Chapter 47 - Rank S Assassin

  The wolves touched by my fmes began to whine and fall, but more were ing. With a practiced fliy wrist, I summoned a bzing fire sword, the on materializing in my hand. Without hesitation, I unched forward.

  I swung my sword through the pack, each strike leaving bzing cuts on the wolves. As they fell, the fmes spread to the ground, creating a barrier of fire between me and the remainis. The heat was intehe air filled with the acrid smell of burning fur and the yelps of dying wolves. Haaah, the hell? I thought, gasping for air as I stood amidst the sea of wolves, their yellow eyes gleaming with hunger as they awaited my move. I'd already taken down what felt like 200 of them, yet their numbers seemed endless. This won't do, I realized, wiping sweat from my brow with a trembli hand. My strength was fading fast. My vision blurred, the wolves before me being indistinct shapes in a haze of fur and fangs. The meager amount of mana I had left after the earlier enters was nearly depleted, each breath feeling like it might be my st. I teetered on the edge of colpse, my legs threatening to give out beh me. In a final, desperate move, I let my fire sword dissipate. Gathering every st ounana I could muster, I prepared for one final, all-or-nothing attack. With a deep breath, I summoned all my remaining power and unleashed it in a massive burst of fme. *VRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKH* The sound was deafening as an enormous fire outburst erupted from my body, remi of the inferno I'd used against the bear. The fmes engulfed everything around me, a scorg wave of destru that ed wolves and scorched the very stoh our feet. As the st of my mana drained away, I felt a profouiness settle over me. The world spun, and darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. I'd givehing I had. Now, all I could do was hope it was enough. I thought to myself before colpsing on the spot.*THUD* "UGH." Cillian groaned as he on the ground, having been unceremoniously ejected from the mysterious pbsp;"CILLIAN!" Kryll, his partner in crime, shouted as he rushed towards his fallen rade. The area was desote, a barren exparetg out to the edge of a cliff, with only a few scattered trees breaking the monotony of the ndscape. Still running, Kryll called out, "BRO, what happened? Where are the others? I got the news only minutes ago from the anization." Cillian pushed himself upright, brushing off the dust that g to his clothes. His eyes fshed with anger as he spat, "anization?" He let out a derisive scoff. "F*ck that damn anization." Without another word, he eled his demonic power and vanished into thin air. "HUH?" Kryll muttered, skidding to a halt where Cillian had been moments before. "HAAAhh.........this Cillian," he sighed, his shoulders slumping in resignation. It's probably that girl again, he mused. Nothing else could rile up the usually ever calm Cillian like this. With a shake of his head, Kryll turned bad left.-The Crimson Phantom Guild (The anization); Information and Resear- *BANG* The cacophonous reverberation of the door's impact against the wall heralded Cillian's dramatitrao the Information and Resear of the Crimson Phantom Guild. The vast chamber, a veritable byrinth of knowledge and teology, momentarily hushed as the imposing figure strode purposefully across its expanse. The juxtaposition of antiquity and modernity that characterized the room seemed to pale in parison to the iy radiating from Cillian's determined visage. His footfalls echoed ominously through the cavernous space, each step a portent of the impending frontation. At the far er of the room, ensced in the soft glow of his ptop s, sat a young man, his verdant eyes fixed ily oask at hand. The serenity of his work tly shattered as Cillian's hand shot out, grasping the colr of his shirt with an iron grip. In one fluid motion, the young researcher found himself suspended, his feet dangling helplessly above his retly vacated chair. Cillian's faed mere timeters from the startled man's, his breath hot and urgent. The iy in his eyes bore into the researcher's soul as he articuted his demands with a mixture end barely tained fury. "Six hours," Cillian growled, his voice a low, menag rumble. "I'm aff you six hours to uh the most expeditious route to the Holy Empire, the fabled Land of God." His grip tightened, emphasizing the gravity of his words. "This sanctum, accessible only to priests whose powers have been augmented by divine reition, is said to be an a citadel led within a mountainous stronghold." Cillian's description