Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 171 171: Petty DavidTimeless AssassinC171 171: Petty David
(Sky-God Arena, The Contestant Viewing Stands)
Yu Shen watched the rest of the Rodova team dominate calmly from the front-row bleachers— the best seats in the house, positioned just meters away from the battlefield.
He clapped and cheered along with the crowd, though his thoughts were far more calculating than celebratory.
He knew better than anyone that for most of the teammates fighting today, this would likely be their first and last appearance on the circuit's stage.
As the ever-merciful captain, Yu Shen had deliberately allowed them this opportunity— giving each one a chance to bask in the spotlight, score a few eliminations, and perhaps even catch the attention of sponsors who might change their futures.
But in truth, except for Minerva, none of today's fighters were part of his envisioned strongest line-up.
He had no intention of fielding them again when the round of 32 arrived tomorrow.
Instead, he already planned to deploy the others— the ones who had yet to step onto the stage— giving them their share of exposure before the real struggle began in the later rounds.
However, all these internal thoughts were for himself…. He did not share them with his team, as he was simply all smiles and praises when they returned in the team warm-up area.
"Good job guys… Good fighting. You made Rodova proud—" He said, clapping them on the shoulders, as he took joy in their joy and became a part of their life's core memory.
However, Leo was different.
Unlike the captain who fraternised with everyone, Leo kept to himself in a corner, wondering when he could return to the stands to watch the unfolding action again, as for him, watching the other matches seemed way more important than this pointless team celebration.
"Umm Captain, permission to return to the stands, please—" Leo said eventually, when he saw that the celebrations were never ending, to which Yu Shen replied with a steady nod, as Leo bailed almost instantly.
—--------
Returning to the viewing stands, Leo settled into his seat just as the second match between Geneva and Biscoff Academy began, with Geneva already holding an expected 1-0 lead.
Much like Rodova earlier, it seemed Geneva had chosen to withhold its strongest fighters for now, fielding mostly Master-level warriors instead. Yet, despite the apparent parity of fighter tiers on paper, the difference in skill was undeniable between both sides.
The Geneva representatives dominated the battlefield with clinical precision, making the Biscoff team look like little more than target dummies as they dismantled them one by one.
"And this is why Derek, training and environment does make a huge difference in how a warrior performs.
As just look at the difference between the training facilities at Geneva versus Biscoff Academy—" Lee said, as the jumbotron showcased side-by-side photos of both academies' training grounds.
While the Geneva academy grounds looked like the most modern and high-tech facility around, with all sorts of weighted vests and different running trails built for endurance runs.
The Biscoff Academy training grounds was just a muddy field with old rusty equipment that looked like it had not been refurbished in over a decade.
"And that's why it's important for academies to consistently score high within the circuit's.
The monetary grant for the winners and runner-up academies are huge, but even more importantly they get access to the best genetic awakening serum shots—" Derek added, as he reminded the audience about the underlying stakes beneath the circuits.
In the end, Geneva Military Academy also wiped the floor with their opponents 5-0, as they cruised into round of 32 with ease.
—----------
Leo remained in the stands for the rest of the day, quietly observing each of the following matches without missing a moment. The only company he had were Professor David and Muiyan Faye, both of whom were tasked with meticulously recording every fight.
Their role wasn't just administrative— the footage was to be reviewed thoroughly by the Rodova team later that night, dissected for patterns, weaknesses, and strategies as they prepared for the rounds ahead.
Leo fully expected neither David nor Faye to initiate a conversation with him in such a public setting, however, much to his surprise, it was David who began chatting with him as the day progressed.
"Did you catch the movement of that mage? Skyshard?
He's using a spell called [Blitz Steps] coupled with [Mirror World] to confuse his opponent about his real location.
His real body has already shifted his position 7 times by now, circling all the way to the opponent's back, however, the foolish opponent is still looking for him in the front—" David pointed out, as Leo nodded.
"I can track him using [Absolute Vision], I know his real body from the fake–" Leo replied, to which David nodded with understanding.
"That's why we teach you perception as a mandatory first year course, so that illusions of such crude level won't work on you.
However, this same set-up if used by a Grandmaster tier fighter or a transcendent tier fighter would yield a very different outcome.
The speed boost generated by [Blitz Steps] is not small, and if your cycling speed for [Absolute Vision] is not fast enough, it will trick your senses into seeing things that are not.
Which is why, always double check for shadows when the sun is shining high.
If you look closely, only the real mage has a shadow, while the rest don't—" David taught, as he shared his veteran experiences with Leo rather candidly.
For a moment, it felt weird to Leo that David was teaching him something useful out of the blue, as it almost seemed like David had left all the animosity he felt towards Leo back at the academy.
However, it wasn't until the last and most thrilling fight of the evening concluded, that David finally revealed his true colors.
*Clap*
Clapping his hands hard once, he turned towards Leo with his usual grumpy look, as all the insightful moments that the two shared throughout the day seemed to not matter anymore now.
"I've finally figured out how you cheated in my exam…. It kept bothering me for weeks as to how you did it.
However, talking to you today I finally know how—-
Your cycle speed for [Absolute Vision] has already hit perfection, which means you can trace pencil writing with ease.
That's how you cheated in my exam, and while I can't prove your crime for a previous date, I'll sure as hell make sure you can't use the same trick twice in the finals—" David said, as Leo let out a hearty laugh.
Apparently, David's intention behind all that insightful talk was to gauge Leo's abilities, and Leo had unwittingly played right into his hands.
"You're funny, professor…. I'm definitely not a cheater—" Leo replied, walking past him, as he refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing he may or may not have done in the past.
To be fair, he hadn't expected David to still be obsessing over the midterms after all these weeks, as if he knew that the professor was THIS petty, he would have been more careful.
Nonetheless, it was a lesson learnt, as he vowed to himself to not let his true insights slip even in a casual setting from now on.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 172 172: Round Of 32 BeginsTimeless AssassinC172 172: Round Of 32 Begins
(Rodova Team Villa)
The atmosphere inside the Rodova team villa's living room still buzzed with excitement from the day's victory, though hardly anyone seemed to care about the tactical clippings playing on the large wall-mounted monitor.
"Did you guys see me shove that brat over the edge today? He came at me like— WHAM! —and I just sidestepped and gave him a little push—POW! Straight into the pit!" Boxer said, laughing dramatically as he re-enacted the moment.
"Yeah, that fall was nasty," DP chimed in. "Poor guy broke both rock and bone. He never even stood back up."
"Haha! What a win!" Enzo added. "You looked seriously cool!"
The team erupted into more laughter, caught up in replaying their highlight moments.
However, Leo, seated quietly in the corner, found himself genuinely irritated by their behavior. Instead of focusing on improving, preparing for the next match, or dissecting valuable insights from today's footage, they wasted time bragging about past exploits.
It all seemed like pointless noise to him.
"Well, that's enough," Yu Shen's sharp voice cut through the chatter. "Eyes on the screen."
The room fell silent at once as all heads turned toward the captain.
"Our opponents tomorrow are Button Military Academy. We've faced them once this year and beat them comfortably, 5-1, on their own turf," Yu Shen explained, gesturing toward the replay footage now showing Button's previous matches.
"But they've grown since then. Picked up a few new tricks," he added calmly, as the team leaned in, listening more seriously now.
