"He never was one to waste time, huh. That brother of mine."
Lowering his body and extricating himself from the bodacious woman's grasp with one smooth motion, Lieren willed his Resistance to thicken, feeling himself detach from the outside world.
At the same time, he also activated his amulet's enchantment.
With a light tug of mana, as if plucking a string, Lieren reached for the amulet's power, engulfing himself in illusory wind. Of course, with hid Resistance as thick as it is, it was never going to attach itself to him, and so, he imbued the obfuscating enchantment into himself instead.
Instantly, he felt his grip on reality slowly disappear, as though drowning in an ocean of the abyss. It was as if he didn't exist in the first place.
And that made him even more deadly.
With his vital signs and mana signature completely masked, Lieren recalled the solid and flowing battle art of master Feng, her fluid footwork and light steps, and melted into the wind. He also unearthed the lying giant's deceptive and incomplete style, masking all remnants of his physical presence and walked through the confused and panicked party unseen.
Meanwhile, he also unsheathed the brilliant dagger from his pocket suit's inner pocket. Due to its rather small and light build, it was very easy to conceal. Though keeping it with him was always slightly nerving.
With another tug, he pushed mana to his eyes and ignited Manavision, enhancing his sight. Though he was nowhere near astounding feats like night vision, he was however able to make out basic shapes, as well as feel the world through the pitter-patter of steps.
The ball was at a chaotic state.
"What.. what is happening?!"
"It has begun!"
"The lights, somebody turn on the lights!"
"You. You have a lighting artifact, do you not? Quickly, turn it on at once!"
"My son, my son. Where are you…?!"
As the world seemingly fell into disarray, various light sources emanated from different sections of the grand hall, making the entire place much more morbid and deadly.
But he didn't care about any of that. Instead, his focus was trained at a particular figure, calm and composed even when the whole world seemingly fell into disarray, sipping a glass of red liquid.
Taurus: the contestant of the Silata family, a closely-tied alliance representative. A lean man in his twenties, with black hair and a friendly smile. This man was his target.
Dodging several rumbling and confuse nobles, Lieren gripped his striking dagger ever tighter, as if trying to melt it into his body. Despite the brilliant steel it had been forges of, the blade did not reflect any light whatsoever, as if to follow the will of its master.
And yet, he knew this wouldn't last long.
He had only one chance.
"…? What?"
As he stepped within twelve feet of his target, Lieren abandoned all semblance of stealth and pushed all his mana into his leg, thighs, hips, and feet, dashing forth with one explosive step that shattered the very floor beneath him. Debris flew into a small cloud of dust and rubble behind him.
And his target immediately turned toward the source of the noise and gripped an intricately-made amulet hanging on a chain draped around his neck, his eyes glowing bright.
Several other people turned towards the source of the noise, and raised surprised voices.
"What was that?"
"An explosion?"
"Huh?"
A confused and panicked expression appeared on the young scion's face.
There was nobody there.
Which could only mean one thing:
"A fein—"
Before the young scion could even finish the thought, however, his vision spun like a wheel, and he found himself spinning in midair.
...Well, a part of him, that is.
As his consciousness drifted away, a pair of cold blue eyes watched as his beheaded body fell down to the marble floor.
And then, he fell over Death's Edge.
◇◆◇◆◇
Crouching down and picking up an intricate pendant, Lieren swept the blood off his dagger with one quick swing and cracked his neck, suddenly energized.
In his hand was an intricately-made pendant with a single rune carved in the center of it as well as some kind of pattern. The pendant of Taurus, one of the twelve contestants and a proof of his kill, was now in his hands.
And then, the lights turned back on. And he suddenly found himself at the center of the attention once again. However, this time he wasn't just an accessory, but the actual main show.
He grimaced.
'Yeah, keep staring, you dirty nobles. Let's see who's an idiot now.'
One them screamed as his female companion fainted at the sight:
"Murderer!"
And then, the rest followed.
"Arrest him!"
"You commoner, how dare you lay your hands on a mighty noble?!"
"The death sentence. Give him the death sentence!"
"Kill him!"
"Who do you think you are?!"
"Somebody, take him down!"
Various complaints and angry yelling filled the grand hall as the macabre sight was etched in their very souls, the quickly-forming pool of blood painting a horrifying tapestry of death and undeniable sorrow. People cried, while others just stared. More than a couple threw up — mostly children — and some even fainted, completely giving up consciousness.
And yet, nobody responded. Nobody helped, and nobody approached to offer any kind of help whatsoever.
The competition had already begun, after all.
Turning away from the bellowing noble, Lierne produced a handkerchief and wiped the blood off the pendant and threw away its chains, linking it with his own. It was small and compact, so it didn't hinder him much.
And then, he began to slowly walk over to another man, who was equally calm — or at least appeared to be. Lieren could feel the heavy sense of dread that had overcome the man… and pierce through it.
A double bluff.
Faking his anxiety and confusion and masking it with another layer of calmness, the man made himself look deceivingly afraid, when in fact, he was the most calm and collected person here.
He could see through it as plain as day.
Gripping his dagger, he got into a stance… and immediately gave up on it.
'…No, not right now. Everybody's tense and there's too may people. It's impossible with these conditions. At least for now.'
Lowering his blade, he sighed and looked around at the grand hall, keeping his gaze steady and unmarked.
Everybody, noble and servant alike, were looking at ten-year-old boy with expressions filled with utter fear and confusion, as well as dark acceptance. Well, except for those ones — the others who wouldn't stop screaming. Either they didn't listen to the rules, or they were just plain oblivious.
Looking up with a dark expression, Lieren laughed weakly and glanced to the side, at the deceptive giant and shot a meaningful look.
'I wonder… Was that enough of an introduction?'
Twirling the obsidian hilt of his brilliant dagger, Lieren smiled darkly and glanced at the yapping peanut gallery, his eyes cold and his heart even colder.
Looking down at his pendant, he sighed and walked away, the soles of his shoes leaving bloody footprints in his wake.
Things are about to get a whole lot messier.