CHAPTER 88

THE RETURN OF THE BEWITCHED KNIGHT

  Dijkstra effortlessly trespassed the duchy despite its strict checkpoints, adding another achievement to his infiltration record. On the other hand, Rudolf entered the territory through formal channels, and his visit was reported to Reinhardt Duke Carlisle, puzzling the lord of the territory as to why this madman was entering his domain. Soon, another report arrived, informing the Duke that Rudolf's destination was the central city of the duchy sending an ominous feeling to him.

Along with the checkpoint report came a personal letter, only intended for the Duke's eyes. He started reading, praying his gut feelings to turn false.

> Some people messed with me,

>

> Let me deal with them and I'll leave.

"Damn it" he shouted, as he had anticipated, his instincts were consistently accurate. He let out a frustrated sigh, the ominous feeling that had been lingering within him had evolved into a cause for concern. While the duchy was not weak by any means, provoking Rudolf would only result in an increase in fatalities. He tapped the table thinking, it was wiser to allow him to deal with the idiots instead of meditating or stopping him.

  Along with these thoughts, he wrote back, clearly stating that he had only two days to conduct his business before leaving the territory. Rudolf agreed to the condition and proceeded to the central city. And when he was busy with his formalities, Dijkstra had already got the information, obviously obtaining it through some extreme measures.

  He shared his findings when Rduolf came back to their inn with the Dukes' permission in hand. The two of them were en route to Solvik's auction house, which, according to Dijkstra's findings, was being used as a front for the assassin guild. As they arrived at the auction house, Dijkstra turned to Rudolf and asked, "How do you wanna do this?"

In a menacing tone, Rudolf replied,

"As Loudly as possible, none is innocent in this place."

Dijkstra's face lit up with a grin, and he commented,

"See, there was a reason I liked you this much my friend."

"Shut up, Dijkstra," retorted Rudolf sharply.

As they entered the Solvik auction house, Rudolf approached the front desk and demanded,

"I want someone killed. Who should I speak to?"

The receptionist was taken aback, and Dijkstra spoke up casually,

"If you don't want to be that someone, I suggest you speak, woman"

Their bloodlust was clear, and the receptionist understood the gravity of the situation. She politely bowed and led them inside, explaining,

"I'm just a clerk. Please speak to the manager for further details..."

Dijkstra came close to Rudolf and whispered,

"Alastor, she just signalled her allies."

"It does not matter", Rudolf declared with indifference.

  Dijkstra locked eyes with the woman, and she became frightened. She had already alerted the assassins in the house, and it appeared that these two were aware of that fact. The woman began to plead for her life, saying, "I'm just trying to make a living, sir. Please spare me."

With a wicked expression on his face, Dijkstra replied menacingly,

"Well then, you should start looking for a new job. RUN!, woman, RUN!!"

  It was not her first rodeo in this job but when she caught a glimpse of the man's grin, the woman was overcome with terror, and she fled from the auction house as though her life depended on it. Even when her legs gave out from exhaustion, she continued to run without looking back. Rudolf glanced over at Dijkstra, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, and asked, "Did you really have to do that?"

Dijkstra rolled his eyes and retorted, "Oh, spare me Alastor, scaring women is the only joy left in my life. As I've said, these are some fucking peaceful times. Besides, you should know that I'm a reasonable guy. If she had followed us, she would have ended up dead."

Rudolf heaved a sigh accepting the fact he was not dealing with a normal person,

"Yes yes, You are a nut, I get it, I've yet to meet a Parvian who is not insane."

Dijkstra chuckled at his comment, and the two of them made their way towards the manager's office. Some guards tried to stop them, but Dijkstra's intense gaze alone was enough to make them vomit and shit in fear before going to whatever afterlife they believed in.

Rudolf opened the door to the manager's office and faced the elderly man with round glasses. "Where can we find the entrance to the assassin's guild?" he asked gripping his sword's hilt strongly.

  The manager was a more seasoned individual than the timid receptionist earlier, and although he clicked his tongue in irritation, he kept his cool as he responded.“I don't know what you talking about” he said with a firm tone denying everything. But, just as he finished speaking, his head exploded like a tomato.

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  There was no question who was the culprit behind it but the two men in front of the manager's secretory looked like reapers coming to claim his life. Soaked in his late superior blood, he couldn't even utter a single word due to shock and his trance was broken by Dijiktra’s words "Congratulations, you just got promoted to manager, now new manager please tell me where are the assassins"

  The frightened secretary, who was trembling and had wet his pants, spoke up, "Please, follow me." He led them through a concealed passageway that led down to the entrance of the guild. The burrow was situated directly beneath the auction house and consisted of a shabby underground building.

Rudolf instructed the secretory in a haste,

"Clear the auction House, now."

Without hesitation, the secretary sprinted upstairs as if his life depended on it and on seeing him running like no tomorrow Dijikstra said to Rudolf in doubt,

"Mmm...Handling this here won't make loud noises, Alastor."

To which Rudolf swiftly responded "That's why we’ll blow up the whole Auction house" A calmness was in his voice, akin to the calm before the ravaging storm.

Dijkstra smirked as he complimented his old pal,

"See I told you there was a reason I liked you."

