The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System

The assassins’ formation crumbled the moment Ignis dropped through the ceiling. Their telepathic communication flickered as they realized the odds had shifted. Three more targets had become a full squad of monsters.

Ignis’s flames roared, and her aura pressed down on the room like a physical weight. The assassins stumbled, their coordination breaking as her draconic presence washed over them.

”You’re not going anywhere,” Ignis said.

Alice didn’t wait. Shadows coiled from her feet, snaking across the debris-strewn floor, wrapping around the assassins’ ankles, their wrists, their throats. The void-touched bindings tightened, locking them in place.

”You’re going to tell us everything,” Alice said.

The lead assassin’s mask didn’t move, but his body stiffened and his hand twitched.

Then the hissing began.

A thin, grey smoke began to seep from the seams of their armor. It curled around their bodies, acrid and thick, and Azrynn’s yellow eyes widened as she recognized it.

”They’re using a self-destruct—a poison mist! They’re going to take us with them!”

Selena’s subordinate moved before anyone else could react. Her hands shot up, and another shimmering barrier of interlocking hexagonal light snapped into place around the group, sealing them inside a protective dome just as the assassins’ bodies convulsed.

Then the explosion came.

A thick, billowing cloud of grey-green gas erupted from the assassins, expanding outward in all directions. It hit the barrier and rolled over it like a wave against a cliff, but the shield held. The gas hissed against the light, eating at its edges, but it didn’t break.

When the cloud cleared, the assassins were gone. Nothing remained of them but scorched patches on the floor and the faint, acrid smell of ozone and burnt chemicals.

Alice let out a low, frustrated growl.

”Tch. They chose death over talking.”

Selena stared at the empty space where the assassins had stood.

”They were ready to die. That means whoever sent them is someone they feared more than death.”

Ignis’s flames dimmed, her golden eyes scanning the scorched floor with a flicker of disappointment.

”That’s annoying.”

Azrynn lowered her bow, her yellow eyes sweeping the room for any lingering threat.

”They knew exactly when to strike. That means someone on the inside gave them information.”

Alice’s claws retracted, the shadows around her feet receding. She crossed her arms, her dark violet eyes fixed on the empty space where the assassins had been.

”Then we find out who sent them. And we make sure they regret it.”

Selena let out a slow, measured breath, her amber eyes still fixed on the scorched floor.

”Agreed.” She turned to her subordinate. ”Get the guards. I want the building searched. Every corner, every shadow. If there’s anything left of them, I want it found.”

The subordinate nodded and slipped out, her footsteps quick despite the exhaustion that weighed on her shoulders.

”Perhaps Lady Azrynn is right. Someone close to me has betrayed my trust. I’ve been too cautious with the nobility—too willing to extend courtesy to those who see it as weakness.” Selena said quietly.

”You think the same people who sent these assassins are the ones you’ve been trying to placate?” Azrynn said, her yellow eyes narrowing.

”It’s a possibility I can no longer afford to ignore. And if that’s the case...” She paused, her fingers brushing against the hilt of her dagger. ”Then this will not end peacefully. I’ll need to prepare for that,” Selena said quietly.

Alice’s tone carried the particular disinterest of someone who had seen too many political games to care.

”Whatever you decide, I won’t interfere. This is your city, But I can’t speak for Adam. He tends to get involved in things he probably shouldn’t.”

The building groaned around them, settling into its new scars. Dust still drifted through the air, catching the pale light filtering through the shattered windows.

”So... what now?” Ignis said.

Selena let out a slow breath, finally drawing her hand away from her dagger.

”Now, we wait. My subordinate will search the building. If there’s anything to find, she’ll find it. And then...” She paused, her gaze drifting to the hole in the ceiling where Ignis had crashed through. ”Then we decide what to do with whoever sent them.”

Ignis followed her gaze and said, ”Sorry about the ceiling. I got excited.”

Selena’s lips twitched. ”I’ll add it to the repair bill.”

Alice let out a low, amused hum. ”You’re taking this surprisingly well. Most people would be in hysterics after an assassination attempt.”

”Most people haven’t survived what I have. I’ve learned that panic is a luxury I can’t afford.”

The door to the office swung open, and Selena’s subordinate stepped through.

”Lady Selena. I found something.”

She held up a small, folded piece of parchment, its edges singed but still legible.

Selena’s expression flickered before she smoothed it away. She took the parchment from her subordinate, her fingers brushing against the charred edges.

”Where did you find this?”

”Hidden in the false bottom of a drawer in the west wing. The assassins must have planted it before the attack. Or...” She paused, her voice dropping. ”It was left for us to find.”

Selena unfolded the parchment, her amber eyes scanning the contents.

”It’s a list. Names. Dates. Locations.” She looked up, her gaze sweeping over each of them. ”A list of everyone who’s been working against me since I took control of this city.”

Azrynn stepped away from the window and said.

”A list? That’s... convenient.”

Alice’s attention snapped to the parchment.

”Convenient,” she repeated. ”Or a trap.”

Selena studied the parchment for a moment longer, then folded it carefully and tucked it into her sleeve.

”Either way, it’s a lead. And right now, that’s more than I had before.”

She turned to her subordinate and said.

”Send word to our allies. I want this list verified. Every name, every location. If even one of them is false, I need to know.”

The subordinate nodded and slipped out again.

Ignis tilted her head, her golden eyes narrowed with curiosity.

”So... we’re not just going to barge in and start breaking things?”

”Not yet. First, we gather information. Then we decide who needs to be broken.” Selena replied.