A few moments ago, in an area not far from the palace entrance gates, right after the departure of Kaydan and Calverd from the battlefield.
Clang!
The resounding clash of two metals colliding with full force shattered the night air. Sparks scattered, momentarily illuminating the faces of those locked in combat.
Arvin, donning a mask and an all-black assassin's garb, stood firmly in his place. Using only a golden dagger in his right hand, he blocked the swing of Prince Wiltan's massive sword, which was brought down with brutal physical strength.
The difference in the size of their weapons was extremely stark, yet Arvin's feet did not shift a single inch from his footing.
Realizing that a frontal clash of strength would not benefit him, the second prince of the Victoriaz Kingdom triggered his mana and moved using spatial blink magic.
Zap!
He vanished from sight and appeared right in the blind spot, directly behind Arvin's body.
Swish!
The swing of the large sword was launched once again to cleave his target's body.
However, it was as if Arvin had eyes in the back of his head. He immediately spun his body around.
Clang!
He successfully intercepted the deadly attack with absolute precision. His dagger clashed once more to block the sword.
Wiltan's eyes widened, his jaw tightening as he realized that the movement and direction of his sudden attack from behind could be stopped with such ease.
Who exactly is this masked man? the blonde prince thought, feeling a mixture of anger and awe. Is he the mastermind behind the massive escape of those prisoners?
Zap! Clang!
Wiltan did not give up. He used his blink magic again, moving to the other side and slashing. Yet, once again, the attack utilizing spatial manipulation was blocked by Arvin, as if every single movement of the prince had been clearly read.
Instead of merely defending, Arvin took the initiative. A split second after their swords clashed...
Thud!
He unleashed a tremendously powerful kick, landing squarely on the prince's abdomen.
A cushion of air exploded at the point of impact.
Wiltan was dragged several steps backward while coughing, enduring the pain that radiated through his stomach.
Before Arvin could hunt down Wiltan, a new threat arrived from the side, right from the front of the palace entrance gate.
Whoosh!
Dozens of sharp, pointed rocks shot swiftly through the air, hurtling toward him like a barrage of bullets.
The attack came from Prince Pratesias.
Shing! Shing! Shing! Thud!
With profound calmness, Arvin swung his dagger at high speed. He sliced all the projectile rocks one by one in mid-air until they split into two, then let the chunks of stone fall and scatter onto the street surface behind him.
Seeing an opening while the mysterious assassin was busy parrying the rocks, Wiltan did not stay idle. He forced his body to dash forward once more and joined the assault with a swing of his massive sword from the front.
Clang!
The relentless assault from the second prince was blocked once again by Arvin with his dagger, without any significant difficulty.
Whoosh!
And not long after, a wave of sharp rock attacks from Pratesias shot swiftly once more toward the position where the two of them were fighting.
Wiltan, realizing the trajectory of the area-of-effect attack launched by his older brother, immediately clicked his tongue in annoyance and was forced to use his blink magic to evade the fatal strike, avoiding getting impaled by the rocks alongside his foe.
Seeing Wiltan retreat, Arvin saw a wide-open opportunity.
Zap!
Arvin utilized his own blink magic. He pierced through space and teleported directly in front of Pratesias, who was still in the stance of casting his magic.
Without hesitation, he swung his golden dagger horizontally, intending to instantly slash the first prince's neck and end his life.
Clang!
The lethal slash only produced a loud metallic clink, not the sound of flesh or a severed neck.
At the exact last second, the first prince's neck hardened and changed color. An incredibly dense and solid layer of stone had protected him from the fatal attack Arvin unleashed.
The dagger only left a shallow scratch on the stone armor.
Damn it! Arvin cursed inwardly, feeling a bit annoyed that his attack missed his expectations. Like it or not, I have to fight physically using just this dagger. It would be extremely troublesome if I ended up using my ice magic to freeze this bastard!
Arvin immediately leaped away from the first prince's body, who was suddenly already preparing to launch a deadly counterattack.
Realizing that his opponent had anticipated his counterattack, Pratesias knelt on one knee. He aimed both of his palms at the street surface.
Rumble... Crack!
The capital streets around them trembled violently and instantly transformed into a deadly field of stalagmites. Large and sharp stone pillars continuously erupted, tearing through the road's surface, attempting to impale and pierce Arvin's body from beneath his feet.
With high-tier agility, Arvin twisted his body, evading all the emerging sharp rocks while constantly leaping backward.
It seems I really have to use my dark-element magic to fight them instantaneously. Arvin thought, continuing to analyze the movement patterns and positions of his two opponents. At the very least, I must kill the one who can use blink magic first so he won't become a massive threat in the future.
However, just as he was about to cast his dark magic, he suddenly sensed something. The movement of numerous presences camouflaging themselves within the darkness of the night was detected, sneaking and moving swiftly toward the city gates.
Damn it! Those assassins are going after them instead! Arvin exclaimed irritably in his mind, instantly canceling his intention to kill the prince before him. Those two definitely won't be able to stop all those assassins.
Considering Kaydan and Calverd's severely exhausted condition, coupled with the royal assassins' expertise in concealing their presences, Arvin knew those two would become easy targets if he let that squad of assassins slip by.
Fighting while protecting others like this really drains a lot of my stamina! he cursed, left with no choice but to temporarily abandon the two princes.
Whoosh!
Arvin sprinted swiftly to chase after the assassins, utilizing wind-element magic on his legs. His movements dashed as fast as a storm, sweeping the distance that separated them in a matter of seconds.
Slash!
He immediately slashed one assassin in a vital spot using his dagger. The body that was initially camouflaged within the darkness was instantly exposed to the naked eye, then fell with a heavy thud onto the road's surface, lifeless.
Pratesias and Wiltan were shocked beyond belief upon witnessing how the mysterious assassin-garbed man could easily track, locate, and slay their kingdom's elite troops who were using a camouflage magic that was nearly impossible to detect.
Arvin continued to dart forward, like a dancing shadow of death, mercilessly slashing all those assassins one by one with his dagger.
Clang!
However, when his attack was aimed at the next target, an assassin with above-average reflexes managed to block the incoming dagger strike using his dual black daggers.
Not wanting to waste time just to clash in strength...
Zap! Zrash!
Arvin instantly used blink magic. He pierced through space and teleported directly behind the assassin's back, immediately stabbing the assassin's left back so forcefully that the blade of his dagger pierced straight into the heart.
The assassin died instantly from the fatal stab.
Arvin withdrew his dagger with a clean motion, letting the corpse collapse in a pool of blood.
Seeing the palace's elite assassin troops slaughtered so easily, Pratesias gritted his teeth, overwhelmed by boiling fury.
"Wiltan!" Pratesias yelled loudly while breaking into a run, pushing his pace to chase after the mysterious assassin. "Attack that man and don't let him kill them all!"