“Bandits!” shouted Stone and Jonah behind me, while I took off the rapier in my hand and turn toward the bandits.

Two mages and an archer from the Stones team had already launched their spells and arrows.

What made me surprised is the preparation of river bandits. The spells and arrows were halfway through when the protective shields formed on their bodies. They also moved mid-air in practiced grace to avoid the spells and arrows.

“Target Locked,” shouted the tall man with a mask looking at me, and immediately, I felt my body freeze.

I could not move at all. I tried, I struggled, but could do nothing. It immediately made panic rise in my heart.

They are coming from me and seeing their numbers; they are fully prepared to kill me. There are over thirty of them, while I only have nineteen guards.

“Protect!” Stone screamed and moved toward bandits, while Jonah and other guards, including mage Zela, move to surround me.

Thud Thud Thud

The masked river bandits landed on the deck one after another. They came at me in perfect teamwork, while Stone and others moved to intercept. The difference in numbers did not seem to faze them.

“Unshackle,” said someone behind me, and I felt a hand on my shoulder, and immediately, I unfroze. “Mister Silver, get into the seating area,” said Jon and disappeared.

The next second, he appeared beside Hugo, who was moving toward the bandits coming from the other side of the deck.

“Mister Silver, let's go,” Jonah said and took me toward the seating area, while Stone reached the bandits and what happened next was quite shocking.

He swung that big sword of his, and it moved so fast that it slashed through the bandit, cutting him in two.

Seeing such a swing killing, I couldn’t help but get shocked.

If it had been a normal bandit, nobody would have been shocked, but the one who had been killed was quite powerful. At least a Level 20, but Stone had killed him in a second.

It shocked me, but this shock is nothing to be compared to what happened next. It had simply blown my mind.

The two bloodied parts of the person turned into the water and fell down on the deck with a splash.

‘Water clone,’ I thought, and my expression has turned bad. Not only me but others too, as they also understood what it means.

Water clone is a powerful skill. A skill that is very rare and only those of Level 30 and above have it. It had disadvantages, but in front of massive advantages, they are nothing.

Most importantly, with water clone. They will not have to care about their life. They could come at me with reckless abandon.

“Target Charge!”

It is an order, but also a skill, seeing the change appearing on the bodies of bandits. As all of them had charged toward me.

It had scared me to my life, seeing all of them coming toward me to take my life and they would only need a single will-place attack to finish me up.

“Protect The Ward!”

Stone ordered with skill while slashing another bandit, a woman this time. Her two parts, too, turned to water and splashed on the deck.

It is not only the Stone who had killed but also Jon who pierces his dagger into the skull of a person, while the Stena attacked with a barrage of mana bullets. Most defended, but one hit the man's chest, turning him into a puddle of water.

Still, it did not make me happy.

As they are closing fast, and we are killing too slowly. At least, the guards are gathered around me and more and are blocking the way.

It took less than three seconds before the bandits approached the guards protecting me.

They came from all sides, and my guards moved to stop them. Using their blades, spells and arrows, but despite all that, I am not feeling confident that they will be able to block it all.

I had just thought that when a thin masked man materialized in front of me.

“Die, silver!” it shouted and attacked me with a dagger, at a very fast speed. I am panicking seeing the attack, but I reacted instantly.

I swung my rapier in defense, using everything I have. I used the Weighted Strike and also the Consecutive Strikes, despite knowing it will give me only a faint increase, but even that would be helpful for me.

Clang!

My sword clashed against its dagger, and it surprised him. He had not thought I could defend against the attack.

I did not come out unscathed while defending against its powerful attack.

I am feeling a heavy shock in my arm; it sorts of numb, but I was used to it. Instructor David used the power and skills that are above me in our training. Every day, he would barrage me with such attacks.

“You bastard!”

He cursed angrily and attacked me again, and I responded instantly, without caring for the shock and pain I had in my hands.

Clang Clang Clang

He begins to attack me with daggers and I defended while thanking the god that it was attacking me with the water clone.

This bastard is very skillful and powerful. At least Level 20, like most bandits, but due to being a clone, his skills, and power are suppressed. Still, he is far more powerful than me and the only reason I am defending is training and a little bit of talent.

Rip!

Finally, his dagger succeeded in dodging my sword and slashed through my chest. The injury would have been deadly. If I hadn’t dodged the attack, taking a step back with Quick Steps and Surefoot at the last moment.

The slash is not serious, but not a scratch either, and is hurting like hell. It is having some kind of pain skill attached to it, which is giving me blinding pain.

Clang!

“Why don’t you just die!” he shouted in frustration and attacked me and I responded through pain and injuries while raising questions in my heart.

‘Why isn’t anyone coming to help me?’ I couldn’t help, but ask myself. I am fighting for my life, here, using everything I have to survive a second more, but my luck won’t last forever.

Even with few skills and slashed attributes, it will kill me. If I did not get the help sooner.

I wanted to look at what is happening around me, but I did not dare to. A distraction for a fraction of a second would cost me my life. So, I will keep fighting till I take a last breath.

Rip!

