“Ha…?”

Frio let out a soft exclamation, momentarily stepping back from the impact of their clashing auras.

To think someone could hide so close without him sensing it, even with his mastery.

“An assassin? It’s been quite a while since I’ve encountered a master-level one.”

Unlike Frio, who spoke with a tone of amusement, the assassin, Khan, stood tense, his body coiled like a spring. Despite only exchanging a single blow, the gap between them was evident. While Frio remained unscathed, blood trickled from the corner of Khan’s mouth.

“You should have struck the moment I entered the room. You might have stood a chance, however slim,”

Frio taunted, his voice laced with mockery.

Khan said nothing, only gripping his sword tighter, glaring at Frio.

“Oh? What’s with the look? It was just a joke,”

Frio continued, his expression unbothered. Hiding from a master’s aura was one thing, but launching a surprise attack while doing so was a completely different story.

Even in this unexpected situation, Frio remained unfazed.

“Marquis, stop this foolishness and surrender. Who knows? His Majesty might even spare your family,”

Frio said, now holding his sword, mocking the Marquis even more, as if the politeness he’d shown earlier had been nothing but an act.

“Don’t speak words even you don’t believe,”

Marquis Giore replied , who had been seated calmly throughout the exchange.

Thud!

Khan, seizing the moment, kicked off the floor and charged at Frio. In an instant, he disappeared from sight, only to reappear behind Frio, swinging his sword.

Boom!

Once again, their auras collided, but this time, Khan was hurled backward violently.

Frio leisurely walked forward, watching as Khan crashed through the office wall.

“Marquis, I’ll be back soon. Stay right here. There’s nowhere for you to run.”

‘After all, my men have already surrounded your estate.’

With those final words, Frio kicked off the ground, following in the direction Khan had flown.

_____________________

“Stronger than I expected.”

The precise skills of the Imperial Knights were largely unknown, so Khan hadn’t been able to gauge their exact abilities. Even with the natural advantage assassins had over knights, to be pushed back like this... the difference in level was undeniable.

‘It’s impossible alone.’

Reaching this conclusion, Khan pulled a small signal flare from his pocket and fired it into the air.

“Oh, calling for reinforcements? We’ve had the estate surrounded for a while now, so if you’re summoning anyone, it’ll have to be those still inside the mansion,”

Frio said as he casually swung his sword, having approached without a sound.

Though his strike was playful, the aftermath was anything but lighthearted. Deep scars were left on the ground, as if a massive beast had slashed through it. Watching this, Khan once again vanished into the shadows.

“That trick again? I’m getting tired of it,” Frio remarked, extending his aura as he scanned the surroundings.

“Oh?”

As his aura spread, Frio became aware of the numerous assassins encircling him. It was a peculiar sight: Frio was surrounded by assassins, who in turn were encircled by the Imperial Knights.

“Kill him.”

At Khan’s command, dozens of assassins rushed at Frio all at once.

-KA-BOOM!

With a single slash.

Frio’s sword cut through them all, leaving only a mist of blood behind.

“Seriously, what kind of Marquis has this many assassins?” he muttered.

Ordinarily, aura had no particular quality.

As pure energy, it could only perform basic functions like enhancing the body, strengtheing a sword, or sensing one’s surroundings. However, the aura of a master was different.

A master could establish a small world within themselves, bending that inner reality into existence, making their aura reflect their very will. Masters, thus, defied the rules of the world and shaped reality to suit their intent.

Despite the slaughter of their comrades, the remaining assassins showed no sign of retreat, their focus still fixed on Frio.

“This is getting boring,” Frio said, sweeping his sword horizontally.

With that one motion, the assassins surrounding him exploded, and Khan seized that moment to rush in and strike.

BOOM!

Khan was sure he’d found an opening. There shouldn’t have been enough time for Frio to recover his blade. Yet, Khan’s sword didn’t land. Instead, his strike was repelled and thrown back.

“Hmm, you’re not a fully realized master, are you? Just a half-baked one?” Frio asked with a sly grin.

“What… what just happened?” Khan asked, his voice betraying his confusion.

“Hmm... How should I explain it? Have you ever heard the saying, ’The best offense is a good defense?’” Frio smiled, continuing to speak as he slashed through the remaining assassins.

“It’s my favorite motto. No matter how fast or sharp the attack, if it never lands, it’s meaningless, isn’t it?”

“Retreat!” Khan ordered. The surviving assassins quickly scattered, but Frio made no effort to pursue.

“In short, I can block any attack. No matter the angle, speed, or what stance I’m in,” Frio said, almost nonchalantly.

“Haha.” Khan let out a dry laugh, muttering under his breath. “This is absurd.”

