The three men bore a striking resemblance to the man Endyr faced earlier in attire, except for the bizarre medallion they wore. It didn't take a genius to figure out all four men belonged to the same organization, and these three were here to finish what the fourth man started. And these three were as strong, if not stronger, than the first assassin was, meaning Endyr and Sia were as good as dead.
One of the men had a silver ring, another a gold bracelet while the third was noticeably shorter than his peers. These served as the only differentiating characteristics of the three assailants, and Endyr mentally tagged them as such. Bracelet was the one that had knocked on the door and he drew a long stiletto from within his robe. "Don't bother resisting. Madam Lucia won't let your protector past, so no one is coming to your aid. As unfair as it seems, you're dying here kiddos.
Bracelet and Shorty speed up, one towards each child, while Ring stayed by the door with his arms crossed. From the posture and gait of the three killers, they were relaxed and oozing confidence. Clearly, they saw this mission a done deal already and Endyr couldn't argue against it. He had to admit from any outsider perspective, they looked fucked. But Endyr wasn't ready to die so easily.
He took a deep breath and was about to try and use his EX Rank Skill Mana Manipulation, but was struck by a massive headache before he could. It felt like a malignant God had gripped his skull and was slowly trying to crush it. Blood poured from his facial orifices, causing him to choke and splutter. He wobbled precariously before falling to one knee. Within five seconds, Endyr was on the point on collapse.
Sia screamed beside him and dropped to support him, yelling in shock. She desperately tried to rouse him, but to Endyr everything sounded like it was far away. His senses were muted and growing dimmer with every heartbeat, giving him the sensation he was slowly sinking underwater. His eye lids fluttered and struggled vainly to stay awake. Endyr managed to fight his own sluggish mind long enough to find the source of his condition: his body was on the verge on collapse! Clearly, Eros has not been wrong: being in the Plane of Infinity put Endyr's body under unimaginable strain. If he did not leave at that instant, he would have died in bed.
The three assassins looked on in confusion as one of their targets exploded in blood like a fountain. He spasmed on the ground, his blood forming a lake around him as it poured out his eyes, mouth and ears. His sister was desperately trying to find out what was wrong, but she was met with zero success. Ring turned to his comrades and spoke. "You guys didn't poison him or something, did you?"
They shook their heads. "I honestly have no idea what's going on now" Shorty swore. Bracelet then added. "But who cares? One target is dead and we didn't have to lift a finger. Let's hurry up and get out of here. This smoke is making me irritated."
The hotel had been set on fire, with the flames and smoke consuming floors at a rapid pace. At this rate, the hotel could very well collapse in on itself within the next twenty minutes. The fire was not a natural one: it had been started with Mana and given a boost to maintain its ferocity. The assassins had not started it though, it was actually the work of a particular violent Heretic. They either didn't know their allies (the assassins) were in the hotel or just didn't care. In any case, the hotel was rapidly becoming an unfavourable environment to be in.
With a grunt of affirmation, Bracelet advanced on Sia and twirled the stiletto in his hand. She looked up at him with a fervent gleam in her eyes. Notching this, Bracelet stared at her in amusement. "A feisty tigress aren't you? Just like your bitch mother from the looks of it. Well, glare all you like. That wont save you."
Sia stood up and stepped in front of Endyr protectively. If Endyr was fully conscious, he would notice the parallels between now and the previous time, where Sia blocked him with her own body. Sadly, he was fighting through the haze of death and couldn't even do basic arithmetic at the moment.
Sia took a deep breath and clenched her fists. Bracelet simply looked at her and made no move to intervene, completely consumed by his arrogance. This countenance quickly changed however, when he felt the ambient Mana stir around her. He flashed the stiletto down with murderous intent, but it was knocked away by an explosion of whitish-green light. A vacuum of air appeared around Sia's hands, and she swung it at Bracelet. It hit him square in the sternum, blowing him off his feet and into a wall.
Ring and Shorty stared in shock, before the latter noticed another charge building in Sia's hands. He shook himself before dashing at her. When Sia released her second blast, Shorty splayed his palm and summon a ball of fire. The two spells met, and the air was forced upwards towards the roof. With a crash, the roof and part of the back wall was destroyed, exposing the city in full. The night sky and moon were also visible, shining serenely over the carnage happening below.
Before Sia could fire a third shot, Shorty summoned a smouldering flame and flung it at her. In an instant, Sia gathered Mana and formed a wing barrier that dispersed the flames. But Shorty used the time to get even closer and swung his Mana-imbued fist right into her face. She copied Bracelet and flew backwards, nearly falling out of the room to her death. She just barely stabilised herself however, but she was panting heavily and her nose seemed broken.
