Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 517 - 516- Assassination

The building stood fairly isolated, with no residential houses nearby, which was a huge plus.

They approached it like phantoms of the night, quick, dark, almost illusory to the eye. Upon reaching the base of the three-storey structure, they split up without a sound.

According to the intel, the middle floor had the highest number of guards, so Ruby, the most silent among them, was assigned to clear it.

The redhead vaulted onto the first-floor window ledge, Tiffany close behind her, and peeked inside the room.

The others waited below, poised to take down anyone who attempted to escape.

Three Umbral members had taken elevated positions across three different regions, forming the last line of offense. If anyone slipped through the net, those three would execute them.

All of this had been planned by Annabelle. Her intent during the planning was clear: none of them were to see the next morning.

As Ruby peeked inside, she counted around seventeen Acolytes roaming the floor.

Some sat cross-legged in meditation, while others polished their weapons.

They are planning to move soon. Despite their evil natures, they were still human and would not stay awake at this hour without reason. That meant Annabelle had been right to strike now.

"What should we do, Miss R?"

Ruby blinked in surprise. "R?"

Tiffany shrugged. "I mean, what’s the point of this get-up if someone calls your real name and gets you caught?"

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Forget about that. I’ll give you the cover. You finish the ones on their feet. Be quick and precise."

Tiffany answered with a cheerful salute, making Ruby briefly question whether this girl was really suited for the job.

Regardless, Ruby pulled out a large nail from her vest. A few hushed syllables slipped past her lips, and the runes etched along the nail began to glow faintly.

With a sharp flick of her wrist, she sent the nail whistling across the room, where it lodged deep into the wall.

HISSSS

In an instant, dark smog erupted from the nail, swallowing the floor in suffocating darkness.

To the outside eye, nothing seemed amiss, but within, the darkness masked every foreign presence, leaving the Acolytes oblivious to the intrusion.

Ruby did not need to signal Tiffany. The girl had already slipped inside, her slitters sliding smoothly into her fingers.

"Who mmmf!" The first man did not even get the chance to turn. Tiffany slammed her foot into the back of his knee, forcing him down, and clamped a hand over his mouth.

Without hesitation, she drew the thin blade across his throat. A thick stream of blood burst from his neck.

The man twitched like a fish for a brief moment before Tiffany eased him to the ground and moved on to the second.

The second man was about the same height as her, so she did not bother choking him down. She drove her blade into his throat again and again, her fist sealing his mouth to smother any sound.

The man thrashed and struggled to break free, but it was useless.

Tiffany dragged him aside and moved on to the next target, a hulking man well over six feet tall.

She moved like a cat, her steps soundless. In a sudden burst, she leapt up, locked an arm around his neck, and snapped his head with such speed that he never understood what had struck him.

As his body started to collapse, Tiffany rolled off his shoulders and landed behind him, back hunched and ready.

Not a sound was made as she carried him away.

One after another, she eliminated every moving Acolyte, swift and unnoticed.

Watching how precisely she struck their vital points, Ruby got the sense that Tiffany had been in this line of work for a long time.

She is fearless and impressive. The girl looked no older than twenty, yet her skill completely defied her age.

However, Ruby did not have time to admire her skill for long.

"Stop right there!" One of the Acolytes had sensed movement. Tiffany had used mana just moments ago, and one of the meditating Acolytes caught it.

Tiffany was struck in place, likely by a spell, and struggled to regain control.

"Tch..." She clicked her tongue as she noticed the others looking around in confusion. They still could not see her because of the armament.

But it would not take long for them to realize the cause.

Just then,

WHIP

Something long and flexible coiled around the Acolyte’s throat.

Less than a second later, his head rolled away from his body.

Tiffany dropped back onto the floor, breathing unevenly. She looked across the room at Ruby, who stood with a faintly glowing whip in her hand.

Just then, a shout rang out. "Jeffery is dead! Someone’s here! Stay alert and warn the others!"

It was inevitable. The sudden drop in numbers could not go unnoticed, and the man Ruby had killed lay almost at the center of the room.

Ruby and Tiffany exchanged a glance. With a single nod, they moved at the same time.

Tiffany flicked her blade, and it extended into a short sword.

She clamped a hand over an Acolyte’s mouth and drove the weapon into his vital points in rapid succession.

The man gagged and flailed, his eyes wide, before the light drained from them.

The tight space called for a smaller weapon. Ruby drew her dagger and charged at the Acolytes rushing toward the door.

Runes along her blade flared as she slashed in a sharp cross.

"Agh! Ghauk!" Their vision was swallowed by darkness, and they staggered back, unable to reach the door.

Ruby needed movement, not noise.

She did not hesitate. Two swift slashes, and both men fell.

One by one, bodies fell. A single nail embedded in the room had robbed the Acolytes of their vision, leaving them unable to tell where the intruders were striking from.

That same darkness was a disadvantage for Ruby and Tiffany as well, limiting their sight and drowning the entire room in a thick, suffocating cloud.

Even so, guided by sharp senses and the urgency of their mission, they assassinated all seventeen Acolytes in succession.

Not one of them managed to fight back.

"Haah... haa..." Tiffany gasped for breath as she stood in the middle of the room, wiping her cheek. The motion smeared clotted blood across her skin.

Ruby let out a slow breath and scanned the area.

Everyone was dead. She could just make out the faint outlines of their bodies.

That was why she stepped toward the wall and reached for the nail—

"...!!"

"What?"

Tiffany cried out as Ruby froze, her eyes widening in shock.

As the armament’s effect was released, they saw it.

A single man hovered several meters above the ground, eyes closed, posture calm and unbothered.

How did we not sense him? Ruby tightened her grip on her blade, ready to end it.

The Acolyte spoke without opening his eyes. "Good work clearing the obstacles."

Then he opened them and grinned. "And thank you for walking straight into the tiger’s den."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.