That scene made the assasintion sqaud relax as they thought they have already won.
"We got him!", the librarian girl couldn't help whispering in delight, however—
BOOM!
The light of the attack spell struck like sunlight against solid ice, refracted, twisted, and resisted by the magical power before Ash's body. It failed to touch him in the slightest, not even slowing his steps by a fraction.
The poisoned arrow was likewise effortlessly blocked by a wall of magic woven like steel, as though it had struck invisible armor before being casually deflected away.
"How... is that possible...", The librarian's pupils shook, unable to accept this scene that completely defied common sense.
""The Goddess's Three Spears!""
The priest and the recovered nun, now holding her restored scripture once more, simultaneously raised the glowing holy books in their hands.
Six missiles of condensed light shot toward Ash from different angles.
Yet Ash's steps never stopped. He merely waved a hand casually, sweeping directly through those six streaks of light.
There was no explosion, no impact.
The Goddess's Three Spears were torn apart as though erased by some bizarre magic, dissolving instantly into scattered radiance.
""Haaah!""
The mercenary siblings swung their longsword and greatsword hard enough to stir violent winds, using the collapsing light as cover as they slashed toward Ash from different directions.
The timing and force behind those attacks were practically flawless.
At the same moment, the tavern waitress, the poster girl-like young woman, silently drew two daggers amid the interwoven light. Using everyone else's attacks as cover, she ghosted behind Ash and thrust toward him like a phantom.
"Heh!"
Facing this desperate situation from all sides, Ash had countless ways to wipe them out instantly.
But he merely raised one foot and slammed it heavily onto the church's marble floor.
BOOOOM!
The ground split apart as though torn open. Marble shattered, and radial cracks spread outward in an instant.
The overwhelming shockwave launched the broken debris like cannon shells.
That unimaginable force was faster than any of their blades, and in the next instant, every inch of their bodies was pierced by a savage impact beyond description.
The three warriors were blown backward almost simultaneously at speeds even faster than their charge, like people struck head-on by an invisible tsunami.
Then the cannon-like chunks of stone mercilessly smashed into them afterward, while the shockwave shredded the church decorations and surrounding stained glass windows to pieces.
If the three of them hadn't been hardened warriors with bodies far sturdier than ordinary people's, that single blow alone would have killed them on the spot.
At some point, the weapons in their hands had already flown who knew where.
And their bodies... were left bloodied and utterly battered.
The remaining four who had scrambled back in panic hadn't even had time to react before Ash's figure arrived before the two clergy members like a storm, almost as though he had teleported.
He didn't draw a weapon.
In fact, he even paused slightly, standing before them without immediately attacking, as though evaluating the opponents in front of him... Or perhaps giving them time to react.
Only then did he gently press a hand against the defensive magic they had instinctively cast.
Under their stunned gazes, spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread through the barrier after only a brief moment, and before they could instinctively form a second layer of defense—
Crack!
The translucent pale-blue hexagonal barrier shattered like glass, and in the next instant, both their consciousness and vision disappeared.
But... The librarian nearby could still see it clearly, no, not quite clearly, Ash had grabbed both of them by the face almost simultaneously and smashed them into the ground like discarded rags, sending blood and consciousness flying together.
"Oops! Feels like I might've hit them a little too hard. But they should be fine... yeah, not dead."
Ash casually checked their conditions, then raised a hand and created a ball of water, which he mercilessly slammed into their faces, forcibly waking the unconscious pair.
Then he turned toward the librarian girl still frozen in place.
But before he could move, she had already raised both hands in surrender.
Even the tavern owner nearby lowered his bow as well.
"I surrender too..."
They couldn't even break through his defenses while he stood still. Barehanded attacks were impossible to block. And his movement speed... they couldn't even see it clearly.
What the hell was there left to fight?
The overwhelming display of power had completely crushed their spirits. Realizing the gap between them was far too vast, neither of them wanted to get beaten senseless for no reason anymore.
So they silently chose surrender.
And perhaps only at this moment did they truly realize, if monsters truly existed in this world, then the man before them had to be one.
———
Faced with an enemy they had absolutely no hope of defeating, the last trace of wishful thinking left in the assassination squad completely vanished.
The priest and nun treated each other's injuries while quickly beginning to tend to their comrades as well. Though all of their expressions were exceptionally bleak.
The priest, who acted as something like the vice commander and normally received orders on behalf of the others, honestly informed Ash that their commander, Lowe, had gone to deal with people who might interfere with their operation.
Their communication with higher-ups was strictly one-way, and like most Shadow Warriors, they knew almost nothing about the level above them.
It couldn't be helped. In a world where mental magic existed, the best way to protect secrets was through strict compartmentalization, or by passing orders through indirect means like letters.
Sitting atop the altar beneath the statue of the Goddess, Ash thought for a moment before quickly reaching a decision.
"Since there's nothing better to do, let's lure Lowe over first, and then... everyone can work together with me to kill him."
"Work together?"
Everyone couldn't help muttering inwardly, 'Someone this strong actually needs our cooperation?'
But the priest quickly understood.
Ash simply wanted a token of loyalty.
The mercenary, whose torn clothes still hadn't been replaced after receiving treatment, couldn't help saying, "Lowe may have already temporarily left the Imperial Capital, so maybe—"
"Then we'll switch targets to Frase, captain of the Imperial Capital Magic Special Forces. For people like you... that shouldn't be difficult, right?", Ash interrupted her.
"That's true," The poster girl hesitated before nodding.
Compared to warriors, mages really were easier to assassinate.
