Chapter 223: Shadow Assassin

Chapter 223: Shadow Assassin



Harbor Town Administrative Hall.

In a lounge room, Ren was polishing the Razor Claw attached to his Knight Gauntlet, applying the paralyzing poison provided by Trevor. Lying on the bed beside him was a genderless puppet made of a special wooden material, slightly larger than a palm. Its head, torso, and limbs were connected by cylindrical wooden pieces, and its face was crudely carved with a few strokes to represent the mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. It looked rather crudely made.

When Veronica handed Ren this 'Substitute Puppet', Nathaniel's envious gaze told him that it wasn't as simple as it appeared.

Later, through Nathaniel's introduction, Ren learned more about the puppet.

"The creation of substitute puppets is extremely difficult and requires a special type of formal wizard known as a 'Puppet Master' to craft them."

"The usage is simple; it can be controlled with spirit power or by wrapping a strand of the user's hair or a drop of their blood around the puppet."

"Within a day, the substitute puppet will transform into the user's appearance and emit their aura, making it difficult for even a regular formal wizard to detect the difference. Only after an attack will the deception be revealed."

"Of course, there are limitations. After casting the spell, the puppet won't become an animated figure but will only transform into the user's static form. Once damaged, it reverts to its puppet state."

"Therefore, it's usually placed in a specific location to mislead enemies."

Despite its limitations, the substitute puppet was one of the best magical tools for wizards or wizard apprentices when facing assassin-type enemies.

This was why Nathaniel had shown envy.

At this moment, Nathaniel had set up an Alert Wizardry Array around Ren's room, which would warn them of any intruders. However, this wasn't foolproof.

Judging by the fact that the intruder had managed to enter the captain's quarters of a fourth-rank ship without making a sound, they likely possessed a magical tool or a special spell that allowed them to sneak in and launch a surprise attack.

During their previous discussion, the group had devised two strategies to deal with the attacker.

The first strategy assumed that the intruder was not alone but had one or more accomplices. In this case, Veronica would assist Ren while Nathaniel and Trevor, both members of the Leviathan Squad and well-coordinated due to their close partnership, would handle the intruders.

The second strategy was for a single intruder, in which case they would all gang up on the attacker.

Against an enemy of this caliber, ordinary guards and watchmen would be of little use. Led by the Lemann brothers, their primary task was to handle external defense and deal with manageable enemies like the Storm Ravens.

After preparing, Ren tied a strand of his hair to the puppet and placed it on the bed, covering it with a blanket. Fully armed, he hid under the bed to rest.

When Vexman and Zenina approached the Harbor Town Administrative Hall, they saw teams of three night watchmen patrolling the area.

"Hmph, a childish tactic."

"Zenina, as usual, if I can't finish them off within ten seconds, buy me some time."

"Yes, sir."

At that moment, a shadow began to materialize behind Vexman, his signature move—the Shadow Assassin.

The Shadow Assassin was a rare Shadow Magic spell, its body formed from shadow energy, typically possessing around three to four-tenths of the caster's strength.

However, after acquiring this spell, Vexman spent over a decade experimenting with and modifying the spell model, slightly enhancing its power.

Currently, the Shadow Assassin had nearly half of Vexman's strength. As a continuous spell, he couldn't cast other spells while maintaining the Shadow Assassin.

Additionally, the Shadow Assassin couldn't withstand direct attacks; it would dissipate if struck.

Once the shadow vanished, the caster would experience a short period of psychic backlash, not severe enough to cause splitting headaches or unconsciousness, but it would temporarily hinder the casting of other spells.

Five years ago, Vexman had invested significant time and energy to find Zenina, a wizard apprentice specializing in Shadow Magic, and had been grooming her ever since.

His goal was twofold: to enhance the Shadow Assassin's defense with Shadow Magic and avoid direct attacks, and to support his actions to some extent.

Zenina began chanting, and soon black shields appeared on both Vexman and the Shadow Assassin. These shields quickly faded, leaving no visible traces of the Shadow Shield spell.

Vexman had considered the option of eliminating Ren's companions one by one before dealing with Ren himself.

But after some thought, there might be unforeseen circumstances in the middle, causing the target to escape or other unexpected situations.

The best way is still a one-hit kill!

Moreover, after so many years of assassination, thanks to Shadow Assassin, Vexman has almost never failed.

Vexman and a shadow assassin identical to him disappeared into the shadows of the street ahead. The next second, the shadow assassin passed through the wall.

The next second, Vexman's figure suddenly disappeared, and the shadow assassin's figure appeared in its place, and the two of them had switched positions.