"Even so, Button poses no real threat. According to our intelligence, they don't have a single Grandmaster-tier fighter. Their fundamentals are still shaky, and their overall conditioning is still poor. However—" Yu Shen's tone stiffened slightly. "—this is the Circuits. If you start underestimating people, you'll find yourself eating dirt before you even realize it."
The team nodded, their earlier giddiness fading.
"Here's our line-up for tomorrow," Yu Shen continued. "Du Plessis will open the fight and secure us the first win. After that, we'll adapt depending on who Button sends next. Boxer, Kohli, and Drake — be ready to rotate in. Your job is to maintain the lead."
His eyes then shifted toward Leo.
"And you, Skyshard, will be our closer."
Leo nodded silently, understanding the weight of the responsibility.
"You're the contingency plan," Yu Shen added. "If things go south, you'll be the one to put this match to bed."
Yu Shen's voice softened slightly but carried more weight. "Right now, every academy is desperate to see you in action. That alone is a weapon. If we give them just enough to fear you—without showing them the full deck—then every counter-strategy they design will collapse when it matters."
Major Hen, who stood with his arms crossed in the back of the room, nodded his head in approval over Yu Shen's words.
Having half-information was always more dangerous than having no information, which was why Yu Shen felt keen on feeding the opponents misleading data on Leo.
However, in his head, Leo was to only fight one single fight for the win at the end, however, never in his wildest dreams could Yu Shen have predicted what was about to unfold next.
—--------
(Next day, Round of 32)
Being one of the fighters scheduled to participate today, Leo quietly geared up and took his place in the contestant stands, watching as the referees conducted their final inspection of the arena map before the match officially began.
Today's battlefield was the Flat Prairies — a simple, wide-open expanse of soft grass, devoid of obstacles or cover.
It was a battlefield designed to favor mobility and pure dueling skill, where footwork, timing, and adaptability would determine the outcome.
There were no walls to hide behind, no uneven terrain to exploit— just an endless flatland beneath the clear morning sky.
Yet, despite the simplicity and severity of the map, the mood within the Rodova camp remained surprisingly light-hearted.
"I'm going to humiliate Button Academy today," Du Plessis grinned, adjusting his gloves. "And hopefully look cool doing it. There's this absolute bombshell of a girl from Clarence Academy watching me fight today, so I gotta put on a show."
The others snickered, some giggling like school children, fully buying into the playful energy.
"I just hope a sponsor notices me," Boxer admitted more seriously. "Let's be honest, the captain probably won't rotate us into the lineup once we hit the round of 16. So this is our last shot to make an impression."
The atmosphere wavered between casual and bittersweet as reality settled in.
"It is what it is," Drake shrugged. "We'll leave the deep runs to the captain and the monsters. But that doesn't mean we can't make it flashy while we're here. We've studied Button Academy's patterns. We've got this. Today's gonna be our show."
Excited chatter followed, but Leo sat apart, arms crossed and eyes distant.
He didn't join in. He never did.
To him, this wasn't about putting on a show, earning a sponsorship, or making one last splash before inevitable elimination. For him it was war.
Even if his opponents were weaker on paper—none of them Grandmasters—Leo refused to underestimate them.
While the others joked and fantasized, Leo sat silently, running precise simulations in his mind about how his fights against each opponent could unfold?
What attack patterns of his could Button Academy break? What would he do if a hidden technique forced him into a corner?
He ran scenario after scenario, refusing to let the so-called "obvious" victory lull him into complacency.
To Leo, every fight was real, every opponent was dangerous, and every moment of underestimation could mean defeat—no matter how green or inexperienced the enemy seemed.
However, unfortunately, he was the only one on the team to look at things that way, as the others were simply too preoccupied with impressing girls and looking cool rather than the actual fight.
'*Sigh*, I just hope these idiots pull through without a problem, for their own sake–' Leo thought, shaking his head, as the referees finally signalled for the openers to enter.
"That's it guys. That's my cue. I'm off—Wish me luck!" Du Plessis said before stepping onto the arena, as he waved and signalled to a roaring crowd, basking in their appreciation like a drunkard who had just found a pool of alcohol to take a dip in.
—----------
"And we kick off round of 32 with a BANG! Lee, it's Rodova taking on Button for the opening match of day 3—" Derek announced, as the logo of both teams appeared on the jumbotron.
"Three changes for Rodova today. Du Plessis, Drake and Leo Skyshard come in.
While Minerva, DP and Enzo are out—
What do you think of this line-up Derek? The mystery enigma Leo Skyshard is finally into the mix, but still no signs of Captain Yu Shen." Lee asked with an ironic voice, as Derek replied with witty humor.
"No Yu Shen? No problem— Rodova must be confident in their ability to handle Button Academy without him.
However, Button is not taking this fight as casually as Rodova.
They have finally decided to bring Captain Sam into the mix, as he replaces their archer Urja as the only replacement over their line-up yesterday—" Derek said, as the jumbotron played clippings of Captain Sam, the enigmatic spearmaster.
"Alright, the field inspection is complete, the openers have been called on, and it's Du Plessis opening for Rodova against Pistachio from Button, in a very interesting Hunter Versus Hunter opening match-up," Lee announced, as the opening fighters took their starting spots on the battlefield, as the crowd roared in anticipation.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 173 173: HumiliationTimeless AssassinC173 173: Humiliation
(Sky-God Arena — Round of 32: Du Plessis vs. Pistachio)
The crowd roared as the first fighters of the day stepped onto the Flat Prairies arena.
Du Plessis adjusted his short swords with a cocky grin, waving toward the stands where Rodova's supporters erupted into cheers, whereas across from him, Pistachio, quietly rolled his shoulders, eyes calm and unreadable.
"And we're off!" Derek called as the referee signaled for the match to begin.
Du Plessis charged first, blades flashing as he pressed Pistachio onto the defensive. His attacks came fast and sharp, a flurry of precise slashes forcing Pistachio to retreat step by step.
"For now, it's all Du Plessis," Lee commented. "He's clearly the quicker fighter, and he's capitalizing on it."
Within moments, Du Plessis seemed to push Pistachio back towards the marked boundary of the arena, completely dictating the pace.
"Ooo—, Pistachio needs to be careful here, he's running out of ground to retreat, 20 more meters backed up and he will suffer from a ring-out elimination!" Derek commented, as understanding his precarious position, Pistachio stopped backing away and tried to stand his ground, only for a clean slash from Du Plessis to graze his shoulders.
*SLASH*
The crowd erupted into cheers at the sight of first blood, as streams of red hot blood squirted everywhere.
Pistachio reeled in pain from the blow, his mobility reduced, as his lousy attempt to counter was quickly neutralized by Du Plessis, who disarmed his opponent, by having his short sword fly out of his hands.
"WOAH! What a move by Du Plessis, he's practically toying with his opponent now–" Derek said, as with his opponent seemingly at his mercy, Du Plessis—rather than finishing the fight—turned his head toward the audience, raising a hand in triumph.
He wanted to savor this moment, he wanted to showboat a bit before ending the fight, however, this one slip-up proved to be his biggest mistake.
As while the crowd cheered louder, Pistachio did not hesitate to make the most of this opportunity either, as drawing another blade from the scabbard wrapped around his waist, Pistachio lunged forward, sidestepping Du Plessis' poorly guarded flank.
As with a swift, ruthless slash, he opened up Du Plessis' exposed face.
*SLASH*
Du Plessis stumbled, eyes wide in disbelief as he felt blood dripping from his handsome face.
"What?" He murmured in disbelief, worried about how his handsome face must look now, as Pistachio followed up with another decisive strike to his temple, knocking him out cold.