  After a period of time had passed and the majority of the auction house had been vacated, Rudolf extended his aura. A dark purple domain with the occasional crackle of thunder surged forth, instantly alerting both assassins and the authorities of Reinhardt. Rudolf then made his first move.

Skill: MountainSlash

The sword's aura expanded, reaching a great height mimicking a giant sword, it obliterated the ground and ceiling as it sliced through the underground guild building, killing numerous assassins with a single strike. And without any delay, Rudolf executed his second skill

Skill: Nimbus

Rudolf's aura shifted, and blue lightning bolts shot out from his body, randomly striking any vengeful assassins who approached him after the blast.

  Meanwhile, those who managed to survive the attack and were wounded were confronted by the sinister Dijkstra. He enjoyed giving his prey a glimmer of hope before snuffing it out in the end. With a grin etched on his face, Dijkstra allowed some of the assassins to escape, but just as the poor assassins thought they had successfully eluded the duo, Dijkstra stabed the ground in front and unleashed his skills, which aimed to inflict serious injuries rather than death.

Skill: Upheaval

Solid pillars jutted out of the ground, lifting the wounded with great force before abruptly retracting back into the earth, causing the targets to plummet downward. As the targets fell, the pillars shot up once more, striking them with even greater speed, causing their injuries to worsen and transforming them into a blood pool with numerous strikes.

  Amidst the cries of agony, one could hear the sinister laughter of Dijkstra, snuffing out any hope the targets had of surviving the ordeal. But not all fell victim to the duo's attacks, some advanced assassins managed to sneak up on the knights but as bad luck loomed over them, they couldn't penetrate their defences. The onslaught continued, Rudolf inflicted clear and sharp wounds meanwhile Dijkstra made a mess by squashing his foes.

And after sensing none of the assassins standing, Dijkstra picked one and started pouring a healing potion on him. knowing his companions' tendencies, Rudolf asked,

"Now what are scheming Dijkstra,"

Dijkstra responded in an indifferent tone,

"We need to spare one to spread our message. It will warn the world not to mess with 'you' - "

"We can't just disclose Hans like that." Rudolf intervened.

Dijkstra retorted instantly,,

"I know Alastor, I am not insane, at least not now."

  The healed assassin awoke to the sight of his fallen brethren and those who had barely survived being crushed by the moving floor like a living monster swatting them to death. Fearful, he locked eyes with the two older men who stood before him, one serious and another with a wicked smile.

Breaking the tension, Dijkstra spoke,

"Remember to tell the world what happens when you mess with the disciples of Sierra."

Despite Dijkstra's words, the healed assassin's mind was in disarray and he couldn't focus on anything but begging for his life." Please spare me, my lords. Please spare me," he pleaded.

Dijkstra repeated his previous words and added, "When news of this incident reaches us, you will be spared. I have marked you with my aura. You have one month. If word of today's incident doesn't reach me within that time, you will explode like a firecracker - boom phsss..."

The assassin passed out again and Rudolf asked Dijiktra with a questioning gaze

"Do you still like playing the villain ?"

Not like his usual response, Dijkstra reminded Rudolf of something important,

"You seem to have forgotten, Alastor, that if the prince and the girl were some poor bastards without any backgrounds, their bodies would have been left to rot in that fucking gorge."

Rudolf murmured in agreement, admitting,

"I know showing sympathy to our enemies is a betrayal to ourselves, but whenever I am with you, I can't help feeling bad for my enemies."

  Rudolf then picked up the unconscious assassin and added, "But you did not have to do this, I'm dead set to let the world know that I am PIssed." Looking at him with expectations, Dijkstra happily left the auction house following his friend's lead. Since Dijkstra was in disguise, it was difficult to recognize him without his signature skills, and Rudolf's presence in the front provided a perfect cover.

As many watched, Rudolf drew ThunderClap from its sheath and hurled it into the sky. The sword sliced through the clouds with immense speed, heralding the return of the Bewitched Knight as he unleashed his mightiest skill.

Skill: ThunderGod'sWrath

Dijkstra's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he eagerly waited to witness his friend's most powerful skill. He almost jumped like a child in excitement when he saw, the dark clouds above, spiralling and sending a dread full feeling down to its witnesses. The ominous swirl in the sky sent a colossal lighting bolt from its epicentre, striking the grand auction house and destroying the various spells of protection of Reinhardt duchy in one fell swoop.

  If Rudolf hadn't controlled its strength, the attack would have wiped out a quiet chunk of the city but he controlled it well to only target the building. However, the sight of the destruction caused everyone to flee and Rudolf got surrounded by the Warlords of the territory joined by Duke Carlisle. In a loud voice, the Duke commanded "Screw the two days, get the fuck out of my city now." But someone else also showed up stopping Rudolf from moving and amid the chaos, Dijkstra disappeared bailing out on Rudolf and also nabbing the fainted assassin.

  Although Rudolf was famous for fighting an army to avenge his wife's injury, the recent incident was about to shake the world again. People already knew him as a man who was tied to his wife’s apron strings, and now another gossip was emerging that he had gone crazy in avenging his wife's disciple.

***