Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 85: Assassination I

CH85 Assassination I

***

The attack was merciless.

At such close range, even seasoned warriors would’ve struggled to evade—let alone a young mage.

Since time immemorial, assassins and long-range archer-types had been the natural bane of mages: one striking from the shadows, the other from afar.

But Alex was no ordinary mage.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce into his back, a faint light shimmered—

Mana Shield!

The Beta Bracer’s defensive enchantment flared to life, activating the Mana Shield and saving his life.

His three-knight escort also managed to evade their attackers’ ambush.

One used his cloak to catch and redirect the strike. Another met the attack head-on with his palm, absorbing and guiding the force away from his vital point. The youngest knight reacted with surprising speed, drawing a sidearm dagger and parrying the blow aimed at him.

Alex, however, wasn’t out of danger.

In fact, for him, it was just the beginning.

The assassin targeting him was no amateur. He had slain plenty of mages who relied on mana shields before. He braced against the recoil from the initial clash, his arms rippling with practiced strength. Then, dark energy gathered at the tip of his dagger—like ink spilling across a blade—as he drove the weapon forward again.

With a sharp burst of power, the blade pierced through Alex’s shield, shattering it.

But Alex hadn’t gotten complacent. The few milliseconds the barrier bought him were enough. He had already moved.

With a low, agile stance—legs bent, torso tilted close to the ground—he dashed away, minimising his profile and reducing his vulnerability to follow-up strikes.

Simultaneously, he tried to cast a spell. His spiritual force tried to connect to the usually spell formation—only to feel nothing.

No spell formed.

Panic shot through him.

’Anti-Mage Assassin!’

Realisation slammed into him like a bolt of lightning.

And not a weak one either—this was at least an Elite ranker. Maybe even a Veteran-ranked.

That momentary lapse in concentration cost him. His foot caught on loose ground and he stumbled, nearly falling.

He slammed his hand down to stabilise himself, stopping the fall—barely.

But that left him vulnerable.

Too vulnerable.

The assassin’s eyes gleamed with delight.

Speed. Agility. Instantaneous kills.

These were an assassin’s creed.

And Alex’s awkward position made him the perfect target.

The dagger shot toward his heart.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum!

His heart pounded like a war drum, loud in his ears. A rush of adrenaline surged through his veins. His blood turned electric.

His hand, planted against the ground, found new strength.

He didn’t think.

He reacted.

His body tilted with unnatural control as he pushed off his grounded arm, lifting into a one-handed handstand. Then, with a flex and twist, he propelled himself into a low aerial leap—

Just in time to evade the lethal strike.

”F*ck!”

The assassin cursed as his dagger—and body—thrust past Alex’s inverted position.

Only then did he realise his own posture had left him wide open.

’Thankfully, he’s a mag—’

The thought never finished.

From his upside-down stance, Alex twisted violently. His left arm came swinging down like a falling hammer—aimed directly at the assassin’s back.

But just before the ”punch” landed, the assassin’s instincts screamed.

A cold sensation washed over his spine, like the ghost of a blade about to plunge into his flesh.

He didn’t know how or why a mage’s punch carried such lethal intent, but he’d survived too many life-and-death battles to ignore that gut-deep warning.

He shifted. Just barely. Enough to move his heart a few inches out of harm’s way.

But it wasn’t enough.

If Alex could smile in that moment, he would have.

He had expected this. The assassin was an Elite—maybe higher. Naturally, he’d have the reflexes to dodge a direct strike.

Which is why Alex didn’t aim straight down.

Instead, the wrist blade on his Beta Bracer followed a smooth, curving arc—exactly along the path the assassin was dodging into.

The blade pierce cleanly into the man’s torso from the side.

The assassin’s ’cheap’ leather armour offered little resistance. The weapon pierced through his ribs and plunged into his heart.

Just to be sure, Alex channelled raw mana through the blade.

Dragon Kumite Style: Ripple Strike!

Anti-Mages could block spells, but they couldn’t suppress pure mana.

The raw energy flooded the assassin’s chest, rippling and tearing through muscle, bone and flesh alike.

There would be no survival.

Alex crashed to the ground, landing hard on his side and back.

Pain screamed through his body. The high-speed movement, the twist, the awkward landing—it all took its toll.

His instincts begged him to stay down. Just for a moment.

But Uthvaazgol’s voice echoed in his mind:

”Never grow complacent!”

Alex clenched his teeth.

He didn’t know if the danger was over.

So, fighting through the pain, he forced himself to his feet.

Still holding his mana-coated wrist blade, he rushed over and cleanly decapitated the dying Anti-Mage.

Just in time.

His Spirit Sight caught a flicker of energy at the alley’s entrance—by the inn.

He didn’t bother confirming whether it was just the mana lamps outside.

He placed a shield on himself first.

Dragon Kumite Style: Hemispheric Shield!

Mana burst from him in a pulse, forming a protective barrier around his body.

Bang!

A heavy object slammed into the shield, blasting him backwards.

A second attacker.

This one wasn’t an assassin, though—he moved more like a hitman. A brutal enforcer.

Alex’s eyes snapped to the weapon.

A massive axe.

The hitman surged forward, retrieved the axe, and brought it crashing down toward Alex—trying to kill him before he could fully recover.

There was no time to think.

Only instinct.

The moment the Anti-Mage died, Alex’s magical suppression had lifted.

He reacted.

Light Ball!

A fast, basic spell.

A soft globe of glowing light formed in his hand.

Ordinarily weak. Practically useless in combat.

But here, in the pitch-black alley—

—it might as well have been the sun.

The spell flashed directly into the axeman’s eyes, burning and blinding him.

Alex, who had closed his eyes just before casting the spell, spared his own vision from the blinding light. He moved swiftly, instinctively dropping his stance and putting distance between himself and the axeman.

It was a good thing he did.

The axeman, in a surge of blind fury, attacked regardless of his injury. He switched from a vertical downward slash to a wide, horizontal swing—wild and lethal.

Most would’ve reacted by stepping back while standing upright... and been cleaved in two.

But Alex trusted his instincts.

He dropped to all fours and crawled out of the axeman’s range like a reptile—low, fast, and unorthodox.

Receiving no impact or resistance from the expected strike, the axeman kept moving forward, swinging his massive weapon erratically.

A flicker of madness danced across Alex’s eyes.

***