Chapter 275: Shadows in Motion

The moment Ochieng blinked, Aiden Xu vanished again.

The hall was silent except for the subtle shifts in the air—the only warning Ochieng had before a knee struck toward his ribs.

He twisted at the last second. Barely.

The wind pressure alone sent dust swirling. Aiden's movements were inhumanly precise, a ghost flitting through the battlefield with effortless grace.

Ochieng didn't have time to admire it.

A heel strike whizzed past his face. Aiden wasn't letting up.

Ochieng's muscles tensed. He sidestepped, dodging the onslaught by mere centimeters, but his mind raced.

His attacks aren't random. They were like chess moves, each strike meant to lead into the next. He's testing my reactions.

Aiden's smirk widened. "Smart."

Too smart.

Without warning, Aiden switched tempo. His next attack came before Ochieng even finished processing the last one.

A sharp palm strike exploded against Ochieng's forearm as he barely blocked, the impact sending a numb jolt through his bones.

Then—a low sweep.

Ochieng leaped back, avoiding it by a hair.

Too close.

Lucien Zhao chuckled from his throne. "This is getting interesting."

But Ochieng wasn't done.

He took a slow breath. Enough defense.

Time to counterattack.

His body blurred forward. Aiden's eyes flickered with amusement—then surprise—as Ochieng closed the gap.

A blazing punch exploded toward Aiden's face.

The assassin tilted his head just enough to avoid a direct hit, but Ochieng's other fist was already coming.

Aiden's smirk faded.

BAM!

The hit connected.

Aiden Xu staggered back, his lip split open. The first real hit he had taken in years.

The hall erupted.

Lucien Zhao's expression darkened. That wasn't part of the plan.

Aiden Xu slowly wiped the blood from his lip. Then he chuckled.

His eyes—those deep, unreadable eyes—gleamed with something new.

Excitement.

"You," Aiden said, grinning. "You're fun."

Ochieng cracked his knuckles. "I can do this all night."

And just like that—the real battle had just begun.