CHAPTER 95: ATTACK ON ASHTON CITY [2]

Kai staggered a few steps back, nearly tripping as the sensation of his blood being drained surged to his head.

He quickly shifted his gaze to the swordsman he hadn’t encountered before.

Kai didn’t know exactly how he was doing it, but the man’s energy was somehow infiltrating his body and evaporating his blood.

Kai grinned. "So that’s aura, huh?"

The young man with the silver sword looked at Kai like he was some kind of insect, but in the next instant, Kai appeared beside him.

Their gazes locked only for a brief moment, but even that was enough for Kai to swiftly weave together a light-based skill that functioned just like Charlotte’s talent.

The swordsman quickly turned to face the glimmering light and increased the density of his aura.

Kai smiled broadly under the weight as the system chimed in his head.

{Infinite Adaptability is resonating with user}

As though the draining force of the previous attack had completely vanished, Kai gripped the silver blade, then swung his leg left, shattering the swordsman’s ribs completely.

The swordsman’s eyes went blank, and before he could regain his senses, Kai, who had regained balance on the ground, yanked the blade from his hand and lightly tossed it upward, then caught it by the hilt.

Using clairvoyance, he could see the four other A-ranks charging toward him while the two mages prepared their spells.

Kai wore no discernible expression, and with a downward slash, just like the one Matt had used on him during their fight, he struck the swordsman, knocking him off his feet and leaving him completely unconscious.

The next to engage Kai was the female assassin, who had been all over him since the start.

Still wearing a detached expression, Kai swung his blade sideways, creating just enough space between them.

The assassin gritted her teeth. "Why the hell are you wearing that expression?"

Kai tilted his head slightly, unfazed by the two mages who were mid-cast. "Well, you could say I’m trying to look cool."

"So you think we’re a joke?"

Kai regarded her for a moment. "To tell the truth..." he paused briefly, stepping away from the swordsman’s body and closer to her. "You guys are rather underwhelming. Maybe I set my expectations too high because my master is also an A-rank, but you all are disappointingly weak."

He paused as if something just clicked. "Are you sure you went through the proper ranking process? Or are you perhaps just mass-produced A-ranks?"

The female assassin cursed, and with frightening speed, lunged forward, her fists now reinforced with brass knuckles.

Her companions yelled at her to stop, but eyes blazing with rage, she charged. "What the hell do you even know about us, huh? Just because you’re talented and get everything handed to you doesn’t mean you can look down on everyone."

Kai dodged her punches effortlessly. ’Her attacks have become incredibly predictable... Is she truly supposed to be an A-rank, and an assassin at that?’

He lingered for a brief moment, then leaned in, lowering his head to whisper coldly in her ear while simultaneously dodging her aura-coated strike. "It is part of my code not to hurt women needlessly. But if you insist on going through with this assassination... or if you don’t plan on telling me what you guys did to the princess... Then, I will kill you without any hesitation."

The assassin shoved him back just as the flame mage launched one of several arrows he had conjured.

Kai felt a bead of sweat form on his face. ’Shit.’

The massive arrow, which was large enough to dwarf a grown man, hurtled toward him, and with a swift telepathic weave of threads, he conjured a temporary skill to escape the danger.

His shadow darkened briefly, and as though merging with it, he vanished, only to reappear next to the flame user.

Kai then raised his hand slightly, forming droplets of water that hovered before coalescing into a small orb above his palm.

Stretching his bent hand forward, he placed the orb on the fire mage’s stomach, twisted it sharply, then made it spin like an uncontrollable fan.

The mage let out a scream, but before he could react, Kai cleaved his body cleanly in two with the silver blade clenched tightly in his left hand.

Ignoring the spray of blood that now stained his face, Kai turned to his left and hurled the blade at the poison user. And with precise aim, the blade pierced the assassin’s throat, the tip escaping from the back on his head.

The flame user, now trying to both suppress his recoiling mana, vomiting, and his brain that was on the verge of passing out, looked up at Kai.

The thunder user, who had initiated the fight, trembled ever so slightly under Kai’s gaze.

He didn’t need an energy specialist to confirm it: the kid before them hadn’t even awakened yet, and the most baffling part was that he had bested them mostly through hand-to-hand combat.

The man turned on his heel, attempting to flee through the surrounding ruins.

Kai sighed, then shifted his foot subtly. Then from the sole of his shoe, ice spread outward across the terrain.

The thunder user, mid-sprint, slipped and crashed to the ground, as did the female assassin.

Kai stared at them for a moment, then asked himself. ’Why are these guys so weak?’

He shook his head, then locked gazes with the thunder user before shifting his focus to the sky as his expression darkened. ’Frieren...’

The thunder user was still trembling even though Kai remained still. Kai then smiled, trying to dispel any fear from his mind.

Reni wasn’t weak. She was someone who could not only protect herself but also half of the students at the academy, so he doubted she would have died.

Still, he had to gather information as quickly as possible if he wanted her to remain safe.

Miasma wasn’t something an awakened individual should take into themselves, after all. And Kai knew that if she continued absorbing it in such amounts, then... she would either lose her abilities, or worse—transform into a mana beast or some other hideous creature.

Turning back to the thunder user and the female assassin, he asked, "Now, are you two ready to speak?"