Meera flourished a hand dramatically. “Lead the way, fake prince.” He carefully walked past her with one hand on his crotch. She placed a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch. “If you so much as hint to your guards that I’m from the capital, I will open up your throat and shit down your gullet.”

He swallowed. “U-Understood.”

He opened the door, and on the other side stood a behemoth of a man. He must’ve stood seven feet tall and wide as a bear. He wore a red and gold uniform with a broad sword hanging from his back. He had the same bird sigil as the disc that Narikas had given her. Meera had to crane her neck up to look at his face. He had an eye missing. A straight scar had sewn it shut forever, which added to his fearsome visage.

[Phoenix Protector – Level 204]

Meera gulped at his level, which matched his size, and she had counted at least seven others outside. If this devolved into a fight, her chances of making it alive were next to nothing.

He entered the room without permission, lone eye glaring at Meera. “My prince, it looks like we have an infiltrator.”

“Yes,” Nikander jumped behind the guard. “Yes, we do. She attacked me as I was about to go to sleep. She’s a Varshan assassin, sent to kill me.”

“Save it, Nikander,” Meera said. “We all know you’re not the real prince.”

The Phoenix Protector looked at the fake prince, who began shaking. He reached for his massive sword as he turned towards Meera. “I suppose I must kill you then.”

Meera stepped back. “Now listen, look at this before you do something drastic.” She pulled out the royal seal from her Dragon Hoard Belt. “See, we work for the same team—err, person. The king has sent me to bring His Highness home.”

The behemoth squinted at the seal, then at Meera, and finally huffed. “His Highness will only go home when he wishes to.” He pulled off his sword and rested it on his shoulder. “And he specifically asked us to take care of anyone that came from the capital.”

Meera dropped the seal in her Belt and activated Mist Concealment, filling the room with mists. She had seen the Mistblades use this skill enough times to know what would happen. But she didn’t expect to be able to see through the mists. The room was still hazy, but she wasn’t as blinded by the mists as the other two men.

She shot mirrors from her armor and flew them across the room, and just like she predicted, she could see them. Then she used Mist Illusions and sent three copies of herself at the Protector, who had lit himself on fire and was burning the mists away.

That…is not a bad skill.

She shook her head. Her only way to survive this fight was to get out of there before the other Bleeders and Phoenix Protectors arrived, which they would be anytime soon as Nikander had started screeching like a dying bird.

“Protectors! An assassin! An assassin’s come to kill me. I mean, the Crown Prince.”

Meera rolled her eyes. Things can never be easy. Can they?

So, instead of getting herself entangled in a prolonged fight, she looked for a window. She positioned her illusions to where the giant Protector would see them. He swung his sword, removing two of them in one swing. Meera found a window and dashed to it, but at the same time, keeping an eye on the last illusion.

She moved it about, protecting it from the Protector’s mighty sword. He swung, and fake Meera ducked and dodged while Meera herself was mesmerized by his movements. However, the illusion didn’t last long once he caught up to it and shot it with a column of flames.

That was Meera’s cue. She punched open the window and had only stuck her head out when a reddish beam shot at her. She quickly pulled herself back, but the window didn’t catch fire. Instead, it was covered in a scarlet stone—bloodstone.

Meera squeezed her eyes shut. If the Bleeders outside know, then all the guards know. Shit.

She pulled off five chakrams and hurled them at the lone guard in the room. Despite the mists concealing most of their movements, he deflected three with his sword. The other two chakrams spun through the mist; one hit his armor, and the other was going to hit his shoulder, which was protected by his armor and fire. So, Meera shifted its trajectory a little higher towards his exposed neck.

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His flames were little protection, but he moved in time to save himself. But she did hear a notification bell, which meant she cut him. She heard multiple footsteps. Nikander hollered as if they had won already. They technically had.

Four more Phoenix Protectors burst into the room, weapons drawn. They carried different weapons than the giant. He didn’t know where she was, so he glared in all directions.

“What happened?” asked one of the protectors. “Where is she?”

“In the mists,” replied the behemoth. “She can create illusions and is about level 150.”

One of them snickered at hearing her level. She would, too, if she was around their level.

“Don’t worry, brother, she will not escape us. The Watchmen are watching all the windows. We have this place on lockdown. She will not escape us.”

“Watch out for her throwing discs. They went through my Pyro Warding.”

All four heads snapped to him. He moved his hand to show them the cut she had made. It wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding fast, so she hoped she got an artery. It would have been nice if it were a jugular.

“Isn’t creating mists and illusions something that Mistblades do?” The one on the far left asked. He carried a pair of short swords.

