Kaden had not yet had chance feel his true power until now! The power he felt exceeded his estimations!
He wasn’t the only one surprised. The assassins had not expected such turn of events! It was very clear from the way they started acting. Despite everything they still remained quiet. Their discipline had wavered only slightly as they took a few steps backwards before making hand signs as a form of communication.
Kaden wasn’t planning on letting the assassins do what they wanted. He figured it was best to take the initiative and charged towards the assassins. His full strength was apparent as the street stones shattered under his taloned feet when he leaped forwards. There was some form of joy in Kaden’s mind as he felt the enormous strength be released that he had been suppressing for months.
The stronger assassin was bracing to receive Kaden’s sudden attack, but just before collision, Kaden shifted slightly sideways with his movement technique and slammed against the weaker one instead.
He wanted to question them a bit, but he was not going to hold back against the stronger assassin who was his first true Formation stage opponent. One whose job was to kill people. It was simply easier to disable the weaker one. Not that he could even let anyone escape while he was tied in a fight and blabber about his secrets to whoever hired these people.
Kaden felt bones shatter under his strike, but the man was still alive. Yet, not all went perfectly, the Formation stage assassin was finally getting past last effects of the shock and started to fight with full seriousness. Something slashed against Kaden’s side, but was deflected with a metallic screech.
With a jump backwards, Kaden avoided another strike that he had not even seen coming. There were several swords spinning around the assassin that seemed to float about freely. One had clearly struck Kaden to his side, but his mana armor had blocked it. There was only a quickly mending crack on it.
More swords entered the fray as soon as it was clear that Kaden could take the hits, but he could avoid or block most of them. His instinct was working well. Whatever strikes got through were glancing hits that were deflected by his armor. Only very few hits could pass through, but by that time they were weakened and Kaden’s feather patterned skin that was like another layer of armor, could easily handle them. Only visible sings left were shallow slightly bleeding cuts that were not problem. Kaden was basically a tank.
Poison was also not a problem anymore since Kaden knew it was there and it was not strong enough to deal with him to begin with. It was easy to isolate whatever entered him and it was too weak to last long within his body as the mana disintegrated it at a very quick pace.
Kaden himself tried to remain in close combat and force the assassin to use his swords to defend rather than attack. This was somewhat challenging, but Kaden barely could follow the clearly more agile opponent. It was time to change tactic.
Kaden plume glowed and then mana flashed through his body. It gathered to his hand which was then released as a full power Fire Beam. This was much more powerful and heat wave blasted dust out of way as the beam was directed right at the assassin who was hurriedly arranging blades to block the beam.
The assassin finally had to stop and brace for the strike. Most of his swords were blasted aside and the first few ones even glowed red, partially molten. Extreme shock was visible in the assassins eyes, the only part visible on his masked face.
It was no good to try dodging. The assassin could only enter close combat and not let Kaden blast him more with those beams that could destroy his weapons. He wasn’t aware Kaden noticed he was not able to fire off the beams all the time.
Still, Kaden tried enhancing his talons with extra fire mana to keep destroying the swords, but he found out that, if the assassin held the swords directly there was too much mana protecting them.
The fight finally became a close range melee where Kaden could finally reach the assassin. Still, the man was clearly extremely good. Luckily Kaden had trained with elites and experienced actual true combat.
Soon the fight pace changed, though. The assassin had planned on finishing everything quickly. Yet, now he was tied in combat with something beyond his expectations. He could not stay for long. Killing like this in the city was a problem and he and his employers might get trouble, if he was caught! His companion was also disabled and not able to escape. Kaden’s sudden power up compared to what they had known of him was completely unexpected! Their mission was a failure!
Kaden had noticed something was up. Even, if it was in mid combat, he figured what was likely going on. If the fools had any doubts, they should have taken poison pills with them to end themselves if necessary. Guess they weren’t that dedicated.
He decided to give a chance. The assassin immediately took it. Kaden grinned as he used his movement technique to its limit to seemingly move to prevent it. Yet, just as he should have taken the chance to prevent his source of information being killed, Kaden ignored him and instead slashed at the assassin with his talons.
This was out of the assassin’s predictions! That Kaden would ignore his information source at the last moment!
Kaden tore out huge gash out of the assassin’s side. This was a serious injury!
“Aaarggg”, the assassin groaned. His sword was pierced into his ‘companion’. Not immediately fatal due to the interruption, but would likely be without healing. The assassin took steps back trying to stop the blood gushing wound. “Shit! What are you!”
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“Nothing you need to care about”, Kaden replied. He then continued tearing at the assassin and, once defenses were weakened enough, he slammed his talons into the assassins chest. Then he tore a hole and dragged out the man’s innards. “You only need to die.”
“Gaaaah!” The assassin groaned in pain again and vomited some blood.
Kaden decided to end it and he pushed his hand with Devour spell inside the hole and started consuming. The man screamed in pain before he finally silenced.
“Perhaps I should have interrogated him too”, Kaden muttered as he licked his bloody talons to clean blood off them. “Oh well, the other one is still alive… for now. I don’t really care. I doubt whoever sent these guys will try again anytime soon once these guys don’t return. I better drag the weakling back and say he attacked me. No one except the one who hired these guys need to know I can kill Formation stage assassin. Perhaps I can identify someone acting oddly!”