*THUD*
Du Plessis' limp body hit the floor, as the entire arena fell into stunned silence.
"What just happened?!" Derek gasped. "Pistachio turns it around in the blink of an eye!"
Lee shook his head. "Du Plessis got too cocky. He had the fight in the bag and threw it away for a moment of showboating. A rookie mistake."
The commentators criticised Du Plessis for his stupidity, however, they did not curse him out-loud like Leo did from the stands.
"Fucking showboating Idiot," Leo muttered under his breath, grinding his teeth in frustration.
As the referee raised Pistachio's hand as the winner.
"And just like that, Button Academy draws ahead! Rodova is 0-1 down!" Derek announced as the crowd erupted into mixed cheers and gasps.
"Leo? What do we do now? We never thought about what to do if Du Plessis lost the first fight? It wasn't supposed to be this way?
Which one of us steps up next?
I'm only supposed to fight their Archer, while Kohli is supposed to take on their mage, and Boxer is supposed to take on their Tank.
But since we lost the initiative, it's us who has to send a replacement fighter next? So who goes?" Drake asked Leo, as Leo let out a long sigh.
He glanced towards Yu Shen in the crowd, who seemed to already have an idea of what was going on, as he pointed towards Boxer to go next.
"Boxer goes—" Leo declared, as it was the close range specialist that went-in next, allowing Button Academy to respond with a counter strategy of their own.
—---------
To face Boxer, the close-range specialist, Button sent in Dianne, their nimble and sharp-eyed archer, in what was, on paper, the worst possible match-up for Boxer to take.
However, expectations from Boxer still remained high, afterall Boxer was a Rodova fighter, a cut above most other academy students, and was still anticipated to win, even against an unfavorable opponent.
But the moment Boxer stepped onto the battlefield, Leo's instincts screamed at him that something was off.
The way Boxer hesitated, the nervous look plastered on his face— it was clear as day.
'He hasn't studied her,' Leo realized, grinding his teeth.
As the referee signaled for the fight to begin, Boxer charged in with his trademark aggression, looking to close the distance before Dianne could set up. But it was a stupid decision.
He did not have the raw speed to cover 30 meters of separation within a split second, and that gave Dianne enough time to knock her first arrow.
*SWISH!*
Dianne fired off a frost-tipped arrow that struck the ground in front of Boxer, instantly freezing a patch of the prairie as Boxer slipped clumsily, losing his momentum.
Instead of adapting and taking a more cautious approach, he lunged forward recklessly.
As *BOOM!*
This time, Dianne loosened an explosive arrow that detonated on impact, sending Boxer staggering backward with singed clothes and several shallow cuts.
"She's not just an archer—she's a rare mage-archer," Derek exclaimed. "She's not using predetermined arrows, she's enchanting them on the go as she needs, Lee!"
"Boxer looks like a fish out of water, Derek. He was ready for a simple brawl but didn't prepare for this!" Lee replied.
Instead of resetting or slowing down, Boxer doubled down on blind aggression, attempting to close the gap without any thought.
However, his punches met nothing but air as Dianne used the open terrain perfectly, kiting him effortlessly.
Then—
One more frost arrow struck his ankle, locking his movement for just a split second.
But that second was all she needed.
As *THWIP!*
Dianne landed a clean shot to the back of Boxer's knee, forcing him to collapse.
"You're mine—" she declared at that point, as before he could even try to rise or recover, a third arrow pinned him to the ground, forcing the referee to step in and declare him unable to continue.
"An absolute humiliation for Rodova!" Derek called. "That's a clean and decisive win for Dianne!"
Leo could barely watch, grinding his teeth so hard it hurt. "Idiot," he muttered under his breath.
But the nightmare didn't end there.
Kohli entered next against Button's third fighter, hoping to salvage the situation.
However, just like Boxer, he crumbled. His overly defensive stance was exploited by the Button swordsman who baited him into a tight spot, only to disarm and incapacitate him within minutes.
"Button takes another one!" Lee shouted, almost in disbelief.
Then came Drake, known for his calculated fighting style, but the nerves got to him.
The opponent, utilizing the flat terrain perfectly, overwhelmed Drake's slower, reactionary style with sheer aggression and outmaneuvered him, as within five minutes, Drake was lying on his back, staring up at the clouds in shame.
"And with that," Derek declared, "Rodova is down four to nothing! Lee, I don't think anyone in this arena thought Button Academy would be leading Rodova of all teams by this margin!"
Leo sat motionless, staring blankly at the field, his jaw locked in frustration.
Rodova— one of the tournament favorites— was now just one defeat away from a humiliating early exit, and it was all up-to Leo now to salvage the situation.
'I knew these idiots focus on match-ups and strategy too much instead of focusing on their own strength–' Leo cursed as he stepped onto the battlefield, only to be welcomed by a tense and silent crowd, who did not even cheer him on.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 174 174: Stepping- UpTimeless AssassinC174 174: Stepping- Up
(Sky-God Arena — Round of 32)
The atmosphere in the Sky-God Arena had shifted dramatically after Rodova's fourth consecutive loss.
The energy that once favored Rodova now felt cold and uncertain, as thousands of spectators murmured nervously.
"Well, Lee… this is not the Rodova we expected to see," Derek's voice broke through the uneasy buzz, carrying a mix of disbelief and tension. "Rodova, the number one seed, now finds themselves on the brink of elimination — down 4-0 to Button Military Academy."
Lee exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "They've been completely outplayed, Derek. And what's more concerning is that this wasn't just one bad matchup. This was systematic. Boxer, Kohli, Drake — all folded under pressure. It's almost like Button knew exactly how to push Rodova's buttons— ha, no pun intended,"
Derek nodded. "Exactly, Lee. Button Academy came prepared for war today, but Rodova were overconfident and now they're on the backfoot. Imagine if they're eliminated here? What a blow would that be to their reputation—"
The screen zoomed in on Leo, walking calmly out towards the arena, as he stocked weapons into his utility belt.
"And now, it's all on the wildcard, Leo Skyshard," Derek continued, voice steady but carrying the weight of the moment.
"The first-year who was completely unknown before this year's preliminaries. He needs to win five straight fights if Rodova wants to stay alive."
Lee leaned forward. "Five. Straight. Wins. Against opponents who have now tasted blood and can see victory within their grasp,"
The jumbotron displayed the Button lineup, showing all five remaining fighters, including their Captain, Sam, waiting calmly.
"A mountain, Derek. That's what Leo has ahead of him," Lee added. "No Yu Shen. No Su Yang. No Minerva. He's going to have to claw Rodova back into this by himself. It's as bad as it gets."
The camera caught Leo stepping into the prairie grass, as he lightly adjusted his neck and rotated his shoulders.
"And yet…" Derek said, voice softening slightly, "I don't think he looks afraid."
The crowd, sensing the tension, began to buzz louder. Some whispered doubts. Others hoped for a miracle, but all eyes shifted towards the lone fighter about to take his starting position, as the impossible comeback seemed to rest solely on his shoulders.
—------------
As Leo took his starting spot on the battlefield, he could immediately feel it— the sheer weight of attention crashing down on him like a tidal wave.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators filled the Sky-God Arena to capacity, and their collective gaze seemed to drill into his very soul.
The air trembled with anxiety, whispers of curiosity and expectation spreading like wildfire throughout the stands.
The towering bleachers curved high into the sky, seemingly endless, as banners, flags, and academy colors fluttered in the artificial breeze.
