Chapter 24: Show of Strength
The eleven contenders stepped out of the bar, their fates unknown. For a brief moment, none of them moved. Then, as if on cue, they all bolted in different directions.
The reason was simple—fighting in the middle of the street was a guaranteed way to attract the city guards. If they got caught, they would be thrown in prison, and their chance at participating in the Battle of Nobles would be lost. But there was no hiding forever.
Brian had left them with one final rule:
"Every five minutes, they would receive a mental update showing the locations of the other ten participants."
Sylas sprinted through a narrow alleyway, his mind already assessing the situation.
"Judging from the bloodlust I sensed back at the bar, I should be able to take down four of them with relative ease. Four others will be somewhat troublesome, while two… will be extremely difficult."
Of course, the ideal plan was to pick off the weaker ones first. But things rarely went as planned.
Just then, a translucent map appeared before his eyes. Five minutes had passed.
Among the moving dots, one changed direction—heading straight for him.
"Well… it's finally starting."
Sylas quickened his pace and found a more open space within the alleyway. A narrow battlefield was to his advantage. He took a deep breath, standing vigilant.
Then—
SWOOSH!
He instinctively ducked, and a cold flash of steel sliced through the air where his neck had been just moments ago.
A chuckle echoed through the alley.
The shadow on the wall ahead of Sylas shifted, twisting unnaturally before peeling away. A figure stepped out of the darkness—it was the buzzcut man who had mocked Sylas earlier at the bar.
Seeing his attacker, Sylas visibly relaxed.
"A medium-difficulty opponent," he thought.
The man's eye twitched at Sylas's dismissive reaction. Gritting his teeth, he sneered, "That dodge just now was a fluke, brat. You won't be so lucky again."
His violet-ring glowed as he raised his hand.
"Shadow Manipulation: Shadow Bind."
Sylas's shadow wriggled unnaturally before locking his legs in place, immobilizing him.
A wicked grin spread across the buzzcut man's face as he lunged forward, sword gleaming under the dim light.
"Die."
But the next moment—
CLANG!
His sword barely made a small cut on Sylas's raised arm.
A look of sheer horror twisted the assassin's face.
Before he could react, Sylas's other hand shot forward, slamming into his gut with terrifying force.
BOOM!
The impact sent the man flying backward, crashing into the alley wall with a dull thud. His breath caught in his throat, and his vision blurred.
Sylas stepped forward, his expression indifferent. "Tch. Not even worth a medium difficulty. I guess I overrated you."
The words cut deeper than any blade.
The assassin—Shadow Whisperer—was infamous in the underworld. He had assassinated high-profile figures and even ranked among the Redwood Kingdom's 1000 most wanted criminals.
Yet right now—he was nothing but a broken mess before Sylas.
He gritted his teeth, shame burning through his chest. "…Fine, I surrender," he spat weakly before losing consciousness.
An orb of light floated from his head and entered Sylas's mind—his thought fragment.
Sylas stood still for a moment, breathing slightly heavier than before. His hand unconsciously went to his arm where the sword had cut him. The wound was shallow, barely a scratch, but it wasn't the injury that concerned him—it was the cost of that fight.
"I won, but that wasn't as effortless as it looked."
He glanced at his hand, flexing his fingers.
"Before the fight started, I was already reinforcing my body with mana enhancement. That's what gave me the reflexes to dodge the first strike."
He exhaled slowly, recalling the moment his opponent had lunged at him.
"The second move—blocking his sword—I had to use mana weaponization to create an armor layer over my skin. That's why his attack barely left a scratch. But it still required precise control. If my timing had been off even slightly, his blade would have cut deeper."
He clenched his fists.
"And the finishing blow… I formed a mana gauntlet around my fist at the last second to amplify the impact. If I had miscalculated, I wouldn't have knocked him out so easily."
Sylas frowned. He could still feel the depletion of his reserves.
"I've already burned through a quarter of my mana in just this one fight. If I don't pace myself, I might be in trouble before I even get to the real threats."
He looked down at the unconscious assassin.
"Still… he wasn't weak. The fact that he was able to use Shadow Bind so quickly means he had good combat instincts. But in the end, he relied too much on his abilities. He expected his technique to do all the work for him."
Sylas shook his head.
"People like that—who put too much faith in their power—always fall the hardest."
He turned away, deciding against finishing the man off.
"A criminal like him might have dangerous connections. No need to bring unnecessary trouble my way."
With that, Sylas stepped out of the alley, his eyes already scanning his next potential target.
The real hunt had only just begun.
---
Back inside the dimly lit bar, Brian sat at a secluded table, his usual mischievous grin absent. Instead, he was leaning forward slightly, speaking in a surprisingly polite tone to a woman sitting across from him.
The woman had long, raven-black hair and wore a refined yet practical outfit. She held a delicate wine glass, swirling the deep red liquid inside as she listened to Brian with a neutral expression.
"You've been watching this whole time, Miss," Brian said smoothly. "I take it you're interested in the show?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. She simply took a sip of her wine, her gaze remaining unreadable.
Brian chuckled, running a hand through his red hair. "You know, I always enjoy this part—watching ambitious fools scramble like rats in a cage. Some will shine, some will break. But…"
His sentence trailed off as his expression suddenly changed.
His eyes widened slightly, a flicker of something dangerous passing through them. Then, as if he had just discovered something fascinating, his lips curled into a wide, knowing grin.
"…This year will be different."
He turned back to the woman, tapping a finger against the table. "I guess we're in for quite a surprise, Miss."
The woman finally met his gaze, her lips forming a small, mysterious smile.
Neither of them spoke after that.
But the silence between them carried more weight than any words could.
---
End of Chapter