But first, I need to form a plan.
Let's assume he is telling the truth—then should I attack him from below? Using 《shadowmeld》, I can appear below his feet, then attack him. No, he already knows about my ability. So, is it false information meant to bait me?
Even if it's not, I still would not get close to him. He’s clearly stronger than me, even after leveling up. One strike could kill me. Immortal or not, pain is still pain.
I need projectile attacks. He’s too far, and I can’t manipulate the shadow beneath his feet for 《Abyssal Tentacles》. My mana is limited, so acquiring a new ability is out of the question. I’ll have to work with what I already have…
She glanced at Vito’s lifeless body and approached him. With precision, she retrieved the two daggers strapped to his waist. She searched the rest of his body but found nothing else of use.
Are all assassins like this? He doesn't even have a pocket. Useless.
Ah, isn’t he just an inanimate object right now? A wicked idea flickered in her mind, and a smile curled on her lips.
“You won’t mind if I borrow your body, will you?”
Without hesitation, she pressed her fingers, transforming them into sharp claws.
“No answer? I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’ Don’t worry; I promise I’ll make good use of it.”
She activated 《Abyssal Chamber》, creating a shadowy dimensional space. One by one, she tossed the limbs, head, and torso into it. As she finished, she used 《Shadowmeld》 and silently moved downstairs.
⊶☽☬☾⊷
Ah, as expected, that idiot is still there. And he’s still taunting me. What a fool; he should’ve run while he had the chance.
“What’s the matter!? Are we humans that damn scary to you!? Is hiding in the shadows the only trick you’ve got, bitch!?”
Now he’s resorting to insults. Does he honestly believe that will affect me? Sigh. Still, as a vampire, I ought to at least behave like one, right? Fine, I’ll play along.
Let’s see—cliché vampires are proud and noble beings who look down on humans. Hmm, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
"A mere mortal dares to speak to me in such a way? How bold… Your intellect seems to match your lifespan. If death is your desire, I shall grant it to you now—”
The voice echoed from the shadows—a soft, mesmerizing sound. It reverberated through the room, amplified and distorted by her shadowmeld, masking her exact location.
It seems my voice doesn’t give away my position while in 《shadowmeld》. Convenient.
Alistair opened the 《Abyssal Chamber》from within the shadows. As both abilities belonged to the same elemental nature, she was confident it would work—and it did. Without hesitation, she grabbed Vito’s severed head and threw it.
The head hit the edge of the circle, and Greg’s sword flashed with inhuman speed. He cut through the flesh cleanly, but flesh splattered onto his face, blinding him temporarily.
I found his weakness…
Alistair then started with the first step to use 《Abyssal Tentacles》 by pouring her mana but Instead of directing it into the shadows, she channeled it into her hand and manifested it around the dagger.
—
Congratulations!
You have acquired a new skill:
《{E} Mana Veil》
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Mana Veil allows the user to envelop their body or specific parts in a shimmering layer of mana, significantly enhancing their strength and resilience. In addition, mana veil also can be projected onto objects, empowering them with a similar boost in durability and performance.
—
Only E rank huh…
She threw the dagger, enhanced by 《Mana Veil》, at Greg, but he easily deflected it, even with his eyes blinded.
He's really a veteran… or maybe it’s just his aspect ability.
Undeterred, she used 《Mana Veil》 again to strengthen her arm and threw the limbs one by one, but all of them were cut down. Alistair observed his sword style closely, slashing through the limbs with precision. A small grin appeared on her face.
I understand it now—his sword style. Just as I promised earlier, I’ll make good use of it.
With the last dagger enchanted with 《Mana Veil》, I’ll hide it in the torso. Then, using his sword style, he will slice through the torso horizontally and vertically.
The torso will then become four parts, and one of the pieces of flesh will conceal the dagger, which has a 75% probability of landing in his knee.