From up-top, the duel suns shone brightly in the sky, causing his body to cast two distinct shadows on the grass below.
*Hufff–*
Leo exhaled slowly, his sharp eyes scanning the terrain.
Flat. Wide. Open. The prairie battlefield was deceptively simple, leaving no cover to hide behind. It was the perfect stage for a duel—raw and honest.
But what stood out most to Leo wasn't the arena itself.
It was the realization that all these eyes, all this energy in the arena, was focused solely on him.
'So this is what it feels like to be on the center stage at the circuits…' he thought, adjusting the grip on his dagger as a familiar coldness seeped into his veins, dulling the noise of the crowd.
He was used to operating in the shadows, where his existence was but a fleeting whisper.
But today—there was no hiding.
Not from the crowd.
Not from Button Academy.
And definitely not from his responsibility as a Rodova team member, to somehow find a way to push his team over the line.
'I can do this—' Leo said to himself, as he pointed towards his descending opponent, with nothing but cold indifference in his eyes.
"Bring it!" He said, short and simple as a small grin played out on his face.
Unlike the others from Rodova to come out before him, Leo wasn't nervous of what opponent he would face, nor did he have a rigid strategy to take them on.
What he had was the confidence to take on any opponent he faced, no matter the matchup, and hence, as his first opponent Dianne took the stage, Leo greeted her with nothing but a cold smile.
—-----------
"Begin—" The referee signalled, as Leo pounced upon Dianne, the same way Boxer did before him, however, unlike Boxer who could not cover the distance of 30 meters before Dianne nocked an arrow and took aim, Leo could.
'Fast–' Dianne thought in alarm, as in a blink of an eye Leo was upon her.
She raised her bow to block Leo's incoming blow from height, however, much to her misery, the second Leo's dual daggers met against the solid metal handle of her bow, instead of blocking the attack, it snapped in half, as Leo sliced clean through her weapon.
"What—" Dianne gasped in alarm, as she desperately tried to step back and create distance.
However, Leo activated [Shadow Bind] to trip her as she moved, giving him the opening he needed to finish the match.
*Pow*
*Pow*
*Pow*
Hitting her right on the face without any mercy using the dull side of his dagger, Leo punched the lights out of her, but not before he broke her nose and two of her teeth in what was a brutal knockout.
*GASP–*
The audience gasped in horror when they saw a pretty blonde girl being brutalized in such a way by a black haired dude, before cheering out-loud for the same violence, as they enjoyed the slow-motion clippings of her tooth flying out of her face.
"And that's it for Dianne! The archer is down, the archer is out—" Lee announced excitedly.
"Leo Skyshard pulls one back for Rodova as the score is now 1- 4. Can he keep this momentum up?" Derek asked, as the crowd bit their nails in excitement.
"The match ended before it ever began, what a display of speed and strength by Skyshard…. He is showing exactly why Grandmaster warriors can't lose to Master level fighters, as the realm difference is simply too overwhelming to ignore," Lee added, as the next fighter Pistachio stepped up to face Leo, with the referee guiding Leo back to his initial starting spot.
"I'm not gonna move a single inch from my starting spot here, so come at me and do your worst.
My job is to tire you out, before the next fighter comes in, because even if I can't defeat you, as long as I tire you out, Captain Sam will surely score the final win for us!" Pistachio declared as he took his starting spot, as he decided to play some mind games with Leo before the fight began.
"What's he doing Derek? Why is he telling his opponent his exact plan? Is this a bait? Is he just dumb? Or is this a well planned strategy?" Lee wondered, as Derek chuckled on the mic beside him.
"That's the beauty of the circuit's Derek, genius or dumb, we will know in a few seconds now, won't we?" Derek said, as the referee signalled for the match to begin.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 175 175: Pulling Back PointsTimeless AssassinC175 175: Pulling Back Points
Leo did not feel threatened by Pistachio's bold declaration that he wouldn't move from his starting spot.
In fact, it almost felt like a favor.
'Please don't move. Stay as you are and I'll end this in the blink of an eye,' Leo thought, as the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
There was no universe where he lost a battle of speed to a Master-level fighter. If anything, this only gave him a cleaner shot at a fast finish.
Still, his instincts did not let him fully relax. Pistachio wasn't stupid— not after the way he'd turned the fight around against Du Plessis.
He was a cunning fighter and there could be a trap hidden beneath that confidence, and so, Leo chose to proceed with a sliver of caution.
"Begin—"
The referee's voice rang out, followed by an eruption of cheers from the crowd.
As without hesitation, Leo flung two daggers toward Pistachio. The first of whom was parried cleanly, however, the second seemed to force Pistachio to veer left in a sharp dodge.
Which was a big mistake.
As him dodging the move allowed Leo to use-
[Blade Switch]
As in an instant, Leo vanished from his starting spot, seemingly disappearing as a whole.
To the untrained eye, it looked like teleportation, as one moment he stood thirty meters ahead of his opponent and in the next, he was behind him, just like a whisper of death.
As before his opponent could even turn around, Leo drove his daggers forward in a ruthless flurry, piercing into the soft tissue between armor plates along Pistachio's lower back, as he cut the vital nerve bundles in his spine.
"Thanks for coming," Leo murmured into his ear coldly. "Please try again next year."
As with his nerve bundles cut, Pistachio's body crumpled forward like a puppet with its strings cut, as the crowd erupted into cheers.
"Another dominant finish by Skyshard, he pulls another point back for Rodova!" Derek exclaimed, voice sharp with awe. "This time he does it by brutally stabbing his opponent in the spine, does this man know no mercy? That's an ice-cold finish!"
Lee's voice followed quickly. "That instant movement—was that teleportation? No, no—it had form, structure. That was some advanced movement technique executed at its cleanest. Skyshard has some pretty skill-full moves in his bag."
The camera panned briefly to Button Academy's side of the arena, where Captain Sam narrowed his eyes.
His fingers tightened slightly around the shaft of his spear, and the casual smile he'd worn for most of the day faded.
Sam could feel the heat now, as he realized that fighting Leo was not going to be simple.
—---------
Meanwhile, in the Rodova camp, Yu Shen watched the match unfold with barely contained fury etched across his face.
Leo was now being forced to reveal key skills and techniques—cards that were supposed to remain hidden until the later, more critical stages of the tournament.
And it was all his own fault.
He had foolishly placed trust in the wrong teammates, believing they had what it took to hold their ground against the universe's elite. But instead of warriors, they had turned out to be overconfident fools—pampered brats playing dress-up on the biggest stage of them all.
Button Academy should never have posed a threat.
Yet here they were—up 4-2—on the brink of pulling off the biggest upset in circuit history.
As that scoreboard alone was big enough achievement to become a badge of honor for Button, a moment their academy would proudly boast about for decades.
And that was assuming Leo pulled off the comeback.
Because if he failed—if he so much as stumbled once—then this would go down as the most humiliating defeat in Rodova's legacy. An early-round collapse. A historic choke.
And the blame would fall squarely on Yu Shen—for being arrogant enough to roll the dice with a second-rate lineup when everything was on the line.
'Come on Skyshard, hold strong—' Yu Shen prayed, as he clenched his fists tight, however, it was at that moment that he felt a hand being placed on his shoulders.
"Relax, captain, Skyshard doesn't need your prayers to win.
Let alone defeating these five, he can defeat fifty of them alone, even if they took him on, all at once.
