— Ha... ha... Fucking monster, — panted one of the few remaining pursuers.
"I was sure that even if this mission wasn't going to be easy, it would be at most a medium-level challenge. But what am I seeing?"
The once-dense forest was now filled with uprooted trees, scattered flesh, and ice spears impaling bodies. Who in their right mind would have thought that an elite squad of assassins would fall so easily at the hands of the weakest of the Guardians?
Out of the thirty attackers, only eleven were still alive, including their one-armed leader.
"Ha... I'm nearly at my limit. Even though I haven't used my rapier yet, I've already burned through a lot of mana. A few more moves like that, and I'll be completely drained. It's time to focus on finishing this battle quickly."
Although Raphael had shown exceptional skill in mana manipulation, everything has its limits. One cannot exceed their own capacity. Throughout his life, Raphael had never paid much attention to his own development, simply because he didn't see the need.
Who could have thought that someone would be bold enough to let professional killers into the heart of the most prestigious knightly family on the continent?
Maybe, if he were just a bit stronger, if he had reached the Blazing Spark...
"What's the point of worrying about that now?"
— Alright, Honored Knight, I admit it, you're strong, — said the leader of the assassins, stepping closer.
This time, he spoke Raphael's title without contempt, genuinely respecting him. In his forty years, he had encountered many remarkable individuals and had once fought alongside Adrian, Raphael's older brother and the Earhart family's Legate, the future patriarch.
That day, he witnessed the true power of the "Blazing Raven," when Adrian wiped out three thousand men in an instant with a forbidden Earhart technique. It was truly a terrifying sight.
Now, he looked at someone who potentially could rival the Legate, but unfortunately...
— Surrender, lord. Your strength is waning, but we still have our strongest members, — the leader said with pity, gazing at the breathless Raphael standing amidst numerous ice pillars and shards. — You cannot win.
— Hah, I agree, I look pathetic right now. However...
Swish.
From the spatial ring on Raphael's left hand appeared a black scabbard with a silver engraving of a raven, inside which protruded an elegant hilt made of dark wood with a guard decorated with silver and azure runes.
— Shit, he's a knight first and foremost! Stop him! — shouted the leader, hoping to prevent further resistance from the Guardian.
The remaining ten pursuers rushed forward, trying to stop Raphael. However...
Swish.
Raphael raised his rapier and, with a swift arc, beheaded three attackers in an instant. His movements were so fast that the enemies didn't even realize what had happened.
— Be careful! He's at least on an A+ rank knight's level!
— Don't rush in blindly! Watch his movements and strike at the perfect moment!
Trying to command his subordinates, the leader sincerely hoped to end this before Raphael fully unleashed his sword.
Raphael had manipulated mana so skillfully that the leader had almost forgotten he was a knight, just like the other Guardians.
The main thing now was to minimize losses and finish this as quickly as possible. Or so he thought...
Whoosh.
A gust of wind swept out from where Raphael stood, blowing in all directions. Everyone nearby couldn't look in his direction and covered their eyes with their sleeves to prevent ice shards from blinding them.
A moment later, a completely different person stood before them.
With a silver rapier in his right hand, the scabbard in his left, improvised ice armor, a white scarf fluttering in the wind, and loose hair shimmering in the moonlight, he stood atop an ice pillar, gazing at them with cold, indifferent, and contemptuous eyes.
— Kill yourselves, or I'll do it for you, — Raphael spoke in a chilling tone that sent shivers down their spines.
"Shit, you fucking monster, where do you get the strength to keep fighting?" — thought every one of them, except for one.
— Switch to plan B! — the leader of the assassins yelled.
— Y-yes, sir!
— Finally!
In an instant, the remaining seven assassins regrouped into two lines. The three at the front drew swords from their spatial rings and assumed fighting stances.
— In the name of Saint Kabifis!
Swish.
With those words, the four enemies at the back slit their own throats and fell to the ground.
— Hmph, well, that makes it easier for me, — Raphael muttered in disbelief. — Huh?
From the bodies of the suicides, red mana began to seep out and flow into the three remaining attackers.
— Don't think this is over. Now the real fight begins, — the leader threatened. — Bring me his head!
