Kagagak-
Kang!!
While sparks flew, the 5th officer of the Worst, Kali, withdrew from the fight and looked at the woman standing before her, holding a pair of daggers in the same manner.
‘What is this, who is she?’
Just a moment ago, they had crossed blades, locked in a brief standoff.
From that alone, Kali could tell how skilled this woman was.
At the very least, someone on a higher level than herself.
Moreover, considering that she hadn’t fully assessed the woman’s abilities yet, Kali would likely have to revise her judgment upward.
Then, where did such a skilled person suddenly appear from?
And with that question in mind, Kali reflected on the words the woman had just spoken.
“Wow, a pair of daggers. That’s a rare weapon. Did you perhaps get inspired by Lady Asili?”
The woman had referred to herself as Asili, speaking with those words.
Asili— a name well-known both in the underworld and the public, with a strong reputation. Kali couldn’t help but stare at her, asking in disbelief.
“Are you really Asili Martina?”
“Correct! I am Asili Martina. I just said it, didn’t I?”
The woman, Asili, confirmed with a flick of her wrist, spinning the daggers elegantly in her hands.
And with that confirmation, Kali unknowingly swallowed her irritation, tightening her grip on her own daggers.
…This is bad.
It was, quite literally, a disastrous situation.
She never imagined Asili would show up in this situation.
Though Kali had no idea why someone like her was here, there was no use complaining about what had already occurred.
‘It’s not that I can’t win, but…
Kali herself and the remaining ten assassins.
If they coordinated their efforts, they might still have a chance against Asili.
However, Kali focused her attention on the girl standing behind Asili, who had her sword raised.
‘That little brat… From the fight earlier, she’s more than just a kid. She’s a fighter beyond her years.’
If Kali’s judgment was correct, to deal with the child, at least five of the assassins here would have to be involved.
Then, that left Kali and the remaining five assassins to face Ashiri.
Could they win with just that?
In a flash, Kali quickly made her decision.
If they fought Asili here, they would all be wiped out.
So, what was the best course of action Kali could take now?
“Scatter! Get away from them no matter what!!”
‘As ordered!!!’
The plan was to use their numbers as a decoy and escape from them somehow.
Puff!
-!!!
As soon as Kali gave the order, all the assassins quickly pulled out smoke bombs from their pockets and set them off.
Ten smoke bombs went off simultaneously, filling the area with thick smoke.
Then, Kali and the assassins immediately began to move away, making sure to silence their footsteps.
But there was one thing they overlooked.
“…I can see right through it.”
“Ugh?!”
They didn’t realize that the girl, with her ability to read mana within the body, was immune to the effects of the smoke bombs.
Swish!
In an instant, the girl approached, targeting Kali’s shoulder with a strike.
Instinctively, Kali ducked to avoid the blade and, releasing her suppressed footsteps, shouted.
“What the hell, how did you…?!”
“I just have good eyes.”
The girl replied with what sounded like a playful remark, stepping back as she distanced herself from Kali.
Soon, screams echoed from within the smoke.
“Kiiyaa!!”
“My leg…!”
“W-Where are you?! Ack!!”
The assassins were being taken out one after another.
It seemed the claim of “seeing through it” was not a lie, as the assassins were being systematically defeated.
Kali clicked her tongue, raising her mana in response to the situation.
The smoke bombs had been used to obscure their enemies’ vision, but it was only a restriction on their own side.
“Damn it…!”
Kali, with a strengthened grip on her dual daggers, began to slash in every direction.
Whoosh~ -!!!
The wind generated by her swings began to disperse the smoke rapidly.
And when the smoke cleared, there stood Asili, still in the same position as before, with the girl holding a bloodstained dagger in her trembling hand.
Finally, on the ground, the assassins squirmed.
“Hah… I was thinking this earlier, but you’re really a genius, huh? I thought only my master could do something like this…”
“Uh… Thanks for the help, but who are you?”
“Huh? I just told you. I’m Asili Martina.”
“Who?”… What’s that?”
“What? Are you serious? You don’t know the legendary thief Asili?”
Seeing the two of them chatting like nothing had happened, Kali gritted her teeth in frustration.
Creak.
But despite their casual conversation, there was nothing Kali could do at that moment.
The feeling of helplessness in the face of defeat was something Kali hadn’t felt in a long time, and she clenched her lips, biting back a frustrated groan.
“Ugh…
If it weren’t for Asili, everything would have gone according to plan.
