[Lexia von Alceria POV]
The clearing remained silent. No one moved. No one spoke.
The assassins slowly turned their heads, searching the surrounding forest for whatever had triggered their instincts. Weapons were raised, and their eyes scanned the trees.
Yet they found nothing.
"...Where are you?"
One of the assassins muttered.
The leader narrowed his eyes. The pressure he felt wasn't normal. Something was nearby—watching, waiting then, a voice broke the silence.
"So…"
The voice was calm, smooth, and deep.
"Do you believe you are strong?"
Everyone froze.
The voice had come from above every head turned upward simultaneously. There, resting casually on a thick tree branch high above the clearing, sat a young man.
One leg hung freely, and one arm rested on his knee. He appeared completely relaxed, as if he didn't have a care in the world.
His black shirt contrasted against the sunlight filtering through the leaves, and his loose white pants shifted slightly in the breeze.
Metallic gray eyes calmly surveyed the scene below, and on his face was visible disapproval.
Lexia stared, momentarily forgetting to breathe. The young man didn't look frightened or concerned. He certainly didn't look like someone who had accidentally wandered into danger.
Instead, he looked annoyed—as if he had stumbled upon something unpleasant during a peaceful walk.
The assassins recovered first.
"You!"
One of them shouted, pointing his sword upward.
"Who are you?!"
The young man ignored the question completely. His gaze slowly swept across the assassins surrounding Lexia.
"I'll ask one more time,"
He said, his voice remaining calm and almost conversational.
"Do you believe you're strong?"
Confusion spread across the clearing as the assassins exchanged glances.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
The young man sighed softly.
"I was curious."
His eyes settled on the leader.
"You seem very confident."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"So I wondered…"
His smile vanished.
"How strong do you have to be before you decide it's acceptable to corner a lone girl?"
Silence.
Lexia's eyes widened slightly. He wasn't talking down to them, shouting, or threatening them. Somehow, that made his words feel even heavier.
The leader's expression darkened.
"You're looking to die."
The young man tilted his head.
"Maybe."
Then he glanced at Lexia for the first time, their eyes met bright jade eyes meeting metallic gray eyes. Lexia suddenly felt a strange certainty that everything was going to be alright.
The young man looked back toward the assassins.
"Though personally…"
He stretched lazily while still seated on the branch.
"I think you're the ones who should be worried."
The atmosphere changed instantly. Every assassin felt it, a pressure, a presence. Something hidden beneath that calm expression.
Something far more dangerous than any monster they could have encountered in the forest. For the first time since beginning their mission, the assassins felt fear.
Meanwhile, high above them, Tenjou Yuuya smiled slightly. After all, he had spent the last several days fighting ogres, goblin generals, and creatures capable of tearing trees apart. Compared to that, a few assassins didn't seem particularly threatening.
The leader's eyes narrowed.
"Kill him."
The order was given instantly with no hesitation, no warning as every assassin moved at once.
Steel flashed and magic circles appeared. Several assassins leaped into the air while others remained on the ground preparing spells.
One drew back a bow, another raised a curved blade and the leader himself extended a hand as earth-element magic gathered rapidly.
"Don't underestimate him!"
The leader barked.
"Use everything!"
The assassins immediately obeyed the order. Fire, wind and earth dozens of attacks converged toward the tree branch.
Lexia's eyes widened.
"Look out!"
Yet the young man didn't move, not even slightly he remained seated on the branch. One arm resting casually against his knee, a small smile on his face.
Then—
Every attack struck.
BOOOOOOM!!
The forest shook as the trees splintered a massive cloud of dust and debris erupted into the air.
For several moments—
Nobody could see anything and then silence the assassins stared into the cloud waiting, watching and searching for a body.
Nothing.
No scream, no blood, not even remains the leader's expression changed immediately.
"...Impossible."
The dust slowly began to settle the branch where the young man had been sitting was gone. Destroyed completely but there was no sign of him.
Then—
A calm voice spoke behind them.
"Hm."
Every assassin froze.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
They turned around and what they saw made their blood run cold. The young man was sitting beside Lexia not standing or fighting.
Simply sitting beside her on a fallen tree trunk as though he belonged there completely unharmed. His clothes weren't damaged even his hair wasn't disturbed there wasn't even a speck of dust on him.
Meanwhile, he seemed entirely uninterested in the assassins.
Instead—
He was examining Lexia, his gaze moved briefly over her scraped feet and the tears on her dress. Dirt covering her hair and bruises on her arms.
"...You alright?"
His voice was casual, almost gentle Lexia blinked for several seconds, she couldn't answer. Because she hadn't even seen him move one moment he had been sitting in the tree.
The next—
He was here.
"...I..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"...I think so."
The young man nodded.
"Good."
Then he looked back toward the assassins and his smile disappeared as temperature in the clearing seemed to drop. His metallic gray eyes met theirs.
And for the first time—
The assassins realized something terrifying, this wasn't a rescue and he isn't a wandering adventurer but someone who had stumbled into their ambush.
And now they have become the prey.
And the thing looking at them now—
I was deciding what to do with them, Yuuya slowly rose from the fallen log and the assassins immediately tensed. Several took nervous steps backward others tightened their grip on their weapons.
Nobody dared attack first anymore.
Meanwhile—
Yuuya seemed completely unconcerned as he rolled his shoulders.
Crack.
Then stretched his neck from side to side.
Pop. Pop.
He opened up his chest and stretched his arms lazily almost as though he were preparing for a morning workout rather than facing a group of assassins.
Lexia watched in confusion and the assassins watched in fear then Yuuya glanced toward Lexia.
"Hey."
Lexia blinked.
"...Y-Yes?"
A small grin appeared on his face.
"Do you want to see something cool?"
"...Huh?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
Now?
Of all times?
Still—
She found herself nodding.
"...Yes?"
The grin widened.
"Good."
Yuuya pointed casually toward the far right side of the assassin formation.
"Then make sure you don't blink."
The assassins felt their hearts sink.
"And watch your right."
For a split second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Yuuya vanished without movement and no warning, not even a sound. One moment he was standing beside Lexia.
The next—
He simply wasn't the assassins' eyes widened.
"What—"
The rightmost assassin never finished speakingA blur appeared beside him.
THWACK!
Yuuya's hand struck the side of the assassin's neck with pinpoint precision and the man's eyes rolled backward instantly.
His body collapsed to the ground unconscious before he even realized what happened. The remaining assassins stared frozen in places they hadn't seen him move.
They hadn't seen him attack.
To them—
It looked as though he had simply disappeared and reappeared somewhere else even Lexia's jade eyes widened.
"...What?"
Yuuya casually stood over the unconscious assassin then looked back toward the rest of the group.
A playful smile rested on his face.
"See?"
He glanced toward Lexia.
"Told you it was cool."
The assassins felt a chill run down their spines because they suddenly understood something. The man standing before them wasn't treating this like a battle he was showing off.
And somehow—
That was far more terrifying.
As Yuuya took a single step forward—
Every assassin instinctively stepped back and the hunt had begun.
End of Chapter 12