My brother has more talent in his pinky than Button has in their academy history.
He's not a choker like the others.
He's got this—" Su Yang assured, as he seemed to read Yu Shen's mind in this tough time.
"Let's hope so—" Yu Shen replied with a heavy sigh, as he resolved to never trust the B team fools ever again.
—-------
The next couple of matches posed no real challenge for Leo.
His third opponent—a nimble twin-dagger wielder—tried to overwhelm him with speed and misdirection. But against Leo's [Absolute Vision], there was no such thing as a blind spot.
Every feint was read, every angle covered. As within thirty seconds, Leo had parried, disarmed, and slammed the opponent into the ground hard enough to crack the arena floor.
The fourth was a heavy-shield brawler who tried to stall the fight with pure defense.
But Leo danced around him with ruthless efficiency, using rapid footwork and precision cuts to dismantle the man's stance bit by bit.
Then, with a sharp flick of his wrist and a clean maneuver under the shield, he planted a reverse dagger strike under the fighter's chin, knocking him unconscious in one move.
Thud.
Another one down.
Rodova 4 — Button 4.
"And just like that, it's all square!" Derek shouted, nearly rising from his seat.
"Leo Skyshard pulls Rodova from the depths of despair into a deadlock! Four fights, Four wins, all without breaking a sweat!" Derek said, as the crowd went absolutely mental now.
The initial nervousness of the Rodova supporters finally melted away, as they were now enjoying this nail biting contest, with their last fighter showing the academy's true worth.
"This man is built differently, Derek," Lee added. "Cold, calculating, surgical. He isn't just winning — he's dominating. He's a menacing fighter in every sense of the word."
As the dust settled, all eyes turned to Button's final fighter.
Captain Sam.
He rose from his seat slowly, exhaling through his nose as he grabbed his long obsidian spear. His expression was unreadable—neither nervous nor cocky, just focused.
"There he is," Derek said, voice hushed now. "Captain Sam — Button Academy's ace, a top spear master who's been sitting and observing the whole time. He's fresh, he's rested, and he's been analyzing every single move Leo Skyshard has made so far."
"Rodova's comeback has been nothing short of legendary," Lee added, "but it all comes down to this final clash. Skyshard versus Sam. Ice cold versus Mr. Hot, One fight to decide it all."
The crowd leaned forward in their seats, breath held. This duel would decide whether Rodova advanced or fell, and while things seemed to lean into Rodova's favor, with Leo being a grandmaster and Sam being just a master level fighter, Sam seemed to have a big surprise for everyone.
"Everyone asked me why I missed the round of 64 fight yesterday, and the answer was quite complicated.
I missed the round of 64 yesterday not by choice, but because I wasn't ready.
I broke through to Grandmaster the night before and was struggling yesterday.
But I'm ready now. And I plan to lead my team to the next round," Sam said, as he dropped a bombshell at the last possible moment.
Contact - ToS
Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 175 175: Pulling Back PointsTimeless AssassinC175 175: Pulling Back Points
Leo did not feel threatened by Pistachio's bold declaration that he wouldn't move from his starting spot.
In fact, it almost felt like a favor.
'Please don't move. Stay as you are and I'll end this in the blink of an eye,' Leo thought, as the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
There was no universe where he lost a battle of speed to a Master-level fighter. If anything, this only gave him a cleaner shot at a fast finish.
Still, his instincts did not let him fully relax. Pistachio wasn't stupid— not after the way he'd turned the fight around against Du Plessis.
He was a cunning fighter and there could be a trap hidden beneath that confidence, and so, Leo chose to proceed with a sliver of caution.
"Begin—"
The referee's voice rang out, followed by an eruption of cheers from the crowd.
As without hesitation, Leo flung two daggers toward Pistachio. The first of whom was parried cleanly, however, the second seemed to force Pistachio to veer left in a sharp dodge.
Which was a big mistake.
As him dodging the move allowed Leo to use-
[Blade Switch]
As in an instant, Leo vanished from his starting spot, seemingly disappearing as a whole.
To the untrained eye, it looked like teleportation, as one moment he stood thirty meters ahead of his opponent and in the next, he was behind him, just like a whisper of death.
As before his opponent could even turn around, Leo drove his daggers forward in a ruthless flurry, piercing into the soft tissue between armor plates along Pistachio's lower back, as he cut the vital nerve bundles in his spine.
"Thanks for coming," Leo murmured into his ear coldly. "Please try again next year."
As with his nerve bundles cut, Pistachio's body crumpled forward like a puppet with its strings cut, as the crowd erupted into cheers.
"Another dominant finish by Skyshard, he pulls another point back for Rodova!" Derek exclaimed, voice sharp with awe. "This time he does it by brutally stabbing his opponent in the spine, does this man know no mercy? That's an ice-cold finish!"
Lee's voice followed quickly. "That instant movement—was that teleportation? No, no—it had form, structure. That was some advanced movement technique executed at its cleanest. Skyshard has some pretty skill-full moves in his bag."
The camera panned briefly to Button Academy's side of the arena, where Captain Sam narrowed his eyes.
His fingers tightened slightly around the shaft of his spear, and the casual smile he'd worn for most of the day faded.
Sam could feel the heat now, as he realized that fighting Leo was not going to be simple.
—---------
Meanwhile, in the Rodova camp, Yu Shen watched the match unfold with barely contained fury etched across his face.
Leo was now being forced to reveal key skills and techniques—cards that were supposed to remain hidden until the later, more critical stages of the tournament.
And it was all his own fault.
He had foolishly placed trust in the wrong teammates, believing they had what it took to hold their ground against the universe's elite. But instead of warriors, they had turned out to be overconfident fools—pampered brats playing dress-up on the biggest stage of them all.
Button Academy should never have posed a threat.
Yet here they were—up 4-2—on the brink of pulling off the biggest upset in circuit history.
As that scoreboard alone was big enough achievement to become a badge of honor for Button, a moment their academy would proudly boast about for decades.
And that was assuming Leo pulled off the comeback.
Because if he failed—if he so much as stumbled once—then this would go down as the most humiliating defeat in Rodova's legacy. An early-round collapse. A historic choke.
And the blame would fall squarely on Yu Shen—for being arrogant enough to roll the dice with a second-rate lineup when everything was on the line.
'Come on Skyshard, hold strong—' Yu Shen prayed, as he clenched his fists tight, however, it was at that moment that he felt a hand being placed on his shoulders.
"Relax, captain, Skyshard doesn't need your prayers to win.
Let alone defeating these five, he can defeat fifty of them alone, even if they took him on, all at once.
My brother has more talent in his pinky than Button has in their academy history.
He's not a choker like the others.
He's got this—" Su Yang assured, as he seemed to read Yu Shen's mind in this tough time.
"Let's hope so—" Yu Shen replied with a heavy sigh, as he resolved to never trust the B team fools ever again.
—-------
The next couple of matches posed no real challenge for Leo.
His third opponent—a nimble twin-dagger wielder—tried to overwhelm him with speed and misdirection. But against Leo's [Absolute Vision], there was no such thing as a blind spot.
Every feint was read, every angle covered. As within thirty seconds, Leo had parried, disarmed, and slammed the opponent into the ground hard enough to crack the arena floor.
The fourth was a heavy-shield brawler who tried to stall the fight with pure defense.
But Leo danced around him with ruthless efficiency, using rapid footwork and precision cuts to dismantle the man's stance bit by bit.
