It seems those bastards actually found a way to put the dark energy of demon beasts—or maybe even demons themselves—into humans.

“Haaa…”

This is going to be a problem.

And because of that, I’ll have to use this move sooner than I wanted.

Slowly, I raised my fingers.

Snap!

『 Bleed 』

Splurt!

A fresh wave of blood exploded from the wounded enemies, splattering across the battlefield in thick, red arcs.

The humanoid woman’s eyes widened at the sudden eruption, a moment of hesitation flashing in her expression.

Perfect.

Fwoop!

I immediately lunged forward, gripping my scythe tighter as both my mana and aura surged around the scythe’s blade.

I swung at her head, the speed of my strike tearing through the air.

Her eyes sharpened, and she reacted instantly, bringing both daggers up in a cross to block.

Clang!

Sparks erupted as metal clashed against metal, the force of my swing pushing her back a few inches. Her arms trembled from the impact, but she held firm.

If I had my full strength… she’d be dead already.

Bam!

I stomped the ground and spun, twisting my body to slash at her again with an upward arc.

Fwip!

My scythe met nothing but air.

Her body dissolved into a swirling mass of dark smoke, vanishing from sight.

“Damn it…”

I scanned the area, my eyes darting across the battlefield. She was gone. Completely disappeared, leaving no trace behind.

Where did she go?

I wondered, but then I noticed a few bodies on the ground.

The others were still lying on the ground, lifeless.

That gave me an idea.

Fwoop!

In a flash, I dashed toward one of the fallen bodies and swung my scythe straight down.

Splurt!

A geyser of blood erupted as my blade cleaved through flesh and bone. But even as the body twitched in its final moments… she didn’t appear.

“Tsk…”

So that wasn’t going to work.

I turned toward the rest of the bodies, and my expression darkened.

“…Fuck.”

Their corpses were completely dried out—nothing but skeletal remains, their flesh and blood stripped away entirely.

Did she absorb their power?

But where the hell is she?

『 Judgement Eye (✦ S+ Level Skill ✦) 』

Even with my skill active, I couldn’t see her.

No presence.

No mana leaks.

It was as if she didn’t exist.

“Damn… it!” I bit my lips.

But wait a second…

She can be invisible, but…

…She shouldn’t be able to hide the sound she makes.

Like her breathing or her steps on the ground…

Of course, since she’s an assassin, she must have trained in holding her breath and walking stealthily.

However, even the most skilled one makes mistakes.

“Fuuuu…”

I closed my eyes and slowly spread out my mana.

It was the same feeling that I had while using my instincts to fight against Eleonora. However, something was different.

I could feel a looming dark energy coming out of one of the walls on my right side.

…She must be there.

Did she get inside the building?

No…

She’s closer.

And… she’s right there!

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art…”

『 Third Move! (✦ Moonlight’s One Flash ✦) 』

FWOOM!

My body flickered, vanishing from my spot and reappearing on the opposite side of the street.

A streak of lavender energy trailed behind me like a comet.

BOOM!

The entire building collapsed behind me in a storm of rubble and dust.

I had checked with my mana sense, and there weren’t any people in that building besides that humanoid demon woman, so it should be fine.

“…Did I miss, though?”

I turned back toward the wreckage, narrowing my eyes at the ruins.

And then, my lips curled.

『 Bleed』

SPLURT!

Blood spouted violently from my left.

There you are.

『 Frost Explosion! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』

A small orb of white energy flickered at my fingertips before I flicked it toward the source of the blood.

FREEEZE!

A loud crack filled the air as ice erupted, spreading across the battlefield in thick, jagged layers.

And then—I saw it.

The faintest wisp of breath.

Thin, white vapor escaping from invisible lips.

She was right there.

“Found you.”

Fwoosh!

I spun my scythe and swung, aiming to cleave her straight in half.

Clang!

At the last second, her daggers materialized out of thin air, blocking my attack.

The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the frozen street, ice shattering beneath our feet.

And then, she appeared.

Her invisibility faded, and my eyes widened.

Her once-human appearance was gone. Her skin had turned an unnatural shade of black, dark veins pulsing across her body.

Her eyes glowed crimson, filled with something dark, something inhuman.

Damn…

She’s so fucking ugly.

“…Done with the hide and seek?”

I couldn’t help but ask mockingly.

They used a barrier to weaken me, and she still had to rely on sneaky tricks to try and stab me in the back.

Those assassins are really cheap, but well…

They need to resort to those cheap tricks to be able to kill someone.

And so do I.

『 Bleed 』

SPLURT!

“ARGHHHHHHH!”

Her right arm suddenly burst open, blood spraying out like a snapped pipe. She staggered back, clutching the wound, her face twisted in pain and rage.

The only bad thing about this skill is that it consumes a lot of mana.

Other than that…

It’s really damned overpowered.

“Also…” I muttered, cracking my neck.

“Let’s test a few more skills from Lumi.”

『 Wound Aggravation 』

If I’m wrong, this should make her healing stop.

So, I looked at her right arm.