The spells Sia used were ones Raphaniel had secretly taught her before she left. They were quick and relatively powerful, but had a high Mana consumption. Using two wind shots and a barrier left Sia completely empty. If it wasn't her gifted Skill from Ascending, she would have only been able to use a single spell and it would have also been weaker. She was able to put up a surprisingly good fight, but now she was done for.
Ring went to where Bracelet had landed and checked his condition. After checking his pulse, he hummed in surprise. Bracelet wasn't dead, but his heartbeat was uneven and breaths irregular. Despite being nothing more than a child, Sia had done a number on him. 'Is this the power of a Magi?' he wondered to himself. 'Damn Nobles and their bloodlines. They have so much power...and waste it away while those weaker than them die.'
Ring glared at Sia with undisguised anger. "Hurry up and finish her off" he commanded. Shorty took note of the annoyance in his comrade's voice and turned top do just that. He knew Ring had a vendetta against powerful Noble Houses, like the Atrazarks. For himself and Bracelet, this was just a job. But for Ring? It was personal, a matter close to his heart. Shorty pulled in Mana and formed a sword of fire that he grasped casually. He had to admit Sia had surprised him, but she was visibly out of Mana now. This fight was over.
While all this was going on, Endyr was fighting a battle of his own. His was a fight against nature however: the cold grasp of death that sought to claim him. He had managed to push back the haze long enough to see Sia be punched back, and Shorty advance with a flaming sword. He tried to stand and come to her aid, but he couldn't move his body and blood bubbled from his nostrils. Endyr himself was surprised he hadn't bled to death yet, with all the blood he was haemorrhaging.
Just when all seemed lost, the clouds in the sky parted and moonlight fell upon the city. Some of that light reached Sia and Endyr, coming though the collapsed roof and walls. When it came into contact with the two children, it seeped inside them and a burst of strength filled their cells. While Sia was confused, Endyr's attention was caught by a System notification.
[Attention Host! Your Bloodline {Hyppiliote-Nyx} is stirring! As long as you remain in the moonlight, all stats shall be boosted by 20%. Priority Stat enhanced: Vitality.]
With an audibly *crack!* Endyr's bones shifted. He managed to shake off the force keeping him immobile and shakily stood to him feet. He could feel his body regenerating at a rapid pace, but the lethargy was deeply rooted and refused to dissipate. Sia underwent a similar experience, with the shadows around her shifting and writhing like living beings. A large volume of Mana was sucked into her body, instantly replenishing her empty Core.
Yet before the counter-attack could begin, Bracelet and Shorty shot forward in tandem. Sia and Endyr were still getting use to their power boosts, leaving them vulnerable to a sudden attack like this. Fire and Darkness Mana collided with Sia, with the former being extinguished and the latter dispersed. But the blows knocked her off balance and allowed the two assassins to press their advantage. In a matter of moments, Sia was beaten down. Shorty swung his sword and it cut deeply into Sia's shoulder. With a hiss of burning meat, Sia screamed and collapsed, unconscious.
All this happened before Endyr could react, and he stared in shock as his sister fell. Her wound had been instantly cauterised by the flames, but it was deep and almost certainly lethal. An infernal rage fill Endyr just like the last time, but he had only taken a single step before the splitting headache returned with a vengeance. He followed Sia in crumbling to the ground, as the bonus from the moonlight was snuffed out.
Shorty and Ring turned their attention to him, and Endyr cold see them approach in slow motion. Shorty swung his fire sword and it moved to decapitate him. Faced with certain death, Endyr desperately called out to the System for help. "System! What do I do?!"
[Host is in critical danger, and death is imminent. It is recommend Host uses Host's points to escape this situation.]
"How do I do that though?!"
Due to Endyr's outrageous Intelligence Stat, he could communicate with he System in milliseconds. By the time he had gotten this far, the sword was halfway to his neck. With each centimetre the blade narrowed, Endyr's desperation grew. "You fucking System, I don't care what it takes! Help me kill these fuckers!"
In Endyr's haste to live and desperation, he missed the subtle change the System underwent. [Does the Host give the System permission to act in their stead?] Unlike before, the System sounded colder and indifferent, losing the respectful tone and seeming...inorganic. But Endyr was blind to these changes and the sword was nearly in contact with his skin.
"Yes!"
[Emergency protocols activated. System Administrator is using Privileges to access the soul of {Endyr-Altair Atrazark}. Permission from target has been recognised...buying Skills. Protocol enacted...please sit back and relax.]
Endyr only had time to widen his eyes and mutter. "What the actual fu-"
And then the room exploded.