390 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Episode 390: “Presumed Advanced Aura User…” The man, who had long since forgotten his name and was now only known as the Dark Sword, clicked his tongue internally as he recalled the information about his target. It seemed that the preliminary investigation had been exaggerated. A young man not yet thirty reaching the level of an Aura User was itself a miracle. But an advanced level? That was typically a domain reached in old age, even among the strong generals of the Empire's Legions. It seemed excessively cautious to think otherwise. Even with Jerome Decade’s testimony, it was difficult to accept from a commonsense perspective. Once called the Empire’s Holy Spirit, Jerome had lost his credibility by helping a traitor. Still, it couldn’t be dismissed entirely. Out of everyone within the Special Inspection Bureau, only the man himself and two others were superhumans, one of whom, the Secret Sword, had already fallen to this target. “Perhaps he's a strong intermediate user.” That was the limit of his imagination. Even that was a tremendous achievement for his age, worthy of being called a prodigy of the century. However, this operation involved both himself, an advanced Aura User, and his deputy, who was intermediate. Given the nature of assassination, if he and the deputy risked their lives, even a supreme Aura User could be a feasible target. Overestimating the enemy would only result in unnecessary tension. The Dark Sword combined the information he had heard with common sense to reach his conclusion. He then signaled the deputy, the Shadow Sword, and silently darted through the unfamiliar kingdom’s corridors. Neither the attendants within the palace, nor the soldiers and knights standing guard, noticed their movements. This stealth technique, supplemented by the power of artifacts and unique force manipulation, was the most powerful weapon that had earned the Special Inspection Bureau its reputation as ghosts. For a small country’s forces to detect their presence was impossible. However, he was slightly concerned about the faint mana surrounding the bodies of the soldiers and knights. “They surely can’t all have artifacts, so it means there’s a magic circle. Did the McLine have such capability? I’ll have to report this.” As he noted the unexpected information and moved on, he had to stop momentarily on his way to the palace’s inner depths. “A trap?” A strange light gleamed in his eyes, veiled beneath his cloaking and mask. His assassin’s senses, honed over decades, detected a faint magical presence. The irregularly arranged magic traps extended from the floor and walls to the ceiling. A trap that wasn’t included in the intel. “Quite something…” Traps sophisticated enough to catch even highly trained agents below elite level. Perhaps the previous failure had instilled vigilance. “But it’s nothing much.” For him and the Shadow Sword, it was merely a nuisance. – Proceed slowly. Avoid the traps. They exchanged signals that only they could understand and maneuvered like acrobats through the gaps between traps. It was only natural for them that not a single noise was made in the process. Before long, the two men reached the location of their target. “At this hour, the training grounds.” It was convenient that the target adhered strictly to his schedule and often stayed alone. “Planned departure on the eve of the king’s death—perfect.” He signaled the Shadow Sword again and slipped into the training grounds as silently as before. The knights standing guard at the royal training ground entrance were no more than scarecrows to them. As he brushed past a knight’s shadow, the Dark Sword mused. When would the target notice them? “Right before he dies? Or just as the blade reaches him?” He was not only superhuman but also the king of a country. Among the many assassinations in his lifetime, he would rank as one of the most prominent figures. A broad smile spread across the Dark Sword’s face—an innate killer. “Ghosts! Two of them?” Logan’s red eyes wavered slightly. The barely perceivable presence and subtle killing intent were reminiscent of the filthy feeling from two years ago when the intruders had invaded his chambers. Yet, honing his senses to their peak while focusing on his sword, the difference from those earlier intruders was stark. Specifically, their level. “Could they be on par with that one from back then?” Even when his extrasensory perception was at its apex, he had been unable to detect their presence until the blade emerged. In the end, that incident had triggered his wife’s awakening, and the enemy’s name was put to rest, but they had been threatening indeed. If even now he could barely sense their movement, it was plausible they matched that level. “An assassin, yet an Aura User.” Having two such people was exceedingly dangerous. “If it were two years ago, anyway. Those imperial bastards…” A cold smile flickered across Logan’s lips. In his past life, it wasn’t until the Empire had nearly conquered the continent that their strategic patterns became widely recognized. Just before war began, if the targeted nation’s king was ordinary or a righteous ruler, they assassinated him; if he was like the tyrant of Grandia, they let him live but assassinated his most esteemed and capable vassal. A leadership in disarray right before war would inevitably lead to military chaos, preventing them from effectively utilizing even existing resources, swiftly succumbing to imperial occupation. Rumors about the Empire’s Special Inspection Bureau, the so-called ghosts, began permeating the populace around then. “It’s fortunate that some things remain unchanged.” The Empire’s known superhuman assets numbered officially at 32—now 28 with four dead. Sebastianus knew a few more hidden superhumans probably existed, but surely even the Empire didn’t have an abundance of them. Therefore… “If they are Aura Users, especially the ghosts, eliminating them here could be a significant service.” Logan leaned toward the approaching figures, sharpening his senses, yet held his sword steady without a tremor. The guise of training served his performance well. He casually manipulated his aura while checking the status of his personal artifacts. A low hum resounded. The Boots of Wind, Gauntlets of Strength, and Pauldrons of Protection activated sequentially, pushing his reflexes, power, and durability to the extreme. Even without additional functions, the enhancements were astonishingly effective even on the body of an Aura User, whose physique was already extremely strengthened. It rendered his previous assessment of these treasures as mere 4th-class artifacts utterly meaningless. While he had named them as he pleased, Logan now knew the origins of these peculiar treasures, likely crafted by a group or an individual. "The relics of the Sword God lineage." The reason they