Free Web NovelChapter 117: Chapter 115
Whoever it was clearly had resources and one particular person kept surfacing in his mind but he wasn’t fully certain yet if it was him or someone else.
That annoyed him even more than dealing with these pests. Honestly, he was getting tired of cleaning up after these repeated assassination attempts.
His gaze instinctively drifted towards Blanca who was carving peacefully.
Back then, Blanca had been nothing more than an empty, detached, and emotionless little cub that only knew how to survive.
But seeing how she was finally starting to enjoy life?
How she laughed, complained, threatened people over vegetables, bullied her ’friends’ daily, and terrorized entire classes?
How she was full of life and craziness?
He had no intention of allowing anyone to ruin that.
He stood up, quietly walked towards her, and without interrupting her carving, gently patted her head.
"You’re disturbing my artistic flow," she said without looking up.
"You mean your destruction process?"
"It’s called creativity."
For a brief moment, the coldness in his eyes disappeared completely as he chuckled softly. "Behave while I’m gone, My Lady."
"I always behave."
Several students looked horrified.
One even muttered, "...Is behaving in her dictionary different from ours?"
Blanca ignored them all and continued carving. "Will you be back before lunch?"
"Yes."
"Don’t forget to buy me lunch," she said seriously.
"...Anything else?"
"Buy strawberry milk too."
"And...?"
"Spicy chicken."
"Vegetables."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
She finally looked up, glaring at him. "I swear if I see one vegetable on my food, I will go on a hunger strike."
"You’re surviving entirely on meat and sugar."
"That sounds like a healthy lifestyle to me."
Gawain sighed like an exhausted parent before lightly flicking her forehead.
"Ow."
He glanced at the trembling students nearby. "Try to be kinder. They came here to learn, not to be terrorized."
Blanca immediately frowned in offense. "But I am kind."
"Since when?"
She waved lazily at him. "Just go already. You’re blocking my lighting!"
"Fine," he laughed quietly before turning toward the exit.
"Hey, Gawain."
He paused and looked back. "...Yes, My Lady?"
This time, Blanca finally spoke without her usual teasing tone.
"Whatever you’re about to do," she said while continuing to carve carefully, "make sure to come back before lunch."
Gawain froze slightly. ’So she noticed.’ fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
For someone who acted carelessly most of the time, she noticed far more than people realized.
Which only made him wonder more.
If she already knew there were hostile presences inside the academy...
Then why didn’t she tell him?
"Since when—" he started quietly.
"Shush!" Blanca suddenly cut him off irritably without even looking at him. "Can’t you see I’m busy carving?! Stop talking to me!"
The atmosphere instantly shattered.
Several students flinched.
Silvano sighed into his hands.
Meanwhile, Gawain just stood there quietly for a moment before laughing under his breath.
"...As expected."
He finally turned around and left the room quietly.
His face remained calm and gentle but the moment he stepped farther from the studio, the air around him slowly changed.
Students walking through the hallways unconsciously moved aside.
Some didn’t even realize why they suddenly felt nervous.
Others instinctively lowered their heads.
One student who was laughing loudly suddenly stopped mid-sentence when Gawain passed by.
"...Why do I suddenly feel like apologizing to someone?" he whispered.
His friend swallowed hard. "I think my survival instincts just activated."
Gawain continued walking silently but beneath that calm exterior, his killing intent was slowly leaking out.
Like a predator finally leaving its cage.
He checked the CCTV footage once more through his OmniSync.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Western Corridor, IAC
"...Do you feel that?" One of the assassins suddenly paused.
Another frowned. "Feel what?"
The corridor lights flickered once.
Twice.
Then everything went black, darkness swallowing the whole area instantly.
"Shit! Did you check the controls?"
"Why did it suddenly black out?"
"Forget it! Let’s finish the mission already!"
A cold voice suddenly echoed through the corridor. "You shouldn’t have accepted the order."
All five assassins froze instantly.
"Who’s there?!" one of them barked as they immediately formed a defensive circle.
Silence.
Only the sound of their own heavy, uneven, panicked breathing remained.
The silence itself felt wrong.
Somewhere beyond the darkness, footsteps can be heard slowly approaching them.
"Why so nervous?"
