Chapter 22: Adaptive Resonance Meets Weapon Dexterity

“Haa…haa…haa”

Aden remained half–crouched, harsh breaths rasping from his chest. Sweat rolled down his face as the tattered remnants of his clothes clung to him, ready to give way with the next gust of wind. Blade wounds littered round his body, blood seeping freely from them, and one eye remained tightly shut— an angry scar carved straight through it.

Four assassins stood in front of him, their hands gripped the handles of their swords tightly, the sunset reflecting off the sharp blades.

Bodies littered the forest floor, drenching the soil crimson, the nauseating scent of iron pierced through their nostrils, the deformed bodies showcasing the grotesque manner in which they died.

’I don’t think I can last much longer…’ Aden realized.

Unlike Aden, the remaining four assassins were in pristine condition, but no matter how hard they tried to hide it, Aden could see how much the whole ordeal had shaken them.

’But maybe, I could use this to my advantage…’

Using the last drop of resonance in his body, Aden straightened his back, his eyes locked on the four of them.

Their bodies flinched, but they remained rooted to their spots.

Slowly, Aden opened his lips, and infused a bit of energy in his voice as he spoke:

“I will give you two choices,” one of his bloodied fingers raised. “Save your life and flee, or—”

His second finger raised, intense bloodlust emanating from his form. “Die fulfilling your mission.”

The man in the center trembled visibly. The three beside him exchanged uneasy glances before any of them dared to respond.

“We’d rather die than abandon our mission,” the one on the left spoke, but his voice lacked conviction.

Aden barely suppressed the smirk that threatened to form on his lips.

“Their bodies will give you enough reasons why that statement was utterly foolish,” he gestured.

The four went silent, but their eyes that flitted from side to side betrayed every semblance of competency they tried to pose.

“I’m willing to forget your actions, since your comrades have appeased me, albeit partly.”

His eyes became sharp. “Don’t waste my kindness.”

A cold wind blew past the jungle, followed by a distant explosion, but none of the figures changed their positions.

Aden watched them closely. His Resonance was completely spent, and staying conscious demanded every shred of will he had. Still, he couldn’t allow even a hint of weakness to surface, because the moment it did, death would follow.

’Come on, just take the bait and we both live!’ Aden screamed internally.

A feminine voice broke the silence. Aden’s head snapped to the left.

“What gives you the confidence that you can defeat the four of us? You’re in no state to make such claims.”

’Shit…’

The remaining assassins nodded at her words and their hands finally steadied.

Sensing the backing from her comrades, she took a step forward, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“You must take us as fools if you seriously thought you could deceive us in such a sorry state.”

’Well…you’re not too far off,’ Aden thought.

Letting out a sigh and discreetly wiping the sweat that had formed on his palms, he took a step forward and landed in a small puddle of blood.

“Your decision?”

The four assassins immediately blurred forward.

“Your death.”

’Shit! Cowardly smartasses!’

Clenching his teeth, Aden leapt backwards and dodged two swords that had intersected where he’d been moments ago.

“How foolish!”

Despite his depreciative words, Aden couldn’t deny how much trouble he had gotten into.

’I didn’t know assassins used swords. Weren’t they limited to Kunais and Sais?’ he reflected grimly.

His thigh scraped against a jutting branch, reopening an old scar, causing a grimace to cross his face.

Pain blasted through every nerve, the excessive blood loss had caused him to feel dizzy, coupled with the rapid movement he was forced to undergo.

Two swords from the attacking assassins slashed toward his neck with deadly precision. He ducked just in time, another cut scoring his cheek.

A pained expression formed on his face, then two swords appeared from the rapidly attacking assassins and crossed towards his neck with deathly proximity.

Another cut formed on his cheek as he belatedly dodged, causing another slash to form at the other side of his cheek.

The lower section of his face coloured crimson, and the intensity of the attacks didn’t give him enough time to reflect on the amount of pain he was subject to.

His vision blurred heavily, but by sheer luck, he managed to evade the life threatening attacks aimed at him.

Life threatening being the key word.