“They do,” replied the one in the lead. He wielded a spear. Eyes scanning for a glimpse of Meera. “Time to finish off this assassin.”

Meera was not getting out of this alive. That much was for certain. She took out the royal seal again and created another illusion of herself. This time, holding the seal.

“We don’t need to fight,” Meera said, walking her illusion to them. “That bumbling fool is lying. I am no assassin. I work for the king. He sent me here to bring his son and heir home.”

The Protector heated his spear until it glowed red and speared her illusion through the heart. “Figured as much. If the king sends you, we have orders not to let you see the prince at all costs.”

Then they all lit up with fire, just like the big guy. With so much heat, her mists evaporated much faster.

“I really don’t want to have to kill you all,” Meera said.

“As if you could,” said the one with the swords. Both his swords heated up, and he slammed them together, creating sparks. He moved both weapons in a full circle, forming a red and gold circle in the air, and blew.

What happened next was the closest thing Meera had ever seen to dragons breathing fire in real life. She teleported out of the way and just in time as the massive column of flames melted everything in their path. The torrent of fire shot out of the room violently, leaving behind a gaping, burning hole.

Worst of all, her mists were reduced to vapor, leaving Meera exposed.

“There she is.” He pointed with his sword.

Meera gulped.

Wings of flames sprouted out of the spearman’s back. One moment, he was standing there, and then he vanished in a poof of ashes, and the next, he was about to drive his red-hot spear into Meera’s neck.

Thankfully, Mirror Step was faster, and she teleported to safety, but not for long, as they all sprouted wings. As she reappeared, the one with the club was on her, ready to smash her head into the floor.

She jumped again, right in the middle of them all, and used Mirror Blast. Her strongest skill and it did nothing, as they blocked it by extending a hand and forming shields of fire. Even the big man, whom she had cut with his chakram, was fine.

They all laughed as they noted Meera’s shocked expression. All but the spearman. He looked ready to end Meera’s sorry life.

The giant bent down picked up some ash that one of them had left behind when they teleported and rubbed it on his neck. Meera’s eyes widened as his wound sealed up almost right away, leaving behind a thin scar.

“Face it, Varshan. You’re doomed,” said Nikander as he poked his head in from the door.

“Not so quite.”

Meera launched a chakram towards him. The spearman vanished in a puff of ash, but before he could kill her, Meera was gone. She caught her chakram, swirled around, hooked an arm around Nikander’s neck, and her chakram pushing on his jugular.

“Now, I’m sure you’ve all heard of hostage situations,” Meera said. “Let me go, or your fake prince will lose his head.”

“Kill him,” the swordsman said. “He holds no value to us.”

“W-What?” Nikander quivered. “I-I am the son of—”

“Isn’t he the prince’s friend?” Meera said. “It would be a shame for your prince to return and find his friend, minus a head.”

The one with the club laughed. “Taking a hostage. Sign of a true coward.”

“And ganging up on me makes you all so brave.” Meera shot back.

“Y-You can’t let her kill me, please,” Nikander shouted, leaving Meera’s ears ringing.

“Easy. Your shrieking is going to burst my ears.”

“Y-Yes, sorry.”

“What will it be?” Meera asked. “I will die, but take this mewling noble with me.” She pushed the chakram in, making a cut and getting another notification bell.

“Fine.” The Spearman dropped his spear. “You can go.”

“Thank you. Now you all move to that far wall, and you, mister noble, move for the big hole in the wall.”

The Phoenix Protectors moved towards the wall, glaring at her. The swordsman spat in her direction. She didn’t say anything. She just needed to get out of here. It didn’t take long to get to the hole.

“You won’t get far,” the spearman said. “The Watchmen have orders to attack anyone that leaves the room.”

Meera smiled. “Thank you for your concern.”

She activated Shroud of Shadows, which made her translucent because of all the flames. She did a two-finger salute to the Protectors, threw her chakram out the hole, and teleported to it.

Just when she thought she was free, a burning, stabbing pain erupted in her leg. There was a sword sticking out of her thigh. Somehow, the swordsman had thrown his sword and impaled her leg. She stayed up in the air, using Nimbus. She gripped the sword and screamed as it burned fiercely. The pain was terrible, but she pulled it out somehow and let it drop.

Her hand was not so bad, even if it felt like it should have been charred black. She activated Vitalize right away. Down below, the Bleeders were looking about, trying to see where the chakram went. Using Nimbus, she ran off into the night.

The only problem was the swordsman was coming after her, flying on wings of fire. Somehow, he could still sense her even though she was invisible.