Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Capture

Swift Magic was a Third-level Wind Attribute Magic derived from the Demon Core of a Storm Demon Wolf.

Although it was quite difficult for the average Mage to master, for an Advanced Level Peak Mage like Ronin, who possessed Super Attribute Affinity, grasping it was not difficult at all.

Now, under the enhancement of Swift Magic, his speed had increased tremendously.

Ronin felt his body become unprecedentedly light. A single, slight step could carry him three to five meters, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the assassin.

“Surprised?”

Ronin swung his sword, the incredibly fast blade creating a whistling sound. On his Flowing Flame Sword, his Fighting Qi split into two Attributes, wind and fire. As they layered over each other, the flames burned with increasing intensity.

“This sword…”

The assassin’s eyes caught sight of the complex patterns on the Flowing Flame Sword’s blade, and his heart jolted in shock. ’This isn’t an ordinary sword, it’s an Enchanted Weapon!’

Enchanted Weapons were the cream of the crop, something that not even a Grand Artisan who could work with Extraordinary Materials could typically forge.

Generally, every Enchanted Weapon was crafted by a powerful Mage, much like rare Magic Scrolls.

The black-clad assassin really wanted to curse someone’s mother right now.

The man he was supposed to assassinate not only possessed a Fifth-level Guardian Armor Magic Scroll but was also wielding an enviable Enchanted Weapon. Just how many good things had Wushan Castle given this guy?

This Ronin wasn’t some abandoned child; he was clearly a walking treasure trove.

He was even starting to suspect that Wushan Castle had intentionally stripped Ronin of his inheritance rights as a ruse.

’But even if he has an Enchanted Weapon, I’m still a whole Level higher than him.’

The assassin knew he had to end this quickly and escape the melee, so he held nothing back in his counterattacks.

Their Sword Techniques flowed endlessly, offense and defense trading places. The aftershocks from their clashing Fighting Qi shot out from the intense battle, blasting large and small craters into the ground.

The spectating servants cried out in alarm, frantically hiding behind stone pillars and walls as they peeked at the battle in the courtyard.

It was only today that they discovered their Lord was actually so powerful.

Ronin’s attacks were swift and fierce, his swordsmanship growing wilder like the wind. Aided by the Swift Magic, he dodged behind his opponent and thrust his sword toward the man’s spine.

But his opponent seemed to anticipate it, sidestepping the blow and smoothly countering.

This scene repeated many times, but Ronin seemed to be finding his rhythm in the heat of battle. Not only were his attacks swift, but he was also becoming more adept at neutralizing his opponent’s powerful Sword Techniques.

In contrast, the black-clad assassin was like Reisen being suppressed by Ridder, finding himself increasingly cornered.

Assassins dedicated most of their time to the art of assassination, which emphasized striking once and retreating if they failed. It wasn’t that they were weak in close-quarters combat, but they weren’t particularly skilled at it either.

Just as their battle reached a fever pitch, a figure shot into the fray. Wreathed in surging Fighting Qi, he slammed into the black-clad assassin before Ronin could stop him.

With a tremendous BOOM, the two torrents of Fighting Qi collided. The black-clad assassin was sent flying, his Fighting Qi Armor beginning to disintegrate. He crashed violently into a flowerbed, which exploded in a shower of shattered stone.

“My lord, are you all right?”

Macken’s figure appeared in the middle of the battlefield, his own Fighting Qi Armor shattered from the impact, his face etched with worry.

“I’m fine.”

Ronin was breathing heavily. The high-intensity offensive had taken a great toll on his stamina and Fighting Qi. However, aside from being wounded at the very beginning, he had remained largely unharmed for the rest of the fight.

Ronin gestured for Macken to stand aside and not interfere further, then walked slowly toward the black-clad assassin.

“What’s your name?”

Ronin asked, “Why did you come to Mountain Forest Town to assassinate me?”

As he spoke, Ronin traced the Magic Patterns for the Swift Spell, recasting the Magic on himself.

