Adam’s fist connected with Sean’s chest, dark energy erupting from the point of impact. The assassin flew backward, crashing through a wooden support pillar, his body crumpling against a stack of crates. Blood sprayed from his mouth, painting the splintered wood in dark, glistening streaks. He tried to rise, but his arms buckled, and he slumped back against the debris, gasping.

’Damn... at this rate... I can’t win...’ His internal voice was a ragged whisper, each breath a struggle. ’What a troublesome monster...’ 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Adam walked toward him slowly, unhurried, his footsteps deliberate on the blood-slicked stone. His crimson eyes gleamed in the forge’s dying firelight, and his lips were curved into a smile that held no warmth at all. It was the smile of a predator who had already decided the outcome of the hunt.

Sean’s breath caught. His hand, still bleeding from the missing fingers, pressed against his chest where Adam’s fist had struck. The roles had reversed. He was no longer the hunter, stalking prey through the shadows. He was the prey, cornered and helpless, and the monster approaching him had all the time in the world.

Adam stopped before him, looking down at the broken assassin. His voice was calm, almost gentle.

"With those wounds, you won’t be moving for a while." He tilted his head, studying Sean’s pale, sweat-sheened face. "Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you. I just need to borrow your brain for a bit. Let Lilith poke around inside."

Sean’s eyes widened. His internal voice was a snarl of panic. ’Shit... does he want to extract information from my head?!’

His gaze darted past Adam, toward the carnage spreading across the forge.

Lilith moved through the remaining assassins like a dancer through flowers. But where a dancer’s steps were light, Lilith’s were lethal. Her threads wrapped around limbs, throats, torsos, and pulled. Bodies came apart in sections, some clean, some less so. She didn’t kill quickly. She killed slowly, savoring each scream, each desperate gasp, each moment of terror that flickered across her victims’ faces before their eyes went dark.

Adam watched her for a moment, his brow furrowing. His internal voice was quiet, troubled.

’She’s getting more and more out of control...’

Across the room, Isolde fought with a different kind of elegance. Blood answered her call, rising from the fallen, forming whips, blades, spears. She lashed out at the assassins who tried to flank her, her movements precise, efficient. A man lunged at her with a poisoned dagger, a blood whip coiled around his wrist and yanked. His arm separated from his shoulder, and he fell screaming. Another tried to circle behind her, a blood blade sprouted from his chest before he could take a second step.

She didn’t waste movement, nor did she savor the kill. She simply ended them, one after another, her blue eyes cold and focused.

Ignis was chaos incarnate.

Flames erupted from her in waves, consuming everything in their path. A group of assassins who had been trying to coordinate a counterattack vanished in a pillar of fire, their screams cut short. The wall behind them crumbled, bricks scattering across the street beyond. The roof above groaned, and a section of it collapsed inward, showering the room with burning debris.

More flames followed by more destruction. The building was coming apart around them.

Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair.

’Next time, I’ll teach Ignis how to hold back...’

Sean watched his operatives fall, one by one, their bodies littering the floor of the ruined forge. His chest heaved, each breath a struggle against the pain. His internal voice was hollow, defeated.

’Damn... if this continues... we’ll be annihilated...’

He tried to move, to do anything but Adam’s gaze snapped back to him, sharp and commanding.

"Don’t try anything stupid." Adam’s voice was flat. "Just wait patiently. Lilith will be with you shortly."

Sean’s hand stilled. His jaw tightened.

Then the air shifted.

Adam’s instincts screamed a warning before his eyes could register the threat. Adam threw himself sideways without thinking.

A blade, wreathed in shadow, passed so close to his neck that he felt the cold kiss of its edge. It struck the floor where he had been standing, and the stone exploded. Cracks radiated outward, dust and debris spraying in all directions.

Adam landed in a crouch, his crimson eyes wide.

’That was close.’ His internal voice was sharp. ’If I hadn’t dodged, I’d be seriously hurt.’

He looked up.

The doorway was filled with figures. Dozens of them, dark-clad, armed, their faces hidden behind masks. And at their front, a woman.

Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, cropped short and practical. Her eyes were the color of burnished gold, hard and cold, sweeping over the chaos with the practiced assessment of someone who had seen worse. She wore leather armor, dark and fitted, and a short sword hung at her hip, its pommel worn smooth.

Behind her, more assassins spilled into the forge, spreading out, forming a perimeter around the room.

Adam straightened slowly, rolling his shoulder where the poison dagger had struck. The wound had already closed, the numbness fading.

He smiled.

"Heh." His crimson eyes gleamed. "Looks like the party’s not over yet."

Leela’s golden eyes swept the carnage with cold efficiency, taking in the shattered walls, the smoking debris, the bodies of her fallen operatives scattered across the ruined forge. Her expression didn’t change.

Her gaze settled on Sean, crumpled against the broken crates, his hand still bleeding, his face pale. A flicker of disappointment and irritation crossed her sharp features.

"Sean." Her voice was flat. "You’ve gone soft. Usually, you’re not this sloppy."

Sean let out a bitter laugh, wincing as pain lanced through his chest. "Blame the boss. He’s been working me to the bone. I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in weeks."

Leela’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t press. Instead, her gaze shifted to the group standing amidst the destruction. Adam, Lilith, Ignis, and Isolde, each of them radiating a different kind of danger.

"Report," she said quietly.

Sean’s jaw tightened. His voice was low, strained.

"They’re strong. Stronger than anything we’ve faced." He swallowed, his dark eyes flicking to Adam’s impassive face. "Be careful, their bodies are tough. That one’s immune to poison." He gestured weakly toward Adam.

Leela’s golden eyes studied Adam for a long moment, taking in his horns, his crimson gaze, the easy confidence in his stance.

"Noted," she said. Then her lips curved into a thin, cold smile. "Don’t worry. Unlike you, I’m actually competent."

Ignis’s flames flickered brighter. A fierce grin spread across her face.

"Ohhh! More prey has arrived!" She cracked her knuckles, the sound sharp in the tense silence. "This is going to be fun!"

Isolde, her pale cheeks flushed with exertion, wiped a smear of blood from her chin. Her voice was weary, edged with impatience.

"Give me a break."

Lilith’s crimson eyes gleamed with predatory delight. Her threads stirred around her fingers, silver and white, catching the dim light.

"The more prey, the better." Her voice was soft, almost dreamy. "I’m curious what kind of screams they’ll produce."

Leela’s cold gaze swept over them, dismissing Ignis’s bravado, Lilith’s menace, Isolde’s exhaustion. Her attention settled on Adam.

"You’re the leader of this group," she said. It wasn’t a question.

Adam’s lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.

"Depends on who’s asking."

Leela’s hand moved to the hilt of her short sword. Behind her, the assassins shifted, weapons raised, ready to strike.

"I’m Leela. Commander of this operation." Her golden eyes hardened. "And I’m giving you one chance. Surrender now, and your deaths will be quick."

Adam’s smile widened.

"And if we refuse?"

Leela’s blade slid from its sheath, the steel gleaming in the firelight.

"Then I’ll show you what happens to those who underestimate the guild."

The air grew heavy. The assassins surged forward.