Fear or Amusement?
When an enemy threatens you, there are only two ways to react.
Fear. Or amusement.
Kael stared at the corpse hanging in the center of Myr's square, his eyes locked on the bloodstained parchment clutched in the dead man's fingers.
"We know who you are, Kael Zhan."
They weren't hiding.
They weren't whispering from the shadows.
They wanted him to know.
Which meant they were confident.
And confidence was always a fatal mistake.
Kael was about to teach them that lesson.
The Scarlet Sect wanted him to fear them.
To run. To hide.
So he would do the opposite.
Kael plucked the parchment from the dead man's hand, rolling it between his fingers.
A crowd had gathered, watching to see how he would react.
Kael said nothing.
He simply tore the message in half…
And let the pieces scatter in the wind.
Silence.
But the message was clear.
He wasn't afraid.
He was waiting.
And whoever the Scarlet Sect sent after him next…
Would die just like Verik Langris.
Myr was a city of eyes.
Kael felt them on him.
Watching. Studying. Calculating.
The only question was—
Where would they attack?
They could strike in the streets, where there were witnesses.
Or they could wait for him to lower his guard and ambush him in the dark.
But Kael wouldn't give them the chance.
If they were hunting him…
He would hunt them first.
But first—
He needed information.
And there was only one man in Myr who could provide it.
Daren Velkor.
Kael found Daren exactly where he expected—
Behind the bar at the Silver Serpent, absently spinning a gold ring between his fingers.
The moment Kael walked in, Daren sighed.
"So it was you."
Kael sat down without asking.
"Were you expecting someone else?"
Daren gave a dry chuckle.
"No. I was just hoping the problem wasn't sitting in my bar."
Kael smiled, but his eyes were sharp.
"Who did they send after me?"
Daren hesitated.
Kael caught it immediately.
He knew.
Kael tilted his head.
"Daren. Don't make me ask twice."
Silence.
Then, Daren slid a small slip of paper across the counter.
Kael picked it up and read the name.
"Azariel Kaine."
The name carried weight.
Because Kael had heard it before.
And it wasn't good news.
Most assassins were disposable.
Azariel Kaine wasn't.
He was an Executor of Blood.
The highest rank within the Scarlet Sect.
A hunter of cultivators.
A slayer of prodigies.
And most importantly—
A cultivator with a deadly gift.
Kael was no longer dealing with disposable pawns.
Now, he had a true monster hunting him.
The game had changed.
But Kael?
Kael just smiled.
Because this was exactly what he wanted.
He tucked the paper away, meeting Daren's gaze.
"Where is he?"
Daren sighed.
"If I were you, I'd run."
Kael chuckled.
"If I were you, I'd sell tickets."
Silence.
Then, Daren spoke the answer.
And Kael knew exactly where to find Azariel Kaine.
And exactly where he would kill him.