It turns out that this is the greatest effect of the Shadow Assassin. It can exchange positions with the caster. Of course, this ability consumes a large amount of spirit power from the caster, and if used continuously, it will cause spirit power consumption to increase geometrically.

Therefore, it cannot be used casually.

But this is already a very special ability, equivalent to Vexman also having the ability to pass through walls.

If Marika had witnessed this scene, she would have been able to figure out how the other party had assassinated a Grand Knight Captain in a sealed captain's cabin.

After arriving at the Administrative Hall, Vexman first controlled the Shadow Assassin to infiltrate several rooms. A few minutes later, he confirmed the room where the target was located.

Outside, Zenina, based on Vexman's infiltration situation, began to cast the Shadow Fog spell. Soon, the fog near the town administrative hall began to gradually thicken.

Night had fallen.

Ren felt a level 3 danger sense in his heart, and a subtle warning began to sound.

But strangely, as he turned his eyes slightly under the bed, he couldn't see anyone around.

Suddenly, a shadow, like a wisp of fog, passed through the wall and entered his room. The next second, the shadow flickered, and the shadow seemed to instantly turn into some kind of entity.

A middle-aged man in leather armor appeared before Ren's eyes.

After another second, another shadow passed through the wall and entered the room.

In other words, at this moment, two identical shadows, one real and one illusory, had entered Ren's room.

The middle-aged man in leather armor who entered the room quickly locked his gaze on the motionless 'Ren' lying on the bed, and a faint smile appeared on his face. Then, in an instant, the man drew two daggers emitting a crimson glow from his waist.

The middle-aged man in leather armor's actions were almost identically replicated by the shadow, with virtually no delay.

Then, the real and illusory figures, both holding daggers, silently surrounded Ren's bed from different directions.

Under the bed, Ren watched this scene, and combined with what Marika had said earlier about the two assassination attempts on the Imperial Navy Rear Admiral, he had a sudden realization.

The shadow approached the bed and took the initiative to attack!

"Hiss!"

A sharp sound of a blade tearing through the air rang out, and the shadow stabbed the dagger towards 'Ren's' head with great force! If it hit, it would have been a fatal blow, piercing through the forehead and brain.

"Bang!"

A sound like a bubble bursting rang out!

In Vexman's astonished gaze, the target figure originally lying on the bed suddenly transformed into a wooden puppet, and his shadow assassin's dagger had only pierced a wooden puppet.

Contrary to expectations, the target did not have time to react, and his forehead was pierced, causing his brain matter to splatter.

Also contrary to expectations, the target reacted in time, blocking the shadow assassin's attack, and then he would have launched a back attack, ensuring a fatal blow!

But neither of these situations occurred.

This caused the experienced Vexman to be momentarily stunned.

Just as he was about to retreat, he had a bad feeling.

In that instant, after the puppet was struck, it suddenly exploded from below, and a sparkling fluorescent dust burst forth.

Although Vexman's pupils constricted, and he retreated at high speed, it was inevitable that his leather armor was stained with a small amount of purple fluorescent dust. The shadow assassin was also quick, but was stained with a considerable amount of fluorescent dust.

Although the amount was small, in the pitch-black night, the two bright, shimmering figures were very eye-catching.

Just as Vexman was about to wipe it clean and leave immediately, a sudden sense of foreboding arose in his heart. The entire bed suddenly rushed towards him, and just as he was about to retreat, the bed suddenly shattered into pieces!

A young-looking, silver-colored, muscular giant appeared, holding a two-handed hammer and smashing down towards him from above! It was Ren, who had activated 'Break Limit' and his innate talent 'Intermediate Gigapower'!

Vexman naturally would not choose to take the blow from the opponent's heavy weapon.

No matter how sharp and refined his dagger was, it would be foolish to engage in a direct clash with a two-handed hammer weighing several times his own body weight.

Vexman activated Break Limit, and with a light touch of his toes, his speed increased, allowing him to dodge Ren's hammer blow with ease.

Just as Vexman relaxed, thinking he had dodged the hammer strike, and was about to control the nearby shadow assassin to counterattack, his pupils suddenly constricted.

Because he saw that after Ren's hammer missed him, instead of stopping, he accelerated his swing and smashed it heavily onto the floor.

Instantly, an invisible yet extremely destructive force emanated from the point where the hammerhead struck the ground.

The ground shattered in a fan-shaped pattern, rapidly spreading forward, and just then, a deafening 'Boom' reverberated.

Including the Shadow Assassin, both of them were attacked.

The Shadow Assassin's body flashed with black light, emitting a 'Pop' sound, and the Shadow Shield shattered, causing the shadow to instantly dissipate.

