Chapter 83: The Dissolving Assassins

The Black-robed Mage smirked chillingly, ignoring Imeline’s question. He showed no concern for his comrade, who had been thrown into the ruins moments ago and whose fate remained unknown. Immediately, he issued a command for the black-clad figures to attack Attestor.

****

A group of Black-robed Knights leaped from the rooftops, leaving only three to guard the Black-robed Mage. Meanwhile, the Assassins moved across the roofs, their bodies becoming semi-transparent.

If they remained still, Lucia and her companions would truly be unable to spot where they were hidden without careful observation.

This was the Assassins’ special ability: Stealth. It allowed them to conceal their presence to a certain extent. However, any attack or significant movement would inevitably reveal their position.

Confronted by the hidden Assassins, Imeline immediately activated her True Sight. The Assassins’ positions were instantly laid bare before her.

However, True Sight could not be bestowed upon others. Lucia and Attestor still had to rely on their own eyes.

“Lucia, I’ll hold off the knights from the front and take the Mage’s attacks. You protect Imeline.”

With that, Attestor charged forward, meeting the Black-robed Knights who were surging towards her.

Lucia’s direct combat abilities were not her strongest suit, making a confrontation with the Black-robed Knights a poor choice. Assassinating the Black-robed Mage was also unlikely to succeed.

The Mage had kept three of the strongest Black-robed Knights by his side, and Lucia could sense one of them was a Fourth-tier combatant.

The Black-robed Mage and the Assassin who had deflected her sword earlier were also Fourth-tier. Clearly, this group of black-clad figures represented a superior version of Lucia’s own party in terms of combat tiers.

Moreover, they were accompanied by other Third-tier comrades.

Consequently, only Attestor could withstand the frontal assault of the black-clad group. The Assassins, therefore, had to be dealt with by Lucia and Imeline themselves.

‘Lucia, buy me a few more seconds!’

‘Understood!’

Imeline’s eyes sharpened, and a silver luminescence enveloped her.

She decided to calculate the coordinates first, preparing her Spatial Teleportation spell in advance.

Having gained experience from her last daring teleportation back to Lovelenica’s room, she was confident she could calculate it within a few seconds.

As long as she could set the teleportation destination first, she would instantly be able to teleport away when the Assassins launched their surprise attack.

Having suffered once against these semi-transparent Assassins, Lucia was now fully focused.

Her wounds had completely healed, and her mobility was restored.

She lacked Attestor’s ability to draw enemies in, so she could only repel the Assassins or even use her body to block their attacks.

An Assassin had already closed in on Lucia. Their semi-transparent body suddenly solidified, their speed seemingly enhanced.

A dagger, concealed beneath their cloak, lunged towards Lucia’s heart.

‘I’ve got her!’

The Assassin’s heart swelled with secret delight, yet suddenly, a chill ran down their neck.

Lucia remained expressionless in the face of the Assassin’s sudden attack.

Her speed proved superior. With a slight shift of her body, she dodged the dagger. In the very instant they brushed past each other, her sharp sword slashed across the Assassin’s neck.

With a powerful flick of her wrist, Lucia severed the Assassin’s entire head.

“Pfft—”

The Assassin’s body crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from its neck like a fountain. Lucia paid it no mind.

If they intended to kill her, they had to be prepared to die themselves.

Lucia had merely been caught off guard earlier, which was why she had seemed so flustered. In reality, against this group of black-clad Assassins, Lucia’s speed and strength held the advantage.

This was true for all except the Fourth-tier Assassin.

However, a bizarre sight unfolded at that moment.

The fallen Assassin’s head and body began to dissolve rapidly before her eyes, quickly melting into a puddle of blood.

“What? You all…”

‘What?! You…’

Lucia was startled by this sudden, unknown phenomenon. In the brief moment of her stupefaction, another Assassin’s dagger plunged towards her.

*Thwack—*

Lucia immediately felt a searing pain. Despite her best efforts to block, the dagger had deeply embedded itself in her left shoulder.

Her left arm instantly went numb and weak, and the sharp sword in her left hand slipped, clattering to the ground.

She quickly spun and slashed, cutting this Assassin in half at the waist. The bizarre phenomenon recurred; the bifurcated body once again dissolved into a puddle of blood.

‘Was the Assassin Attestor threw into the ruins the same way…?’

Because that Assassin had been buried in the rubble, Lucia hadn’t noticed if they, too, had dissolved into blood after death like the others.

“What exactly is…”

Before Lucia could ponder further, she glimpsed several semi-transparent figures approaching Imeline.

“Frozen Aura.”

The crystal at the tip of Imeline’s wand instantly shifted from crimson to icy blue. The temperature around her rapidly plummeted, coating the ground and walls nearby with a layer of frost.

She exhaled a frosty breath, and a ring of ice-blue light materialized around her, swiftly expanding outwards.

The aura enveloped a distance of roughly ten meters. Within its icy reach, the Assassins’ stealth even failed, as a thin layer of frost now coated their stealth suits.

The Assassins’ speed immediately plummeted. Three sharp swords shot from a short distance away, piercing the Assassin closest to Imeline.

He still intended to press forward, but Lucia had already appeared directly above him.

“Pfft—”

A silver gleam flashed once more, and the Assassin’s warm blood splattered across the ground. Like the two before him, this Assassin also fell to the ground and quickly began to dissolve.

Meanwhile, Attestor had already engaged the Black-robed Knights.

There were four Black-robed Knights in total. From a rough assessment, they were all at the intermediate Third-tier level, while Attestor was a high-level Third-tier combatant.

As before, Attestor began with a Shield Charge, slamming into the shield of the leading Black-robed Knight.

The strength of a knight was far superior to that of an Assassin. The Black-robed Knight, struck head-on, was indeed sent flying backward.

Yet, despite being thrown back, he managed to land steadily on his feet. Attestor’s own advance momentarily faltered.

The other Black-robed Knights’ slashes followed in quick succession. Attestor held her Holy Shield horizontally before her, blocking the attacks of two knights.

Another Black-robed Knight circled behind Attestor, wielding their sword with both hands, and brought it down heavily towards her.

However, Attestor had long since noticed their movements. With a swing of her right hand, her greatsword instantly clashed with the Black-robed Knight’s blade.

The Black-robed Knight’s sword shattered instantly. Attestor’s greatsword, however, lost none of its momentum.

The Black-robed Knight’s body and armor were sliced in two like tofu. His upper body, propelled by the immense force, even flew onto the rooftop, landing right in front of the Black-robed Mage.

“This fiend!”

Witnessing this brutal sight, the two knights still grappling with Attestor immediately felt their legs turn to jelly.

They leaped backward, terrified of being torn to shreds the next second.

“…Is she a monster?”

“You lot, dissolving into goo after death, you’re the monsters, aren’t you? Not attacking? Then just stay put!”

With that, Attestor once again charged at the remaining three Black-robed Knights.