, and her golden eyes swept the room with predatory satisfaction. Her voice rang out, bright and brimming with barely contained excitement.
"Sorry I’m late!!!"
Selena stared at the hole in her ceiling, her eye twitching.
The subordinate’s eye twitched as she looked at the scorched remains of the building’s upper floor. Her voice came out strained, carrying a note of horrified disbelief.
"We’re going to have to find a new place to live, Lady Selena."