Sir Masked had been working his way towards the princess with the kind of precision employed by leopards as they stalked their prey. The only difference being, they did that in a jungle, he was on a chaotic battlefield.
If one took the time to watch him, there was no denying it, the man was a killing genius. Every strike was precise and awesome. He may not have had Barda's finesse, but the smoothness of his skill and how well he employed it showed that he was well versed with the skills he used. They had become a part of who he was as a person.
Sir Masked Twin Blades was a renowned assassin from far and wide. His achievements and kills for the Gumina Kingdom had been almost legendary. It was said that the rapiers in his hands were an extension of who he was, a part of his hands. Looking at his fight, one could not argue.
Sir Masked was one of the top 150 assassins trained and employed by the Gumina Kingdom. These were the Ghost squad. There were many kinds of soldiers and assassins in Gumina, but to be in the Ghost Squad meant receiving personal recognition from the King himself. Given how bloodthirsty the King was, gaining his approval took some doing.
As one of the assassins under the prince, Sir Masked prided himself to be one of the best in the world in terms of assassinations. What he needed was a high-profile kill to throw his name into the limelight, and he couldn't think of anyone more high-profile that the princess of Tristan. If she fell under his blade ... Sir Masked licked his lips at the thought of the rewards that would come his way.
After the commander gave the order, he had begun his stalk. Moving across the battlefield as one of the Gumina soldiers, he made his approach towards where she was. He was rather delighted to see that she was fighting alongside her men, no doubt in a bid to earn their approval and recognition. What a fool, she was doing everything for him.
Acknowledging that getting to her would not be easy, Sir Masked stilled his heart and started making his observation. He wanted to learn everything he could about the princess and her fighting techniques so he could put her down. He also knew that since she was a VIP on the battlefield, she had to have people watching over her. As he did his observations he was fighting near her position.
As he had predicted, he counted at least 5 guards who were actively watching the princess and her every move. Then 5 others were fighting off anyone who came at her and was in any way overpowered.
It struck him as funny to see that the princess was still fighting but she was only fighting those whom the guards allowed. Was this whole experience a learning opportunity for the future queen? The assassin wondered.
Looking closer, he noticed that not even the princess herself was aware this was happening. She went about fighting as did the others, blissfully unaware that her fights were monitored and controlled. Despite being stack in the middle of a battlefield, she was never in any real danger. The man didn't know which emotion to show, to sneer at the princess or nod at the prowess of the guards.
His mind was deep at work. He needed to evade the guards somehow to get tot he princess, but that was proving difficult. She was well surrounded and the guards knew what they were doing. They never exposed a blind spot as they worked around her.
Flustered, Sir Masked had to change plans. The next option was to go through the guards and fight the princess directly. That too was proving to be another hurdle. Despite is seeming random, not just anyone could fight the princess. They had to be vetted by the guards before being passed on to the princess. If someone was too tough, the guards either dispatched them off or dealt with them in some other way.
Sir Masked wasn't scared of the guards, he knew he could deal with them comfortably, but that would ruin his chances at striking the princess. She would get away and he would ruin his quarry. An assassin only needed to strike once. Hardly do they get a second chance, this was a well-known fact. He had to get it right the first time.
Taking his time, he went off away from the guards' field of view, put away his rapiers, and picked up an ordinary sword. He then made his way through the people slicing and dicing until he got to the guards.
There were 2 guards he could approach. One had a golden sash around his waist, while the other held a massive shield. The sash-guy only had a sword, but as a swordsman himself, Sir Masked Twin Blades had seen firsthand just how good the guy was with his weapon. He didn't underestimate him. However, of the 2, the sword guy was easier to manipulate, so he made his way towards him.
Every attack Marco received was like a test. He had to weigh not only the skill but also the power of the wielder. It was his job to shield the princess from the tough enemies while at the same time feeding her enough meat for her to bit up so that she doesn't wander off their protective net.
The good news was, Marco was good at it. In just one encounter he could read a fighter as though reading a book. He didn't take much stock when he swung his sword and was met by a gruff-looking masked man with an ordinary sword. The man felt weak and seemingly lacking in techniques. Marco followed up with another strike just to confirm. He nearly cleaved the man's head off.
This strike threw off the man right in the princess's path for her to finish him off. It was supposed to be a clean strike. Marco watched as the princess spun around and swung her sword, ready to put him down.
Suddenly, the man seemed to come alive in a moment of brilliance. His dull responses suddenly sharpened and he swung his sword to meet hers. Since the move had been unexpected, it threw off Lady Maara's balance, almost knocking her off her feet. This left a lot of opening for an experienced assassin like Sir Masked Twin Blades.
Marco, who had been desperately trying to get at her felt like he was a thousand miles away. Short of teleporting, he couldn't get there in time. He screamed bloody murder as he leaped at the assassin with everything he had.
Fortunately, Lady Maara was no pushover. Since childhood, her father had had her learn all kinds of fighting techniques. He came off as easy-going to most people, but that was because his position was already formal enough. He knew the value of respect, and part of the reason why he had been able to hold Tristan so together was because of the respect he commanded. That's why he could afford to be easy-going since no one wanted to meet the other side.
He wanted the same for his little girl. He wanted her to be renowned as a fighter, to command the respect of warriors and generals alike. That's why he had agreed to her going to the frontlines. Secretly, he had wished for it, but he didn't want to command her, she had to beg for it. If she didn't, then she wouldn't have the chance.
All the years of training had not been for naught. She knew her first contact was bad, but she could recover. She scolded herself for her poor strike as she made plans to recover. In her eyes, the man had gotten off a lucky strike, and she would make him pay for that.
On seeing the coming blow, she spun around and side-stepped, stretching her agility to the max. Using this move, she was able to make up for the weaknesses, evading the coming strike. Marco sighed with relief as he made his approach, careful not to underestimate the warrior. He decided he would just end him and be done with it.
Seeing his strike miss, Sir Masked was momentarily shocked by the reaction speed the princess had shown. He was rather impressed and enticed by this prey that wouldn't go down easily. When he noticed the coming thrust by the guard, he side-stepped in annoyance and thrust his sword at him, ending his life instantly.
There was no turning back now. She was right there in front of him and he wouldn't let her off the hook. He noticed the other guards had seen his approach and were moving to block him.
However, Sir Masked was a great swordsman, a born protege and had lived a lifetime of war. The peacetime guards and the princess did not have anywhere near as much combat experience as he had despite the training. Recognizing his opportunity, he had one single thought in mind. This was it, his moment, the now or never.