(Alistair's POV)
Before I could have a breath.
I felt it.
The air in my apartment was still.
Yet my instincts screamed—MOVE.
A presence. No. Multiple.
I wasn't alone.
Even before my senses fully adjusted, my body reacted.
I threw myself to the side—
SHNK!
A dagger sliced through the air, embedding itself into the couch where my head had been.
Another assassin.
No—several.
My heartbeat slowed.
Adrenaline flooded my veins.
I lifted my gaze, scanning the dimly lit room.
They were here.
Silent figures, their presence flickering at the edges of perception.
One. Two. Three… Five.
Five assassins.
Each identical to the one I had just devoured.
Each armed with the same cursed daggers.
Each cloaked in an aura of concealment, their bodies flickering between existence and nothingness.
This was a coordinated attack.
The one I had killed—he was just the first wave.
The real strike team had been waiting in the shadows.
Before I could even regain my footing, the assassins struck.
Two lunged from the front, their daggers flashing in the dim light.
Another flanked my side.
One moved behind me.
The last remained motionless, likely the leader—observing, waiting for an opening.
I had seconds.
No. Fractions of a second.
I willed Void Step to activate—
But even before I could shift, I felt the sharp, icy bite of steel tear into my side.
Tsk!
Blood splattered across the floor.
The blade didn't pierce deep enough to kill—but it slowed me.
The second assassin was already aiming for my throat.
I twisted—his dagger grazed my neck instead of piercing through.
Another attack.
A dagger came from behind, aimed straight for my spine.
I activated Abyssal Reinforcement.
The moment the dagger made contact—the black tendrils of my abyssal energy surged, halting the blade before it could fully penetrate.
But the force sent me stumbling forward—off balance.
And the assassins capitalized on that weakness immediately.
I barely had time to regain my footing again before the next assassin launched a kick to my ribs.
CRACK.
I felt something break.
Pain flared through my body, but I didn't have the luxury of reacting.
The moment I staggered—
Another assassin's blade tore through my shoulder.
Another sliced across my back.
And another—
I snapped my head backward, cracking his nose before his dagger could reach my kidney.
But it didn't matter.
They weren't attacking recklessly.
They were striking in unison, ensuring I had no time to counter.
They were herding me.
Forcing me into a corner.
This isn't just a simple assassination.
They weren't just here to kill me.
They wanted to break me.
To exhaust me.
To overwhelm me with pain and bleeding wounds before landing the killing blow.
I gritted my teeth.
If I let them continue controlling the pace of the battle—I was dead.
I needed to change the flow.
As another assassin lunged at me, I took the risk.
Instead of dodging—
I stepped into the attack.
His dagger sank into my stomach—
And before he could pull away—
I activated my Authority.
The Ever-Hungry Maw opened.
Black and purple tendrils exploded from my back, whipping toward the assassin at point-blank range.
His body convulsed.
His soul-sucking scream never even left his lips as the abyss devoured him whole.
His presence vanished.
His mana was mine.
Ding!
[You have consumed an enemy.]
[Effect triggered: Partial restoration of wounds.]
Ding!
[Ever-Hungry Maw is satisfied.]
Blood stopped flowing from the deeper wounds.
My body recovered—just slightly.
But the other assassins didn't pause.
If anything—they became faster.
My Devouring was an unacceptable anomaly in their plan.
And now?
They were trying to end it before I used it again.
***
They didn't give me a moment to breathe.
The leader snapped his fingers.
The assassins vanished.
Not disappeared—just moved so fast it looked that way.
I gritted my teeth.
A dagger slashed toward my ribs.
I barely twisted in time—the blade skimmed past.
Another strike.
I countered, swinging my sword—
But my blade passed through empty air.
A distraction.
I turned, already knowing I was too slow.
A knee slammed into my gut, knocking the air from my lungs.
Then—
A dagger drove into my shoulder, piercing muscle.
"Gah—!"
I staggered, pain flaring through my body.
But I didn't fall.
I couldn't afford to.
The assassins moved again.
But this time—I didn't let them dictate the flow.
I forced my body to lunge forward—unexpected.
The assassin before me barely reacted in time.
His dagger flashed—but I was already inside his guard.
I grabbed his wrist with my free hand.
Then twisted.
SNAP.
A muffled grunt as his arm broke at the joint.
I rammed my knee into his gut—
Then drove my sword through his stomach.
The blade pierced clean through.
His body shuddered.
But even dying, he moved—his dagger rising toward my throat.
I snarled, ripping my sword free.
Then slammed my elbow into his temple.
His body collapsed.
Two down.
Three left.
Blood dripped from my wounds, pooling beneath me.
My body screamed—exhausted.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Because they wouldn't either.
I lifted my sword again.
The assassins paused for the first time.
They weren't emotionless.
They weren't mindless killers.
They could feel it too.
That this wasn't just an easy execution.
They were fighting something else.
Something that shouldn't be alive.
But I wasn't done yet.
I spat blood onto the floor and smirked.
"Come on," I growled.
"I'm just getting started."
They hesitated—just for a second.
Then they attacked.
TO BE CONTINUE...