Kaden walked by the half dead weaker assassin.
“You are dead”, Kaden said as he lowered himself down on closer to face level. “You are not going to receive punishment from anyone once you are dead… except those corrupt gods, but they will likely not care about your pathetic soul either. Some dumbass sent you after me and caused your death. Feel angry about it. Talk.”
The assassin spit blood on Kaden’s face who then casually swiped it away.
“Fine!” Kaden said and nodded. “You want to die slowly? I can arrange that. Once you feel like you want to die quicker, start talking.”
Despite the fact that Kaden had devoured some already from the stronger assassin, he was nowhere full. He started slowly devouring the weaker assassin alive. Starting from his legs and arms. He would die soon enough anyway from his wounds.
The screams didn’t really affect Kaden much. He continued devouring and then stopping and then continuing again. He was pretty sure the assassin wouldn’t even be able to talk anymore with his hoarse throat from all the screaming. Not his problem. He truly didn’t really expect to get any answers. It wasn’t even really interrogating at that point. Just sadistic torture for no reason really. Kaden didn’t feel like some little amount of sadism really mattered and only added to his character. Besides they had stabbed him!
In fact, Kaden hoped military wouldn’t look good at someone trying to kill their special team members. These assassins didn’t need to say anything. If the army couldn’t or wouldn’t deal with it, it probably wouldn’t matter anyway. While he did want to know who was behind all this time, its not like this was the first time someone sent killers after him. There had been quite a few from the Blood Hand. Perhaps it was them this time too. They never got to finish their grudges.
“Oh… he died”, Kaden suddenly was stirred from his thoughts. He had devoured too much and the assassin had perished. “Whatever… I better drag this body out of here soon. I think people are finally getting around to look what happened. I don’t need people nosing about my business.”
Yet before picking up the mutilated corpse, Kaden took the Formation stage assassin’s corpse and put it into his bag. Even if doing so hadn’t showed any real progress, he was going to keep devouring corpses. He would take the time to burn it properly before devouring more. He always felt nasty without doing so.
Kaden took out his phone and called Walden.
“WHAT?!” Walden shouted through the phone after Kaden explained the matter.
“The assassin is dead”, Kaden continued calmly excluding the fact that there were two assassins. “I’ll be bringing the corpse back. I personally can’t see anything to identify him.”
“How are your injuries?” Walden questioned.
“Injuries? I healed those already”, Kaden answered. “There was also some poison, but that didn’t really do much.”
“We better have that checked up”, Walden told Kaden. “Some remaining poison may be undetected.”
“Sure, I’ll be coming back”, Kaden replied. “I don’t want to attaract too much attention anyway.”
Kaden ended the call and grabbed the corpse from still partially intact arm and started dragging the mutilated corpse behind him. He expected to have to only explain the matter to some guards, but since he was member of military and he could easily just show his credentials guards would likely let him pass. That and even if he was stopped, he had already reported the matter and it would only result in a delay.
As he was making his way towards the military layer, he suddenly felt something odd. A buzz.
At first he ignored it, but then he suddenly realized he had felt that same buzz before! How had he forgotten the matter? This was significant! It was something that could make itself be forgotten. Only now that he noticed it again, he remembered the last time. That time he was able to be aware of it only for a short time until he forgot it! It had been roughly in the same area too!
What to do? He was supposed to be going back.
No, that had to wait! Kaden decided he could always say that he took long, safer, way back or noticed something he thought could have been more attackers. It wouldn’t be difficult to produce an excuse.
Kaden packed up the corpse he had been dragging along into his bag and left to search. The area had those slightly cheaper stores and other establisments. There was nothing visibly unusual that Kaden could see. Most of them were closed due to it being night time, but some were open.
There was specifically quite a bit of activity at red light district.
Kaden wasn’t really interested in that particular activity, but this time he was finding himself walking in. None of the women on the street came to Kaden, instead everyone seemed to step out of his way. No one would even attempt to service him. He assumed it was likely his appearance. It was good that such disruptions were not something he had to deal with. The buzz seemed clearer in there! It was now easier to remember and it was not trying to slip out of his mind.
Kaden frowned. “I hope this isn’t pointless. If the buzz is someone’s malfunctioning toy, I’ll have wasted time.”
As Kaden was walking along the road he felt the buzz get even more louder. It was clearly there somewhere.
“Hello there, young man”, someone said to Kaden right next to him as he stood still for a while when he felt the buzz get stronger. It was a merchant with some seemingly random junk. “Even if you are ugly as sin, perhaps you are interested in my wares! See here. This is Rock Goat’s male member. I’ll sell it to you for hundred low grade crystals! Eat it and your’s will surely get up and hard as rock!”
Kaden turned to look at the man with the disgusting grin. He was offering lengthy object to him. Why was the buzz strongest here. As far as Kaden could tell, it wasn’t quite the place, but this was the place where it was strongest. Right there in the direction of this … merchant.
“Tell me of things you are selling”, Kaden told the man.
“Haha, yes yes”, the man said with a shitty grin and started showing Kaden the objects he had on the table. None of them seemed important to Kaden. With a snort he stepped away while the merchant told him to come back once he changes his mind.
He decided to stay in the area and observe.