They immediately threw a dagger towards the direction of the sound.
CLANG!
It only struck the wall.
"Control your breathing and focus on the surroundings!" the leader hissed, sweat slowly dripping down his neck.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"It hasn’t even been a minute" the voice continued lazily, "yet I can already hear the blood rushing through your veins."
Another assassin instantly threw a blade toward the sound again.
CLANG!
"Missed again."
A low, mocking, chuckle echoed throughout the hall.
The assassins’ faces paled.
"Shit! This is bad!" the leader snapped. "Create light! Any kind of light!"
One quickly activated a small illumination crystal.
A weak glow spreading through the darkness, just enough for them to see each other’s pale faces and the blood smeared across the floor.
They froze.
"...Whose blood is that?"
No one answered because, they were still standing when they heard a sound echoing from above them.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
All of them slowly raised their heads only to immediately recoil.
One of their comrades was hanging upside down from the ceiling.
Already dead, eyes still open, as blood dripped steadily from his throat.
"What the fu—"
THUD!
The corpse suddenly dropped directly into the middle of their formation.
Several assassins stumbled back in panic.
"He killed Kade?!"
"When?!"
"How the hell did none of us notice?!"
The assassin holding the illumination crystal suddenly screamed, his body violently jerking backward then vanished into the darkness.
"Zed!"
The crystal slipped from his hand, rolling across the floor and casting unstable flickering light throughout the corridor.
Scrraaaape—
The sound of something being dragged echoed deeper into the shadows.
The remaining assassins froze.
"...No..."
Then came the raw, desperate, agonizing screams.
"P-PLEAASEE NO—"
"AAAHHH!!!"
"GUHK— S-SPARE— AAAHHH!!!"
It was soon followed by sickening cracks that echoed one after another like bones being snapped apart piece by piece.
CRACK!
CRUNCH!
SNAP!
"HELP ME— UCK!"
The voice abruptly got cut off as silence followed.
A heavy silence made their stomachs twist violently.
"Ahahaha..."
A low laugh echoed through the corridor.
One of them shakily stepped backward. "W-What the hell is this monster...?"
The flickering crystal light illuminated the hallway again for a brief second, just enough for them to see Gawain standing at the far end.
Perfectly composed, not a single wrinkle on his uniform, wearing a gentle smile, blood slowly dripping from his hands which somehow made everything far more horrifying.
"You know," Gawain said calmly, "most assassins at least try to gather proper information before accepting a mission."
He slowly walked towards them.
Step.
Step.
Step.
"But all of you came here blindly."
The remaining assassins immediately raised their weapons.
Their hands were trembling now.
"You should feel honored though," Gawain continued softly. "You managed to irritate me today."
One assassin finally broke mentally and charged at him with a scream.
Gawain disappeared.
"...Huh?"
A hand suddenly landed lightly on his shoulder from behind.
"There you are."
The assassin’s eyes widened in horror but it was already too late.
CRACK.
His body collapsed instantly.
The remaining three finally scattered.
"RUN!"
They sprinted in opposite directions without hesitation.
Gawain watched them calmly before sighing. "...Now that’s just rude."
He vanished into the darkness after them.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Khaled desperately searched for an exit.
But no matter where he ran, left, right, straight. He always ends up back in the same endless dark corridor.
"Fuck... Fuck! FUCK!" he cursed while panting heavily. "That fucking shithead boss!"
That shithead never mentioned someone like this was protecting the target.
No, their boss probably already knew, which meant they were sent here as disposable pawns from the start.
Khaled almost laughed hysterically.
He should have known the moment he saw the absurd reward amount attached to the mission but greed blinded him. Now he was going to die here like a rat trapped in a maze.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Khaled’s entire body stiffened.
The footsteps echoed slowly behind him.
Khaled immediately ran again but no matter how fast he moved, the footsteps only grew closer.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Cold sweat drenched his back, breathing became uneven as his legs finally gave out.
Khaled collapsed to his knees in defeat. "...Yeah," he muttered bitterly. "This is how I die."
’Pathetic.’
The footsteps stopped directly behind him.
"I’m glad at least one of you used your brain," the man said calmly. "The others kept struggling uselessly."