As expected, the scene unfolded like Alistair planned. He cleaved the body into four parts, and the flesh splattered all over him. One of the pieces contained a dagger infused with 《Mana Veil》, which struck Greg's knee. A groan escaped his lips, but he managed to stay on his feet.
Although the dagger didn’t take Greg down, her smile hadn’t disappeared from her face.
A single dagger couldn’t possibly be enough to defeat a seasoned fighter like him, but now he might let his guard down, thinking I’m out of weapons. Well, I'm not out of them yet; I have one final trick up my sleeve.
After using 《Mana Veil》, I wondered if I could replicate the same effect with darkness and blood. All I need to do is replicate what I did to strengthen my arm with 《Mana Veil》, but this time I’ll use darkness and blood to enhance my right leg.
Even if it doesn't work, which is unlikely, I still have my right leg enchanted with 《Mana Veil》, and if that’s still not fast enough, I have no choice but to rely on my Aspect.
She then stepped out of the shadows, applying 《Mana Veil》 to strengthen her claws and her right leg. She manipulated darkness to create blood and surrounded her right leg with it. With no hesitation, she channeled all her strength into her right leg. It only took half a second to accomplish. The result was flawless.
Too flawless.
It’s too fast! I can’t stop! At this speed, I’ll crash into him, and his blood will splatter everywhere! That would be a waste! I can't let that happen!
I can avoid this. After I sever his head, I’ll immediately use my left foot to kick the ground and adjust my trajectory to the side.
With her mind racing faster than most people’s, she quickly devised a plan. For ordinary beings, such rapid thinking would be impossible but she is the unparalleled genius and thanks to her gaming skills, her reaction time was unmatched back on Earth. In just 2.63 seconds, she found herself in front of Greg.
She slashed at his neck with her claws and used her left foot, empowered by 《Mana Veil》, to kick the ground, altering her trajectory to the side. It worked, but the force was too much—her left leg broke.
Tsk. No worry; it will heal in no time. Now, I just need to use 《Shadowmeld》 to slip into the shadows. To do that, I’ll need to touch the wall. It has to be perfectly timed; if I’m too late or too early, I’ll crash into it.
She stretched out her hand and focused on getting the timing right, but something felt off.
Huh? I can’t feel my mana…
No… my mana is depleted. A miscalculation.
⊶☽☬☾⊷
Alistair lay on the cold, hard floor, her body unmoving except for the faint twitch of her left hand. Beside her, a massive wall bore the mark of her crash—a deep crack splintering out from where her figure had collided. In the center of it was a faint outline of her body, indented into the wall like some grotesque mural.
Thanks to my aspect, I’m still alive.
She thought, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
But I can’t move my body. Not even a twitch, except for my left hand. Pretty sure all my bones are broken. At least my left arm is fine since I crashed on my side.
Her fingers clenched into a weak fist.
On the bright side, it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. When my hand got burned by the sun, that was worse.
Back on Earth, Alistair had lived a life of privilege, surrounded by wealth and security. Born to billionaire parents, pain and hardship were foreign concepts to her. She was pampered and protected, never allowed to face the harshness of life.
The last time she could recall truly getting hurt was when she fell off her bed at the age of ten. A scraped knee had been enough to cause chaos in the household.
A familiar chime echoed in her mind, followed by a system notification.
Congratulations!
You have acquired two new skills:
—
《{D} Abyssal Veil》
Abyssal Veil allows the user to envelop their body or specific parts in a shroud of darkness, significantly enhancing their agility and stealth. Additionally, Shadow Veil can be projected onto objects, imbuing them with enhanced stealth capabilities and evasion, allowing them to blend seamlessly into their surroundings.
—
《{C} Crimson Veil》
Crimson Veil allows the user to cloak themselves or specific parts in an aura of crimson energy derived from their own vitality, significantly boosting their physical power and regeneration. Furthermore, Crimson Veil can be cast onto allies or weapons, empowering them with increased strength and healing effects, making them formidable in combat.
—
𓆩✧𓆪