Ch. 32
Chapter 32: Death
“You…!”
The assassin codenamed Reaper felt his heart skip a violent beat, his entire body's blood seemingly freezing in an instant.
His mind buzzed, and the first thought that flashed through wasn't “how did he discover me,” but rather—this is a trap!
The fire at the granary, the commotion at the water source, all of it was bait to lure him here!
But this thought existed for only a tenth of a second before his rich combat experience forcibly snuffed it out.
Impossible! This brat is just bluffing!
Reaper's combat discipline allowed him to instantly suppress all distracting thoughts.
So what if he was exposed? Just a wet-behind-the-ears brat—could he really turn the tables?
Kill him, and everything ends!
He no longer hesitated. His body's muscles tensed instantly, and he suddenly lunged forward, his speed three-tenths faster than before!
The twin blades in his hands transformed into two crossing streaks of cold light, like a viper's fangs, changing targets to strike directly at Caesar's throat and heart!
However, Caesar didn't move.
He simply sat there, calmly reflecting the assassin's ferocious mask and deadly blades.
Just as the blades were about to touch his skin, Reaper suddenly felt an extreme sense of danger shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head!
Caesar's body surface suddenly erupted with a layer of fine black scales bearing dark gold patterns!
The scales instantly covered his neck, chest, and the forearms he raised to block, emanating a terrifying aura that made one's soul tremble.
“CLANG! CLANG!”
Two ear-piercing metallic friction sounds exploded within the cramped tent.
Reaper's enchanted curved blades, capable of cutting through three-finger-thick steel plates, struck the black scales and only produced two streams of dazzling sparks, unable to leave even a white mark!
A mountain-collapsing, tsunami-like recoil force transmitted from the hilts, numbing both his arms and instantly tearing open his palms.
“Dra… dragon scales?!”
“A delivery boy with only this much strength?”
Caesar's voice was calm.
He moved.
His body shifted slightly, and at an extremely cunning angle, like a phantom, he crashed into Reaper's embrace.
Shoulder strike!
Reaper instinctively tried to retreat and block, but was horrified to discover that his own speed was as slow as a toddling infant before his opponent!
“BOOM!”
A dull sound like a battering ram smashing into a leather drum.
Reaper felt as if he hadn't been struck by a person, but rather had been hit head-on by a steel behemoth charging at full speed.
The leather armor on his body instantly burst apart, his ribs let out unbearable shattering, a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with organ fragments sprayed forth, and his entire body flew backward, directly snapping a support pillar as thick as a bowl.
“You… you've actually touched the threshold of Grand Knight…”
He clutched his collapsed chest, staring in terror at the young man slowly rising to his feet.
“Want to die?”
Caesar seemed to see through his intention to bite down on the poison sac.
“Did I give you permission?”
Before the words finished, Caesar's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.
The next second, Reaper only felt an irresistible searing pain in his jaw as a terrifying force lifted his entire body from the ground.
Caesar gripped his jawbone with one hand, forcibly prying his mouth open, while the fingers of his other hand probed in like iron tongs. With a light sound, he directly extracted the poison tooth, roots and all.
“AAAH—!”
Reaper released an inhuman shriek.
Caesar held him up in midair like grabbing a chicken, and in those deep purple eyes, a dark golden light flashed briefly.
A bloodline pressure from a superior life form, like an invisible tide, instantly collapsed Reaper's final mental defense.
He seemed to see not a person, but rather a giant dragon awakening from the primordial abyss, gazing down at him with indifferent eyes.
“It's… it's Lady Elanor… from Anjou Territory…”
He trembled violently all over, his crotch growing warm as a foul stench spread throughout the tent.
“Very good.”
Caesar obtained the answer he wanted and applied slight pressure with his hand.
“CRACK.”
A crisp bone-breaking sound rang out, and Reaper's head drooped powerlessly.
Caesar casually tossed the corpse to the ground and lifted the curtain. Roland's imposing figure happened to be rushing up with a squad of Black Dragon Guards.
The granary fire, the water source disturbance—all of it was bait to lure him here!
Roland saw the assassin's corpse with its miserable death state inside the tent, first stunned, then immediately knelt on one knee, his face full of lingering fear and self-reproach.
“This subordinate was derelict in his duty. Please punish me, my lord!”
“Get up.”
Caesar's voice revealed neither joy nor anger.
“This isn't your fault.”
“The enemy was very professional. You've all done well.”
He paused, his gaze moving past Roland to look toward the distant granary still emitting thick smoke.
“What are the casualties and losses?”
“Report, my lord!”
Roland said in a deep voice.
“Eight granary guards died in battle, one severely wounded… that's Barrett.”
“Nearly twenty percent of the granary was burned. The fire has been brought under control.”
“Two water source guards killed in action. One assassin was wounded by me and fled.”
“The entire city is under martial law. We're conducting a manhunt!”
“Barrett…”
Caesar's gaze focused.
Roland added:
“To defend the granary, he perished together with an assassin who was a formal Knight.”
“He awakened Battle Energy during the fight, but his injuries are too severe. I'm afraid…”
“Take me to see him.”
Caesar walked directly toward the granary.
When he arrived, Barrett was lying on a makeshift stretcher, his breathing already as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.
Caesar crouched down, looking at this one-eyed man covered in bloody grime, silent for a moment.
From his chest, he retrieved an inconspicuous small crystal vial.
What was contained inside wasn't some heavenly treasure or earthly gift, but rather a drop of his own dragonkin blood that he had extracted and then concentrated and strengthened using the system's Hundredfold Amplification talent into a life-saving trump card.
The guards had already surrounded the entire tent area so tightly that not even water could trickle through, torches blazing bright.
He pried open Barrett's mouth and let a single drop of dark red viscous liquid, like melted gemstone, drip in.
The moment that drop entered his throat, it transformed into a magnificent life energy. Those horrifying wounds on Barrett's body actually began to writhe and heal at a visible rate, and his paper-white face rapidly regained a trace of color.
“He bled for me, so I cannot let him die in vain.”
Caesar stood up, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching the ears of every soldier around him.
“Relay my command! From today forward, Barrett is promoted to Captain of the Second Guard Squadron of the City of Miracles, his position second only to Chief Instructor Roland!”
“All those killed in battle—their families' work point compensation will be issued tenfold!”
“All guards who participated in combat and survived—this month's work points are doubled!”
The surrounding soldiers, hearing these words, all froze.
After three seconds of silence, cheers erupted like a roaring tide!
Those faces blackened by smoke and fire were filled with the relief of having survived calamity, incredulous wild joy, and fanatical worship toward Caesar!
Serving the lord was truly worth it!
Caesar paid no attention to any of this. He turned to look at Roland, his eyes becoming ice-cold and bone-piercing once more.
“Roland, go cut off the head of that assassin at the granary.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Pack it in the finest wooden box, with the lining filled with enough ice to preserve it.”
“Then select a clever scout and have him deliver it personally to Anjou Territory at the fastest speed possible, making absolutely certain to place it directly into Lady Elanor's hands.”