2 years later...
In those 2 years, Raksaya already gave birth to a healthy baby girl. My mother was also present at that time and we decided to let her take care of her grandchild she wanted so much. We even let her decide the name, unfortunately, with the nature of our work it would be too hard for us to take care of a baby... Thankfully, my mother is still young so she will be able to play a mother figure for the child. It's a bit sad that my own child will have to go through the same thing as me, having only mother but at least she will be spared from having to experience the loss of a father. However, it didn't mean that we wouldn't visit her from time to time, it's just that we would be "uncle" and "aunt" to her.
As for my relationship with Raksaya...Although we never said to each other those 3 words, we were still aware of how much we care for each other. This kind of work...it would be hard for both of us if we developed our feelings even further. Both of us were afraid that if one of us died on a mission, we would no longer be able to perform our job. Raksaya even proposed to leave the organization however, I quickly talked her out of that idea and she even apologized, I was aware that she was just having muddled thoughts after giving birth since this was her first real child. She is the great leader and if both of us left, who would fill the gap? Not to mention...I have a feeling that this is already part of my life. I can't say that I enjoy killing people but...I grow accustomed to this job. I can't just leave and live a normal life after killing so many people.
And to be honest, my performance in my job grew even better when I knew that my mother already had someone to take care of and another way around after a few years. I don't even need to worry about my little girl since I know what kind of "mother" she has.
....
"Haha, congratulation, Akashi!" Arno said while he brought our drinks to our table.
"Don't you feel regret?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow while slowly sipping on my red wine.
"?...haha. Not at all...I am too old for someone like her and I am sure that I wouldn't be able to make her happy. I am just glad to see her more smiling." Arno was slightly confused by my sudden question but he immediately laughed it off and explained with a genuine smile while playing with the paper straw of his drink.
"Plus it's not like I am madly in love with her...I just respect her and wish her the best. Therefore...if you will make her regret her decision one day...I will make sure that you will suffer even though I am no longer stronger than you!" He said with a crazy smile.
He is crazy...heh. Even if I will disappear one day, he will be able to make Raksaya stand back up with his stupid jokes.
"Anyway, I have heard that there has been some unrest in Israel. Do you know anything more?" I asked him with a serious expression.
"You even talk about a job when we are here to drink? *sigh* Well, I can't say that I don't understand where you are coming from. There have been some really nasty rumors. Apparently some terrorist organizations hid in some kind of strange ruins. However, the leader should know much more than me but I am sure that almost all people in violet ranks will be sent out for this." Arno said with a stern face.
...I don't know why but ever since I have heard this rumor about...strange ruins, I have been having a really bad feeling.
"Arno, can you hold on to this and give it to Raksaya in case something bad would happen?" I said and handed him something that has been sealed in many envelopes.
"...Don't tell me... You know that you can decline this mission, right Akashi?!" He said with a shocked expression but that immediately changed to a serious one.
"Serious expression doesn't suit you, Arno. You don't know what can happen so I just want you to hold on to it. Maybe you will be the one who will lose it, who knows?" I said with a smirk.
"This is not fun, kiddo! But...I understand. Don't you dare to do something reckless if you won't have to." Arno just accepted it and closed his eyes to calm down and when he opened them once again, they looked as if he was looking at the stranger.
Good...I knew that Arno will be able to accept my request. His mentality is on a different level, he could easily be a leader. At least his orders wouldn't be affected by his emotions. I just hope that I won't have to convince Raksaya to give me this mission.
...
After a few days, I already heard that many people from violet ranks were leaving the state for the mission so I went to Raksaya's office and started to convince her to send me out too.
"Why do you want to go so much?" She asked me with a suspicious look.
...I can't tell her that I have a bad feeling while also feeling like I have to be there...
"Because everyone is leaving and yet I am only one remaining here. Didn't you tell me that you won't let your emotions affect your decisions?" I asked her with a resolute expression.
"...*sigh* Fine, I am missing people anyway but I will send you to the ruins that shouldn't be occupied, however, they are still on the list of suspected places to check out. You also have to take someone with you." She said with a defeated expression.
"I heard that Silver completed his advancement test just a few days ago, I want him to come with me." I said with a smile but she immediately stood up from her seat while glaring at me.
"You want me to send him with you after you have told me your suspicion?!" She coldly asked.
I already informed her that Silver will probably do something stupid, sooner or later.
"That's right, we can't just throw him out without any evidence. I will use this chance to gather good evidence." I said with a confident smile.
Raksaya and I started to argue for more than 15 minutes before she finally agreed to my proposition.
"Silver isn't as strong as you but you still have to be careful. You can go now" She said with a slightly sad expression.
...Maybe even she feels that something is wrong.
I thought and quietly left her office. I didn't want to say more than necessary after seeing her expression.
...Maybe I am a horrible person but I have to go no matter what. I should go before I will reconsider everything and go back inside...
I thought when I stopped right in front of her door. I decided to go look for Silver and inform him about the mission.
...
"Man, that was a journey, I still feel sore. I hate airplanes." Silver complained while stretching his neck.
"Stop complaining, we are close to the mentioned ruins" I said with a commanding tone and heard him gritting his teeth behind me.
We approached the ruins and at first, it looked like some kind of temple build into the cliff. Well, it must have looked like a temple before it crumbled down, now nothing but ruins remained.
The road made of stone plates...How old is this place?
"It seems that there are not just a few people guarding this place, it looks more like a small section of more than 20 people and who knows how many of them are inside...The information was "slightly" wrong." I said while observing the place together with Silver.
"Whatever, it's dark and we can easily take care of that number." Silver replied with a smile.
