This was not the first time Sitana had entered this state.
At the age of nine, in order to save Malena from a wolf's jaws, she first felt that kind of… rage and roar coming from deep
within her soul.
Thus, she, who was still a little girl, had managed to slay a fully-grown adult wolf with nothing but her bare hands, scaring the pack of
wolves away.
At the age of eleven, while hunting alone, Sitana suffered a bizarre and inexplicable assassination attempt, and on the brink of life and death, that savage and ferocious power awakened once more, allowing Sitana to turn the tables and kill her attacker.
Five years later, which is now, Sitana had once again felt
this... innate power, buried deep within her soul, but yet to be awakened.
Without any special additions, only power, power, power!
A sharper senses, an even more powerful physical body, faster
reflexes, and a more terrifying self-healing -
As pure as she herself, only madly squeezing and refining her physical limits, constantly pushing her bodily functions to a peak that no one could comprehend!
"Hahh..."
The softly exhaled breath overflowing from the gap of her
teeth, like how steam surges!
The muscles of the beast's bent legs bulged and tightened, and every joint and muscle in the body achieved perfect coordination without any guidance.
And then... charged!
BOOM!
However, such a ferocious charge resulted in a far from ideal outcome. Instead of the expected earth-shattering collision sound, it was just like a vase falling on the ground.
The assassin, who had taken the full brunt of the punch, frowned slightly and squinted at Sitana, who was once again assuming a beast-like posture to attack.
"It still have this much power after being reduced
to such state?"
He rubbed his abdomen and marveled, "You really are a... monster, Miss Beast, I have to take back what I said earlier."
As he spoke, the man casually dodged Sitana's high kick that came at him like a blade: "As I told you, I'm not your typical assassin."
"I pursue the ultimate in 'killing,' seeking a great power that can rival time, capable of even killing the world itself."
In the midst of Sitana's storm-like attack, the assassin casually evaded without counterattacking, saying: "So, I give some valuable prey a... fair chance to compete."
"To refine myself!"
"Therefore... I will fully disclose my abilities to you, and then in this fair battle, I will end your life."
After such a drawn-out chant, the assassin suddenly made his move, the tip of the blade aiming straight for Sitana's throat!
Sitana twisted her waist, her strong and flexible leg kicking straight upwards, a high kick aimed at the assassin's wrist, but even though she blocked this strike, her attack was as ineffective as before... or nearly so.
"Are you curious why you—"
"Shut the hell up," Sitana growled, "I don't need your damn self-righteous fairness!"
【Time】
Underneath the increasingly frenzied exterior, Sitana's state of mind remained exceptionally calm due to Anselm's teachings.
【He couldn't be hurt, because he wore a layer of time armor】
All attacks, as they were about to make contact, were countered by the slowing effect of time, the immense kinetic energy she had built up mercilessly crushed by the inexorable force of time, leaving them devoid of any force.
Sitana could sense the unnatural stagnation, as if she had hit something, yet it failed to inflict any damage.
The assassin's body... was enveloped in a time buffer zone.
But this does not mean he was invulnerable. The initial charge clearly breached this buffer to some extent, which implied that as long as the force of the attack surpasses his limits, it could still inflict real damage!
Moreover…while he was wearing this
"armor", he didn't stop time again.
That is to say, he might be able to use only one of his time
abilities at the same time!
“Unnecessary?" The assassin raised an eyebrow, "I've encountered many like you, all very confident in their abilities... But Miss Sitana, you must understand, they were either battle-hardened warriors just a step away from Scepter, or seasoned sorcerers with rich backgrounds, even some who were absolute geniuses that had already achieved Scepter. Their confidence was well-founded. Where is your from?"
The blade, filled with flowing sand, swung once more, and in the next instant, the dagger seemed to traverse space, as if its image had been spliced, poised to pierce Sitana's neck immediately!
However, it did not pierce Sitana's throat; instead, it merely left a blood trail on her neck.
The assassin’s gaze changed slightly; just before he froze time, the girl had actually anticipated and leaned back—because this time he did not leisurely waved the blade, but instead, swung it down without stopping during the time freeze, thus he failed to kill her in one strike.
Feeling the pain at her neck, Sitana did not hesitate for a moment. She reached out and grasped the assassin's wrist, unleashing a terrifying force capable of tearing apart the bones of wild beasts in an instant!
Cracked!
After a brief, crisp sound, the assassin delivered a diagonal kick to Sitana's abdomen, but to his surprise, it hilariously failed to cause any harm!
