The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 387: Chapter 382 — Listen

’Or maybe he did!’ Demorian argued, clearly unwilling to concede. ’Think about it, protege. The bastard was standing around for quite some time before you arrived. Maybe he was figuring out what to do. For all we know, his plan was to kill those twelve quickly and get the hell out before the rest showed up.’

’That’s not why he was waiting,’ Zephyrion replied. ’Think about it. What was the first thing he did before jumping down?’

’He... gave that rather touching speech about risking his life for what he believes in?’

’Exactly. He put on a show. He wasn’t waiting because he needed time to think. He was waiting for an audience.’

’The town daddy?’

Who the fuck calls them daddy? Zephyrion shook his head and continued.

’Precisely. Possum knows I see him for what he truly is, but the town head is different. He knows nothing about Possum, which makes him far more likely to believe whatever he sees. That’s why Possum waited until we arrived. He wanted to make a grand entrance, play the hero before the town head, and leave me standing here looking useless.

’Once the town head returns, he’ll naturally spread the story throughout the town, and eventually, word will reach Greywatch. By then, everyone will believe Possum was the one who handled the entire mission while I stood around watching.’

’So... you’re saying the bastard saw all those warning signs and decided to ignore them just so he could make you look bad?’

’Exactly.’

Demorian fell silent for a moment, seemingly digesting everything he’d just heard.

Then, he muttered,

’Fuck... Hold on. Does that mean I lost? Fuck! Fuck!’

’You did.’

’WAIT!’ Demorian suddenly exclaimed, sounding as though he’d just discovered a lifeline. ’Not so fast, protege! There’s still hope! What if the rest of the pack doesn’t show up? Huh? What then? He could finish off those twelve, grab the bodies, and walk away without a scratch! That wouldn’t be irrational, would it? Hahaha! You almost had me there!’

’Again, you really don’t know anything about Gravemaws, do you?’ Zephyrion replied, a faint smile on his lips. ’Just watch.’

Demorian suddenly felt a flicker of apprehension and fell silent.

”This... Lord Possum is actually winning! Incredible!” the town head exclaimed with a mixture of shock and excitement. ”At this rate, we might actually get out of here alive!”

Despite his excitement, however, he made no move to leave his spot.

Zephyrion didn’t bother responding, his attention fixed on the battle below.

In the short time that had passed, Possum had already dispatched nine of the Gravemaws. The remaining three, purple blood dripping from their wounded bodies, were now glaring viciously at him, their low growls thrumming through the cavern.

Possum, meanwhile, regarded them with a cold expression, wisps of steam rising from his body.

”Enough playing around. Time to finish this.”

However, just as he was about to make his move, the three Gravemaws suddenly widened their eyes and opened their jaws.

Zephyrion immediately covered his ears, warning Demorian to brace himself.

The next moment, an ear-piercing howl erupted from the beasts, causing Possum to freeze in his tracks and hurriedly clamp his hands over his ears, wincing.

The sound reverberated throughout the cavern, causing the walls to tremble.

”Wh-what in the Iron Father’s name is that?!” the town head shouted, his voice barely audible over the deafening noise.

”They’re calling the rest of the pack.”

”Th-the rest?! You mean... there are more of them?!”

Zephyrion’s expression remained grim.

”You’re about to find out.”

Possum’s face had also gone pale. Judging by the sudden change in his expression, he had clearly realized just how badly he’d miscalculated.

A short distance away, the Aerelith clutched his fallen companion tightly, staring at the trembling cavern with a look of growing dread.

Eventually, the howling ceased, and an eerie silence descended upon the cavern.

But it lasted only a moment.

From somewhere deep within the countless openings scattered across the walls, similar howls suddenly rang out in response.

One after another, they echoed through the tunnels, causing the ground and entire underground space to tremble.

The howls grew louder and more frequent until, suddenly, Gravemaws began pouring out of the hundreds of openings like torrents of water bursting from a broken dam.

Within moments, more than two hundred of the beasts had flooded the cavern floor.

’Oh, fuck me...’ Demorian muttered, his earlier excitement having vanished completely.

The town head, on the other hand, was utterly petrified, his face drained of color as he stared at the horrifying sight below.

”Holy Iron Father... have mercy... We’re dead. We’re all dead...”

Unfortunately, Possum and the Aerelith weren’t afforded the same luxury of standing around in shock, as the massive horde of Gravemaws immediately descended upon them.

Their fangs clattering and eyes glowing fiercely, the Gravemaws unleashed their gravitational powers in unison, causing the entire cavern to tremble as the gravity intensified severalfold.

”OVERDRIVE!”

Steam erupted from Possum’s body as he struggled against the crushing pressure, desperately weaving between the incoming attacks while smashing his fists into any Gravemaw unfortunate enough to get within reach.

But while Possum, a mark three Herald, could withstand the combined might of several mark ones, the Aerelith was clearly nowhere near as strong, as he could barely move under the immense pressure.

He managed to conjure a flimsy barrier of wind around himself and his fallen companion, but the Gravemaws were already closing in, their claws threatening to tear through it at any moment.

’I need him.’

Zephyrion’s gaze settled on the struggling Aerelith. Without him, his entire plan would fall apart.

’But first...’

He turned towards the town head, fixing him with a stern gaze.

”Listen. I need you to pay attention to what I’m about to say.”

The man was trembling uncontrollably, his horrified gaze still glued to the massive horde below.

Zephyrion grabbed him by the collar and yanked him closer, finally snapping him out of his stupor.

”M-my lord... Lightning Prince... th-there are too many! Far too many! We can’t fight them! We have to get out of here! Please!”

”You will. But first, I need you to listen.”