I kept on staring at the entrance of the ruined temple and couldn't help but feel like something was drawing me there, I couldn't tear my eyes off the entrance.
"Alright, I will take care of the right side and you take the left side." After I finally recovered from my daze, I told him and he just nodded with a confident smile.
---
'Let's see how strong you really are, Akashi. I wonder if you will be able to take on more than a dozen armed men only with only your daggers.' Silver thought when he moved to his position on the left side of the ruins.
---
...
I was able to kill more than 5 men without alarming anyone thanks to their convenient positions.
*bang*
The sound of pistol was heard from the opposite side of me.
I guess he decided that it's finally time.
5 more people rushed out of the entrance to look at what is going on.
I hid under one of their cars when they started searching but it wouldn't take long before they will be able to find me. Therefore I used the chance to kill one more man who was near the car before they could find me.
I cut his ankle tendons which made him cry out in pain and kneel.
"Aagh!-"
I quickly slit his throat, however, his cry still attracted the attention of others. I quickly hid behind the rocks of the ruins not far away from the previous car.
When they came closer they noticed that the man was already dead.
"Look around, he must be somewhere close and be careful, he took his gun!" Probably the leader ordered and all 18 men were searching the area around the car.
It looks like he only killed 1 of them and took his gun to attract their attention. Hehe, he really is ruthless and I am sure that it's not everything.
1 man is coming in my direction, I can kill him and then kill 2 more people with my mini-daggers before they will discover my hiding position. Now that their attention is on my side, it would be ideal situation for Silver to take care of them from behind but unfortunately, he is also against me.
When the man came near enough I revealed myself.
"?!" Before he was able to say anything, I pierced my dagger through his neck while he was shocked and quickly threw 2 more mini daggers at the nearest man with the automatic firearm before they could notice something.
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* Sound of 3 bodies hitting the ground resounded at the same time and everyone started to panic except for their leader.
"Calm down idiots! Judging by the direction from where those daggers arrived, he must be hiding behind those rocks!" The leader shouted at his men and they quickly calmed down and started aiming their guns in my direction.
I never thought that I would use these... I thought to myself when I took out a certain item from my little bag attached to the belt.
I threw that thing from behind the rock at them and they immediately started to shoot at it.
*BANG* Loud sound resounded through the entire ruins and I immediately rushed to them while throwing a few more things under their legs.
"Fuck!" Everyone was covering their moist eyes, trying their best to take a look at what is going on.
The flashbang is really convenient, now that I see how effective it can be.
The other things I threw under their legs while sprinting to them were my special "smoke bombs" that started to release green smoke.
These things are expensive as hell...Now I won't even feel bad for killing them.
*bang* *bang* They started to shoot in panic when they noticed the smoke together with their blurred vision and deafness, some of them even fallen on their butts.
"Don't shoot mindlessly like idiots, you will shoot your own people! Move out of the sm-!" The leader once again started to calm down his people but this time I threw the dagger in the direction of his voice and judging how he stopped talking, I guess I hit him.
Even I can't see through a thick smoke like that but I had no need to see or kill them myself inside the smoke.
I walked out of the smoke and waited for it to completely disappear.
"*cough* *cough* I-it's pois-" Before the man could say anything more, I threw a dagger in his direction once again.
I only have 3 more mini-daggers remaining while having the 2 longer ones I can't just throw away.
I also already threw all smoke bombs, I feel pretty naked right now.
But this dose of smoke...
I thought while watching smoke slowly disappear. Whenever someone was about to leave the smoke area before it completely disappeared I killed them with my longer daggers and if they were too far away from me, I just threw one of my remaining mini-daggers. However, there weren't that many men who could get out because the smoke area was quite large thanks to me wasting all smoke bombs at once. Not to mention that their movements were already affected by it.
When the smoke disappeared...
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* Everyone hit the ground while blood was gushing out from their mouths and eyes.
I must say...the poison is really overpowered, especially when you are immune to it and others aren't.
"H-how?" One of them was still alive and asked me while desperately looking at me
"Hm? It seems like your body constitution is much better than your friends'. Anyway, to answer your question...I am mostly immune to this poiso-?!" I said however before I was able to finish my sentence, the alarm rang inside my head, informing me of incoming danger so without thinking, I jumped to the side but the flying dagger still managed to graze my shoulder.
"? What are you doing, Silver?" I turned around and saw Silver coming out of the shadows with a smile. I used this chance to put my hand into my pocket to prepare something.
"Nothing much, you must be pretty exhausted from this entire fight, be it physically and mentally. You know, I had heard Arno and leader talk about who could become the next leader and I only kept hearing your name...but I don't think that you are capable enough." Silver said while playing around with his dagger.
It seems like he used this commotion to get on this side behind me.
"Oho? And you think that you ar-?!" I started speaking with a smile but I suddenly lost strength in my legs and had to kneel down while supporting my balance with my hands.
"Haah...haaah" I started breathing really fast and my face started to sweat a lot.
"Haha, it finally took effect. This is the most potent poison I was able to buy on the black market. Not even the organization let poisons like this one to be sold in the market! I must say it cost me my entire fortune but it seems that it was worth it." Silver said while he was slowly and leisurely walking towards me.
"You know what's the most interesting thing about this poison?" Silver asked me and I just hatefully glared at him.
"At first, you will feel like there is no poison at all, then you will feel complete exhaustion and then extreme pain and in the end, death. It doesn't matter whether you have a human's or an elephant's body constitution. The effect will be always the same, haha" Silver explained even though I didn't reply to him.
"However...even I am not so cruel. You have been the first one to spar with me and it was really fun so I will end it before you will feel that unbearable pain." He said as he arrived before me.