Chapter 29.2
Chapter 29.2
Stella, unable to break free from the grasp of Tania, felt powerless, while the Crescent’s assassins were thrown into disarray after their leader suffered a humiliating defeat and got kidnapped.
If any of the commanding officers on the other side had even a hint of intelligence, it was evident they would order a preemptive strike.
With the disappearance of the formidable Dragon, it was a fight worth attempting.
Philip slowly gripped the hilt of his sword.
And with a swift pull of Aura, he lunged towards the remaining members of the Crescent.
Aura was flexible like a whip, and instantly cut through an area of over three meters in radius.
“Aaargh!”
In the blink of an eye, numerous limbs went flying through the air.
Some assassins clutched their torn abdomens, while others suffered from shattered skulls due to blows to their heads.
Assassins were not trained for one-on-one combat; their skill lay in efficiently killing vulnerable opponents.
Within Philip’s range, they were merely defenseless prey.
“Help him!”
Several quick-witted members of the Shading Cat Tribe swiftly rallied together.
The Crescent’s assassins also regained their senses and attempted to counter, but none could withstand Philip’s swordsmanship.
Only a few seemingly higher-ranking assassins managed to barely escape his reach.
‘I must take them all down here.’
Even if he couldn’t eliminate them all, he couldn’t allow them to regroup and seek revenge.
Word had already reached the Crescent that Philip was an Academy instructor.
They might attempt revenge by harming or kidnapping his students.
‘I won’t let that happen.’
He’d rather face death right here.
As Philip contemplated this, he suddenly sensed a sharp killing intent. Glancing down, he saw his shadow writhing.
“Damn!”
A familiar Shadow Cat Tribe man sprang out from Philip’s shadow and swung a dagger at him.
It was Kane.
Seizing the opportunity, as he was originally an accomplished assassin, Kane managed to exploit a brief gap in Philip’s defenses. However, ever since the moment Philip first encountered the Shadow Cat Tribe, he had been cautious of their ability to move through shadows.
Evading the poisoned dagger by a hair’s breadth, Philip drew Aura, transforming it into the shape of a sword.
Kane seemed to sense that his life was about to end and urgently tried to speak.
“Wait…!”
Perhaps he intended to say more, but Philip thought otherwise and swiftly beheaded him.
There was no room for sympathy for assassins who thrived on the blood of others. Philip gritted his teeth and sought out his next opponent.
“Hey, have you gone mad? We were neighbors!”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you aiding the assassins?”
The Shadow Cat Tribe’s members in the Crescent seemed resolute in their decision never to return to their own kin. Without a moment’s hesitation, they drove their daggers into the throats and hearts of their fellow tribespeople.
A palpable gap existed between the Shadow Cat tribe members who had undergone combat training and those who had not. It seemed insurmountable.
The Shadow Cat Tribe members, who had previously led simple lives, relying on hunting and farming in the village, were caught off guard by the ruthless attacks of their Crescent-affiliated counterparts.
However, Philip had already managed to reduce the enemy’s numbers by six, providing a glimmer of hope for a balanced confrontation.
Surveying the situation, Philip quickly spotted an assassin.
The middle-aged man displayed a somber countenance, and he had already dispatched two of the village’s Shadow Cat Tribe members in close combat. Now, he leaped through the structures in the square, attempting to escape Philip’s line of sight.
Undeterred, Philip pursued him with determination.
It was evident that attempting to evade Philip would prove futile.
“Fuck!”
The assassin cursed as he forcefully kicked open the door to a warehouse on one side of the square. To capture him, Philip had no choice but to follow him inside.
‘Don’t go in, you fool.’
Of course, Philip had no intention of entering the dark and unfamiliar territory, which could be considered the assassin’s home ground.
He concentrated his mind and summoned aura, manipulating it into the shape of a whip. Auru wrapped around the sword, and with incredible speed, it began spinning in a lethal spiral.
Spiral Sword – a technique that was essentially Philip’s trump card.
Though it had been neglected for some time, the power of Auru was so immense that even a marquis-level demon, like a vampire, could not withstand it. The brick walls of the warehouse yielded effortlessly to its might, producing a cacophony of stone grinding and buildings collapsing.