Khaled clenched his fists. "Just kill me already."
The man behind him snorted softly. "Where’s the fun in that?"
Khaled gritted his teeth. "Fuck you!"
A low laugh echoed behind him. "I’m afraid I’m not interested in men."
Khaled almost choked from disbelief. ’Even now this fucker was joking?!’
Gawain slowly crouched beside him. "So which bastard ordered you to kill the target?"
"Only our shithead boss knows. He gives orders. We accept missions. That’s all."
Gawain hummed thoughtfully. "So you’re useless."
"...Pretty much."
"Then who’s your boss?"
Khaled hesitated before speaking carefully. "...Will you let me live if I tell you?"
Gawain smiled pleasantly. "Depends on whether your answer satisfies me."
Khaled swallowed hard. "He goes by the name Bishop. He manages the Ebony Syndicate."
For the first time, Gawain looked genuinely disappointed. He sighed softly while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That son of a bitch."
Khaled blinked in confusion.
"He should have realized by now that what he’s doing is useless," Gawain said quietly, his eyes darkening slightly. "Especially after multiple assassins already disappeared pursuing this exact mission."
"...Wait." Khaled slowly stared at him. "You know him?"
"Unfortunately," a faint amused smile appeared on Gawain’s lips as he leaned lightly against the wall. "His real name is Bane Porcetti."
Khaled froze.
"And I used to work under him."
Khaled stared at him in disbelief now. No wonder this monster fought like a trained executioner. He must also be someone from the underground’s top predator.
"...Then," Khaled said carefully, "may I at least know your name?"
The man smiled gently. "Everyone knows me as Omen."
Khaled’s eyes widened instantly. "...Omen? "
His breathing hitched violently. "No... wait..."
There was only one infamous figure connected to the Ebony Syndicate with that name.
A ghost everyone thought had died years ago.
"You—"
Khaled instinctively dragged himself backward despite still kneeling.
"How are you still alive?"
His gaze slowly swept around the endless darkness surrounding them.
The distorted space, suffocating pressure, and the complete isolation from reality.
There was only one explanation.
"...You can use Soul Arts now?"
Gawain’s smile faded slightly as he crouched until they were eye-level again. "You talk too much," he said softly.
Khaled immediately felt cold sweat pour down his spine.
"And your answer," Gawain continued quietly, "didn’t even satisfy me."
Khaled’s face paled. "Wait—"
"So unfortunately..." Gawain smiled again. "I’ll have to kill you."
Khaled immediately lunged backward desperately. "WAIT! I CAN STILL—"
His knees slammed harder against the floor.
CRACK.
The tiles beneath him shattered.
Khaled’s eyes widened in horror as he realized he couldn’t even move anymore.
Soul Arts.
Abilities capable of manipulating the soul itself.
Only powerful beasts and those who had fully awakened their cores were capable of using them.
Yet Omen...
The man rumored to have failed his awakening years ago had somehow returned even more terrifying than before.
Gawain’s expression remained calm. "You know," he said quietly, "I genuinely tried being patient today."
Khaled clawed weakly at Gawain’s wrist. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"But people keep trying to kill someone important to me."
The pressure increased, cracks slowly spreading across the wall.
"And that’s becoming very annoying."
Khaled’s vision blurred. "...P-please..."
Gawain stared at him silently for a moment then smiled gently one last time.
CRACK.
Silence filled the corridor once more.
The endless darkness slowly peeled away like it had never existed, flickering hallway lights returned to normal, shattered walls slowly repairing back, even the bodies were nowhere to be found.
Not even a drop of blood remained, only the faint metallic scent lingering in the air hinted that a massacre had just happened moments ago.
Gawain calmly before stepping over the now spotless floor.
"Even now," he muttered softly, "that shithead still doesn’t know when to give up."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"Should I pay him a visit?"
For a brief second, the killing intent around him thickened again.
Ping!
[Blanca: Don’t forget my milk.]
A long silence followed.
Gawain suddenly let out a quiet laugh, the terrifying atmosphere around him disappearing almost instantly.
"...Right."
He completely abandoned the idea of murder for now and turned towards the cafeteria instead.
Because someone more dangerous than assassins was currently waiting for her lunch.