Then, with a sharp flick of his wrist and a clean maneuver under the shield, he planted a reverse dagger strike under the fighter's chin, knocking him unconscious in one move.
Thud.
Another one down.
Rodova 4 — Button 4.
"And just like that, it's all square!" Derek shouted, nearly rising from his seat.
"Leo Skyshard pulls Rodova from the depths of despair into a deadlock! Four fights, Four wins, all without breaking a sweat!" Derek said, as the crowd went absolutely mental now.
The initial nervousness of the Rodova supporters finally melted away, as they were now enjoying this nail biting contest, with their last fighter showing the academy's true worth.
"This man is built differently, Derek," Lee added. "Cold, calculating, surgical. He isn't just winning — he's dominating. He's a menacing fighter in every sense of the word."
As the dust settled, all eyes turned to Button's final fighter.
Captain Sam.
He rose from his seat slowly, exhaling through his nose as he grabbed his long obsidian spear. His expression was unreadable—neither nervous nor cocky, just focused.
"There he is," Derek said, voice hushed now. "Captain Sam — Button Academy's ace, a top spear master who's been sitting and observing the whole time. He's fresh, he's rested, and he's been analyzing every single move Leo Skyshard has made so far."
"Rodova's comeback has been nothing short of legendary," Lee added, "but it all comes down to this final clash. Skyshard versus Sam. Ice cold versus Mr. Hot, One fight to decide it all."
The crowd leaned forward in their seats, breath held. This duel would decide whether Rodova advanced or fell, and while things seemed to lean into Rodova's favor, with Leo being a grandmaster and Sam being just a master level fighter, Sam seemed to have a big surprise for everyone.
"Everyone asked me why I missed the round of 64 fight yesterday, and the answer was quite complicated.
I missed the round of 64 yesterday not by choice, but because I wasn't ready.
I broke through to Grandmaster the night before and was struggling yesterday.
But I'm ready now. And I plan to lead my team to the next round," Sam said, as he dropped a bombshell at the last possible moment.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 176 176: Calm FocusTimeless AssassinC176 176: Calm Focus
Leo did not care if his opponent was a Grand Master or Master.
To him, it made little difference as to whom he was smashing. However, the fact that Sam had hidden his breakthrough until the last moment... Exposed just how flawed and poor Rodova's scouting system really was.
Their entire B-team had fallen, one after the other, simply because their opponents did not match what they expected or prepared for, and now the opponent even had an unexpected Grandmaster in their ranks which could make things difficult for Leo.
'Lesson learned. Never trust these idiots. Only believe what your eyes see,' Leo thought,assuming his fighting stance once more, as he locked eyes with his opponent.
*CHEERS–*
The Rodova fans cheered for him louder once they found out that his opponent was a Grandmaster, as if the cheers would somehow make the fight easier for him to win.
However, Leo blocked all the noises and chants out, as he became absolutely focused once again.
Facing him, the Button captain stood with perfect posture, spear resting across his shoulders.
The polished obsidian shaft gleamed under the dual suns, while the arena's flat grasslands shimmered with wind.
Sam's aura was calm and focused.
He did not flinch when Leo looked into his eyes, nor did his body radiate malice or bloodlust—as he projected just sharp, unwavering intent.
"Begin!" the referee declared at that moment, as Sam surged forward, his body a blur as he launched a precise opening thrust, his spear tip aiming for Leo's ribs.
'I can see it coming—' Leo thought, as he did not dodge prematurely.
He stepped to the side by an inch—just enough—and countered with a flick of his wrist.
*Clang!*
Sparks flew as Leo's dagger kissed the side of the spear and knocked it off-course.
'His speed is a lot slower than mine. He's refined as a spearmaster, but not faster,' Leo noted, as that single exchange was enough for him to gauge his opponents speed.
Sam didn't hesitate. After Leo parried his first thrust, with a fluid spin, he brought the spear around in a sweeping arc and leapt into the air.
[Gale Spiral]
The spear twisted with wind mana, generating a whirlwind as it descended toward Leo's position.
However, Leo simply disappeared under the attack using—
[Vanish]
*WHOOSH!*
The spear slammed into the earth, tearing a chunk of grass and dirt into the sky, but missing its intended target.
"Where?" Sam wondered, as Leo understood that his opponent did not have a perception technique that could see through vanish, which made this fight heavily skewed in his favor, as he easily circled to Sam's back.
*Swoosh*
Leo attacked, however, much to his surprise, Sam, who pretended like he could not see him, twisted—just in time to deflect the attack mid-air with a reverse grip on his spear.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!*
[Gale Spiral]
Sam tried to counter with a Gale Spiral, but Leo dodged with a backflip, as he created distance between himself and Sam, just to make sure that he did not walk into some elaborate trap and so that he could reset the fight tempo on his terms.
*OOOOHHHH—-*
The audience gasped at the fast exchange, the Rodova fans wiping their sweat as they saw Leo dodging narrowly.
However, the more observant fans knew that he had this under control and was never under real threat.
*Clash*
*Clash*
The duo clashed again, as Sam pushed forward yet again.
However, this time instead of using skills, Leo moved with surgical precision, staying just outside Sam's full reach, forcing the spearman to chase shadows.
For a few seconds, Sam tried his best to chase Leo, but soon he realized that he did not have the pace to keep up with Leo, as he adjusted and backed off, channeling mana into his legs instead as he prepared another special move.
"[Sundering Thrust]" He declared, as the ground cracked beneath his feet as he shot forward with an explosive burst.
*Whistle*
The spear in his hand tore through the air with a whistling sound as it aimed to pierce through Leo's chest.
But Leo was faster.
He dropped his weight and twisted his torso, letting the spear graze just above his shoulder.
As Leo countered with
[Mirror World]
Surrounding Sam with countless clones in the blink of an eye.
*Cheer—*
The crowd roared, as this was the exact type of flashy move that got their blood pumping.
Even Sam looked confused for a second.
"What is this?! Some kind of illusion technique?!" Sam muttered out-loud, as he seemed to be unable to spot the real one amongst the fakes, giving Leo the chance he needed to take the upper hand in this fight.
*Slash*
*Slash*
Two clones slashed wildly at Sam, blocking and covering his whole vision, as Sam quickly dismantled them using [Gale Spiral].
However, while he was busy with the clones, the real Leo darted in from the other side and delivered a deep slash across Sam's thigh.
*THUD!*
Sam stumbled, blood trickling down his leg, as the commentators went wild.
"Skyshard draws first blood!" Derek screamed
"He's taking the offensive lead!." He added, as Sam gritted his teeth and shifted tactics.
Realising that him limping in the fight from now on would make dodging Leo's attacks very difficult, he decided to throw a Hail Mary to hopefully even the odds.
"[Heaven-Piercer Form]" He declared, as once activated, mana covered his entire body, like a blazing fire.
Sam then shifted into a wider stance that looked like the start of a chain move that could dominate the entire space around him, as his plan seemed to be to hold his ground with minimal movement.
'It's a bold move, but nothing I've never seen before. He's trying to corner me into range and then box me with the spear's orbit.
Unfortunately, I've trained against opponents that did it much better than him,' Leo thought as he smirked.
He tossed a dagger forward—intentionally slow as Sam blocked it with ease, but didn't notice the shadow that moved with the blade.
[Shadow Bind]
Leo used Shadow Bind to lock Sam's foot in place, as by the time Sam noticed, it was already too late.