With a mighty swing, the outer wall disintegrated as though erased by an invisible hand, allowing sunlight to bathe the assassin’s face.
“W-wait, just a moment! You… it seems like you’re involved in this because of Lisriel Joseph. Aren’t you curious about our client?”
The middle-aged assassin urgently shouted at Philip.
“You don’t need to know. You scoundrel.”
After all, Lisriel Joseph was almost like a third party in this incident. Philip’s primary aim was to eliminate the assassin group known as “Crescent” to safeguard Lisriel’s assassination.
If his only intention was to prevent Lisriel’s assassination, he wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths.
With a powerful swing of the Spiral Sword, Philip obliterated the upper body of the middle-aged assassin, leaving no trace of his flesh. He had been wiped from existence.
Having neutralized the most formidable foe, Philip felt confident that the Shadow Cat Tribe members could handle the situation on their own.
Philip moved forward to assist Stella.
“Please… snap out of it. Tania.”
Stella’s nimbleness surpassed even Phillip’s expectations. She skillfully evaded Tania’s relentless attacks without retaliating, biding her time for Tania to tire out.
However, Phillip noticed that Stella would likely exhaust herself before Tania did. Tania showed no signs of bleeding, while Stella was wounded.
If this continued for a few more minutes, Stella would eventually succumb to Tania’s assaults.
Phillip gazed into Tania’s eyes. Those eyes, which should have been beautiful, lacked any trace of reason. They moved purely on instinct, driven by implanted cruelty.
He couldn’t fathom how they had managed to brainwash the girl.
It was apparent that she had endured prolonged torture and brainwashing. Under such circumstances, the young Tania’s mind wouldn’t have been able to endure.
Phillip believed her mind was completely shattered. Thus, he knew he had to firmly subdue her, even if it meant resorting to harsh methods.
As he cautiously approached Tania, Stella cried out in alarm, “Please, don’t hurt her!”
Although Phillip didn’t know the connection between Stella and Tania, her impassioned plea momentarily stopped him in his tracks.
Regrettably, Stella failed to evade Tania’s attack, capitalizing on the opportunity.
Tania’s sharp claws grazed Stella’s neck, seemingly skimming over a protected artery within the muscle.
The bleeding intensified rapidly.
With Stella’s knees weakening from blood loss, Phillip swiftly intervened, taking on Tania.
“Please… don’t hurt her… please,” Stella begged.
Restraining Tania’s flailing limbs, Phillip calmly assured her, “I’m just putting her to sleep.”
With one hand pressing down on Tania’s left hand and the other securing her other hand to her knee, Phillip had a clear view of Tania’s vulnerable throat.
Wrapping his arm around her neck, he applied gentle pressure, waiting for Tania to lose consciousness. After a few seconds of resistance, Tania’s body surrendered entirely, her struggles subsiding.
The chokehold was too much for even a wild lion to endure, let alone a hybrid of a cat and a black panther like Tania.
Confirming Tania’s unconsciousness, Phillip removed his upper garment and used it to staunch Stella’s bleeding.
He managed to stop the bleeding hastily, but Stella had already lost a considerable amount of blood. Although her life didn’t appear to be in immediate danger, she urgently needed rest.
After taking a deep breath, Phillip returned to the battlefield to deal with the remaining ten or so assassins.
And in less than a minute,
Some fled, some surrendered, and some were captured.
Phillip surveyed the chaotic village square and sighed.
“I was wrong. I was so wrong. Please, show me mercy.”
On the ground, a member of the Shadow Cat Tribe, who had been part of the Crescent, came into view. Whether to spare or kill them was up to the Shadow Cat Tribe.
Now that the situation was over, he didn’t want to harm anyone anymore. Whether it was an assassin killing for money or his enemy.
‘I want to go home.’
He suddenly thought that.
And soon, he recalled the fact that he had come here through the portal of Privia.
“Huh?”
————
Can’t wait to read ahead? Subscribe to the patreon to get access to more than 60 chapters ahead of release with no ads, and other exciting benefits.
Patreon Link.
PS: Thanks to all the patreons for your valuable support. I will be releasing a bonus chapter soon to thank you for your contribution. Please look forward to it.