"You were quite a tough opponent. I will remember your name, Ash Burn, for you are the only one who managed to push me this far and leave me in this state. For that, I would even commend you."

Ash said nothing. He only stared back at him, his silence heavier than any reply could have been.

Chuckling, Roan kicked Eclipse from Ash's hands. The jian slid across the ground, coming to rest a short distance away. Lowering himself, Roan crouched before Ash and looked into his eyes.

"You are about to die, but that is not my fault. I was only doing my job. Still, it is a pity… You are going to die with so many precious things in your grasp. Why not give them to me?"

Ash looked at him, his voice faint as he muttered. "Who was behind it…?"

Roan shook his head slowly, answering with a calm tone. "I do not know. We keep the identity of our customers confidential. That is our rule. So, hurry and tell me where the artifact is, the one that can store living beings. You put that girl inside it, too, didn't you? She was beautiful… I could enjoy myself before reporting that she died in crossfire."

"Oh, right!! Why am I even asking? I could just take them from your....."

Before he could continue, Roan's body froze.

Ash was no longer releasing his primordial aura. Ever since the dagger pierced his heart, that suffocating weight had completely disappeared.

Yet what Roan felt now was far worse. A chill pressed against his soul, sharp and merciless, as if unseen eyes were watching him and slowly stripping him bare.

What is this…?

His breath caught in fear. Ash's face was pale and drained of color, but his eyes carried a coldness that pierced straight into him.

One moment ago, he had looked like a man at death's door, but now he radiated the presence of a predator, like a wolf staring hungrily at its prey.

Even so, when Roan's gaze fell to the dagger lodged deep in Ash's chest, right where the heart should be, a fleeting relief steadied him. No one could live through that.

Then Ash spoke.

"You crossed the line…"

The words were quiet, but they carried a weight that made Roan falter. He frowned, trying to understand, but before he could respond, Ash's hand shot forward and seized his wrist. Roan tried to pull back, but the grip was like iron, cold and unyielding, refusing to let go.

A sharp sound tore through the air.

That was the last thing Roan heard. Something moved faster than his eyes could follow.

His vision spun violently, and in that instant, he caught sight of Eclipse, the jian he had kicked away, cleaving cleanly through his neck. His head separated from his body, and for a brief moment, he watched it fall.

…at least I completed my task…

That was his final thought, as his head struck the ground with a heavy thud and rolled lifelessly across the stone floor.

Ash gazed at the starlit sky with an empty look in his eyes, his hand slowly pulling the dagger out from his chest. The way he did it and made it almost look normal was not pleasant to imagine at least.

The wound sealed almost instantly, his heart mending as if it had never been pierced at all.

"He died too easily..."

Ash muttered under his breath, a faint edge of dissatisfaction lingering in his tone. Everything had unfolded exactly as he had planned. He had played the part of the vulnerable one, the man who relied on bluffs of primordial aura and clever tricks. With some strength that came from an external source.

He had even acted out the perfect expression of shock, letting his heart be pierced, just to make Roan believe he had won. The deception had been flawless because Ash had used the Soul Library, flooding his mind with memories of real fear and real shock, which allowed his acting to become indistinguishable from the truth.

And in the end, that was what had happened.

But Roan had talked too much. He had run his mouth carelessly, and Ash disliked that. It made him lose his composure, and when Ash lost his composure, mercy was the first thing to vanish.

"I should have burned him alive... or even better, skinned him for muttering that filth," Ash said coldly, his gaze fixed on Roan's lifeless body.

But, alas.....his mind moved before he could even think properly. And before he could stop, Roan was already beheaded.

Shaking his head, Ash knelt and began searching through what remained of the assassin. Hidden knives, vials of toxins, and small sacks filled with the infamous formless poison came into his possession, along with a few other odd tools.

Ash stored them all within his Soul Vault. He then instructed Snow through their soul bond to consume the formless poison, knowing that Snow's ability to adapt to any toxin would allow her to analyze, absorb, and transform the deadly substance into something even more dangerous.

Along with the weapons, Ash also uncovered a collection of mana stones, some money, and finally a badge. He studied it closely.

On the back were five golden stars, while the front displayed a symbol of a half-open violet door, etched into the surface of black metal.

Now, which organization is this...?

Ash frowned slightly. He had never seen or heard of such a group, not within the novel and not even in his own knowledge of this world.

Is it an organization that was never meant to matter... or did it appear because of the butterfly effect?

The answer was unclear, and for the moment, Ash did not care. Whether it had always existed or had been born from changes he caused, the result would be the same. Whoever they were, they would soon feel the full weight of his wrath.

He did not want to leave the roots as they were; only one assassin had come today, and next time, who knows, someone even powerful will come, someone that even Ash can't handle.

That's why Ash will have to bring the roots out of the ground.

Before moving on, Ash raised his eyes toward the floating islands near the Magic Tower; the glow of runes below the island glowed faintly in the distance. His gaze hardened as a single thought pressed itself into his mind.

I need to deal with Ethan... I cannot allow Elysia to be dragged into more danger because of his reckless actions...

...the assassination attempt was also different from what it was in the novel....

****

[Neutral Continent]

A continent filled with countless dungeons, sprawling monster hideouts, secret bases of criminal organizations, and many other groups that operated in the shadows. It was a land where lawlessness thrived, and power dictated everything.

This continent had only one rule, and that was that there were no rules.

The strong did whatever they pleased, while the weak endured endless suffering. No mundane human could possibly survive in such a place, for the land itself demanded strength. The forests were filled with beasts that could tear apart an army, the mountains were crawling with monsters, and even the rivers carried venomous creatures lurking beneath the surface.

Only those who were powerful and cunning enough to overcome such dangers could claim a place here, and these were the ones who truly lived upon the Neutral Continent. They were individuals who had long stepped beyond the ordinary crowd.

In one of the concealed strongholds of a notorious criminal organization known as the Ebon Court, silence filled a dimly lit chamber. Then, without warning, a soul lamp shattered with a sharp crack. Its faint glow flickered once before vanishing completely, leaving only shards scattered across the stone floor.

The man who had been sitting in meditation snapped open his eyes. His breathing stilled as he stared at the broken lamp. Slowly, his expression darkened, and his gaze turned ice cold.

Roan died...? Impossible... how could that happen...?

His mind struggled to accept it. Roan had always been the most cautious, the most capable assassin among them. His reputation was not built on brute strength alone but on precision, patience, and an unmatched instinct for survival. He was the kind of man who avoided unnecessary fights, who struck only when there was no chance of failure. For someone like him to fall meant only two things.

Either the enemy was far too strong... or the enemy concealed his true strength until the very end.

The man exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening. He found himself leaning toward the second possibility. If the enemy had been overwhelmingly powerful, then Roan would never have been assigned to that mission in the first place. Which could only mean that the enemy had hidden his power until the last moment, deceiving even Roan's sharp instincts.

This is dangerous... I need to inform the higher-ups immediately. Roan was close to the Vice Leader, and if word of this spreads... I fear something terrible is about to unfold...

He rose at once, his robes rustling as he moved with urgent steps through the dim corridors of the hideout. The shattered pieces of the lamp still lay behind him, their silent glow extinguished forever.

***

A/N:

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