“Well, that’s just how the world works, isn’t it? Your stealth wasn’t bad. You seem to have reached your level through some means other than your own strength. Care to share how you did it?”

“... Kill me.”

“Well, if you insist.”

“That’s strange...”

Frio muttered to himself as he walked back towards the Marquis’s office, the battle now behind him.

“They weren’t that strong. With their level of skill, my men should have been able to escape.”

Even if one of his squad members had been killed in the initial ambush due to the assassin’s stealth, it didn’t make sense that the remaining four had also died.

“Could there be another master involved?”

‘Well, I guess the Marquis can answer that,’ he thought, as he entered the office.

However, when he arrived, what he found was the Marquis slumped in his chair—dead. Nearby, an overturned bottle of poison made it clear: the Marquis had taken his own life.

“Ah, damn it.”

Frio sighed. He was definitely going to get an earful from the captain.

Head Commander of the Imperial Knights, Giel Vendio , left his subordinates in the hands of Frio Constantia and headed alone toward the mansion hidden deep within the forest.

According to his men, there was the presence of a formidable aura, likely that of a master.

It had to be the same person who had broken out the Lute scum from the Duke of Triell’s prison.

Though Giel felt uneasy entrusting the Marquis’ estate to the often careless Frio, there was no other option. He couldn’t afford to have Frio face an unknown master.

The mansion was protected by multiple layers of barriers, nearly impossible to detect by ordinary people, let alone most warriors or mages.

But these defenses were no match for Giel’s sharp perception.

With a simple slash of his sword, he effortlessly tore through the barrier and moved toward the mansion’s main gate.

After only a few steps, just as the mansion came into clearer view, a sharp crackle filled the air. In an instant, dozens of lightning spears rained down upon Giel.

“Tch.”

The spears disappeared, swallowed by the shadows that rose up behind Giel, leaving not a trace.

Immediately after, a massive greatsword, wrapped in a red aura, came hurtling toward him.

Giel responded swiftly, his own blade cloaked in dark aura, meeting the attack head-on.

A thunderous explosion echoed through the air, shaking the ground as the clash unleashed a shockwave, toppling the trees around them.

“Hahahaha! Excellent!” boomed a voice, satisfied after their initial exchange.

The giant wielding the crimson greatsword laughed heartily and introduced himself.

“I am Bern Visein, knight of the king!”

“Giel Vendio, Commander of the Imperial Knights,” Giel replied, his blade still pointed at Bern.

“You stand accused of aiding the survivors of Lute, traitors who dared plot rebellion against His Majesty the Emperor. If you claim innocence—”

“Haha! Yes, I helped them. What are you going to do about it?” Bern boldly interrupted, his defiant laughter ringing through the clearing.

Giel’s face twisted in rage as he shouted back, “Insolent wretch! I will execute you here and now for treason!”

“Try it if you can!” Bern bellowed, red and black energy swirling chaotically around him as the two masters clashed once more.

Sylvia, the mage, bit her lip and frowned deeply.

‘What should I do…?’

The ambush she had meticulously planned amounted to nothing, and despite Bern’s relentless attacks, the Commander of the Imperial Knights hadn’t budged an inch.

She had tried to contact Marquis Giore’s estate for support, but there was no response.

Each time Bern and the Commander created some distance between them, she launched her lightning strikes. But that damned shadow barrier blocked every single one.

Her lightning, which could incinerate any ordinary knight in an instant, was completely ineffective against that mysterious shadow.

Even Bern, whose strength was unrivaled in direct combat, was unable to break through the Commander’s defenses.

And now, with every bolt she unleashed, the Commander’s eyes briefly flicked in her direction, confirming that her position had already been exposed.

If she gathered enough mana to prepare a grand spell, it was obvious that the Commander would abandon Bern and charge straight for her. Caught between options, unsure whether to continue supporting or prepare her spell, the communication orb in her pocket suddenly pulsed.

“This is...”

It wasn’t from Giore. The orb connected her directly to the ‘King.’

After a brief exchange through the orb, Sylvia sprinted towards Bern.

“Hm?”

Giel, who had been cautiously exchanging blows with the knight called Bern, suddenly noticed a woman running toward them.

Judging by her position, she was likely the mage who had been firing lightning at him earlier. And by her skill, she was probably a magus. But why was she closing the distance so abruptly?

Not knowing what to expect, Giel tensed, raising his aura in preparation. The woman reached into her robes and pulled out a small gemstone.

“Huh?”

The gemstone shattered, and in an instant, both the woman and Bern were engulfed in a brilliant light and vanished without a trace.

“What in the world...”

Left alone amidst the half-ruined mansion, Giel could only stand there, dumbfounded.