only reacted to his force core, and the way they seemed to find him from various places as if fated, was all connected. According to the records of the Sword God, these artifacts—a helmet, chest armor, leg armor, left pauldron, buckler, and sword—were a set of nine pieces. The combined effect of having all of them was said to be truly eye-opening, but... “...that's impossible.” Given the passage of nearly two thousand years, it was a miracle that even these three items remained and came into his possession. As he briefly allowed his thoughts to wander, a black dagger suddenly shot toward him from behind. At the same moment, Logan's sword flashed, bending gracefully to intercept the dagger behind him. BAM! With a resounding crash, the shadow was flung back. Though the masked attacker's expression was hidden, the torrent of blood flowing through the gap between their disturbed aura and black gloves indicated severe injury. “Not bad!” Logan charged forward instantly toward the intruder. His sword stabbed forth as if to pierce through the neck. He sensed the swirl of the intruder's eyes underneath the mask, betraying their surprise, and as if making a resolute decision, the intruder thrust their dagger sideways even as Logan’s sword bore down on them. Simultaneously, a surge of gray aura rose. Their suicidal tactic was clear to see, and Logan's eyebrow twitched slightly at the realization. Another dagger thrust toward him from behind. In that very instant, Logan's sword deflected the grey aura, and the golden light from his sword twisted like a living serpent, enveloping the assailant behind him. CRASH! The assailants were thrown backwards, still uttering no war cries or screams, but at last, the knights realized something was amiss and began rushing into the training grounds. “Your Majesty!” “Assassins!” Their faces turned ashen with fear. The knights, who had allowed the intrusion of assassins during their watch, charged desperately, but their loyalty was met with repudiation. “Retreat!!” Resounding with a thundering shout, the golden beam began to rampage, overwhelming the two shadows relentlessly. A display of sheer power. Amidst the tempest of dazzling golden aura, the grey aura flickered rebelliously from time to time. Sizzle. BOOM! SMASH! The rapidly intersecting movements of the three combatants were difficult for the knights to follow with their eyes. “This is…unbelievable.” “How can this be…!” Amidst the cacophony created by the clashing powers, the knights, feeling utter helplessness, soon realized their role. They ran back outside the training ground and blew their whistles. “Intruders!” “Form a perimeter around the training ground!” As noise erupted everywhere, the Dark Sword already sensed their mission had failed. “How… how can this be…” Everything went awry because the target's power was beyond expectations. What he thought to be an exaggerated threat was instead underestimated. At this level, the target was at least the pinnacle of an advanced Aura User, maybe even… “Could it be supreme!? At such a young age?” A monster out of legends or myths stood before him. Realizing this, the Dark Sword made his decision. He signaled quickly to the Shadow Sword, who was busy evading. – Mission failed. Retreat. Block the rear, even at the cost of your life. The determination in the Shadow Sword wavered visibly, but there was no choice. Agents of the Special Inspection Bureau were conditioned to self-destruct upon mission failure. The 'Ghosts,' conceived through the Imperial Royal Family and the Black Serpent's temporary alliance, were 'resources' designed as weapons of annihilation. However, for those at the pinnacle, like him, self-destruction was forbidden due to their ‘scarcity value’ as resources. For such individuals, failing missions was exceedingly rare; if a failure seemed possible, they were mandated to retreat and preserve their value. But the current situation was different. Blocking that monster through normal means was impossible. Sacrifice was needed. And he had to survive for other reasons. “The Sun of McLine. I must report this anomaly to the Empire. He deceived the world…” Information on the Empire’s primary target was wrong from the start. To notify them required his survival. “Haah!” For the first time since the ambush, the Dark Sword let out a shout as his gray aura flared furiously, pushing back the encroaching golden serpentine light. At that moment, instead of swinging his sword again, he threw something from his pocket onto the floor. BANG! With an explosive sound, black smoke spread thickly. The furious voice of the golden light’s master echoed from within. “Poison?” Correct. The Special Inspection Bureau's unique smoke bombs contained high-level paralyzing toxins capable of stopping even top-grade knights’ hearts in an instant. However, they were ineffective against Aura Users. Here, it served only to obscure vision and confuse senses. Taking advantage of this, the Dark Sword’s body blended into the air, becoming invisible once again to the golden authority. “Where do you think you’re going!” The golden aura lunged toward the space he occupied, slashing indiscriminately. “...For glory!” With a raspy battle cry, the Shadow Sword intercepted in front of him. Watching the Shadow Sword’s body swell fearlessly to take the brunt of the golden aura, the Dark Sword quickly withdrew from the scene. And within the range that maintained his stealth, he sprinted desperately towards the outside. BOOM! The entire place began to tremble. As soon as he fled the training grounds, a deafening roar reverberated through the air, followed by tremors that seemed to shake the entire palace. Had that been enough to wound the monster? While a supreme-level Aura User could wield the power of space, that young monster hadn't displayed any such abilities throughout the attack. “Could it be that he's still inexperienced? Or is he simply an outstanding advanced-level user? Perhaps he's been killed after all?” Such thoughts flickered through his mind, but he dared not turn back. He could not afford a gamble with his life at stake now. “Shadow Sword, I will not forget your sacrifice.” Gritting his teeth inwardly, he raced along, soon seeing the palace entrance come into view. As he dashed past corridors marked by mysterious sword cuts and tried to exit the palace... Rip. “Ugh!” Dark Sword collapsed on the spot, unable to even scream as if his soul itself was being torn apart. Thud. His invisibility spell broke, and he couldn’t control his own body. “What… is this…?” He hadn't sensed anything pursuing him, neither the monster nor anyone else. Indeed, there was currently no presence around him. “How did…” Yet, he had no time to unravel this mystery. “The intruder!” “Seize him!” Through his blurring consciousness, he glimpsed the soldiers of McLine closing in, but he could no longer continue his thoughts.