"What the—?" he muttered as Leo closed the distance, but before he could break free, Leo broke past his guard, dismantling his technique, as with cold efficiency, he feinted a slash to the arm, before actually targeting the legs, as he took the other leg as well.
*Slash*
Sam crashed to the ground, as with both his leg nerves severed, he couldn't support his own weight anymore.
And making the most of this opening, Leo planted his dagger at the base of Sam's neck, but did not pierce it all the way as he waited for the referee to call the match.
For a second there was only frozen silence.
The crowd and referee looked stunned.
Then, the referee quickly pushed Leo off Sam's back, calling the victory for Rodova, as only then did the breath return to the audience.
*CHEERS*
The crowd went mental over Leo's win.
From 4-0 down he had clutched the win 4-5 for Rodova, in what was undoubtedly one of the best solo performances by a junior year fighter.
"…It's over," Lee whispered
"It's done. Skyshard wins. Rodova survives." Derek screamed, as the referee raised his hand in victory
"Winner—Leo Skyshard.
Winner Rodova Military Academy!" the referee announced, as Leo gave the crowd a small thumbs up before walking off like nothing happened.
He stepped over his opponent's crying body without a word, eyes cold and expression unreadable.
He did not bother with things like sportsmanship or consoling the loser.
He did not bother celebrating.
He did not even bother with looking back.
To him, this wasn't glory.
It was what had to be done, and hence he did not gloat in it at all.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 177 177: ScoldingTimeless AssassinC177 177: Scolding
(Rodova Team Room – Post-Match)
The door to the Rodova warm-up area hissed open with a soft pneumatic whoosh as Leo stepped inside lazily after his win.
But before he could take a single step forward, he was swarmed.
Du Plessis, eyes red and nose running, barreled toward him like a toddler spotting his parent after a nightmare. "BRO!" he wailed, throwing his arms around Leo with a half-laugh, half-sob. "You saved us! You actually saved us! I can't even imagine the backlash I'd have faced if you hadn't won that— I-I would've had to change my name to something different from shame!"
Kohli joined in, gripping Leo's arm as if it were a lifeline. "Forget going back into the academy halls… I wouldn't be able to show my face in the entire star system. My own father would've disowned me, man."
Drake followed, nodding fervently. "They'd have written songs mocking us— 'The Rodova Clowns', performed galaxy-wide! But you... You shut them up."
Boxer dropped to his knees, arms raised to the heavens. "All hail Skyshard. The man, the myth, the last strand of our dignity."
Tears flowed freely—some real, some exaggerated for dramatic effect. Their faces, earlier smug and cocky before the match began, were now wrinkled with shame and wet with gratitude.
Leo stood in the center of the chaos, surrounded, suffocated.
He didn't return a single hug.
Didn't speak a single word.
'Idiots,' he cursed silently, his jaw tightening. 'They think this is all a joke. That I bailed them out because we're friends.'
He did not pat their backs, offer smiles, or ease their guilt.
He let them squirm.
He let the silence linger.
Because they deserved to feel it.
Then—
The heavy air in the team room shifted suddenly, as the main chamber doors slammed open behind them.
*BANG!*
Yu Shen entered with a thundercloud over his face, flanked by Su Yang, Minerva, Instructor Hen, Professor David, and Muiyan Faye, as all eyes turned.
Yu Shen's gaze landed on the four fallen fighters—and he exploded.
"YOU'RE ALL A DISGRACE TO RODOVA!" he shouted, jabbing his finger at them like it was a blade, as the room trembled with his fury.
Du Plessis, Boxer, Kohli, and Drake instantly lowered their eyes like scolded children.
"You couldn't even beat Button Academy? BUTTON?!
They had one real fighter, and the rest were barely scraping by! And still, you managed to roll over like damn amateurs!"
His voice cracked with rage. "You were arrogant, lazy, unprepared—and worst of all, you made the entire galaxy laugh at Rodova today.
The number one seed!
The so-called giants— reduced to clowns!"
Each word hit harder than the last. No one dared breathe.
Yu Shen stepped closer. "Don't even think about asking for another chance to redeem yourself after this.
Your time in the circuits is over.
You're done.
It was mercy from me that I allowed you to fight today…. That I trusted you to do your jobs and maybe earn sponsorships that could change your life, but no—
I was a fool! And I will never make the same mistake again! None of you are fighting in the Circuit's again!"
A beat of silence followed, before Instructor Hen stepped forward, arms crossed, expression like ice.
"I agree with the Captain," Hen said sternly. "You shamed this academy with your performance. Geneva, Clarence, the entire top 16—they're laughing right now. And why wouldn't they? You gave them a comedy show."
Even David, ever the softy for commoners couldn't hold back his tongue as he said "What the hell was that showboating Du Plessis? You had your opponent beat, but you threw that match away for fucking photographs and fame.
It's because of idiots like you that people believe commoners are inferior to nobles. Why wouldn't they? When the best of commoners are idiots like you!"
"I hope you're all proud. Because your foolishness forced Leo to expose skills he should've saved for the semi-finals." Faye said last, as she reminded them that Leo had to reveal a few of his cards prematurely because of them.
Cards that he should've held for later rounds.
However because of their stupidity, they had not only jinxed this round but also Leo's future fights.
The mood in the room plummeted. No one dared speak, even the usually sharp-tongued Drake.
Then, finally, Yu Shen turned his eyes toward Leo, his anger melting.
A moment passed.
Then he stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Good one, Skyshard… I owe you one," Yu Shen said, his voice calmer now.
"You saved Rodova's name from being dragged through the dirt. You reminded everyone why we're number one. And you also taught me my lesson to never gamble with fools again." Yu Shen said, as Leo acknowledged his words with a simple nod.
Su Yang stepped forward next, a relaxed grin on his face as he extended a hand towards Leo.
"I told him you had it under control," he said, gesturing towards Yu Shen, as Leo took the handshake, gripping it firmly.
"Of course I wasn't going to be taken down by those clowns, like I know you wouldn't either." He replied, as the two shared a small nod of mutual respect—before grinning wildly.
It wasn't glazing.
It was just two wolves, acknowledging each other, while the rest in the room watched their bromance bud silently.
The Circuit's weren't over yet, and the rounds were only going to get tougher and tougher from here on out.
However, while the Rodova team undoubtedly faced a humiliating setback today, through Leo's brilliance they were still in the tournament and still had a shot at winning it all.
Hence, once the scolding had been imparted, and the congratulations were given, the Rodova team dove straight into planning and strategizing for tomorrow's fight, as if one good thing came from today's scare, it was that it woke everyone up to the true unpredictable nature of this competition.
A change that Leo had been desperately waiting for since he joined the team a few weeks ago.
As finally, the atmosphere around the team felt focused and serious for a change.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 178 178: SuspicionsTimeless AssassinC178 178: Suspicions
(Sky-God Arena — Afternoon, Spectator Stands)
The entire Rodova team sat huddled together in the spectator stands, some members still wearing their battle gear, as they looked like a bunch of misplaced interns rather than tournament fighters.
Yu Shen sat just behind them alongside the professor's, his voice from earlier still echoing in the entire team's head:
"No more over-reliance on tape reviews. No more secondhand data. From now on, every member will use their own eyes for scouting. You will sit down and watch every match play out, make your own notes and then contribute positively during the evening as the team sits down to review footage—"
So here they sat, the number one seeded team, forced to attend a live scouting session like misbehaving students in detention.
None of them said much. Even Enzo, normally full of snide remarks, remained quiet as they watched Geneva Military Academy step onto the battlefield.