In the next second, his figure vanished instantly, retreating about four to five meters away.
"Such foresight and counterattack cannot be explained by
combat talent alone. "
The assassin rubbed his wrist which had narrowly escaped being crushed by Sitana. It was fortunately buffered by time, resulting in only being slightly dislocated. He pondered aloud, "Are you a Blessed One?"
Sitana, consumed with thoughts of how to defeat her opponent, did not register these extremely crucial words. She glared intently at the seemingly unruffled assassin, following the teachings and strategies of Anselm, her mind racing through scenarios and planning at a frenzied pace.
It is clear that he couldn't use both abilities at once, and there is a slight delay in switching between them. Despite how brief the moment is, it is still an opening... the only opening!
Plus, that time-stopping trick only works if he hasn't touched me; once he does, time will flow gain. Otherwise, he would have already killed me during the time-stop earlier.
Also, he's not physically strong at all; without that dagger, he couldn't even hurt me. So, all I have to do is... Ugh!
Sitana's mind was suddenly wracked with a sharp pain. For some reason, the roars emanating from her consciousness and soul began to wane, even becoming disgruntled. The force that had been sustaining Sithana's ferocious onslaught, continuously surging from within her body, started to recede. Although still supplied her, it was no longer as fierce and powerful as before.
Miss Young Wolf did not know the origin of this power, she only knew that her time was running out.
Wait...
Was that truly her only chance? Was there no other choice?
【Sitana, what you see is ultimately limited, but the height and depth of your thinking can reach the end of heaven and the bottom of the abyss.】
Magic, how could anyone possibly manipulate time without using of magic? So, he must be relying on magic; there's no doubt about it.
That's right... Magic. Who says an assassin must always be a skilled killer with blades? Isn't the one who was supposed to assassinate the viscount today is also an arcanist!
This bastard is no proper warrior; his physical strength is so weak. He's clearly... an arcanist!
His combat skills and physical prowess are not overwhelming at all; he's just an arcanist who kills purely by relying on a cheap time spell! Just an arcanist!
Sitana realized the trap the assassin had set; he deliberately did not avoid any close combat, making it seem like he was adept at hand-to-hand fighting, but in reality, without that buffer layer, she could've smashed him into a paste long ago!
Exactly, what combat skills does this bastard even have? He just stops time and then comes up to slit people's throats!
This assassin has used this unconventional method to conceal his true identity, causing people to focus all their attention on how to counter his abilities, thereby overlooking the more critical aspects.
Arcanists can manipulate aether, summon winds and rain, and even control time like this assassin, but no matter how powerful an arcanist is, they must have weaknesses—these fundamental truths, Sitana already knew from her daily constant fights at school.
The simplest and most lethal point is that arcanists need a medium to cast sufficiently powerful spells. Losing the medium doesn't mean the arcanist is completely useless, but it will significantly weaken their abilities!
The stronger the correlation between the medium and the spell, the better the effect. Therefore, arcanists' mediums for casting spells are often quite peculiar and diverse, and the use of a staff is merely because it has the broadest applicability.
So this bastard's medium...
Sitana's gaze subtly shifted to the dagger.
That dagger... with a handle resembling an hourglass, where sand swirls and flows.
What else could it be, if not this!
"…Though I'm not sure what you've just realized."
The assassin whistled, "But the dangerous aura around you is rapidly diminishing, Miss Beast. It seems that you can't maintain that rampage for long."
Sithana slowly closed her eyes, every muscle and bone in her body, every fiber and nerve, tensed up at this moment, gathering strength as if preparing for a final, desperate move.
Now that the objective is clear, everything else... just leave it to instinct!
When she opened her eyes again, her irises were stained with a bloody red, and the small, pure black circular pupils had become indistinguishable from those of a beast!
The ferocious power that had been receding from her body now roared back with renewed excitement!
Before the assassin could even be shocked, Sitana, now crouching on all fours, charged at him again with no concealment or showiness—
Like a bullet that pierces everything after it exits the barrel, like a tempest that sweeps up and shreds all in its path!
The expensive carpet covering the ground, along with the entire floor itself, was torn apart under this incredible speed. Amidst the flying silk fibers and wood splinters, that beautiful snowy figure almost drew a pure white straight line in the air, like a flash of lightning splitting the space in two!
This was a speed that left no room for the assassin to counter with a time-stop; if he had been just a step slower and failed to apply the time buffer zone to himself, he would have been torn apart on the spot without a doubt!