“Give us the ring and we’ll consider sparing your life,” the woman suddenly spoke.

Aden’s eyes widened in realization.

’That’s right! I still have the ring!’

Whether it was the blood loss, the exhaustion, or simple oversight, Aden had forgotten the ring and the cache of intricately crafted weapons that lay within it.

The woman’s words snapped him back to reality and his thumb brushed the carvings of the ring with the little energy he had managed to gather during his evasions.

A force blew outward, pushing both Aden and the assassins apart and giving him enough time to pull out a Bladed chain studded with crimson gems.

“He has access to the ring?! But how?” One of the male assassins spoke as he jumped closer to his group.

They stood side by side, each of them breathing heavily as sweat drenched their clothes.

“That doesn’t matter. From the way he’s handling it, it’s obvious this is his first time making contact with that weapon,” the female assessed calmly.

Yet, despite her words, her instincts screamed danger.

’How come we can’t even take down this jungle–dwelling beast? We’re the best of the best in the Attuned realm and we’re struggling like we do against Big Sister.’

Frustration boiled within her, then she gave swift instructions to her comrades and charged forward.

Aden met her halfway with a fierce expression. Blood ran down his lips as he spoke, his teeth stained a gruesome crimson. “You should’ve taken my advice and ran away.”

The female assassin’s expression twisted into a mask of pure venom as she swung her blade in a horizontal arc designed to take his head.

Aden’s arms moved awkwardly at first, the unfamiliar weight of the Chained Blade dragging against his rhythm. He parried with the heavy handle, the screech of steel on steel vibrating through his marrow.

The impact sent a jar of pain through his healing ribs, but as the resonance in his blood hummed, the “awkwardness” began to melt.

He kicked off the ground, creating a sudden five-foot gap. With a snap of his wrist, he sent the blade whistling forward.

The first throw was jagged—a blunt force strike that she parried easily with a sneer.

But as the chain retracted, Aden’s fingers twitched, his resonance memorizing the wind resistance and the weight of the links.

He threw it again. This time, the blade didn’t just fly; it snaked. It curved mid-air, the tip grazing her shoulder guard before she could even register the change in trajectory.

Her eyes widened. ’He’s getting faster? No… he’s mastering it!’

She lunged forward to close the distance, her sword raised for a high-low feint. Aden didn’t retreat. He stepped into the kill zone and whipped the chain in a wide, low circle.

The female assassin leaped to dodge the blade, but as it returned to Aden’s hand, he didn’t catch it—he redirected the momentum.

As she landed and prepared her final thrust, Aden flicked the chain. The metal links didn’t strike her; they hissed through the air and coiled like a viper around her sword’s crossguard.

Aden planted his feet and wrenched his entire body backward.

The sword was ripped from her grasp with a violent clink.

The assassin froze, her fingers still curled in the shape of a hilt, her face draining of color.

For a split second, the professional mask shattered, replaced by a raw, wide-eyed shock. She had never seen a weapon “learn” so quickly.

Recovering her focus, she gave a sharp, desperate nod toward the canopy.

*Whoosh.*

Three shadows erupted from the treeline, their silhouettes blotting out the moon as they descended with blades drawn.

Aden didn’t even look up. He felt the shift in the air, the ’vibration’ of their killing intent as it cut through the silence.

With a roar of effort, he gathered the slack of the chain and swung the blade in a massive, vertical overhead arc.

The Chained Blade didn’t just swing; it whistled with a low, predatory hum.

The three figures were still mid-air, gravity making them easy targets. The heavy steel head of the weapon carved a path through the moonlight, aiming to intercept them before their boots could ever touch the dirt.

Their eyes widened in horror as their necks grew closer with the blade, but before they could twist out of its range, the blade sliced through their throats.

The air was bathed in crimson and the two heads fell directly at the feet of the female assasin.

A smile crept onto Aden’s lips, a manic glint blooming in his eyes.

His crimson-white hair fell across his forehead, veiling part of his gaze, only making the sight of it more unsettling.

“Oops,” he murmured softly, almost amused. “I guess they’re dead.”

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