Though they had all become Shadow Warriors halfway through life, the poster girl, librarian, and tavern owner were all experts at concealing their presence. Compared to actual professional Shadow Warriors, it was hard to say who was better in that regard.
However, since the target was Frase, they instinctively exchanged glances.
The target was dangerous, but she was ultimately still a mage. Her fragile body made assassination relatively easy.
The only difficult part was whether she would separate from the other mages in the Special Forces.
But Ash didn't care about those details, nor did he want to.
He directly left with Sense, leaving only a single sentence behind, "Your only mission within the Empire is this. Once it's done, there won't be more jobs like this. Afterward, you'll be my people, and I'll guarantee your safety. But if you run or fail... think carefully about the consequences yourselves. I sincerely hope you'll make the wise choice."
As he spoke, his figure disappeared together with the slowly closing church doors.
Only after he left did the people inside the church finally begin discussing things quietly among themselves.
They had considered simply running away or finding some way to report him.
But it was hard for them to imagine the Magic Special Forces or Imperial Guard actually managing to capture him.
In a direct fight, those two organizations probably couldn't win either.
"No, winning's completely impossible, isn't it?"
"The mages in the Magic Special Forces wouldn't stand a chance against that kind of speed."
"The Imperial Guard are just a bunch of fodder too."
"Even among official Shadow Warriors, I've never seen anyone stronger or faster than him."
"I seriously don't want a monster like that hunting me down..."
After a brief discussion, everyone could only keep shaking their heads.
Running away sounded tempting, but the consequences were terrifying.
At the very least, none of them could imagine escaping that kind of pursuit.
Which left only one road before them, join Ash's side, and do everything they could to complete their token of loyalty.
———
On the streets of the residential district.
"Lord Ash," Walking beside him, Sense suddenly said out of nowhere, "You really seem like a bad man."
"That's nonsense. Meanie."
"But we are preventing an assassination."
"Then why say that?", That sudden turn made him instinctively glance sideways at the girl beside him.
Sense unconsciously stopped walking and muttered softly, "It's just... your methods feel kind of strange. Somehow it feels like you've become the villain instead."
"Now's not the time to worry about methods."
"But if methods don't matter, then what's the difference between us and villains?"
"The way you put it, does being a good person mean you have to suffer and burden yourself with endless restrictions?"
"Lord Ash is a good person?", Sense tilted her tiny head dramatically, as though she'd just heard something utterly unbelievable.
"Are you picking a fight with me first thing in the morning because you're bored?"
"Even if what you said makes sense, I think your understanding of yourself is slightly mistaken."
"You really are trying to fight me, aren't you?", Ash unconsciously reached over and rubbed her head.
But Sense only shrank slightly like she was ticklish, swaying faintly as she explained, "You misunderstand. I just have that feeling."
"Right now we're talking about manners. Besides, my heart and actions are as clear as a polished mirror. Everything I do is naturally justice. And if you say things like that carelessly, bad people might bully you."
"Bad people?", Sense looked around, and eventually her wandering gaze landed on him, "Lord Ash, are you saying?"
"No need to look elsewhere. Your guess is right..."
As he spoke, Ash directly slipped his hands beneath her arms and lifted the tiny girl high into the air.
"The bad person I'm talking about is me!"
"Eh!"
"Scared?"
"Can I ask what exactly you're planning to do?"
"Honestly, I'm still thinking about that myself. But before that, shouldn't you at least be embarrassed?"
"This isn't the first time, though?"
The girl, whose cheeks had faintly reddened, merely stared at him without blinking, seeming genuinely confused by his strange expectations.
Compared to last time, when she would blush and squirm from being lifted up high, Sense now appeared unexpectedly calm.
Perhaps Ash's past behavior had gradually built up her resistance.
There was even a trace of curiosity hidden in the confusion within the girl's eyes as she stared directly at him, leaving even Ash unsure what to say.
The two maintained eye contact for a long while, one high and one low, locked in a stalemate.
Eventually, he silently set the little girl back down and lightly coughed, "Thinking about it carefully, maybe I'm actually not a bad person."
"Weren't you angry?"
"I probably should be, but bullying girls doesn't seem very good either."
"Even though you just beat a girl until she was covered in blood?"
"That's different!", The girl's matter-of-fact questioning made him crouch down instinctively and pinch her cheeks with a troubled expression, "You're technically my junior sister too. I can't exactly beat you up, can I?"
"Then what does Lord Ash want to do? Why did you pick me up just now?"
"You know, when normal people see a cute girl like you, they can't help wanting to hug you, kiss you, and lift you up!"
"No way," Sense looked deeply suspicious, practically wearing the words, 'I read a lot, don't try to fool me on my face,' "Normally only perverts would think like that."
"Decent people do that too!"
As he spoke, without waiting for any reaction from Sense, Ash silently stared at the cool yet adorable expressionless girl before him, like a beautifully crafted doll.
After gazing at her for a long while, it was as though some mysterious force pulled at him.
Before he realized it, he had already reached out and gently cupped the girl's cheeks.
Even... at that moment, it felt as though reason itself had been swept away by the wind, making him unable to resist planting a light kiss on that pale, soft cheek.
That sudden action instantly left the composed girl frozen in place.
Her pupils widened slightly as she stared blankly at him. Her small parted lips released a faint sound of surprise, while the temperature on her cheeks rapidly climbed, turning red in an instant like clouds dyed by the setting sun.
A tempting crimson spread through her fair skin, like a perfectly ripened apple that made people want to take a bite and savor its sweetness.
But this time, Ash restrained himself, because...
[T/N: Because? Because what? Why? This DAMN CLIFFHANGER!]
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