Vexman, on the other hand, immediately suffered backlash, his entire body stiffening once again. Fortunately, a black light also flashed on him, and a black membrane countered most of the damage from the Multi-Shock Force.

However, the shockwave was so powerful that it collapsed the wall behind Vexman. Instantly, the Alert Wizardry Array emitted a sharp sound, and nearby, footsteps of varying heaviness could be heard.

But right after, muffled groans were heard, indicating that Trevor and the others who came to support had encountered some kind of attack and restraint.

Ren didn't receive the expected support from Trevor and Veronica, but he remained calm and continued to swing his hammer down towards the Armored Middle-aged Man!

At this point, Vexman no longer wanted to continue the fight.

For him, face wasn't important, and a single mistake didn't matter. What mattered was judging the situation and adapting accordingly. Clearly, the opponent's defensive measures were very targeted, and their strength was much higher than expected.

So, Vexman made a choice that he believed to be very correct.

He planned to use the recoil from the weapon clash to fly backward. Of course, he wouldn't choose to directly block the most powerful part of the hammerhead, but instead, he skillfully lunged forward, positioning himself in the middle of the hammer's handle.

He didn't believe that the next time he came, the opponent would still have a Substitute Puppet, a magical tool, to mislead him.

But just as Vexman crossed his twin blood-red daggers to block Ren's hammer handle, his entire body stiffened. His plan to borrow the force to fly backward not only failed, but he became rooted to the spot for a moment.

At that moment, a powerful Multi-Shock Force surged from the twin daggers, and although Vexman had the protection of both Essence and the Shadow Shield, he wasn't injured. However, a momentary pause was inevitable.

This pause gave Ren the opportunity he needed!

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Ren borrowed the force and consecutively unleashed the 'Giant Hammer Smash', 'Giant Hammer Sweep', and 'Giant Hammer Leap', enhanced by the 'Lifting Heavy Effortlessly' skill effect. The heavy and dark pig-head hammer in his hands danced in the air, light and agile like a slender sword.

After that moment of stiffness, Vexman lost the initiative and fell into the 'quagmire' of Ren's heavy hammer strikes. Each clash caused him to stiffen momentarily.

This momentary stiffness prevented Vexman from jumping out of Ren's dual-handed hammer attack range, and during this moment, Ren seized the opportunity to unleash another heavy hammer strike. Thus, Vexman could only use his twin daggers to endure Ren's relentless attacks.

"Clang!!!"

Each clash sent sparks flying!

"Clang!!!"

The immense impact force caused the ground beneath Vexman's feet to shatter and sink several centimeters with each strike. This cushioning prevented Vexman from getting injured by directly enduring the powerful impact of Ren's heavy hammers.

However, this also made it impossible for Vexman to continuously withstand Ren's heavy hammer attacks in the same spot. After several consecutive strikes, his entire ankle would sink into the ground, putting him in an even more passive position.

So, he had to fight while enduring the stiffness caused by the shockwaves, and he could only manage to retreat a step, moving as stiffly as if dancing a mechanical dance.

After dozens of clashes, the two had fought their way from the collapsed wall to the backyard of the town's administrative hall.

The sound of the weapon clashes was deafening, and the strong airflow generated by the rapidly swinging heavy hammers sent dry leaves and small branches swirling into the air, dancing and swirling all around!

Vexman had never encountered such a frustrating battle. His agility and superior mobility were suppressed by the opponent's special Multi-Shock Force because he had lost the initiative.

However, he wasn't worried!

Because the opponent's heavy hammer strikes had to be executed in one go. Once the opponent started charging up for a secret technique or ultimate technique, he could immediately break free during the charging interval.

If the opponent didn't use their signature move, how long could they maintain this extremely exhausting heavy hammer barrage? Once the opponent became exhausted, or even showed signs of decreased strength or speed, Vexman's pressure would quickly ease, and he could easily break free.

At the same time, Vexman didn't believe that the young-looking boy in front of him could surpass him in terms of stamina; it was simply impossible.

On Ren's side, after his Earthsplitting Hammer triggered the Multi-Shock Force and eliminated the shadow, enveloping the enemy, the entire battle rhythm entered the scenario he had been waiting for.

As for Ren, his task was to ensure that each hammer strike was powerful and heavy, and each strike was as swift as thunder! Stamina consumption wasn't something he needed to consider.

Because at this moment, he had a full 6 remaining attribute points.

Nearly a minute into the fight, Ren didn't hesitate to add one point to his stamina.

As the remaining attribute points decreased from 6 to 5, his physique also increased from 28 to 29.

Instantly, a surging wave of heat pumped out from his heart and rapidly spread throughout his body.

In an instant, the soreness and fatigue in Ren's muscles vanished!

