"Forbidden Spell!"
The thin man's face tightened. He quickly realized Allen was just a fresh graduate. Even if he cast a Forbidden Spell, it wouldn't be too powerful. So he didn't dodge—he sped up and charged straight at Allen.
Boom!
A deafening roar, flames surging, blood spraying everywhere.
The thin man was sliced clean in half by wind blades, then his broken body was swallowed by fire, turning to ash.
"Rat!" the scarred man cried out. When Allen released the Forbidden Spell, he'd noticed something was wrong and tried to warn him, but it was too late.
"You dare kill my man? You're asking for it!"
He let out a deafening roar, then his body vanished in an instant.
Allen's heart pounded. A strong sense of danger hit him. Instinctively, he threw up an Earth Shield.
Bang!
A terrifying force crashed in, shattering the earth shield. Allen was flung backward, his chest heaving, already wounded.
The scarred man appeared exactly where Allen had been standing just moments before, holding two short blades. He licked his lips, bloodthirsty, then looked coldly at Allen lying on the ground.
"Not bad, for someone from the Heaven-Cursed family. But that's all you've got."
"Allen, watch out! He's an S-rank Shadow Assassin. He's good at hiding and moves super fast," Lilia said quickly once she recognized the scarred man.
"Hmm, actually a woman? Not sure what you look like. After I finish this kid, I'll enjoy you slowly." The scarred man spotted Lilia, then vanished in a flash, attacking Allen once more.
Allen couldn't dodge in time. He barely managed to form another Earth Shield.
Bang!
The earth shield broke again. He spat blood and was sent flying backward.
Damn it. I was too careless.
At stage 5, an S-rank Shadow Assassin is my perfect counter.
"Quick, get me into the air!" Allen shouted to Lilia.
"Alright!"
Lilia didn't argue at all.
Zip!
Her clothes tore open from her back. A pair of huge black devil wings burst out. In an instant, she transformed into her vampire form. Wrapping her arms tightly around Allen's waist, she shot straight into the sky.
Whoosh!
A strong wind swept through, blowing the scarred man backward. He stared in shock at the two of them flying above, his eyes wide. "What kind of monster is that?"
"Hey! I told you not to run. Kill him!" Allen shouted, realizing Lilia was trying to escape.
Now that he was in the air, he wasn't afraid of the scarred man at all.
Another gust of wind howled, and two massive Wind Blades struck in a split second.
"Coward!"
The scarred man cursed angrily and dodged frantically.
Boom! Boom!
Two huge explosions followed behind them. The ground was split open by the wind blades, leaving deep craters.
The scarred man was terrified. If those blades had hit him, his fate would have been just like the thin man's.
Run!
Without a second thought, he turned and ran straight into the deep woods.
Now that Allen was up in the sky, the scarred man had no choice.
As an S-rank Shadow Assassin, he excelled at stealth and ambushes, but he had no long-range attacks. He was helpless against targets in the air. If he kept chasing them, he'd just become a sitting duck.
"Running away? Go, catch him!" Allen urged. This guy had tried to kill him; he couldn't let him escape.
Lilia flapped her wings, turning into a black shadow, and chased after them relentlessly.
Without saying a word, Allen cast a Forbidden Spell and rained down attacks on the scarred man.
Boom... Boom...
Explosions echoed through the forest. Wind blades whistled, sparks flew everywhere, and the place was a mess.
The scarred man fled in a panic, barely escaping death. Like he was throwing his life away, Allen's Forbidden Spells kept crashing down on his head.
"He's not from the Heaven-Cursed family? He releases Forbidden Spells like this and doesn't even care if he dies?"
The scarred man was near breaking point. He'd been a killer for so long and had met many fearless men, but never had he met anyone as crazy as Allen.
Boom!
A massive fireball exploded right beside the scarred man. The terrifying force blew him flying, and his clothes instantly caught fire.
He rolled desperately on the ground, but just as a cold glint appeared, a silent wind blade struck.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed everywhere. The scarred man let out a shriek of agony. One of his legs had been sliced clean off.
Allen stopped attacking and looked at him with a mocking smirk.
"Hey, were you so confident just now? Keep going!"
