The two sides saw each at the same time. The Royal Guards saw the field of corpses and their fury began mounting. Sir Winstin narrowed his eyes and his aura surged unbelievably high. Since the first battle with the Second Hand, he was feeling extremely frustrated. Forcing Elizabeth into battle herself was the greatest shame for her Protector! Normally, he was a very cool-headed and tolerant man. Revenge was never a word in his vocabulary. But… Kidnapping Elizabeth under the protection of Castle Reinhard was the final straw. Furthermore, there were over a hundred corpses of Alzar soldiers here! He might be tolerant, but he was no saint. How could he not be furious? Sir Sebastian and Lady Valentina also released a piercingly cold aura. Their killing intent soared sky-high!
Captain Julian landed next to his vice-captain and said, "I didn't think that the kingdom would send such a powerful lineup. We have our work cut out for us."
"Are you afraid?" Vice-captain Julie chuckled seductively. "I never knew you had such a side."
"Unlike you, I'm a cautious person. From the looks of it, we'll have to use all our trump cards to hold them back."
Unbeknownst to these two, Lord Wenmord had firmly twisted their mental state. The thought of fleeing never appeared. It was all within Lord Wenmord's calculations! The two assassins wore grim faces as the rest of the Second Hand assembled behind them. There was more than a ten times difference in numbers. No matter how anyone saw it, the Second Hand was destined for a slaughter. But… that considered a fair fight. Were these assassins one to play fairly? As if! It was practically ingrained into their body to win by any means necessary!
As expected, Julie and Julian each pulled out ten throwing knives laced with poison. Back when vice-captain Julie was fleeing, she threw one at Sir Sebastian on a whim. Fortunately, he blocked it easily. If it landed, the damage would have been fatal! This was a mass-murdering weapon! When they attacked Elizabeth's convoy, there was no need to use it. They planned the situation well and if not for Benedict and Lorenzo's untimely intervention, then they would have caught Elizabeth already. But now, they had to use all their cards. The threat of the Royal Guard and Grand Knights was too large!
Likewise, the other assassins revealed daggers or swords drenched in strange colors. Playing with poison was undoubtedly a double-edged sword. They might have the antidote, but it was not perfect. The poisons were specifically designed to be potent beyond belief. A single drop could kill someone! Whether it be through immense pain, hallucinations, or organ failure… There were all sorts of devastating effects. To ensure their fatality, the lethality was raised to the limit! So, the so-called antidote could mostly negate the effects, but not perfectly. The longer the battle went on, the greater the danger these assassins had! It was the strategy of taking their enemies down with them!
Sir Sebastian sharpened his senses and grew surprised. "Those two… How did their injuries heal? It's only been an hour or two since the last battle!"
Back then, Sir Winstin critically injured Captain Julian while Vice-captain Julie crippled herself from the Twin Flicker technique. Sir Sebastian knew that if they survived, then they would never reach their former strength. They would be crippled! Yet, what was shown in front of him was unbelievable. Through his perception, he realized that not only were their injuries completely healed, but they were stronger than before! It was absurd.
"It must be magic," Lady Valentina murmured. "The Whispering Shadow is more capable than I thought."
Sir Winstin thought for a moment. "Sir Sebastian and Lady Valentina. The three of us shall deal with the two leaders. The rest of the Perception Realms shall deal with the rest of the Second Hand. As for any Fundamental Realms, stand back! Do not get involved!"
This was not out of arrogance that they could win with less numbers. Sir Winstin was never that type of person. Rather, when facing poison, more people meant more casualties. Especially for regular soldiers, against the assassination skills of the Second Hand, they would become sacrifices. On the other hand, Perception Realms had a much greater chance in surviving. Their heightened senses would allow them to avoid danger easier. Of course, despite the regular soldiers not participating, there was still more than a four times difference in numbers!
Sir Sebastian unsheathed his two-handed claymore in a smooth fashion. His actions created a light gust of wind from the sheer size of the weapon. With the ease he wielded it, it was clear just how powerful he was! If his slash landed on any person, it might split them in half! That was a frightening prospect! On the other hand, Lady Valentina was more reserved. She unsheathed a thin rapier from her waist. It seemed as fragile as a needle under her use, but the lethality she radiated was no less than Sir Sebastian! She could kill you before you knew it! Yet, Sir Winstin remained above the two. With a wave of his glaive, faint air pressure collected around his blade. His aura towered higher and higher until it reached the peak of Perception Realm! It was one step away from Half-Instinct Realm! The Fundamental Realms felt suffocated by the monstrous pressure weighing down on them and trembled!
Captain Julian and Vice-captain Julie did not fall behind. Although their body mastery was lower than Perception Realm Master, they bridged the gap with their extraordinary assassination techniques. Moreover, their physique had been strengthened by Lord Wenmord, allowing them to reach higher heights than before. Their aura contained a terrifying amount of killing intent and bloodlust, honed over countless unsavory missions. To become one of the top criminal organizations, they stained their hands with an uncountable number of bodies such that killing became as common as breathing to them! After all, the First Hand was rarely deployed. Instead, the Second Hand became the common executioner for the Whispering Shadow!
Sir Winstin began walking forward. Every step was as heavy as a mountain. Sir Sebastian and Lady Valentina were right behind. Their muscles tensed and then exploded out! With a powerful step, the three knights dashed across the battlefield at an incredible speed! Similarly, Captain Julian and Vice-captain Julie immediately executed the Twin Flicker technique! Their speed was superior to the knights, as they accelerated to human limits. Reaching the limit of the Twin Flicker technique, their movements were akin to teleportation. The regular guards and soldiers saw a mere blur before they clashed!
For the five fighting, although an instant passed, a dozen things happened in between. A Perception Realm could enhance their senses to the point that time seemed to slow down. Of course, it was not actually slowing down time. That would be ridiculous. Rather, it happened when their entire body and mind became so focused that an instant could draw out to an eternity! That was the power of these apex warriors!
The two assassins each threw out throwing knives. As master assassins, they learned all sorts of techniques and weapons, allowing them to flexibly adapt to all sorts of scenarios. Their coordination was truly impeccable. Without communicating, they decided on their targets independently. Captain Julian threw three at Sir Winstin, while Vice-captain Julie threw three at Sir Sebastian. Lady Valentina was too agile, nearly on par with the Twin Flicker technique in pure speed, so they opted to target the bulkier targets. Thanks to their speed, the knives were accelerated even faster, becoming nearly invisible. They were aligned into a triangular shape, closing in on their targets' head and arms! It would strike at the exact same time, leaving almost zero room to defend! The incredible display of skill and danger intimidated Sir Winstin and Sir Sebastian!