BOOM!
No matter the situation, Kanzaki Rei had always maintained the habit of keeping a protective barrier active around himself.
That constant vigilance had just saved his life.
The invisible barrier was impossible to see with the naked eye.
Only when someone came close enough to touch Rei would they realize that an unseen shield had always been surrounding him.
Even without the observer's warning—
The barrier had been active the entire time.
Szzzt—
The barrier didn't completely block the attack.
But it slowed the strike down, just enough.
And that brief delay gave Rei the moment he needed to react.
He responded instantly.
Almost instinctively, Rei unleashed a Wind Burst!
The explosion of air blasted the attacker away—
While also launching Rei himself backward.
Creating distance!
Rei flew backward toward the inside of the city wall, while ice condensed beneath his feet.
Gathering his breath, he shouted loudly:
"An assassin is trying to kill me!"
Not shouting when being assassinated would be idiotic.
Controlling his Ice Shards, Rei retreated at high speed!
At the same time, he caught sight of the attacker—
A masked assassin who had been blasted toward the side where the monsters were.
But she hadn't been sent very far.
Instead, she spun in midair, instantly regaining her balance.
Then she kicked off the air itself.
An assassin.
And definitely not a Level 2 assassin.
She had broken through his barrier with a single strike and had regained control of her body instantly after being hit by Wind Burst, even using the air as footing.
At the very least—
She was a Level 4 assassin.
Why is she trying to kill me?
Who are my enemies?
While retreating rapidly atop his Ice Shards, Rei quickly reviewed every possible enemy in his mind.
Did someone discover the secret scroll I obtained last night? Did Mazell hire someone?
Or that man named Mace?
Palie?
Palie seemed the least likely. Rei couldn't think of any conflict he had with her.
Or perhaps…
Rei looked toward the distant beast tide.
Someone who didn't want him stopping the beast tide.
This beast tide itself felt unnatural.
Even though Rei had only arrived in this world recently, he could already smell the scent of conspiracy.
The chances that this was deliberately orchestrated were extremely high.
If someone had intentionally triggered the beast tide, they definitely wouldn't want it to be stopped.
And as the one contributing the most to halting it—
It would make perfect sense for Rei to become a target for assassination.
After running through all possible enemies in his mind—
Rei suddenly turned and shot straight into the distance at full speed!
At the same time, twenty-eight Ice Shards shot backward toward the pursuing assassin!
A cluster of Vital Winds blocked the path in midair!
Bang!
Clang!
Clang clang clang clang clang—
She was incredibly fast!
She too was running through the air, sprinting across invisible footholds.
Every Ice Shard was shattered by her dagger.
However, when the shards exploded, they coated her arms with layers of frost.
The Vital Wind Cluster also carved numerous bloody cuts across her body.
Although assassins weren't as durable as warriors, a Level 4 assassin's physique was still far tougher than people imagined.
If she had no other tricks, Rei could probably drag the fight out until she died.
But Rei had no intention of fighting her head-on.
He refused to give the assassin any opportunity.
His goal was simply to stall for time.
All around him were allies.
As a mage fighting an assassin—did he really need to fight personally?
Rei could already see Level 4 adventurers in the distance noticing the situation.
They were rushing toward him to provide support.
"Tch…"
The assassin chasing him seemed to realize the situation was turning unfavorable.
She suddenly dived downward!
Rei instantly noticed her intention.
He stopped midair and immediately turned to pursue her!
At the same time, his Ice Shards chased after her relentlessly!
If possible, Rei would rather avoid fighting her.
But if the assassin escaped—
Would he ever sleep peacefully again?
His mind would be restless day and night.
Letting her escape was absolutely unacceptable!
Clang!
An Ice Shard collided with her dagger!
Under such intense observation from everyone around, she had no way to turn invisible.
This mage…
Was unbelievably troublesome.
Twenty-eight Ice Shards attacked from every possible angle around his body, moving at terrifying speed.
If she hadn't been so agile and skilled—
She would already have been pierced full of holes.
But now that the assassin's position had been exposed—
The disadvantage was hers.
The ground burned red-hot.
Groundfire had already formed.
Seeing this, the assassin suddenly charged straight toward Rei!
But—
RUMBLE—
A massive Heavy Wall rose into the air!
The wall was as tall as a three-story building, completely blocking her path.
Rei was extremely wary of the assassin having ranged attack methods.
Hidden weapons. Poison. Things like that.
That was why his protective barrier was always kept purely for defense.
Otherwise, when she had chased him earlier, Rei could have simply used the barrier to block her path.
But he had feared that the moment he lowered the barrier—
She might launch some underhanded attack.
Who would have thought—
That this mage would fight with such shameless caution?
Three directions were sealed.
The only option left was upward.
But when she looked toward the sky—
BOOM!
A violent storm slammed downward!
Along with it came massive falling boulders!
Rei's consideration wasn't whether he could defeat the assassin.
It was simple:
If he could avoid fighting an assassin—
Then he wouldn't fight.
Even if he could win.
If fighting became unavoidable, he would only delay the battle until allies arrived.
Groundfire surged upward toward the sky.
Stone pillars crashed down toward the earth.
At the same time, a powerful storm forced her downward toward the ground!
Slash!
BOOM!
Although the assassin was trapped within the three-layered Heavy Walls, Rei could clearly sense that his Groundfire had been cut apart.
He could also feel the feedback of attacks successfully landing.
If he stalled for a few more seconds—
Even without help, Rei could probably kill her himself.
But at that moment—
A Level 4 warrior arrived.
Rei opened one of the walls.
The warrior charged straight in.
It was the martial artist who fought with fists and kicks.
Rei remembered him.
BOOM!
The dagger and the warrior's fist collided.
Rei provided long-range magical support, and a Cursed Arrow had already pierced into the assassin's body.
Her strength noticeably weakened.
CLANG!
After only a few exchanges, the dagger was knocked out of her hand.
The warrior's hand clamped directly onto her throat.
"It's over."
"Thanks! Warrior brother!"
"Haha, don't mention it. We've been fighting so smoothly thanks to you."
He then looked down at the assassin he was holding.
"This assassin's origin… needs to be thoroughly interrogated."
Rei nodded slightly.
Someone trying to kill him was never good news.
"Who sent you?"
Would asking like that really get an answer?
Rei doubted it.
As he asked the question, the warrior also ripped off the assassin's mask.
Unfortunately Rei didn't know the warrior's name.
But this guy had saved him today.
After the battle ended, Rei definitely planned to make friends with him properly.
Beneath the mask—
Was a grotesquely twisted face.
Under the skin of that face, worms writhed and squirmed, creating a nauseating sight that made anyone feel like vomiting.
"Face Worms…"
"It's a monster…"
It seemed there would be no answer.
Only strange chittering noises came from the assassin's mouth.
"That's bad."
The warrior's hand tightened suddenly.
CRACK!
He snapped the assassin's neck instantly.
Then he unleashed a powerful punch—
The violent shockwave of the fist turned the worms spilling from the broken neck into bloody mist.
"This beast tide…"
"…isn't a normal beast tide."
"It's a Nest Invasion."