painted a vivid picture of a realm both majestid mysterious. "Envision grand, castle-like edifices intermingled with timeworn ruins, all overshadowed by colossal, arboreal-cd roations that arc overhead like nature's own cathedral." His eyes narrowed, the green irises fshing with an almost predatleam. "I demand every stil of informatioaining to this enigmatic locale." With a sudden release, the young researcher found himself unceremoniously deposited bato his chair. Cillian, his message delivered with unmistakable crity, turned on his heel and strode out of the room with the same tempestuous energy that had marked his entranbsp;In his wake, the Information and Resear slowly returo its usual hum of activity, but now with an undercurrent ency. The young researcher, still catg his breath, turo his puter with renewed purpose, the weight of Cillian's and hanging heavily in the air.-The Crimson Phantom Guild (The anization); aaff Room 12- *Knobsp;*Knobsp; The resonant echo of two sharp knocks pierced the air of aaff Room 12, elig a curt "Enter" from within. As the door swung open, Cillian's lithe form materialized ihreshold, his keen gaze sweeping across the chamber's lethal panorama. The room stood as a veritable armory, its walls festooned with an impressive array of onry spanniuries. Ornate daggers and massive broadswleamed uhe warm glow of antique brass deliers, while sleek firearms shared space with a crossbows, creating a deadly tableau that bridged eras of bat. At the heart of this martial dispy, a circur table of dark, polished wood domihe space. Its surface, etched with intricate cartography and strategic schematics, was bathed ihereal light of a h holographic dispy. High-backed chairs, each embzoned with the insignia of the guild's various divisions, stood sentinel around this tral piebsp;In one er, a state-of-the-art puter system hummed softly, its ss alive with real-time data feeds and missios. Adjat to this, a fully-equipped medical station stood as a stark reminder of the perilous nature of their endeavors. The air hung heavy with the mingled sts of gun oil, leather, and the metallig of onry, a sensory testament to the room's deadly purpose. Yet, beh this martial atmosphere, an undercurrent of disciplined order prevailed, refleg the guild's meticulous approach to their destine operations. As Cillian's presence registered, ander Jarek's voice rang out with ued joviality. "Ah! My esteemed Rank S Assassin! Your reputation precedes you!" He held a coffee mug in one hand while bang a detailed map iher, drawing attention from his fellow anders. "Oh? So this is the illustrious figure you’ve beeolling?" shot baother ander, his tone ced with both curiosity and challenge. "Quite lean for one of such renown," remarked yet another ander as he took a leisurely sip from his coffee cup. Cillian remained unfazed by their entary as he advaoward Jarek. The ander maintained his cool demeanor and inquired, "What news do y?" His voice was steady but tinged with anticipation. With a slight tilt of his head, Cillian delivered his report in a measured tohe mission to assassihe Circus Joker—he who wields Pinyana magic—was a failure. The operatives engaged in this endeavor, myself included, were scattered across disparate regions of the world from which I am ranged." He paused momentarily to let his words resonate before adding with an ued twist, "As I am among the fortunate survivors, I shall be taking a four-day respite. Thank you." A smile that belied the gravity of his report pyed across his lips as he turo leave. Jarek's expression shifted from calm to incredulity as color drained from his face. "Wait... WHAT?" he excimed, eyes widening in disbelief as he nearly dropped the coffee mug. "You ot be serious! RETURN at ohe urgen his voianded immediate attention from all present. In a desperate bid to prevent Cillian's departure, Jarek lunged forward with outstretched arms. But in a dispy of skill befitting his rank, Cillian looked up at the suspended man in the air, shot him a menag smile as he vanished into thin air, leaving Jarek to crash unceremoniously to the ground with an exasperated "Ouch," as his coffee spttered across the floor and his map fluttered away.