"Why--?" The weight on Noah's chest wasn't just from the pressure threatening to crush him—it was the unshakable realisation of betrayal. His unyielding stare bore into the masked man, searching for answers that made no sense, for a reason that wouldn't betray everything he thought he knew.
"You are too smart for your own good," the masked man said. A tone in which felt disgusting to listen to when it came at this point of time.
A taunt, a compliment, Noah knew that but there was something off about this whole ordeal.
Why did he show up after the two other black cloaked individuals died?
Noah could tell that the gaze he was receiving even if it was covered by a thick white mask had a look of pity. He loathes that look, it ate away at his ego.
A life of an assassin is fraught with many dangers, may it be their enemies, their unprepared self, or unexpected situations.
A lifetime of calculated kills, maneuvers, connections, these had taught Noah how to live within the dark side of society.
But even he hadn't questioned the guild master's reputation—the man whose very name was whispered with reverence and fear in the assassin's underworld. And now, that trust felt like a dagger twisted in his gut.
The masked man tilted his head, amusement laced in his voice.
"Why do you have such an unrelenting gaze? It doesn't suit an assassin at all."
Noah's lips curled into a faint smirk, his voice calm, but carried a ghastly venom.
"How about you look up real quick?"
The faint air whistling turned into a symphony of thin blades cutting through the atmosphere, flying towards the masked man at speeds which cannot be perceived by the naked eye.
'I knew there will be a time when I would have to switch this button.' Noah caresses a red switch hidden under his wrist.
"Heh... I don't need a gaze that suits my occupation. I need one that aims for your life!" Recovering from the shock, Noah leaps through the air hiding in the midst of the congested trees with staggering heights. It's canopy abundant in its leaves that covers the vicinity to a tee.
"I know you are a monster, a wolf in sheep clothing. But..." Noah's voice fragmented into echoes, each dissonant note bouncing unpredictably off the trees, like a predator's howl meant to unnerve its prey.
The masked man stood still, his head tilting slightly as if trying to pinpoint the source of the echoes. A low chuckle rumbled from him, betraying neither fear nor respect. "You look excited."
"I can't help but feel excited!" Reaching for his strapped, leather belts around his waist, Noah grabs onto a handmade yo-yo with the thinnest threads.
Each thread reflects a bright glint, blinding the masked man each time he observes Noah.
Noah's fingers brushed against the yo-yo's surface, feeling the faint grooves of the hidden compartments. He smirked.
'Time to step things up.'
Noah launches the yo-yo, bouncing from one tree to another. Each bounce accelerate its speed to greater heights, creating afterimages and distorted whizzing of the air.
Each bounce of the yo-yo resonated like a cannonball, tearing chunks from the trees and sending splinters flying in all directions. The forest itself seemed to tremble under the onslaught.
"Hoh... What an extraordinary and creative mind you have there Noah."
"Consecutive Yo-Yo Works."
Noah arms moved with fluidity, almost a supernatural motion behind it, redirecting the yo-yo mid-flight. It curved sharply, defying logic, and zeroed in the masked man's temple like a homing missile.
The masked man tilts his head to the side, evading the deadly strike with ease. His relaxed demeanour showed a subtle confidence over the battle.
However, Noah's smile causes the masked man's relaxing expression to falter.
But to masked man's unknown view, Noah smiled out of reflex because he was utterly discouraged.
'That was suppose to be undodgable! You Freak!' Noah's ghastly expression stare blankly at a incomprehensible scene. Scratching the oak beside him, he creates blood curdling marks.
"Can't you sense the desparity between us by now?" The masked man's tone hinted at both joy and pity. Noah could envision his face behind that mask to be of smirk, a disgusting one to look at.
"Haven't tried everything yet."
"Hahaha!"
The neighbouring birds flee into the distance, the thick brushes rustle, a roaring prescene began dispersing the air surrounding him.
The ground shuddered violently, a fissure of raw force that threw Noah off balance. The punch wasn't just a strike—it was an attack meant to crush him, physically and mentally.
'The heck!'
"You think that is enough to make me fall?!"
Noah leans back enough to touch the earthy soil with his head, and counters with devastating right hook from that angle.
'How about this?!'
The masked man eyes' darts to his punch with insane reflexes and blocks it with ease, gripping Noah's knuckles. A quiet laughter emerge from within his mask, the masked man then threw Noah's entire body flying through multiple trees, creating holes at the epicenter.
"You know… I just don't get why you handed me such a valuble scroll?" Noah's voice was strained, but it carried an edge of curiosity and defiance, masking the sharp pain coursing through his battered body.
Quickly, Noah began wrapping the yo-yo around the tree he is currently resting upon as the masked man begins marching with grace.
"I find it far more entertaining when someone with the potential to rival me uses the tools I give them. It's like nurturing a seed of chaos for my own growth."
"What a crazy bastard I had as my guild master."
"I just had to find something else to do that could soothe my boredom."
"Really? You look like you high on your horse compared to your reserved self from over the years."
"Like for real. An assassin guild master acting like a warrior in the heat?"
Noah chuckles, giving off a light-hearted smile.
Through the many calculations and scenarios he had thought out, he couldn't find anything that could pack a nice punch.
He raises his arms in surrender, "I lost. Please make it painless."
However, just as the masked man walks beyond an imaginary line he had put up.
Noah pulls the string upwards causing the yo-yo to spiral around the tree and launch towards the masked man's face.
"Hahaha idiot! How is your day been?!" His lingering sarcasm struck the masked man off. The yo-yo grazed the side of the mask just enough to wound his cheeks, applying a smidgen of green like a sprinkle of salt on the wound.
'Yes! How do you like that son of a bitch?!' Noah internally was jumping with joy in contrast to his ruined figure with multiple bone fractures.
The masked man caresses his cheek, flicking off the poison.
"Impressive."