The dark energy writhing around her wound, trying to stitch her flesh back together, suddenly flickered… and then stopped altogether.

The gash remained wide open, blood seeping out sluggishly as her body failed to heal itself.

As if it had given up.

“Y-you… what did you do?!”

The humanoid demon asked me in deep surprise, her eyes widening in complete horror.

I raised an eyebrow, frowning.

“Oh, hold on, I’m not done yet, experiment #1.”

Her expression darkened, but before she could react, I tested another skill.

『 Curse Mark 』

A faint, purple glow shimmered above her head, forming a spectral skull symbol.

Oh…

This is an interesting one.

It suppresses the target’s physical attributes while keeping them tagged, making it impossible for them to hide from me.

A tracking device and a debuff all in one?

Pretty damn useful.

“Gahh! Huff…!”

Her breathing turned ragged.

She staggered a step back, trembling.

“You… you bastard…!”

I waved a dismissive hand.

“Yeah, yeah, keep crying.”

I felt my mana reserves dipping slightly.

The『 Curse Mark 』 was more of a slow drain—good for keeping tabs on an enemy but costly over time.

I clicked my tongue and deactivated it.

“Well… that’s enough experimenting for today.”

Time to finish this.

She should be more weakened than I already am.

Besides, the effect of that annoying barrier should end soon.

“…Heal, dammit!”

The humanoid demon clutched her arm, her fingers digging into the wound as dark energy flickered uselessly around it.

Her breathing was ragged, her once-cunning eyes now wide with something close to fear.

I rolled my shoulders.

“You’re wasting time. That wound isn’t going to heal. And even if it did—”

Fwoosh!

I vanished from my spot, reappearing in front of her in a blur of movement. My scythe carved through the air, aiming straight for her torso.

Clang!

She barely managed to lift her dagger in time, blocking the blade with both hands. Sparks flew between us, and I saw her muscles tremble under the force.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue.

“You’re sturdy, I’ll give you that.”

BAM!

I drove my knee straight into her stomach.

She gasped, her body folding over as the impact sent a ripple through her frame. Blood spewed from her mouth, splattering onto my chest.

Before she could even stumble back—

SPLURT!

『 Bleed 』

The deep wound on her arm pulsed violently, a fresh explosion of blood shooting out like a fountain.

Her scream tore through the night, raw and agonized.

Her legs buckled, and she dropped to one knee.

“Damn… you really can’t handle pain, huh?” I smirked, twirling my scythe lazily.

“For someone who thought they could kill me, you’re kinda pathetic.”

Her eyes flickered with desperation.

She tightened her grip on her daggers, her dark aura twisting and curling around her body.

“I-I’m not done yet…!”

She lunged.

SHWIK!

Her blade cut through the air, slicing toward my throat.

『 Ice Wall! (✦ 3rd-level Spell ✦) 』

CRACK!

A thick wall of ice erupted between us at the last second. Her dagger slammed into it, getting stuck in the frozen surface.

“Too slow.”

I swung my scythe upward.

SPLAT!

The curved blade hooked under her left arm and sliced clean through the flesh. The severed limb spiraled into the air, blood gushing from the stump.

Her scream rang out again, echoing down the empty street.

“A-arm… my arm—!”

I didn’t give her time to process the pain.

BOOM!

I stomped my foot, and the ground beneath her exploded into ice spikes. One of them pierced straight through her thigh, pinning her in place.

She shrieked, thrashing against the frozen lance impaling her leg. Her remaining dagger slashed wildly in my direction, but she was too weak, too slow.

『 Bleed 』

SPLURT!

The wound at her thigh burst open, her lifeblood spilling onto the frozen pavement. Her movements became sluggish.

Her face paled, her breathing growing unsteady.

I sighed, tilting my head.

“You should’ve run when you had the chance.”

She lifted her gaze, her lips trembling.

“P-please…”

I frowned.

“Please what? Show mercy?” I scoffed.

“That’s funny, coming from an assassin.”

Fwoosh!

I dashed forward, raising my scythe high.

SWISH—

SPLURT!

The blade cleaved straight through her neck.

Her head tumbled to the ground, rolling a few feet before stopping near the remains of her severed arm.

Blood spurted from her neck in a violent spray, painting the ice red.

Her body wobbled, still twitching slightly—then collapsed with a dull thud.

Silence.

I exhaled, shaking off the lingering tension in my muscles.

“Haaa…”

Then, Lumi’s voice echoed in my mind.

{Master… I’m sleeepy!}

I chuckled, flicking the blood off my scythe before resting it on my shoulder, making it dissipate away.

“Yeah, yeah. Go back to sleep. I’ll take it from here.”

With one last glance at the headless corpse, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving the street soaked in crimson.

There was nothing more to see here.

However, now I know that I should be more careful.

That assassin’s organization made their first move against me.

I should be prepared to deal with more attacks against them.

“Mhm…”

Oh.

I smiled deeply.

“Maybe… I should go to the black-market again…”

“Just to say hello to Yara.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep