Inside No. 3 Mine.
After all the assassins had assembled, Caesar's face was terrifyingly grim.
The four assassins he had brought with him were all veterans who had clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Their skills in tracking, concealment, and scouting were already etched into their very bones.
At this moment, they were combing through this massive domed mine and all surrounding areas capable of hiding someone with astonishing efficiency.
Crevices, dirt pits, and abandoned mine tunnels—not a single spot was overlooked.
Their movements were silent, and their gazes were as sharp as eagles.
Just brushing their fingers over the ground allowed them to sense the most minute traces.
With a slight twitch of their noses, they could distinguish any unfamiliar scent lingering in the air.
One of them even lay flat on the ground, pressing his ear tightly against the cold rock.
He listened intently for any hint of movement that might echo from deep within the earth.
Yet, there was nothing.
Lin Gui, Elvia, and the crucially important Saintess.
They had seemingly vanished off the face of the earth, leaving not a single trace behind.
This was simply unbelievable.
The mages outside had sworn up and down that they had never left.
Furthermore, when Caesar himself was checking the traps at the exit, he had caught a distant glimpse of that black-haired, black-eyed mage.
Where on earth were they hiding?!
Caesar reflexively pulled out the Transmission Stone used to contact Valk from his vest and channeled mana into it.
“Valk, are you sure the Saintess is in No. 3 Mine?”
...There was no response.
The other end of the Transmission Stone was dead silent.
“Valk?”
Caesar called out again, an involuntary trace of anxiety creeping into his voice.
Still, there was only silence.
An ominous premonition instantly gripped Caesar's heart.
Had something happened outside?
But the moment this thought arose, he forcefully suppressed it.
Impossible!
He had deployed nearly half of the rebel army's core forces around the perimeter of the mine.
More than twenty Transcendent Rank combatants, over a hundred High Rank ones, and that regional isolation barrier they had obtained at a massive cost!
With a lineup like this, even if the main force of the Royal Capital Knights were to deploy in full...
relying on the terrain and the barrier, he was confident he could hold out for at least a month.
With a barrier on the outside and heavy forces within, what could possibly go wrong?
Or perhaps the energy field deep inside the mine was interfering with the transmission?
He composed himself, put away Valk's Transmission Stone, and pulled out several others.
These Transmission Stones varied in shape and had slightly different colors, but they all originated from the same massive “Transmission Raw Stone.”
Only with this “shared origin” could they achieve point-to-point magical communication over short distances.
He tried contacting the leaders of the other squads one by one.
At this moment, the assassin codenamed “Black Scorpion” beside him couldn't help but speak, his voice dry.
“Boss... something's not right. Should we call Dead Rat and the others over too?”
Dead Rat was another High-tier Transcendent assassin executing the Saintess assassination mission.
There were a few other experts like him in the rebel army.
Yet for some reason, at this critical juncture of assassinating the Saintess, they hadn't shown up.
Caesar swept his cold gaze toward him.
Black Scorpion licked his dry lips and spoke rapidly.
“You know our strength, Boss. While we might not be the absolute top in the Royal Capital when it comes to tracking and concealment, we are definitely veterans.”
“Now, the targets are clearly in this mine, yet we can't even pick up a whisper of their presence. There's only one explanation...”
He paused, a flash of dread crossing his eyes.
“Someone stronger and far better at concealment than us is lurking in here! They've hidden our targets.”
“And someone stronger than us... can only be a Legendary Rank expert!”
He looked at Caesar, his tone carrying a hint of pleading.
“If it really is a Legendary Rank expert lying in ambush, just the few of us going in would be suicide.”
“But if we call Dead Rat and the others over, working together...”
“even if we face a Legendary Rank expert, with our numbers and... that item, we might still stand a fighting chance!”
Hearing Black Scorpion mention “those guys,” a subtle glint flashed in Caesar's eyes.
A fleeting, barely perceptible gloom swept across his face.
He fell silent for a moment before speaking in a heavy tone.
“Dead Rat and the others... won't be coming.”
“What?” Viper and Black Scorpion frowned at the same time.
Caesar sighed, as if recalling some painful experience.
“To test the power of the artifact and ensure nothing would go wrong with this operation...”
“I previously took them to Twilight Fortress to test it out on that Low-tier Legendary, Duke Sam...”
He paused, his voice turning low.
“We did succeed in severely wounding and crippling him, but... the price was too high.”
“The other brothers all perished under the duke's counterattack.”
Viper and Black Scorpion exchanged a look, both seeing deep suspicion in each other's eyes.
They knew the strength of those companions all too well.
Even if they weren't a match for a Legendary Rank expert in a one-on-one fight, working together as assassins who struck and immediately retreated, how could they have been completely wiped out?
An assassin's creed had always been to flee thousands of miles if a strike failed.
Fighting to the death was already a poor choice, and dying together was out of the question.
Caesar's explanation seemed reasonable, but in their eyes, it was full of loopholes.
Before they could ponder further, Caesar, seemingly unwilling to dwell on this topic.
Abruptly changing the subject, his sharp gaze swept across the few present, his tone carrying surprise and suspicion.
“...Where is Lust Demon?”
Everyone froze and immediately looked around.
Only then did they realize that Lust Demon, who had been searching with them just moments ago...
had somehow vanished without a sound!
...
Meanwhile, several hundred meters away, deep inside an even more secluded side tunnel of No. 3 Mine that was piled high with rotting minecart frames...
Lust Demon was holding his breath, softening his steps as he crept forward inch by inch.
His face, filled with lecherous desire, was slightly contorted with excitement.
His eyes gleamed as he stared intently at a spot not far ahead.
A narrow crevice hidden in the shadow of a massive boulder.
Just a few minutes ago, when he was searching this area...
the corner of his eye had keenly caught a glimpse deep inside that crevice.
It seemed a golden figure had flashed past!
That graceful silhouette was undoubtedly the Saintess.
“Little beauty... you hid yourself quite deep, didn't you...”
A suppressed low growl escaped Lust Demon's throat, all caution and the mission completely thrown to the wind.
“Let uncle show you some love...”
In his eyes, this was absolutely a flaw the Saintess had accidentally exposed while hiding in panic.
He could already picture her holy body trembling and begging beneath him.
With his adrenaline surging, he broke away from the squad without a second thought.
Pouncing toward this “accidental discovery” all on his own.
He completely failed to notice that in the shadows of the ceiling high behind him...
the air was rippling imperceptibly.
A pair of emerald eyes was silently watching him.
Rate on N.U.
