Free Web NovelChapter 117: The Mysterious Stranger
A brilliant streak of silver suddenly flashed across the battlefield...
The knife descending toward Vaelorin’s throat was violently knocked aside, sparks erupting as the two blades collided together.
The assassin’s knife ricocheted harmlessly into the crimson undergrowth while the silver blade spun gracefully through the air before returning to its owner’s waiting hand.
For a brief moment everything, including the assassin, stopped as silence descended over the battlefield...
The hooded hunter’s emerald eyes slowly shifted sideways, its expressionless gaze settling upon the source of the unexpected disturbance.
Meanwhile, Vaelorin remained rooted where he stood.
For one horrifying instant, his heart had actually stopped beating during the ghastly encounter.
It was only now that it resumed, hammering violently against his ribs as cold sweat streamed down his face. His trembling eyes remained fixed upon the knife embedded in the earth barely an inch from where his throat had been.
If that silver streak had arrived even a fraction of a second later, he would already be lying lifeless upon the forest floor...
Regaleon slowly lifted his head despite the searing pain radiating through his fractured ribs.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as his golden eyes followed the assassin’s line of sight toward the forest behind them.
Then, his pupils narrowed as soon as they settled upon someone standing amongst the crimson trees.
At first glance, the newcomer appeared to be in his youth. Compared to the trio, however, he was noticeably older, looking no younger than his early twenties.
Messy light chestnut-brown hair fell carelessly across his forehead, the unruly strands considerably lighter than Veyrath’s own auburn locks. Beneath them rested a pair of sharp emerald-green eyes that reflected the crimson glow filtering through the forest canopy.
If one looked carefully, they would be able to notice something peculiar about those eyes; they were indifferent.
This kind of indifference was not the cold arrogance often carried by nobles nor was it the emotionless emptiness dwelling within the assassin’s serpentine gaze.
This one was different, belonging to someone who simply couldn’t be bothered by the affairs of the world.
It was the expression of a man who had long since grown tired of involving himself in matters that didn’t concern him.
A dark leather tunic clung comfortably to his lean frame while a loose forest-green cloak rested casually over his shoulders. At his waist hung an ordinary-looking sheath, into which he effortlessly slid the silver longsword that had moments earlier intercepted the fatal strike...
His posture was relaxed, almost lazy.
He stood there with one hand resting upon the hilt of his sword while the other disappeared beneath his cloak, looking less like someone who had interrupted a life-and-death battle and more like a traveler who had simply wandered into the wrong clearing.
Yet Regaleon’s expression gradually became solemn because beneath that carefree demeanor of the stranger, he sensed danger... An overwhelming danger.
It wasn’t loud nor was it oppressive; instead, it remained perfectly concealed beneath the stranger’s relaxed posture. Yet the silver-haired Knight’s instincts screamed relentlessly.
The sensation radiating from this man was even more terrifying than the assassin standing before them. This told him that whoever this stranger was... He definitely wasn’t ordinary.
The stranger silently observed the battered trio for several moments.
His gaze lingered briefly upon Regaleon’s damaged armor, then upon the unconscious Veyrath lying in a pool of blood before finally stopping on Vaelorin’s pale expression.
After a moment, he shifted his attention back toward the assassin. Then he shook his head and released a quiet sigh.
"It seems you Sauryeans have truly begun stretching your hands far beyond your borders..." He started and Regaleon’s brows immediately furrowed upon hearing that.
This was because the stranger’s tone was far too familiar. It wasn’t the uncertainty of someone making a guess nor was it the curiosity of someone encountering a Sauryean for the first time.
Instead, it sounded as though he knew exactly what stood before him.
The silver-haired Knight remained silent and simply continued observing the interaction.
"I wonder..." The stranger continued, lightly scratching the back of his head. "...what a Black Stalker is doing all the way out here."
His green eyes narrowed slightly. Then his lips curved into a faint smile. "Don’t tell me that you’ve sent to kill children now."
His voice carried an unmistakably teasing tone, almost mocking in fact.
The assassin slowly straightened. Then it completely turned away from the trio before facing the newcomer directly.
Neither moved. And for several silent seconds, the two merely stared at one another...
Finally, the assassin spoke, breaking the king silence.
Its strange, ancient voice echoed through the forest. "Kha’veth nar ashur... vel kaen tor’human."
As usual, Regaleon and the others understood nothing. Yet judging from the stranger’s reaction, he seems to understand every word spoken because in the next instant, a chuckle escaped his lips.
"Heh..." He shook his head, then sighed once more. "And what if I want to make it my business?"
Immediately he said that sentence, yhe atmosphere changed. Even Regaleon could sense the dangerous killing intent that was slowly seeping from beneath the assassin’s cloak.
Although its face remained hidden beneath the hood, the silver-haired Knight could somehow discern hostility.
The Black Stalker was no longer merely observing the stranger. Instead, it had accepted him as prey.
The assassin’s voice sounded again.
"Nar ven... sha’kor vel draen."
The meaning remained incomprehensible to everyone present... Everyone except the stranger.
"So..." He slowly raised one eyebrow. "...you’re telling me to prepare to die?"
A grin spread across his face as he loosened his shoulders causally while speaking. "Oh... I’m quite prepared. Also, I’d like to see how you plan on making that happen..."
The words had barely finished leaving his mouth when the Black Stalker vanished.
Regaleon’s muscles instinctively tensed. His body reacted before his mind could, preparing for another attack.
Despite the agony coursing through his ribs, he forced himself upright, preparing to intervene. Then his gaze landed upon the stranger.
The young man hadn’t moved as he still stood exactly where he had been moments earlier. One hand rested lazily upon the hilt of his sword while his expression remained utterly indifferent.
It was as though he wasn’t about to be attacked by one of the deadliest beings Regaleon had ever encountered.
The sight caused the silver-haired knight’s brows to knit together. But before he could think any further, the stranger casually tilted his head...
Almost immediately, a silver knife materialized exactly where his head had been an instant earlier...
WHOOSH!
The blade sliced harmlessly through empty air...
The stranger had avoided it with such effortless precision that it looked no more troublesome than dodging a falling leaf.
His feet never even shifted while the knife continued past him before embedding itself deep within a distant tree.
The assassin appeared immediately behind him and flashed another knife toward his neck...
CLANG!
The stranger drew his longsword halfway from its sheath...
A shower of sparks erupted as the blade effortlessly deflected the strike. And just before the echo of steel could fade, the assassin disappeared once more.
The stranger merely smiled.
"So..."
He finally drew his sword completely, its silver edge gleaming beneath the crimson light.
"...that’s how you want to play."
The assassin answered with silence as the shadows swallowed it once again. Then in the very next heartbeat, the forest erupted into motion and the battle between the mysterious stranger and the Sauryean assassin begun in earnest...