As Kali thought that the grand scheme she had been managing over the past few years would fall apart because of her, her fists clenched instinctively.
She had to survive here, no matter what.
Kali wanted to turn around and run away, but she knew.
Even while engaging in casual conversation, Asili’s consciousness was fixated on her.
And although not as much as Asili, the girl was also continuously watching Kali.
If she tried to run away now, she would end up crawling on the ground like the assassins who had collapsed.
So.
Kali had only one option left.
“…Do I have to use it?”
A few years ago, only the executives of Worst were injected with the demon’s regenerative factor.
Previously, it had only provided about half the regeneration power of a true demon, but recently, it had been perfected.
And the leader of Worst, Chain, who had created this perfect regenerative factor, had also injected the executives with another drug.
That was the “Demon’s Rampage Factor.”
For demons who lived eternally, when their undying life force was about to be extinguished, they could burn their own lives as collateral to draw out power.
It was a secret technique that only a few powerful demons could use during the past war between humans and demons.
And when Chain injected them with this rampage factor, he gave them one warning.
“You should only use this when your life is truly in danger during the mission. After using it, you will die in exactly ten minutes.”
“Ah, so basically, since we’re going to die anyway, we might as well go out with a bang? Right, Leader?”
“Well… you could use it that way, but there is one way you can survive after using this.”
“Huh? What? We can survive? What is it?”
“Within ten minutes of using this rampage factor, you must “devour the corpse of a strong human.” If the corpse belonged to someone powerful enough to threaten your life, it might serve as fuel in place of the life force you burned up.”
Chain’s explanation from the past flashed through Kali’s mind.
Suppressing the nausea rising in her throat, Kali slowly began to awaken the other factor inside her body.
“Eating a human… no matter what, that’s still disgusting.”
“Hm? What are you doing? You’re still trying to fight? You do understand the situation, right? Wouldn’t it be better to just stay still?”
Asili’s voice reached her ears, but Kali didn’t register it.
Thud, thud, thud.
A sensation as if molten lava was boiling from within her heart.
Her entire body felt as though it was being heated up, making her truly realize what it meant to burn one’s life.
And when that burning sensation filled her entire being, Kali slowly stood up.
‘I’ll finish this within that time limit.’
Ten minutes.
“…Hah, I think you just did something really dangerous.”
Power surged through her entire body.
Strength drawn in advance at the cost of her life.
Feeling the sheer magnitude of this power, Kali was certain.
Right now, she could definitely match Asili’s strength or even surpass it.
Crack.
As she exerted force into her foot, the ground beneath her caved in.
In the next instant, Kali’s body shot through the air, launching toward Asili.
Kaaaang!
!!!
“Damn…! What the hell did you do to suddenly get this strong?”
“I put my life on the line. From now on, you should be prepared to die.”
As one of the continent’s strongest warriors, Asili reacted to Kali’s speed and blocked her twin daggers.
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks exploded as their blade energy clashed violently.
And as their weapons separated from the power struggle, an exchange of rapid strikes erupted that even the girl standing nearby could not follow.
Clang, clang, clang!
!!!!!
Unlike Kali’s sword, which focused on slashing and delivering fatal thrusts, Asili’s twin daggers were aimed at digging out and tearing apart vital points.
Because of this, the battle became a contest of sheer overwhelming speed, as both pairs of twin daggers exchanged hundreds of strikes in an instant, filling the air with flashes of blade energy.
The battle was so intense that the girl watching from the side was unable to intervene.
And in this exchange, it was Asili, who was blocking Kali’s attacks, that was being pushed back.
“Ugh, seriously…! If I knew this would be such a pain, I wouldn’t have taken this job…!”
As time passed, wounds began to accumulate on Asili’s body.
Although she was blocking nearly all of Kali’s attacks, the enhanced power of her strikes, amplified by the rampage factor, was still leaving behind injuries.
Kali, on the other hand, was astonished that Asili could withstand all her attacks despite being pushed back.
However, if her wounds continued to pile up like this, it was obvious who would gain the upper hand—especially since only a minute had passed.
‘Then why… why does she still look so composed?’
Despite accumulating wounds, Asili still spoke with a relaxed demeanor, which puzzled Kali.
Did she not feel the threat to her life?
Could she not see that she was going to die soon?
It was a reasonable question for Kali to have.
And the answer to that question came from the powerful presence she felt approaching from afar.
“Elia!!!”
A man was rushing toward them with all his might—
Calling out the name of his daughter.