"Master! P-please don't kill me! I agree to your terms. I'll take you to find the butcher," the scarred man stammered, slumping to the ground. He was covered in soot, clutching his severed leg tightly to stop the bleeding.
Allen scoffed. "Are you crazy? I'm not going to let you go. Why would I need you? I can find the butcher myself. Do you think I'll share half the bounty with you?"
"You!" The scarred man was so angry he couldn't speak. It felt like he'd been mocked by a fool.
Only then did he realize: from start to finish, this guy had just been playing with him.
"Stop talking! I can't hold on much longer," Lilia urged. She felt like Allen was taking advantage of her.
"Fine."
Allen had no time to waste. He raised his hand, and two giant wind blades formed, howling as they sliced toward the scarred man.
"No..."
His voice cut off abruptly. His body was instantly chopped into four pieces, dead and gone.
Lilia let out a sigh of relief, slowly landing. She tucked her wings away and canceled her vampire form.
Allen immediately ran over to the broken bodies of the scarred man and the thin man, digging through their remains. He found just over a hundred gold coins and a dozen crystal cores.
"Damn, they're so poor. No wonder they became assassins." Allen kicked the scarred man's corpse, looking disgusted.
Lilia shook her head. "They're killers. They live on the edge of death; they wouldn't carry much cash on them. Most of their money is in the bank."
Allen looked disappointed.
Besides, money in the bank couldn't be withdrawn by anyone else.
"Let's go back."
It was already pitch black outside. Allen had no intention of staying in the jungle at night. Plus, he had already reached stage 2. It was the perfect time to finally take out that butcher.
Lilia quickly caught up, her eyes darting around as she spoke. "Allen, assassins are already targeting you. Why don't you join the City Lord's Mansion? They can protect your safety."
"Hah, just a few assassins. If we kill them, the problem is gone," Allen said dismissively. He didn't care about them at all.
"You're not planning to take action against the butcher, are you?" Lilia stopped, guessing his thought, then added excitedly, "Take me with you!"
"You're too weak," Allen rejected her immediately.
The butcher knew the secret of his blood. Allen had already planned to kill him. Now that the butcher had attacked first, there was no need to leave him alive.
"Hey! You're being ungrateful. I just saved your life," Lilia protested.
"That doesn't matter. The city isn't the wilderness. Are you worried about your identity being exposed?" Allen remained firm. Besides, the butcher was probably at the underground casino right now, so Lilia wouldn't have much room to fight there anyway.
"Then I'll follow you, hide in the shadows, and if real danger comes, I'll run with you!"
Lilia was determined to stay. She had heard some things about the butcher; he was Kyle's right-hand man. Killing him would weaken Kyle's power and help her father.
Allen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But stay hidden. If a real fight starts, I won't be able to protect you."
"Am I that weak? Don't underestimate me!" Lilia was annoyed. She was an SSS-rank Class Awakened after all. Though not as strong as Allen of the Heaven-Cursed class, she was still no pushover.
Allen ignored her and sped up, leaving quickly.
...
Nearby, a bush shook slightly. A small figure emerged, wearing an oversized gray-brown robe that dragged on the ground. Her face was hidden under a large hood, showing only a pair of bright blue eyes. She watched as Allen and Lilia disappeared.
"A vampire? Is this the girl Simon is protecting?" The person whispered softly, her voice gentle. It was a woman.
"I'll sneak into the city tonight and contact Simon." The woman glanced at the deep pit behind her, then back at the two figures fading into the distance, and quietly followed them.
...
Night had deepened, and the city was much quieter now. Very few people walked the streets.
Allen made his way directly to the butcher's shop without getting lost.
"I'll stay outside. If you get into trouble, run out quickly, and I'll get you out," Lilia warned, not entering with him but hiding by the door.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Allen didn't say another word. He kicked open the side door and stormed inside.
Several guards were startled and rushed over, but Allen took them down in just a few moves.
None of them were even Awakened.
Allen headed straight to the lobby of the underground casino. Inside, it was still loud and crowded, with smoke filling the air and a pungent smell in the space.
"Who dares to cause trouble here?" A angry shout rang out. A group of men, wielding heavy swords, rushed out and surrounded Allen instantly.