The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

"Tome construct!"

A sharp hum rang out. Omar and the elders’ eyes widened in shock at his sudden move.

Metal surged, gathering in front of Guren as it rapidly took shape, forming a towering humanoid construct.

Guren stepped forward, and the construct mirrored him instantly. A violent shockwave burst outward, tearing through the walls and ceiling.

Then...

It vanished.

In the next instant, it appeared before Zephyrion, its blade tearing forward with brutal speed.

"No!"

The village head’s eyes widened. He had been too shaken, too caught off guard to summon his own construct. From the speed alone, he could tell, this was mark six.

He wouldn’t make it in time.

The blade came within inches of piercing Zephyrion’s chest. Then, with unreal speed, he shifted aside, the strike grazing past him.

In the same motion, he stepped in, closing the distance in an instant, his movements tight. The metal rod snapped free from his waist, flowing into a gauntlet around his fist as it drove forward.

The impact landed squarely on the humanoid’s stomach, the force folding it at the waist before it tore free and shot back with violent speed.

Guren’s eyes widened as it crashed into him, sending him hurtling through the wall and slamming hard against the ground outside.

Omar’s eyes widened, as did those of every elder present. They couldn’t help the looks they threw toward Zephyrion, disbelief clear in each of them. But among them all, Guren was the most shaken.

Zephyrion’s fist had torn straight through his construct.

’He... he defeated it?’

He knew exactly how strong that construct was. Not even his father should have been able to react to it so cleanly, let alone break through it like that.

’Who the hell is he?’

How could a mere trainee possess that kind of power? Regardless, one thing was certain, he had severely underestimated him.

’I have to escape!’

Guren forced himself up, but his movement stalled abruptly. Zephyrion stood before him, calm as ever. The same indifferent gaze rested on him.

Guren’s teeth tightened. Somehow... he was beginning to hate those eyes.

"Guren... please. Just stop."

Omar spoke with a heavy voice as he and the elders slowly closed in around him.

But Guren’s gaze flared the moment it landed on his father.

"Stop? You’re telling me to stop?"

"...Guren—"

"Just like you stopped that day? When that thing had her? You weak man... I’ll never be like you."

He spat, tightening his grip as metal gathered in his hands.

"I’ll get strong. Strong enough that nothing in this world can ever touch me again. I’m not weak... I’ll prove it."

Metal condensed into twin swords in his grasp as he fixed Zephyrion with a burning glare.

"I’ll show you by killing him."

"Guren!"

Guren ignored the call and lunged forward, driving his blade toward Zephyrion. But the distance collapsed in an instant. Zephyrion’s arm moved in a blur, his fist sinking into Guren’s stomach in one smooth, fluid motion.

"Hrk!"

The impact drove the air out of Guren’s lungs.

He dropped to his knees, hands clawing weakly at the air as he struggled to breathe.

A moment later, a cold voice sounded above him.

"Look at me."

Guren’s fists tightened as he forced his head up. The moment his gaze met Zephyrion’s, he froze. Those purple eyes carried a chilling coldness that locked him in place.

"You’re weak."

Bam!

Zephyrion’s fist slammed into his face, the force knocking him out instantly. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Zephyrion watched him for a brief moment before crouching down, searching through Guren’s clothes. A moment later, he pulled out a vial. The liquid inside was murky, milky white.

Without uncorking it, Zephyrion brought it close and lightly inhaled. The instant the familiar scent touched his nose, he pulled it away, exhaling sharply to clear it.

His gaze settled on the vial, sharpening slightly.

’I was right.’

Despite the interference, Zephyrion had already pieced together what this was. A Cognitive Overdrive Elixir. It was commonly called Mindflare and was deemed forbidden and dangerous by every empire in the continent.

Unlike standard mind enhancement elixirs, which only offered a temporary boost within safe limits, this one acted directly on the mind, forcefully expanding cognitive capacity far beyond what should be possible.

It ignored every boundary.

And because of that, its effects were as dangerous as they were addictive. Once taken, it was difficult to stop. And as the effect piled up, one’s mind would get overwhelmed to the extent that they run mad then die.

With the veins bulging along Guren’s neck and the bloodshot state of his eyes, Zephyrion didn’t need to guess. He had already fallen into it.

Reaching that stage could only mean one thing.

’He doesn’t have long.’

Zephyrion rose just as the village head slowly approached. His gaze settled on his unconscious son, his expression filled with remorse. His shoulders sagged, as though a great weight had settled upon them.

After thanking Zephyrion profusely for saving them, his favor had been simple, to have them come here and watch a show, just as he had said.

But he had never imagined the show would be... this. Guren, his own son, his pride, had revealed himself to be nothing more than a cruel, twisted person.

"Here."

Zephyrion extended the elixir toward him. Omar took it with unsteady hands, staring down at it, confused.

"That’s the reason he did all this."

"The reason?" A faint light stirred in Omar’s eyes. Grief alone couldn’t describe what he felt, but more than anything, he needed to understand what had driven Guren to this point.

Zephyrion gave a small nod.

"...power."

...

Moments later, Zephyrion walked past the village and into the forest, his steps quiet.

’Everything is in place.’

After what had happened earlier, when he saved the villagers in the forest, Zephyrion had already anticipated that Guren would come for him.

From there, it had only been a matter of deciding the most effective way to expose him. Once he settled on that, he used the favor from the village head to bring him and the elders here.

Though he would have preferred Guren dead, this was still a mission, and everything he did was being evaluated. As things stood, the better choice was to leave the aftermath in the villagers’ hands.

’With him exposed, I don’t have to worry about internal sabotage when they come.’

Yes, exposing Guren had only been one part of it. Zephyrion had already looked further ahead. In truth, everything he had done so far had been to bring things to this exact point.

Right now, because he had foiled their attempt to kill the warriors in the forest, the villagers had managed to escape with information about beasts capable of using multiple elements.

With Victor Jasper currently on the run, there was no way they would allow such information to spread. The most likely course of action was simple, to silence them completely, to wipe them out.

Rather than waiting until morning, as Omar had planned, Zephyrion was certain it would happen tonight. Which meant, tonight, they were coming.

That, however, wasn’t his immediate focus. From his time in the Order, he knew better than most that every scientist operated under the protection of a warden.

The scientist himself rarely fought, which meant the warden would be dispatched to deal with the village.

And that, in turn, created a window. For a brief period, Victor would be left unguarded. Their lab... exposed. It was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.

Wardens were typically Herald rank, but the man Zephyrion had sensed earlier in the forest hadn’t given off that kind of presence. He had felt closer to the Vessel rank.

’They should hold.’

He had already warned the village head and made the necessary preparations for their arrival.

He would deal with Victor as quickly as possible, then return and finish things properly.

Zephyrion’s steps came to an abrupt halt. His gaze sharpened.

Ahead... a figure stood waiting.

...

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