Assassin Obstacle Course (6)

Once the boundary behind her was activated, Emily gradually slowed down and caught her breath. She was in the Earth Realm, so running at full speed for such a short time hadn't drained her stamina, but there was a tightness in her chest that made her lungs feel weak.

'Shui...'

She didn't stop moving, but she frequently looked back at the boundary. Part of her believed that he would make it out safe and sound, but she wouldn't be relieved until she saw him again.

Eventually, when she felt a little more comfortable, her breathing became stable and she decided to stop looking back. If it was up to her, then she would just wait for him, but she knew that the best thing for her to do was to make it to the amphitheater.

'He'll be fine, right?'

Word of the commotion had already spread to here, so although she could still sense mortals and cultivators hiding nearby, there was no one else on the road. At least not until she noticed them.

Around the same time that she renewed her determination, two flashes of sharp light suddenly appeared in front of her eyes. In a few moments, she would have died without a chance to see what killed her, but a barrier prevented that fate. The barrier stopped the knives of two assassins in different clothes, but Emily was inevitably frightened due to their abrupt appearance. However, as she had time to think, she was even more confused. These assassins were part of the same group that she had escaped from, so she had a decent idea of their strength, and even without a formation or burning their essence, she was certain that they would have enough power to smash her tier 3 protection array.

'Is this, really mine?'

As the assassins gave up on their surprise attack and backed off, Emily wondered why her array was stronger than she remembered, but she knew that escaping them was of higher priority. Assuming that they were as powerful as the rest of their group, then outrunning them was impossible. Fighting them was a worse idea and holding out until help came was too optimistic. Shui had worked so hard to get her here, so she didn't want to be caught already, but all she could do was curse her own powerlessness.

'Why? Why is it always like this?'

Her fingernails dug into her palms as she tried to assuage her bitterness, but it wasn't the pain that woke her up. She didn't know when it started, but Dull Harmony was vibrating in her robe. She took it out and firmly grasped it in her right hand. It only vibrated, but she was somehow able to understand what it was saying.

'Use me.'

This was the first time she had experienced something like this, but she went along with it decisively. There was no logic behind her action, only faith.

She moved the sword over to her left hand and then unsheathed it with her right. The smooth black blade had white cracks that made it look like it had gone through harsh struggles, but it also seemed to conceal a brilliant treasure. As soon as it was free of its sheathe, Emily felt her heart become steady and her mind stopped a step away from the Still Heart state. All the different auras and energies in the atmosphere were drawn to the blade and then suffused in an orderly manner. Even the excess killing intent rolling off of the two assassins, sublimated into this peaceful environment.

Just by taking out the sword, a pseudo-domain formed around her. Dull Harmony was a tesora-rank artifact, so having this ability didn't make it unique, but for it to be shown in the hands of someone as weak as Emily forced the assassins to be wary. Still, they possessed tesora-rank artifacts of their own, albeit of lower quality than Dull Harmony, so they believed that they could handle this task. They didn't know how she escaped from their comrades, but her life would end here.

As the assassins took out their tesora-rank weapons, Emily narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on Dull Harmony. She knew that her abilities wouldn't be of much help, but as its wielder, she gave the sword full permission to take control of the situation.

The assassins rushed at her, but though she wouldn't be able to react in time, she could now perceive their movements. Even so, while having a concrete image of their location was helpful, but it didn't allow her to match their pace. However, it was enough.

Before the assassins could reach her with their attacks, two small white swords appeared beside Dull Harmony. As their eyes were locked onto the artifact and the one who held it, it was inevitable that these small swords were captured in their vision.

The assassins immediately dropped in speed while continuing to approach Emily with dazed expressions. Their hands still held on to their weapons, but that honed killing intent that had accumulated over several successful missions was gone. Their minds put up a much stronger resistance than any Earth Realm cultivator, but their struggle seemed futile before Dull Harmony.

Emily held her breath as she saw them creep towards her. Just a little closer, just a little bit more, and their necks would be within reach. All she had to do was wait, and these experts would be served to her, but such an easy conclusion was denied.

Dull Harmony had entranced them, but it wasn't able to dominate their soul like it usually did. Of course, in a close battle between those of similar strength, this would be a deciding factor, but the trance wasn't strong enough to silence the premonition of death that they had refined.

A few steps outside of her range, the two regained enough control to shut their eyes and cut off the transmission of the trance. The effect was also present through spiritual sense, but once they guarded their minds, there was nothing to worry about. Determined to finish her off without any more complications, one swung at her head while the other went for the heart.

Emily clicked her the tongue when they broke out of the trance, but her heart remained calm enough for her to retreat without panic. The tips of their weapons came close, but they were deflected by the barrier around her.

She knew she had no power, but after retreating, Emily positioned the sword in front of her in a steady offensive stance. The sword then seemed to read her intent and revealed a new ability.

The small swords were reabsorbed and the white light that leaked from its cracks split into the colours of the five elements and then coalesced into two small red swords. Giving the assassins no time to analyze them, the small swords pounced on each of them. They didn't know if it had the same effect as the white sword, so neither wanted to take a direct attack, but only the Tower assassin was able to dodge in time.

The sword swung by him before turning around and heading for him again, but the one who was forced to guard found himself blown several feet away with a few burns on his skin despite using his barrier. His fellow assassin saw this and dealt with the red sword by shooting a lightning bolt at it, but he had no time to applaud himself for the heat from the explosion still inflicted pain, though there were no injuries to accompany it. Additionally, new red swords were sprouting from Dull Harmony every second.

This was when the assassins finally realized how diffcult this task would be.