-10 minutes after Luxana rushed off to the Forest; Hunting Ground in Domino, 8.56 AM- "ENOUGH NOW!" Lily shouted, her voice cutting through the cacophony of childish arguments and causing the children to abruptly cease their bickering. She turned her head back toward the path that led into the forest, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Luxaurning. For a moment, silenveloped Isabel, Idris, Eamon, and Fenris, who had been embroiled in their quarrel for nearly ten mihen, Isabel's gaze shifted to the spot where Luxana had beeed moments before. "Where is Luxana?" she questioned, a note of creeping into her voice.Eamon, Idris, and Fenris raised their heads in unison, their expressions mirr Isabel’s worry as they too noted Luxana's absenbsp;"That's precisely what I ," Lily replied, her brow furrowed with ay. "She rushed into the forest saying she'd be back shortly, but it has been ten minutes and still no sign of her." Her head moved bad forth as she sed the treeline, her worry palpable. "WHAT?" Fenris excimed, suddenly standing upright. "I’ll—" But before he could finish his thought— The unmistakable sound of g armor interrupted him as two knights approached them with purpose. "His Majesty the King has dispatched us to escort you to the huntiival," reported one knight, his voice firm and authoritative. "Oh—" Isabel muttered, taken aback by their sudden presenbsp;"We uand your s," Lily interjected as she stood up, determinatioched on her face. "However, one of the princesses is still in the forest. We must—" But before she could tinue, "We were instructed t you to the festival without dey," the sed knight interjected. "The three princes are scheduled to deliver their speeches at the opening ceremony." "Bst it all!" Idris excimed suddenly, his eyes widening as he recalled the significe of their presenbsp;Fenris swallowed hard before responding. "Very well," he said decisively. "We will apany one of you to the festival." He turoward one knight and tinued, "And you—" pointing to the other knight—"must go find the Princess. She has e hair and is dressed in a turquoise riding outfit." "Uood," replied that knight with a nod before rushing toward the forest with urgenbsp;Relutly, everyone else followed the remaining knight back toward the festival, their hearts heavy with for Luxana as they left behind the familiar safety of their gathering pce for the uainty that y ahead in both the forest and at the festival. As they walked, Lily couldn’t shake off her unease; she gnced back at the forest o time before stepping forward.-Ihe Forest- "Princess! Princess! PRINCESS!" shouted the knight who had been sc the underbrush for the past eight minutes, his voice eg through the dense foliage. Panic surged within him as he navigated the byrinth of trees, each shadow cealing potential peril. *bsp;Suddenly, he felt a discerting crack beh his boot. Looking dowiced that the twig he had just stepped on was charred, a telltale sign of something sinister. Instinctively, he sprinted forward, weavily through the t trunks, his heart pounding in his chest as he sought to uhe source of this ominous sign. As he rounded a particurly gnarled oak, a shog sight met his eyes: a massive bear y lifeless on the forest floor, its once-mighty form now reduced to a mere carcass. But what seized his attention even more was the figure of the princess sprawled ft on the ground a short distance away. "What the—" he began, his mind rag to prehend the se before him. But before he could finish his thought, a voiterrupted him. "Ah! You must be a knight from the Imperial Pace," excimed a figure emerging from the shadows—the High Priest of the Shrine of the Hidden Springs Temple. His demeanor was ulingly calm amidst the chaos. "Ye-yes," stammered the knight, fusion flickering across his features just before— A sharp tierced the air as an arrow flew from an unseen assaint, striking him with deadly precision. The knight colpsed instantly, life extinguished in an instant. "Good," remarked the Priest with a chilling smile as he advaoward Luxana’s motionless form. The tranquility of the forest belied the malevolehat was about to unfold. As he approached her, he raised his hand with an air of authority, and a swirling portal began to materialize before him—a shimmering gateway that pulsed with an otherworldly energy. With a swift motion, he seized Luxana by her wrist and dragged her toward the portal. Before fully entering its depths, he turned back to address his unseen aplice. "Now, go. Inform His Majesty, as per our pn," he anded, his voice dripping with sinister satisfa as he vanished into the swirling void.-Hunting Grouival- Upon the grand stage, the King stood resple, delivering an eloquent speech that heralded the e of the Huntiival. His voice resohrough the air, captivating the audience as he extolled the virtues of tradition and camaraderie, while the three princes followed suit, each adding their own fir to the royal address.To be tinued....