I borrow a mask from Bodev's bodyguards and change my coat to disguise myself as one of them. Additionally, I wear a face mask for my second identity. The whole time I change, the bodyguards give me weird stares.

We continue running through the forest, basking in the shadow of leaves and branches from the blue moonlight.

"Now!" a woman shouts. A group of BOV ambushes us. Unfortunately for them, my sword instantly cuts a hole in their neck with a swift curve.

"Where are we supposed to go?" I ask Bodev.

"Just up ahead between the block mountains, in the rift valley. We have allies stationed there to ambush any remnants of officers chasing us. My brother...will be there too."

"Your brother?"

"Young master's elder brother is one of Night Owl's best archers. He can cover us for escape." Bodev's bodyguard answers.

I nod and pull aside my sword, cutting through the trees and bushes to kill another latent group.

"ARGHH?!"

*thud thud thud*

We run past the group further into the forest.

Suddenly, a loud piercing whistle echoes in the sky.

"Shit," I mumble. One was still alive.

"We have to hurry, the main force will be here soon," Bodev says.

"I know," I reply.

!!!

I stop in my tracks. The others halt and look at me. "What's wrong? We have to go!" One of his bodyguards says.

...

"There is...a large group ahead. Thirty people. One of them is particularly strong." I say.

My eyes twitch.

"He sensed me. He is coming in our direction." I say.

"W-What do we..." Bodev mumbles.

I sigh and swing my hand a few rounds. "Go ahead, I will face him. Don't forget about my reward."

"O-Okay, meet us at rift valley." Says Bodev and they run off.

I close my eyes with the Blade of Eternity in my hand. All the sword fundamentals I've learnt come rushing through my mind.

I take a deep breath and place my right foot slightly above my left.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Something zaps through the air. Waves of wind split and explode in a path leading here.

Rustling of leaves dances. A silhouette rips from the darkness and sends one sweeping slash at my neck.

*CHING*

Sparks and mana scatter at the clash of blades. Both blades are coated in mana. The strong presence I felt was an assassin covered in full black attire, a black coat, shirt, and pants. Judging by his appearance, he seems to be another contract mercenary under BOV.

"Who are you? The report did not mention this!" The mercenary says.

Using my entire body, from my feet to my arms, I sweep and deflect his dagger to the side before trying to kick his chest. He counters my kick with a kick to my abdomen, sending both of us a distance apart.

Right in front of me, he disappears back into the shadow along with his presence.

I pull my blade and spin my body, cutting every tree in a close radius and creating dominoes of nature chaos.

The lack of shadow forces the man to show himself in the open.

...

Assassins have heightened instincts and senses. And this mercenary senses no fear from me, none at all. My heartbeat is as calm as relaxing on a bed.

He grips his twin daggers anxiously. The worst and easiest opponent can be one that relaxes in a battle as that person is either naive or stupendously strong.

The assassin leaps at me, his body engulfs in a dark mana and splits into eight dark silhouette clones. Six splits to my left and right while two charge me from the front.

I continue to gaze forward and hold up my sword. When all eight shadows attack me from every distance, I step forward and tilt my head. Seven shadows manage to cut my skin, however, one particular shadow aimed for my neck, barely missing. I grab that one shadow's body, swipe kick his legs to trip him and slam him to the ground.

*BOOM!*

"AUCK!!!" He groans. The rest of the shadows vanish into strips of dark mana.

I take up my sword and stab at his thigh, he rolls aside to dodge it but still receives a minor cut.

Then, he quickly uses his hand to eject his body up and leaps away. Quite agile, as expected from an assassin. Albeit not trying my best, I have to give it to him. His persistence is strong. That slam probably broke his spine or ribcage.

Assassins are fairly easy to deal with when you get used to them. Yes, they are very agile and often can catch you by surprise. My tip? Stay calm. Assassins use hesitation and anxiety to catch their prey. My second tip? Remember that assassins only have one goal: To kill you in one strike.

Thus, it becomes relatively easy to guess where an assassin will aim, at your vitals. All of his clone baits tried to cut but his real body aiming for my neck gave himself away.

The assassin grasps his chest and pulls down his mask. Blood flows down his mouth.

"Ack...Ack..." He coughs a bit of blood. "Huff huff..."

...

His trembling hands still grip his weapons tightly. His breathing was uneven.

"L-Leave him alone!" A woman shouts and jumps out from the bush, her sword thrusting to my back.

"Wait! No!" The assassin exclaims.

One simple swipe of my hand breaks twists her neck and kills her.

!!!

"N-NOO!" The assassin charges at me. Mana circulates around my leg and materializes an aura.

"ARGHH!!" The assassin shouts, he has lost his mind. One kick to his face sends him far away into the forest, crashing through several trees and spinning his body across the dirt. Torrents of blood leave a trail.

I turn my attention back to the remnants of BOV officers behind me. All of them quiver at my bloody smile basked in blue moonlight.

"R-Run!" They sprint away as fast as they can.

An explosive amount of mana wraps around my half-broken sword. One slash horizontal slash is enough. In a blink, an arc of nature and BOV officers split in two and drip a river of blood.

I tap the sword against my shoulder and nod. "Hm... not bad. I'm comfortably adapting the sword."

Next, I go to the assassin who crashed into the ground. His entire body is a mess, with broken ligaments and bones at every nook and cranny. His face was beaten to a purple pulp drenched in blood.

"Was that a lover?" I whisper to the assassin. He fixates his stare on the corpse of the girl and falls unconscious.

...

I carry his body on my shoulder and head for the rift valley.