I defended a few more attacks when I got slashed once again. This time, one the shoulder bone, very close to my neck.

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“There is no other choice for you but to die. So, why are you resisting?” it asked as it attacked me.

If I had any doubts before, they are now cleared. Someone is trying to kill me and hired these assassins for it. These were no bandits, but a group of assassins, who specialized in assassinations over water.

I wish I was surprised, but I am not.

There are many people who want to kill me. The enemies of the house of silver. The people who killed my father. My business competitors or someone I had made the enemy unknowingly.

I don’t know who it is, but if I survived it. I will find them and kill them in the worst way possible.

Clang Rip Clang

It continued attacking me, and I had defended the most, but some of them hit me. A few of them are bleeding a lot, which started to make me a little lightheaded.

I have to thank this bastard for the pain skill. It is the reason I am so wide awake and still fighting. If the pain turned off, I wouldn’t be able to fight as I am doing right now.

“I really don’t want to use this skill on a weakling like you, but you have forced me,” he said, and before I could even say anything, the dagger in his hands lighted up in a grey light.

My eyes widened in horror as I saw the speed and power of the attack and know there is no way I could defend against this attack.

Despite knowing that, I attacked with a rapier. I know it is futile, but I don’t want to be frozen in front of death.

I want to face it head-on.

Time seemed to slow down in face of the death. The dagger slow down in front of me, and my saber barely seemed to be moving compared to it.

The dagger came closer and closer and closer to me till there were barely a few inches between us. I have no doubt it will reach me soon and decapitate me.

SLASH!

I was sure of that when I saw a huge steel blade appear over the head of the assassin and came down. Its speed was so fast that, that even the slowness in front of me barely seemed to have any effect.

I saw the man splitting into two, from blood to innards coming out, while the dagger kept coming closer to me.

It was less than an inch away from my neck when the dagger turned into the water like the body holding it.

Behind the falling water, Stone is standing with a huge sword in his hand. A moment ago, it was wet with blood, now it is dripping water.

He only remained there for a moment before turning to the battle, which is still raging, but to my surprise, more than half of the bandits had already been finished.

The other half, including the one who seemed to be the leader facing off against Jon, are trying their all to come close to me.

Gulp!

Without taking my eyes off the battle, I took out the healing potion bottle from my pocket and gulped it down. A moment later, a cool energy filled my body and begin to heal my injuries.

“Mister Silver. Please move to the seatings, it would be safe there,” said Eli, but I immediately shook my head. “I am fine here,” I said.

I would very much like to be safe, but I couldn’t go there. It will risk the safety of the girls.

Hun!

I was looking at the girls when I saw a figure jumping at the back of the ship.

I had just opened my mouth to warn when suddenly, a fireball seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and smashed into the head of a bandit which had just landed on the deck.

Instantly turning him into a puddle of water.

“You saw that, didn’t you?” I asked Eli, who nodded, dumbfounded as I was feeling.

What happened is shocking, because mages, we have been on this side of the ship, while only one guard was on the other side.

Our mages are busy fighting the bandits. If they had cast the fireball, it would materialize here and went there, but that fireball was strange. It had materialized the moment the bandit touched the ship, right next to his head.

It crashed on the head immediately, without giving the assassin even a moment to defend. It was quite shocking and strange.

I thought for a few seconds before pushing those distracting thoughts away.

Currently, it did not matter how the assassin is dealt with. The only thing matter is that it had happened. I will think about it when I am safe.

I turned to battle where now my guards are overpowering the bandits. Finishing their numbers one after another, but even then, the bandits are trying their all to come at me, launching their attacks, which would be dealt with, before they reached me.

A few seconds passed, and finally, every bandit turned into the water, except for one. The leader, who had jumped on the bowsprit. While Stone stood in front of him, ready to block any attack from him.

“Who are you, and who paid you for my assassination?” I asked, and the masked man turned to me.

“You know most of the time assassination failed not due to the ability of assassins, but because of faulty intelligence,” he said with melancholically, ignoring my question.

“If we had the correct information, especially about this powerful gentleman’s team. We wouldn’t have failed so miserably,” he lamented, looking at Stone.

“Give me the name of the person who hired you and I will pay double the amount he paid you,” I said to him. “That, unfortunately, I could not do that, Remus Silver,” he said, finally acknowledging me.

I smiled at that as I kind of expected it, before my expression turned serious and I looked directly at the sea-blue eyes of the assassin.

“Today I am weak. Have nothing, but remember, there will be a day when I will not be this weak and powerless.”

“When that day comes, I will do everything to find you,” I said to him and also to myself. It is a promise.

“Good. I will be waiting,” he said before his whole body turned into the water and fell into the river.

“I guess there is no way you might be able to catch one of them?” I asked to stone. To that, he shook his head.

“These people have come well prepared. If we went to catch them, we will end up losing our lives,” he replied.

I had expected it, but it still couldn’t disappoint me.

“You shouldn’t be disappointed, Mister Silver. You have survived a powerful assassination attempt. A few would have been that lucky,” said Jonah, and all I could do was nod.