Assasination Attempt

ROAR

A large black panther lunged at a youth, its claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. The young man, unarmed but eerily composed, moved with blinding speed, dodging the beast's strikes effortlessly.

With a sudden burst of energy, he leapt forward, his clawed hand slashing across the panther's face, gouging out one of its eyes in a single, precise motion.

The panther howled in agony, thrashing violently as it tried to retreat.

SLASH

PUFF

Its head rolled to the ground, and the beast's lifeless body collapsed with a dull thud.

"Hah, these claws are really something," Zynos said, flexing his hands as the blackened veins receded from his forearms, returning them to their normal state. With a satisfied grin, he stepped over the panther's corpse and headed deeper into the dense forest.

"Status," he commanded.

[DING]

[NAME: ZYNOS ZYPHRAX]

[CULTIVATION: BODY REFINING PEAK STAGE]

[STRENGTH (STR): 35]

[AGILITY (AGI): 75]

[ENDURANCE (END): 26]

[INTELLIGENCE (INT): 25]

[CHARISMA: 9 (MAX: 100)]

[LUCK: 2]

[BLANK POINTS: 15]

"System, what are the requirements to breakthrough to the next stage?" he asked while scanning the eerily quiet surroundings.

[DING!]

[The Host must master an element or accumulate 80 blank points to break through.]

"Eighty? Damn, I'd have to sell my house to get that many," Zynos muttered, furrowing his brow.

"Can I master more than one element?" he asked.

[Yes.]

The system's curt reply made him pause. "Why do you always give me such short answers?" Then suddenly a realization struck him!

"Is it perhaps a Tsundere!?" He thought out loud.

[Host is advised not to think about useless things.]

If someone had been listening closely, they might have detected a faint quiver in the system's voice.

"I think our house has a specialty in fire. It must be in my blood," Zynos murmured as he rubbed his chin in thought.

SWISH

A knife whizzed past his face, missing him by mere inches. Zynos sidestepped instinctively, his gaze snapping toward the source.

"Haha, you missed, Cain!" a mocking voice called out. Emerging from the shadows were four figures dressed in black assassin robes, their faces concealed except for their eyes.

Zynos' eyes narrowed on the group. One was Mid-master realm and the rest were peak body refining stage cultivators.

"I didn't miss! I did that on purpose," grumbled another man, shorter than the rest and holding a knife.

Leading the group was a middle-aged, muscular man, towering at an impressive 6'5". Behind him stood two men and a woman, all radiating a quiet menace.

"Just come here and die, brat. We don't have all day to deal with a body-ref—"

PFFF

Before the speaker could finish his sentence, his head was abruptly severed, rolling unceremoniously to the ground. 

"Bold words for a mere pipsqueak" Zynos smirked.

The muscular leader's eyes widened. "DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! HE'S STRONG!" he bellowed, stepping forward as his subordinates scrambled to react.

A heavy aura spread out from the old man. Locking onto Zynos 

"Mid stage master huh?, I better get serious" He muttered then without wasting a single second, Zynos dashed towards the middle-aged man.

His forearm veins turned black, claws stretched out, and his hands hardened like obsidian. With a thunderous roar, he punched the middle-aged man straight in the chest.

BOOM

The man staggered back several steps, coughing violently as his ribs creaked under the impact.

"H-how!?" he stammered, staring in horror at his swollen hands, trembling from the shockwave.

SLASH!

Zynos tilted his head just in time to dodge a blade as the woman charged at him from behind.

"Annoying" He sneered, then pivoted with ruthless efficiency, slamming his foot into her chest.

CRACK!

She flew like a ragdoll, crashing into a nearby tree. A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips as her eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

"IT'S A DEMON! RETREAT!" Seeing the Black Claw, she screamed clutching her chest.

"Tch, noisy." Zynos growled, his eyes narrowing. He dashed towards another younger assassin, his claws gleaming with a predatory edge.

Before he could reach the trembling man, a shadow suddenly materialised beside him and,

SLASH!

He swung his sword towards him, a deep cut appeared across Zynos' chest, blood trickling down. Clutching his chest,

"Shadow Element sure is annoying," Zynos muttered, licking his lips as his claws twitched.

"You're still alive!?" The middle-aged man's voice quivered in disbelief. But Zynos didn't respond. Instead, he lunged at the younger assassin.

"P-please! Spare me! I could even become your dog!" The man fell to his knees, kowtowing so hard his forehead bled.

"What the fuck? Are you even an assassin? Aren't assassins supposed to be all cool and badass?" Zynos spat in disgust.

SLASH!

The man's head rolled cleanly to the ground, his lifeless body slumping forward.

"You bastard!" the middle-aged man roared, his voice echoing through the forest. A black phantom blade materialized in his hand, pulsating with ominous energy.

The man surged forward, moving at bottleneck speed.

SLASH!

A deep cut tore through Zynos Thigh, blood staining the ground.

"Heh, this shadow power is intriguing, old man. Let me have it!" Zynos growled, his voice laced with sadistic glee.

The middle-aged man's eyes widened as Zynos closed the gap in an instant.

CRUNCH!

Zynos drove his claws into the man's neck, yanking out his larynx in one brutal motion. Blood sprayed like a fountain, painting the ground in crimson.

"It was fun while it lasted, old man." Zynos smirked, tossing the mangled larynx aside like discarded trash.

His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving from the exertion, but the glint in his eyes showed nothing but a twisted satisfaction. 

Slowly, he limped towards the discarded sword lying amidst the blood-soaked ground.

Zynos crouched, gripping the blade tightly in his hand. Then with a stretch, he hurled the sword towards the assassin woman.

SWOOSH

"ARGHHHH!"

The woman let out a piercing scream as the blade embedded itself deep into her thigh, pinning her to a tree. Blood trickled down her leg as she thrashed, desperately trying to free herself, but the pain rendered her immobile.

Zynos turned to her briefly, his lips curling into a sinister grin, before shifting his gaze back to the middle-aged man who was already on his last breath.

Then with a cruel smirk, His hand streched forward-

"Blood Drain"