Charlotte practiced for a while longer, then put the Cat Mask back on.
With this extraordinary mask on, it was as if he had the best instructor by his side, allowing him to experience the most refined techniques in throwing knives and close-quarters combat, each move honed to perfection without the slightest flaw.
Charlotte believed that if he put in the effort, he could truly master the art of throwing knives. Even without the Cat Mask, he could use the techniques proficiently.
"I guess I really do have some talent for ranged attacks like shooting and throwing," he mused.
Charlotte played around until the sky turned completely dark, then put away the Cat Mask and the assassin's dagger. He was satisfied with his practice and estimated that in about ten days, his throwing knife skills would be ready for combat.
However, he also discovered a limitation in his throwing knife technique.
He constantly had to use Bloodflame Energy to control and retrieve the knives. The control of Bloodflame Energy over weapons had a distance limit, and if the knives exceeded that range, they would lose their connection, causing his throws to slow down.
Of course, the solution was simple: buy a batch of ordinary throwing knives with no intention of retrieving them. Bloodflame Energy could then be used to increase the power and speed of the throws.
A better solution would be to commission a set of extraordinary throwing knives that could automatically return to him...
But Charlotte wasn't willing to spend that kind of money, nor did he see the necessity—after all, he still had the anti-space sniper rifle!
Charlotte practiced throwing knives partly because he found the skill interesting and partly because using Bloodflame Energy to control the Blood Rose and the bloodsucking hatchet could add many layers of technique.
The Cat Mask could also transform into three other forms, one of which was naturally Aubrey Charlton Atwood. The skill extracted from him was—marksmanship!
The leader of the Red Horse Detective Agency had shooting skills far superior to Charlotte's. While Charlotte's shooting ability, honed in college, was limited to snuffing out a candle from twenty steps away, Aubrey Charlton Atwood's marksmanship could hit a bird in mid-flight.
To Charlotte, Aubrey Charlton Atwood's shooting skills were practically godlike, something to be revered.
The other two forms were strangers to Charlotte, with extracted skills being lance handling and swordsmanship.
Charlotte took a quick look but immediately lost interest. Although his combat skills weren't particularly advanced, he had studied formal academy-style swordsmanship at the National Academy and in college. The lance handling and swordsmanship of these two individuals were quite ordinary and not worth practicing.
It was already late at night. Rather than returning to his room, Charlotte lay back in the lounge chair, closed his eyes, and soon appeared to be fast asleep.
Over an hour later, there was still no movement from Charlotte. A figure silently moved, three throwing knives glinting in hand, just as a gunshot rang out.
The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin moved his knives like lightning, deflecting the bullets with a rapid series of clinks. He let out a surprised exclamation, "You knew I was hiding nearby all along?"
Charlotte wasn't interested in answering. While playing with the throwing knives, he had activated Insight and had coincidentally detected the assassin hiding on the rooftop.
Insight would automatically activate in the face of danger, but this assassin had an ability that perfectly concealed his murderous intent, so Insight hadn't given any early warning. However, when Charlotte actively activated Insight, the assassin could no longer remain hidden.
Charlotte deliberately waited for him to make a move. He knew that ordinary bullets wouldn't harm this assassin, but the anti-space sniper rifle was too large to fire discreetly.
After firing, Charlotte discarded the Magnum revolver in his hand and leaped up, shouting, "Senior Sister! Let's attack together."
The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin was struck with fear. He knew of the reputation of the Empire's First Rose, Menielman. She wasn't famous merely for her beauty—she was a bona fide high-tier extraordinary with unparalleled swordsmanship.
The assassin's throwing knives spun as he clashed with Charlotte for over ten moves. Just as he was about to pull back to catch his breath, he felt a breeze behind him. A bloodsucking hatchet came flying towards him, and though he barely dodged, the hatchet suddenly "jumped," striking him in the back of the head.
Charlotte had been very cautious of the assassin's extraordinary speed, but after guessing that his ability was "Leopard's Pursuit," he became less worried.
Leopard's Pursuit provided an incredible speed boost, but it consumed a lot of energy and couldn't be sustained. After each burst of speed, the user needed to recover and reset their combat state.
Whereas Charlotte had previously been too cautious to let his guard down, he now felt comfortable enough to boldly use the bloodsucking hatchet for surprise attacks.
The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin, now dazed from the blow to his head, regained his wits and shouted, "There's no Menielman here at all!"
Charlotte laughed and said, "Of course not! If Senior Sister were here, it would only take her one move to kill you—why would I even need to lift a finger?"
The assassin, enraged, launched a flurry of ferocious attacks.
Charlotte met each attack with countermeasures. The Asilo swordsmanship in his hands once again began the overture of the Angel's Twelve Movements—Dawn's Flame! With the advantages of his Insight ability and the magic rapier, he defended himself steadily.
They exchanged over a hundred moves, and while Charlotte remained on the defensive, he was much more composed than in their previous encounter.
Half of this newfound composure came from the fact that while practicing throwing knife techniques earlier, he had habitually used Asilo swordsmanship for comparison. Although such a short time wasn't enough to improve his combat power, it deepened his understanding of the swordsmanship.
The Asilo swordsmanship was known for its unpredictability, viciousness, and lightning-fast strikes, as quick as thunderclaps.
Although Charlotte had fought many battles, he hadn't fully grasped the finer points of swordsmanship. He was simply executing the moves as they had been taught.
But now, after fighting the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin for so long, a sudden flash of insight brought about many new variations to his swordplay.
The magic rapier in his hand flickered like firelight, now carrying the essence of Dawn's Flame.
The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin launched six rapid strikes, deflecting Charlotte's rapier, then leaped back onto the rooftop.
Just as Charlotte was about to throw the bloodsucking hatchet, two throwing knives came flying towards him. He had to use his sword to parry the knives, weakening his control over the hatchet, allowing the assassin to dodge it easily. With a few swift movements, the assassin disappeared into the night.
Charlotte swapped to his anti-space sniper rifle and leaped onto the rooftop, but even his Insight ability couldn't locate the enemy—clearly, the assassin had fled far away.
Charlotte sighed. He didn't want to be targeted by such a formidable assassin. But the opponent's stealth ability and Leopard's Pursuit made him incredibly difficult to deal with. Twice now, he had either severely injured or lightly wounded the assassin, yet the Beastman Assassin Guild's killer still managed to escape.
"According to the Beastman Assassin Guild's rules, if I kill this assassin, they'll just send more after me. How am I supposed to deal with this problem?"
"Right now, I don't have any way to take down this assassin organization!"