Alex's vision blurred and out of instinct he ended up staggering forward.
In a matter of seconds, a brutal aura slash severed where he had been moments ago, scattering splinters all over.
As Alex looked back in awe, the strongest, running up the falling splinters, brandished his sword and traced a crescent slash at him.
Pale aura erupted from the tip of his blade, targeting him.
Alex performed a fluid backflip, the surface he stood on cleaved apart as he fell to the ground.
The second and last assassin awaited his descent.
They held a whip made of black leather.
Flinging it about to gather momentum, they lashed it with aura and launched it at him to ensnare him.
Alex twisted his body mid-fall, his arm snapping forward to catch the whip.
A loud thunder echoed as the whip wrapped around his wrist.
The assassin, planting his feet firmly on the ground, tugged the whip back and tried slamming his body into the ground.
Alex moved his arm in a circular motion as a form of retaliation, straightening the whip and holding it in place.
In terms of strength they were equal, but his technique was far superior, leading the assassin to stagger and lose his balance.
Alex then tugged at the whip and pulled them towards him, where he slammed the end of the arrow locked within the book he carried deep into their skull.
They died on the spot and he landed safely, only to be pursued by the strongest afterwards.
The strongest was a mess.
The stab he had made in him was now twitching and leaking blood, and his eyes were full of bloodlust.
He now lacked the composure of an assassin and swung wildly at him.
He was now berserk, his breath erratic and his mind shattered.
His pride was ruined by losing his whole squad to a mere child, and Alex was enjoying every second of it.
Just like the strongest, he too was in bad shape. Each second seemed like his last as his unique skill threatened to shut off, but out of strength of will, such didn't happen.
"How long have I been fighting?"
Rolling to the side to avoid a swing, he grabbed a sword mid-roll and met another attack head-on.
Sparks flew, his muscles groaning underneath the pressure of the attack.
Thrown off balance, he swayed to the side like a drunkard, his blood splattering against the ground.
"I want to believe Alice can hold on for a bit."
Adding another hand to stabilize his grip on the sword, Alex shifted his low stance into an upwards stab.
The strongest, fuming with rage, dodged and kicked him in the guts.
Alex's body was hauled in the air before he slammed into the ground hard, a violent cough escaping his lips.
He ended up losing grip of his sword, only to force himself to the side as a sword stabbed the spot he had once laid in.
"You little brat."
Angered, the strongest, full of energy, kicked Alex in the side and quickly retracted his sword from the ground.
The poison oozing from it melted the ground and he began marching toward Alex's struggling body.
"This shit is on record. How the heck do you expect me to explain this to the boss man? Fuck that, I don't care about the consequences, I'll kill you."
Alex expected as much, seeing the murderous look in his eye.
To the strongest, he and his comrade had expected an easy fight against a child who barely qualified to be a teen. But just as the mission began, an intruder — also a child — intervened and began slaughtering them.
It was like putting you all in an RPG only to lose to a low-rank goblin simply because you underestimated them.
Alex understood and it made him happy.
"I am so glad."
For just a moment he understood what true power was — the ability to have your opponent's life in your grasp. To decide whether they lived or died.
Such a feeling was almost euphoric. He wanted more... he needed more.
"Think of your sister, dumbass."
Feeling the strongest's shadow cast over him, Alex, all bloodied, knocked the side of his cheek hard, a haunting grin blooming on his lips.
"Nasty kid." The strongest, as Alex had dubbed him, clicked his tongue and locked Alex in place.
Without hesitation, he brought his poisoned blade down to kill him but...
"Yeah..."
To his horror the boy opened his mouth, where a single bloodied tooth was nested between his teeth.
The scent of rust lingered in the air as that single tooth whistled through the air with bullet speed, penetrated his forehead, and came out the back of his head.
The strongest, confused by his sudden death, collapsed to the side, his blade missing Alex at the last second.
"Ouch."
Sitting up and licking the area where he had lost his tooth, he plucked the assassin's sword from the ground and staggered after their leader.
---------
Alice sat curled on the ground, a transparent dome shielding her from the continuous onslaught from the mage standing before her.
Numerous elemental projectiles hovered behind the mage, bombarding the poor girl who held her legs and shivered in fear.
From every bombardment she survived, the greater the dent that grew on her magic shield.
It wasn't looking good on her side, and the mage was delighted upon such a result.
"Child, every minute you survive, your brother is tortured by my men outside."
At the mention of her brother, Alice shivered, tears seeping down her eyes.
She was scared, but she also knew how important Alex was to her.
If her death meant the survival of her brother, so be it.
The mage, noticing the shift in the child's fighting spirit, grinned and kept her assault at bay.
"Now deactivate your spell," the mage instructed, tapping the invisible dome.
Alice was hesitant, but she complied at the thought her brother would survive.
Seeing this, the mage stepped forward and patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry, child. I'll make it as painless as....argh.."
Stabbed.
Before they could finish, a sword penetrated them from behind, stabbed through their heart and surfacing from their chest.
The mage, her last reaction shock, slipped to the ground, dead on the spot.