— Yes! For our fallen brothers!
In an instant, the three assassins with swords in hand charged at Raphael, their eyes burning with madness, emanating a blood-red aura.
"Did I wander into a zoo or something? First, they're just assassins who somehow snuck onto the family's grounds, and now they turn out to be cultists?"
"Alright, I'll figure it out later. Time's running out."
Raphael moved to meet the crazed enemies with his rapier in his right hand.
Zing.
Each of the attackers tried to land a blow on Raphael, but alas, it wasn't so easy to catch an Earhart Guardian off guard. Every strike was met with perfect defense. Raphael parried their attacks with flawless precision, his movements smooth and deadly.
Raphael leaped over one of his opponents, attempting to decapitate him, but another blocked his attack. The third slashed at his back, cutting through his scarf. Raphael dodged the strike, avoiding injury, but the synchronization of their attacks was terrifying. They had become incomparably faster than before, and it seemed they shared one mind between them.
Each successive strike was harder for Raphael to block. Concentrating mana in his left hand, he created an ice explosion in front of him to temporarily blind his enemies and launch a counterattack. But a blade immediately swept in from the side.
— Ha, how did you manage to see where I was aiming behind the explosion?
— Die, you bitch!
"I see. I don't know what they did, but it seems they literally share one brain among the three of them—what one sees, the others see too."
There was simply no other explanation.
Quickly increasing the distance between them, Raphael began preparing a forbidden family technique to kill all three at once. As he gathered aura into his rapier, ready to unleash it upon his opponents, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Shwing.
A blade whizzed past his ear.
— Don't forget about me! — the leader shouted with a smug expression.
"Even if I'm the weakest on this battlefield right now, I still won't let you do whatever you please," — the leader thought.
— Tsk.
Instead of using the forbidden technique, Raphael had to fend off the relentless synchronized strikes of the crazed assassins once again. Blow after blow wore him down. He wasn't used to battles like this. Though he had fought against many enemies before, he had never faced opponents who seemingly had "shared eyes."
One of the attackers leapt to strike from above while another prepared a slashing blow from the side. Realizing that the only way out was to dodge, Raphael decided to jump back. But at that moment...
Thwack.
The third assassin's blade sliced through his left side.
— Khh... — Raphael groaned.
— Finish him off!
— Yes, sir!
Just when it seemed that Raphael was done for, he raised his rapier.
— Third Forbidden Technique of the Earharts—Harmony!
— Shit!
Before the assassin could finish cursing, cracks emitting a silver light appeared in the ground. In an instant, a massive beam of destructive light shot up within a fifty-meter radius of Raphael's position, visible for hundreds of kilometers from the castle.
Thanks to his A-rank assassin's aura and the distance, the leader survived the strike—one that even seasoned adventurers would struggle to withstand. However, as he crawled out from beneath the fallen branches, he was met with a grim sight.
The trees ahead were flattened, the once-dense forest with its small clearing where the battle had taken place was gone, leaving behind only a small island at the center. Surrounding it was a crater fifteen meters deep, and on that island, kneeling on one knee, was Raphael Earhart, coughing up blood.
— Haaah, — the assassin exhaled wearily.
"Who would have thought he'd pull off something like that..."
Earlier, when the leader had tried to stop Raphael from using the technique, Raphael hadn't released the aura. Instead, he held it back and slowly infused it into his rapier while fighting off the crazed pursuers. He did this to ensure no one could interrupt the technique a second time.
But to stealthily channel aura into a sword during a battle...
— Monster. Now I understand why they ordered your death, — the leader spoke with a hint of fear in his voice. — If you're allowed to live, you'll destroy the current order.
— Shut up. I've never involved myself in politics or the family's affairs. All I ever wanted was to live peacefully, without bothering anyone, — Raphael said angrily, frustration evident in his voice. — What right do you have to decide whether I live or die?
— ...
— Ha-ha-ha! Brother, no one asked for your opinion!
That sarcastic voice, always spewing venomous remarks, was unmistakable to Raphael.
Grinding his teeth in anger, Raphael shouted:
— Theo! You bastard, so this is your doing!
On the opposite side of the crater stood Raphael's elder brother, Theo Earhart, sneering wickedly.