The black-clad assassin clearly didn’t notice this detail. By now, a sense of panic was creeping into his heart.

He already found it difficult enough to face Ronin alone, let alone now that Macken—the one his intelligence report had warned him about—had appeared.

Success was no longer a consideration for this assassination. The only thing he needed to consider now was whether he could get out of here alive.

The assassin didn’t answer Ronin’s question directly.

He slowly got to his feet, voicing only his astonishment. “An seventeen-year-old Advanced Peak Knight… If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar throughout the entire Wushan Territory.”

The most talked-about issue in Wushan Castle had always been the matter of succession. First Wiggin, then Ronin… No matter how Lurans had been groomed, he was still dismissed as a good-for-nothing.

But the Ronin standing before the assassin now looked more than capable—at least in terms of martial prowess, he was second to none.

“Thank you for your approval and admiration.”

Ronin chuckled. “Let me guess. You’re an assassin hired by the Sain Territory?”

The man remained unmoved, changing the subject instead.

“I’ve performed many assassinations. Even when I failed, I could always rely on my Concealment ability to escape with ease. I’m very curious—how exactly did you track me?”

A thought struck Macken. He finally understood how this man had snuck into the castle.

’Concealment and stealth… so that’s how.’

He began to ponder how to prevent this from happening in the future.

Ronin was quite annoyed by the man’s evasiveness. “Perhaps you haven’t grasped your current situation. In that case, I’ll help you face reality.”

The battle erupted once more, but this time, it ended very quickly.

Perhaps Macken’s powerful blow had injured the man’s leg, as the assassin’s movements were no longer as fluid as before. Under Ronin’s fierce assault, he couldn’t even withstand a few moves.

PFFT!

The Flowing Flame Sword pierced the man’s arm. The assassin could no longer hold his Weapon, and his Longsword clattered to the ground.

As the man cried out in pain, Ronin swept his leg, knocking him to the ground. He then stomped on the man’s left ankle. A sickening crunch of bone echoed as Ronin crippled his ability to move.

“Macken, confiscate his weapons,” Ronin ordered, his part in the fight finished.

Macken gave a shout, and David and the others all came forward. They hauled the man up, stripped off his outer coat, and removed the daggers, medicine pouches, and other items hanging from his waist.

“Stop!”

Ronin’s pupils contracted, his gaze locking onto the man’s left breast.

Macken followed his line of sight and saw a white skull embroidered on the assassin’s chest.

“My lord, is he an assassin from the Skull Society?”

“Obviously.”

In recent months, Ronin had learned of three assassination attempts by the Skull Society—the attempt on the heir of the Green Clan in Lake Town, the one on his father, Earl Wiggin, and now, the one on himself.

The first incident was the one Ronin happened upon, which was how the Green Family siblings, Marina and Malik, had luckily survived.

The second incident was the misfortune that befell Wiggin, costing him a leg.

Both of these incidents had some connection to Ronin, but he never expected that the third time, they would come directly for him.

Was this a case of “the poor go unnoticed in a bustling city, while the rich have distant relatives visiting them in the deep mountains”?

At first, Ronin had simply assumed Reisen sent the assassin after him, but upon seeing the skull emblem, he considered other possibilities.

There were many possible motives to assassinate him, and more than one potential mastermind.

“Macken, I need to get valuable information out of him. Don’t let him die, no matter what.”

Ronin instructed, adding a reminder, “I’ve heard that assassins are skilled at hiding poison. Search every inch of his body, don’t even miss a single strand of hair. Don’t let him commit suicide.”

With that, he tossed Macken two Magic Scrolls. “These are Healing Skill Scrolls made by Elron. If he tries to kill himself by slitting his wrists or throat, using these in time should be enough to save him.”

“Remember, I want his information. I don’t want him dead.”

“Understood, my lord!”

Macken knew an interrogation was coming. He had some skill in that area.

So he accepted the Magic Scrolls and signaled for David and the others to take the assassin away.

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