"What a performance".
Silence.
That voice, did not belong to any of them!
"…"
"…"
"…..!"
The leader of the assassins felt his heart skip a beat as he immediately let his Heimdall senses fire on all cylinders, yet he noticed nothing. 'Where is he?'
'Heck! Who is he?'
'How on earth am I not detecting him?'
'Is it an Advanced awakened?'
'F*ck! No! Even if it's an Advanced awakened warrior, my senses are still keen enough to sniff him out after hearing his voice, this is something different'.
With his knee still pinning Paul's chest to the ground, through the slits in his gray mask, this assassin looked around rapidly. 'For him to evade my senses so effortlessly, he either has to be a Heimdall like me, but an Advanced awakened or…?'
This assassin didn't want to think of this possibility that was on his head, mainly because he didn't want to believe it. 'F*ck! What sh*t luck is this?'
'Don't tell me that a Super awakened warrior just happened to be passing by while this happened?'
'But those monsters are supposed to be rare!' He thought angrily. 'Besides, why would an existence like him pay attention to what is going on here for no reason when it doesn't concern him?'
'Unless,' his eyes widened as he looked down at the boy who was under his knee again. 'F*ck! It's his performance!'
'Brat, why didn't you just f*cking give up?'
Right at that moment, they finally heard it.
Every one of the assassins stood still at this moment, their hearts beating rapidly after capturing their target already and hearing that voice as they paid attention to the unknown intruder to no avail.
Thud!
This was why when they heard the thudding sound of a foreign boot, they felt their hair stand on end.
Thud!
'F*ck!' The leader of the assassins cursed angrily as he glanced around. 'I still can't f*cking see him! Where the hell is he coming from?'
'Or is it that madman's underling?' He thought of the Butcher. 'But no, that mad dog is not strong enough to evade my detection'.
'F*ck!'
No longer able to hold his nerves but pretending to keep a calm façade outwardly, this assassin demanded coldly. "Show yourself".
Immediately after he made his demand, his heart almost leapt out of his throat because just like he demanded, someone came out.
Not came out, it was better to say this man simply decided to reveal himself to him since he demanded. After all, he was already walking towards them since.
Thud! Thud!
This assassin stared with wide eyes.
Despite his exhaustion at this moment, Paul still heard when the voice commented and hearing the footsteps, he strained to turn and look.
What he saw, was well, enigmatic.
The unknown intruder was an old man.
It was an old man with gray beard and gray hair that was bald in the middle. Standing at more than 2 meters, he was an absolute giant.
This old man was ripped. He was shirtless, exposing his hefty chest, biceps, and titanic muscles that were decorated by different scars that told stories of decades of war mongering.
To cover his underbody, he wore only sky blue combat shorts that were prominent in the dim lighting of this black citadel.
As he walked, every step that he took seemed to make the ground of this citadel quake slightly. He was… heavy.
At this moment, he had a slight smirk on his face as he glanced straight at the boy that was pinned to the ground. "What a performance, boy". He laughed loudly, showing traits of a carefree old man who gave no f*cks.
"What a performance!" His voice was loud and vibrant. "This old man was flying after a Demon that escaped my farm in the South when I couldn't help but notice the show happening inside here".
'A Demon?!' The assassin's face paled behind his gray mask. 'T-that is a metaphor right, or is it really a demonic beast of the fourth rank?'
This old man did not pay attention to the assassins at all, only keeping his sights on the boy. "Boy, in my over 150 years of existence, I've seen a lot of things but I must confess, this performance was truly special".
"Such determination, HAHA," he laughed loudly, his voice booming and echoing in this citadel. "You remind me of my prime boy!" He roared.
"Oh, how much I miss the adrenaline of one-on-one combat with a worthy opponent". He sighed. "I had a good sparring partner once, but that fool just had to go die on me".
"It's not my fault that I get to live so long, you know".
"It kind of makes you hate the God power of longevity".
For some reason, the same distance that took Paul a few minutes to cross, this old man crossed in just a few seconds as the next moment, he stood just beside the leader of the assassins and above Paul below the elevated platform, looking down at him with a carefree smile.
The assassin stumbled backward, away from Paul.
Not paying attention to the assassin, this old man scrutinized the boy. "Boy, you've lost too much blood. Even with your healing powers, you're not guaranteed to survive".
"This only makes your performance even more exciting".
"Ah, this takes me back to those days". He sighed, reminiscing. "Boy, you managed to entertain this old man, so ask for a wish".
He smiled. "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Ask, anything, I'll do it". He had the same carefree smile on his face as he looked down at the boy.
Immediately after he heard that question, Paul's oxygen-deprived brain after much struggling finally comprehended what was happening.
"M-my sister," he stammered, muttering with his bruised lips.
This old man grinned, then…
BZZZT!
What felt like a shockwave of red energy erupted from this old man, sweeping through the black citadel and beyond.
This old man shook his head. "Sorry kid, I just swept through 5 kilometers with my God sense. There's no girl that has any trait similar to you nearby, your sister is not here".
Hearing that, in the ground, tears flowed down Paul's eyes. Touching the blood and injuries on his face, the tears felt peppery.
Ignoring the pain, Paul struggled, and then he turned while grimacing as he stared at the leader of the assassins.
Feeling his gaze, this assassin flinched.
With a sinister smile, the old man inclined his head to look at the assassin. "That one? You want me to kill him?"
"No, no, no," the assassin stammered. "P-please spare me. I promise your sister is safe. Like I told you, I sold her to a slave caravan".
"I don't know where they took her, I swear but she's alive".
"Don't worry, I have a lot of connections, I just need to do some checking around and I promise you, we'll find your sister".
With blood-red eyes, Paul stared at this assassin. "I thought you said you never talk".
"T-that, that…"
Paul turned, looking at the old man.
"And?" The old man asked.
Paul strained to take a deep breath, then…
"Kill them all".