The torrential downpour showed no signs of stopping. What blood there would have been was washed away, and to all but Theron, so too were the sounds.
Theron scanned the region and then crouched down. He pulled at Lyn’s robes to reveal what was underneath.
It was impossible for him to take most of this. Even if it wasn’t for rule one of the association, his information file on Lyn was enough. He hadn’t confirmed it previously, but after their battle, he was certain.
Mancer abilities were hereditary and family members shared affinities. After seeing Lyn’s Lightning Mancy in person, he could confirm that he was Silver Assassin Raiden’s younger brother.
It was hard to confirm family relationships in the association because there were not only strict rules against killing, but there were also such rules against nepotism and things of the like. It could be said that Lyn was more likely to be harmed by his elder brother than helped.
The confirmation was still important to Theron, so he understood how he should maneuver himself and prepare for the future.
‘The cloak, the dagger, about 800 or so bronzes… Both treasures are high quality, but I can’t sell them, that’ll leave a trace. The bronzes should be fine.’
Bronzes were the default currency of all Bronze Mancers, though often used by Silver Mancers as well. It was quite a pretty sum, and under normal circumstances Theron would be happy to accept it.
The trouble was that the reward for this mission was more than ten times that, so it didn’t taste as sweet.
Theron stood to his feet and returned to the eastern wing of the estate.
His own dagger was a common item, forged by normal iron. His short sword was a Bronze Soul item, a carry over from a life before this, one that was much warmer.
A wall of green blocked Theron’s path forward. Rather than steel, concrete, or bricks, the final defensive line of choice for the target was a well-trimmed line of bushes.
Hidden behind a tree, Theron stared at this line of defense for a long while. Until now, every step was practiced and perfect, following a plan he had outlined time and time again.
This part was also well-outlined, but it had unavoidable hiccups, ones that couldn’t be erased without personal experience of what was inside.
He didn’t kill Lyn because he was worried about the latter stealing his kill. As far as Theron was concerned, there was no chance of that.
He killed Lyn for this step. Only without interference would this work.
A heavy raindrop landed on Theron’s head. As though a gong in his mind, he rushed forward. His steps seemed to glide over the stretch of grass, not bending even a single blade.
The rain became his domain, the reflection of several figures echoing in his mind. Every slight change to the rhythmic pitter-patter was as grating as a fork across metal in his ears.
Akin to a soaring eagle, he launched himself over the well-trimmed bushes in a single bound.
He appeared behind one of the figures, masking himself beneath the heavy downpour and drawing a blade across his neck.
Before his first target even fell to the ground, he had vanished once again, appearing behind another.
One slash, one kill.
Most weren’t even Bronze Mancers. Such experts were not cheap.
This target might be a legend to the Bronze Assassins, but everything was relative. If he was so strong in both power and resources, this would be a mission for Silver Assassins.
Smooth in his malice, Theron might be described by most as moving like the wind. But in his mind, he was as fluid as water, as sharp as a droplet rebounding against the ground, as relentless as an endless stream.
But the hiccup he knew was bound to come did exactly that.
He had been thorough in his preparation, but it was impossible to consider every detail. So when he sensed two figures moving together, he was faced with two options.
The first was to ignore them and go the other way, hoping they wouldn’t run into the string of corpses he had left behind and alert the target.
The second was to attack and hope that he could kill them before the commotion attracted others.
Theron took the second option.
Pressing his back against a wall, Theron waited as they approached. The echoes of the rain made their forms clearer and clearer in his mind, and just as they were barely three meters from him, a coil of water formed behind them, wrapping around one’s ankle and pulling at just the right right.
The guard tripped and fell forward.
Theron burst into action. Just as the second guard reached down to help him, Theron’s dagger had appeared.
The second guard was shocked, but his first reaction was to defend himself. Why should he care about the estate if he was dead?
It was too late to draw a weapon so he raised a hand, a sheen of earth appearing on his forearm.
PCHU.
Theron’s short sword ripped through his heart. The second guard was so distracted by the threat of the dagger that he didn’t notice Theron had a second weapon.
A familiar scene replayed itself as droplets of rain exploded in the second guard’s chest.
By this point, the first guard was already getting up to his feet.
Theron’s wrist flexed and the second guard fell toward the first.
The sudden weight caught the man off guard and he fell to his face once more, only for Theron’s blade to drive through the both of their bodies at once.
‘There are more Bronze Mancers than I anticipated. I’m using up too much Mana.’
Theron looked up. If he didn’t succeed today, it was hard to say when he’d get another chance. It wasn’t often that it rained this hard for so long. After putting more than a month into this mission, backtracking now wasn’t an option.
‘Forward.’