Chapter 8 - Chapter 4 - Banquet (2)

John and Joseph, followed by the illusion of 'Irene,' hastened their pace as they made their way from the side palace to the main palace. On the journey, John couldn't help but notice an oddity that brought a smile to his face.

"Joseph, have you noticed the oddity here?" John asked, a playful smirk on his lips.

"The imperial guards... they're missing. They weren't even waiting outside your room to escort you. Something's off," Joseph replied, concern evident in his expression.

"Now you understand why I asked you to escort me," John chuckled lightly.

"However, I still don't understand the purpose of creating an illusion of Her Highness following us," Joseph questioned, referring to the illusion of 'Irene' that walked behind them.

"You'll see in the next few minutes, I presume," John replied with a knowing smile, increasing their pace slightly.

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Meanwhile, in the same hallway, a group of men clad in black clothes was stealthily hanging from the ceiling. Among them was a man with a purple emblem on his chest, bearing the symbol of a snake. He held a communication crystal and reported, "We have visual on the target," as he observed Irene walking closely behind John and Joseph, who were now about 10 meters away from them.

"You may engage," a sharp and emotionless voice replied from the crystal, prompting a nod from the assassin.

Securing the crystal in his storage ring, the man raised his fist in the air, signaling to the rest of the group. With three fingers poised, he silently counted down as they prepared to strike.

Three...

Two...

One...

"Attack," the man whispered, and several knives were unleashed towards Irene, each aimed at non-fatal spots that would render her crippled for life.

However, as the knives hurtled towards their target, John whispered under his breath, "Got you," almost too quietly for anyone to hear. In an instant, the object of the assassins' attention vanished into a cloud of smoke.

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"I see, so this is why you wanted my help. Since I'm one of the few people in the palace who doesn't give a damn about politics and has an illusion ability," Joseph said, leaping into the air and landing a hammer-like kick on one of the fifteen assassins.

"You're quite smart, you know. I wonder why people call you a useless martial addict," John replied with a grin, as he grabbed the hand of the assassin leader, his palm covered in an aura. Swiftly, he went for the man's throat, tearing out his entire vocal cord, killing him instantly.

"Well, shit," Joseph remarked, slightly taken aback by John's display of brutality.

"Leave three alive, kill the rest," John ordered coldly, jumping onto the other assassins who were stunned by their leader's instant death before they could even react.

"Get him! The plan's been fucked anyway. We'll kill the two and run away. Screw the commission," said another man with a green snake emblem on his chest.

"If you can. You forgot the most important part," Joseph quipped, kicking the ground to propel himself towards the vice leader of the assassins and grabbing his head.

"Ughh," the man groaned, whispering under his breath, "Ascension stage 1 - venom breath." A mist of poison left his mouth towards Joseph, who swiftly evaded the attack and jumped back.

"Huhuhu, that was almost dangerous for a second there, young man," Joseph teased, disappearing from their sight in a whisper "Ascension stage 4 - I am everywhere", only to reappear as multiple images of himself behind all of the remaining assassins. John, who had been choking one of the weaker assassins, watched the spectacle with amusement.

"Now, which one is the real me? Oh wait, you don't need to know. You'll be dead before that," Joseph taunted with a laugh, and one by one, the remaining eleven assassins were defeated, leaving only four, including the vice leader, standing.

"Well, we won't be needing you anymore," John declared as he tightened his grip on the man whose throat he held, the aura growing stronger, crushing his windpipe.

"Now, will the three of you submit quietly, or do we need to use more violent methods to subdue you?" John said, wiping his hands with a handkerchief from his breast pocket, his face devoid of emotion, though a hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes.

The two remaining subordinates wisely threw down their swords and got on their knees after hearing John's words. However, the vice leader looked at them defiantly.

"I guess you're the only one left, huh?" John muttered as Joseph vanished from where he stood and reappeared right behind the vice leader. With a powerful aura-covered kick, the man's head was plunged into the marble floor of the castle, ending the threat.

"I guess you two are the only ones left then," John said as he nonchalantly sat on the corpses of one of the dead assassins, his eyes fixated on the two remaining shivering men. "So, will you tell me everything you know, or do I have to force it out of you? I'm quite well read on torture techniques, just so you know," he added with a wicked smile on his face.

"We'll tell you everything!" the two said simultaneously, fear evident in their voices.

"They clearly aren't well trained; I wouldn't expect too much from them," Joseph remarked, walking up to John as he cleaned his costume of the blood that had gotten on it.

"Don't worry about that. I'm pretty sure I know more about their contract than they do," John said with a laugh, glancing behind at Joseph, who responded with a bored shrug.

Internally, Joseph had quite a few thoughts swirling in his mind, ranging from how a ten-year-old knew how to use hardening so skillfully, to how the hell a ten-year-old could even use aura. Moreover, he couldn't fathom how John had no qualms about killing so many men. "Most kids his age would probably be pissing their pants if they were in his position," Joseph thought to himself, barely sparing a glance at the young prince.

"Your Highness, please don't be offended by this question, but I am genuinely curious. Are you really a ten-year-old?" Joseph asked right as John was interrogating the assassins, or rather what was left of them.

"I can understand why you would ask that," was all John said, not affirming nor denying, just chuckling lightly.

"Well, let's get going to the banquet," John said, dragging the dead bodies of the leader and vice-leader of the assassins, while the two remaining assassins followed him.

"Your Highness, there is quite a lot of blood covering you right now. Would it be okay for you to go to the banquet like this?" Joseph asked, his forehead creasing with concern.

"It's not about the look, Sir Joseph. It's about sending a message," John replied with a furious glint in his eyes.

"I see," Joseph said, nodding lightly, and followed closely behind John and the assassins, ensuring the two didn't try anything funny. However, the thought of any mischief was a million miles away from the minds of the remaining assassins. Three minutes. That's all it took for John and Joseph to kill all of them. Shocked and leaderless, the assassins were swiftly dispatched, leaving the two in utter awe. To witness a ten-year-old accomplish such feats was nothing short of terrifying.

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Meanwhile, within the illustrious banquet hall, on an isolated side of the room, the first prince, Julius, a golden-haired man dressed in a sharp black suit, stood with a vexed expression. He held a communication crystal in his hand, trying desperately to establish a connection. "Damn it, why aren't they responding?" he muttered, frustration evident in his voice as the crystal remained unresponsive, failing to emit its usual blue light to indicate a connection.

Just as his irritation grew, a loud voice rang through the hall, breaking the tense atmosphere. "ALL STAND FOR His Highness, Emperor Eric von Eldrin, and Her Highness, Queen Consort Irene von Eldrin, as they enter the hall."

Upon hearing those words, Julius felt a shiver run down his spine, a sense of trepidation washing over him.