【But this is way too reckless】
As this thought flashed through the assassin's mind, Sitana's claw-like fingers were already reaching for his throat.
Under such a ferocious offensive, even with the time buffer, he would be injured, but he definitely would not die.
However, this girl, after accumulating such power and having it deflected by him, would undoubtedly be doomed.
The assassin intensified the time-slowing effect on his neck and heart, the critical areas, to counter Sitana's reckless, desperate strike. He prepared to swing the dagger, planning to deliver the true killing blow after all of Sitana's force had been worn away by time.
"So, again--?!"
Mr. Assassin, who had already prepared himself and given full respect to Sitana's terrifying power, did not feel the impact on his neck.
Although he had intensified the defense, there should still have been some force, this was—
A feint!
Deceived by Sitana's ferocious and violent facade, and even less likely to guess that she had seen through his disguise, the assassin made the most incorrect judgment.
In the instant he realized this was a feint, Sitana's other hand, which had accumulated her true full strength, had already firmly grasped the assassin's wrist!
The entire wrist was crushed on the spot, bones, tendons, blood vessels, and muscles were all ground into a pulp, as if the hand was about to be severed completely. The unbearable pain caused an uncontrollable howl to echo through the room.
The moment the dagger fell, time immediately came to a standstill.
But before the assassin could grab the dagger with his other hand, a delicate white hand, bulging with veins and prominent blood vessels, had already tightly held it in the palm.
"I have won," the she-wolf's face twisted into a cruel smile, "Go to hell with your cheap tricks, scum!"
She held the dagger backward, unleashing the savage ferocity hidden deep within her soul, driving her to stab straight at the assassin's heart!
Sitana stared at the motionless assassin, his face stiffened. The inexplicable, overpowering power rapidly faded, and an overwhelming fatigue surged like a tide, threatening to engulf her consciousness in an instant.
"...Hy, Hydra."
The young girl, her eyelids drooping, slumped to the ground, struggling to stand while mumbling more and more breathlessly, "If you didn't noticed this, I'll definitely... definitely..."
Thump--
Her head also hit the ground directly, and she passed out on the spot.
*
Mere seconds later, the door to the room was pushed open.
Lying on the ground, the seemingly lifeless Mr. Assassin suddenly opened his eyes. The bloodstains and wounds on his body seemed to retrace and heal as if time had reversed, returning him to a completely unscathed state.
"Phew, Lord Hydra, are you satisfied?"
He looked relaxed as he played with his dagger, "Actually, I really wanted to tell her, 'Ah ha, do you know how many smartasses I've fooled with this thing?'' and then enjoy her incredulous expression."
"This Miss Beast, her understanding of beyonders is far too narrow and rigid."
Mr. Assassin shrugged, "Let's not even mention that most arcanists have multiple casting mediums... She actually believed that a beyonder of Imperial Throne rank would die if his heart was pierced. Such a taken-for-granted idea... where exactly did you find her?"
"That doesn't matter, Ocarian." Anselm squat down and gently stroked Sitana's cheek, "The important thing is, she's exceptional, isn't she?"
"How could a Blessed One not be exceptional? In theory, she did indeed 'kill' me once, although I must admit I did let her off a bit too much. But the fact that she can use her own Spiritual Essence before reaching Imperial Throne rank... she truly is a monster."
"So, I'm even more confused about this."
The assassin from the Order of Time crossed his arms, "I could have easily guided her potential to its fullest for you, so why did you ask me to stop here?"
Yes, it was Anselm who asked Ocarian to stop at this stage—because he had fully anticipated this assassination, what Sithana would do in the end, and how the final outcome would unfold.
Moreover, throughout the entire assassination process, Ocarian did not receive any instructions from Anselm; it was entirely his own improvisation. Anselm merely foresaw the outcome and then asked Ocarian to stop here.
This made Mr. Assassin, while feeling a chill to the bone at the dangerous and terrifying nature of the young Hydra, even more puzzled.
Because it was clear that Hydra was cultivating this Miss Beast, so why would he refuse to let her become even stronger?
"Because this is enough."
The young man gently stroked the girl's frowning brows due
to exhaustion and pain.
"There's no need to go any further to become a beast, my dear Sitana."
Hydra, spoke with such tenderness, yet his words were a malicious curse:
"Just like this, indulge in the victory I have brought for you."
"Without blood, hatred, or pain, only the sweet victory filled with happiness and joy."
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