Ren's strikes with the dual-handed hammer maintained the same steady, precise, and powerful speed and strength as when the fight began.

After a minute and a half, a look of confusion and astonishment began to appear in Vexman's eyes.

Based on his extensive combat experience, he judged that half a minute ago, the young man before him should have shown signs of fatigue, thus creating a turning point in the battle and allowing him to break free from his current passive situation.

But a minute and a half had passed, and each of the opponent's swings remained as powerful and swift as ever!

On the contrary, Vexman's stamina began to wane.

This made Vexman inexplicably irritable.

Did the opponent take some kind of drug early on?

That's why he was able to maintain his current state.

A powerful stamina potion?

It shouldn't be!

Because it only increases stamina by about one to two percent.

A demon blood potion?

Obviously not! Because the effect only lasts for half a minute, so it must be consumed during the battle, and the opponent obviously didn't have the opportunity to take any potions just now.

Vexman quickly thought about it in his mind, but still couldn't figure out what kind of potion the opponent might have taken to have such a strong effect!

Could it be a new drug from the Dragon Empire?

Or is this the opponent's true strength?

No, that's impossible!

The guy in front of me is only a few years old, it's impossible for him to have such strength.

At this moment, Vexman felt a little bit of regret in his heart. He should have prepared himself for the most dangerous opponent before taking action.

It had been a long time since he had encountered such a predicament! There was still no news from Zenina, who was likely being restrained by the two third-level wizard apprentices and a marksman on the other side.

Time passed by, and another half minute went by.

"Clang!!"

As Ren struck another hammer blow, he could clearly feel that the strength in the opponent's parry had decreased, as the degree of distortion in the opponent's knee was greater than before.

Ren, as the other party in the battle, was most aware of these subtle changes in his opponent, and he instantly understood that the opponent's stamina had reached its limit.

Silently, Ren added a point to his stamina.

With the remaining attribute points decreasing from 5 to 4, his physique also increased from 29 to 30 points.

In an instant, Ren's fatigue from continuous combat vanished, and he felt invigorated.

He knew that if he could sense the opponent's stamina decrease, the opponent would also notice it. Therefore, if the opponent didn't want to be worn down and killed by Ren's relentless attacks, he had to act quickly and seek a change.

Ren's eyes were fixed on the opponent's every move, and his focus intensified.

He continued to strike with his hammers like a fierce storm.

At this moment, Vexman's arms and legs began to feel weak.

Even with his exceptional physical qualities, after enduring hundreds of powerful hammer blows from a formidable opponent, it was too much to bear.

Moreover, his extraordinary trait was not strength-based.

Therefore, after dragging out the fight for so long, Vexman had to take a risky move!

Facing Ren's fierce hammer strike, Vexman's face turned fierce. He no longer retreated but instead took a step forward, lowering his body. He raised his left hand to block as much as possible, while his right hand, holding a dagger, swiftly stabbed at Ren's abdomen.

Vexman chose to exchange injuries, intending to use his left arm to withstand Ren's hammer blow and gain an opportunity to stab Ren in the abdomen.

He had already anticipated the opponent's possible countermeasures. If the opponent dodged, it would disrupt their force and disrupt the entire rhythm, allowing him to break free from the current passive situation.

If the opponent chose to exchange injuries with him, the worst-case scenario would be that his left arm would be completely disabled, but the opponent would also be stabbed in the abdomen, resulting in a serious injury.

However, this would mean that he would be wounded.

Being injured in enemy territory is an extremely troublesome situation, which is why Vexman tried his best to avoid it.

"Clang!!"

"Pfft!"

The sounds of two different metals clashing rang out almost simultaneously! Ren's near-full-strength strike was clearly too much for Vexman to block with one hand. After the hammer and dagger collided, the black pig-headed hammer heavily struck Vexman's left arm.

'Crack!' Vexman's left shoulder joint bones were directly shattered by the powerful hammer blow!

At the same time, Vexman's right hand, holding the crimson dagger, pierced through Ren's water film steel chest armor and stabbed into his abdomen.

However, a strong sense of obstruction, like stabbing into a steel plate, came from the dagger, causing Vexman's expression to change instantly! This was the effect of Ren's innate talent, 'Basic Steel Body'.

Vexman reacted swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, he lifted his right hand holding the dagger, bringing it to Ren's hands, and then drew it back, forcing Ren to release his grip on the hammer handle.

Seeing Ren lose his most proficient main weapon, Vexman endured the intense pain in his left shoulder and forced a slightly ferocious smile. He felt confident! Without his most proficient main weapon, let's see how you can fight me! Young man, you still lack combat experience!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end