Unlike Rodova, Geneva had not repeated the same mistake of sending out their benchwarmers.
Captain Ramos himself led the first wave of fights, taking the opening two matches with suffocating dominance.
He didn't play around. Every move was surgical. Precise. The kind of fighting that left no room for luck or theatrics.
And after Ramos' clean opening victories, Geneva rotated in Darnell Nuna for the remaining bouts.
The boy was slim, dressed in muted colors with a standard-issue blade and barely any armor.
But he moved with such smoothness that it left even Leo star eyed.
He was light on his feet, dangerous in his positioning—quicker than he looked—and efficient.
But what truly caught Leo's eye wasn't just his fighting technique.
But rather his behavior.
"Ooo— you've got some belly fat," he chirped mid-duel to one opponent, his eyes sparkling with innocent curiosity. "Your tummy jiggles when you move!"
The crowd chuckled. The opponent, flustered and red-faced, tried to strike back harder but this overreach left himself open to a counter.
"Haha—You're unbelievably slow!" Darnell noted with the tone of someone observing cloud shapes, not someone fighting a serious bout.
As he did not seem to say it to taunt the opponent. He just... said it. As if completely unaware of how the words landed.
As if he did not care about his opponents emotions, or how his words will make him look in front of the crowd.
'He's like a big kid, one that's never emotionally matured. He's a top fighter, but he still has that childish innocence in him,' Leo thought, leaning forward in his seat as he narrowed his eyes.
'Such personality for an adult is only created when they've grown up in an extremely sheltered environment.
With their family protecting them from everything wrong in the world.
This is undoubtedly a sheltered brat—' Leo concluded, as just as he was thinking about this, the Jumbotron cut to the scene of a tall man wearing pitch black robes in the crowd, as watching the man's face and the insignia on his chest, Leo instantly felt his heart skip a beat.
*Slash*
*Stab*
*Blood*
Flashes from his Ghost Sleep, sent goosebumps rising on his sleep, as he instantly recognised the man being displayed on the screen.
That man was the Monarch level fighter who killed his ancestor!
That man was the Black Serpent Guildmaster!
"And there he is….. the Black Serpent Guildmaster! Monarch Dupravel Nuna in the flesh, watching his son fight in the circuits.
He must be proud of how his son is dominating—" Lee Dixon said over the speakerphone, as the crowd cheered wildly for Dupravel.
"Imagine the pressure you must feel if you're Darnell Nuna, knowing that your great father is watching you fight from the crowd.
Haha, I'd wet my pants if I were him—" Derek added, as Lee chuckled at his joke.
"Well, we all know how much Dupravel loves his only son. He'll probably be fine even if he loses—" Lee replied, as Darnell defeated the final fighter from North Star Academy.
"And that's it folks—Darnell Nuna! the rising assassin star from Geneva! Brings home the victory for their team, helping Geneva advance to the round of 16!" Derek announced, as Darnell began jumping and backflipping in joy, bowing to the crowd and his father sitting in the stands in happiness.
Leo blinked.
"Tha– that kid is the Black Serpent Guildmaster's son?" Leo asked in confusion, as he just couldn't understand how a serious warrior like Darnell could have such an innocent son.
However, Su Yang replied to him seriously, without realising the sarcasm behind his question.
"Yup, everyone on Geneva's roster is a superstar. Every last one of them is from a big clan with serious backing. You don't get into Geneva on talent alone. It's all politics and pedigree." Su Yang said, as Leo's frown deepened.
'If I somehow have the misfortune of facing this kid in battle? What do I do then? Do I eliminate this kid and screw Rodova? Or do I beat his ass and risk alienating the Black Serpents from ever accepting me?' Leo wondered, as he did not like the fact that he could potentially face this jumping clown in battle someday.
'Well, let's worry about that bridge when we have to cross it. No point thinking about it now—' He quickly realized, as after wasting a few seconds thinking of an unlikely what if scenario, Leo shifted his focus to the next platform shift and the fighters lining up from Clarence Academy.
—----------
Leo wasn't the only one unsettled by the revelation that the Black Serpent Guildmaster's son was participating in the Circuits, as sitting just a row above him, Muiyan Faye felt a similar unease settle in her chest.
'The elders warned that something major was about to unfold during the Circuits... Could it be tied to the Black Serpent Guildmaster's son?' she wondered, her gaze narrowing.
It couldn't be mere coincidence that the Cult of Ascension had chosen this particular edition of the tournament to make their move. And if they were planning something, she had a strong suspicion the Black Serpent heir was involved somehow.
After all, Dupravel Nuna—was currently public enemy number one within the Cult, following his brutal execution of the previous Dragon, Noah.
The Cult of Ascension never moved without purpose.
They were not anarchists. They were planners. Architects of long-term devastation, who sowed seeds in silence and waited patiently for them to bloom into chaos.
Which is why their presence here—now—made Muiyan Faye's chest tighten with a creeping dread.
'Is Darnell their play?' she thought, pupils narrowing. 'Is taking him their big plan?'
The theory settled in her mind like a stone.
It made too much sense. Dupravel was too powerful for the cult to challenge on their own. But his son? Right now, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of witnesses, on neutral ground, with rules and restrictions preventing interference?
It was the perfect place for a strike.
'They wouldn't need to kill him. Just take him. Use him as leverage… and force the Guildmaster's hand to give back the cult's scroll .'
Her heartbeat grew louder in her ears.
Because the kidnapping plan wasn't what scared her most.
What terrified her was what came after.
If an incident broke out mid-tournament, or if Darnell went missing suddenly, then everyone—guests, sponsors, even students—would be put under intense scrutiny.
And that meant...
Leo.
'If they trace anything back to his true background… if even one piece of it leaks—'
She didn't finish the thought. Couldn't.
Because Leo Skyshard might not survive the fallout.
'They'll label him a threat. A sleeper agent of the cult. Or an infiltrator.'
Which would mean the elder was right.
She would have to act.
She would have to step in and save him.
Even if it meant revealing her own hidden cards far earlier than planned.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 179 179: Inconsistencies and a Familiar FaceTimeless AssassinC179 179: Inconsistencies and a Familiar Face
(Commander Jackson's Office – Midday, inside a confidential military HQ)
The scent of cigar smoke curled through the room in lazy spirals, mixing with the distant echo of cheering fans from the giant screen mounted on the wall.
The Sky-God Arena's live broadcast played quietly, showing highlights from the latest Interstellar Circuits match.
As Commander Jackson sat reclined behind his desk, one leg crossed over the other with a tumbler of aged whiskey half-finished beside him.
He puffed slowly, savoring the cigar's taste, when a soft 'ding' interrupted his moment of peace.
The holographic monitor embedded in his desk lit up, projecting a confidential report in bold red lettering across the glass.
Subject: Leo Skyshard – Financial History Audit (Requested: High Priority)
Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Ah, finally. Let's see which faction within the Mu Clan is backing the boy," he muttered, tapping the screen to open the report.
At first, he scanned the first few lines of the report quickly, but then after a few seconds, he frowned, as he put the Cigar aside and sat up.
"…What?"
He tapped the screen again, enlarging the credit history section, as his brow furrowed deeper with each passing second.
The only reason he had requested an audit on the boys financial history was because, usually when the Mu Clan sent their spawns out into the universe without memories, they loaded their bank accounts with a lot of 0's.
It was supposed to be a challenge for them to find their bank account without their memories and when they did, they were rewarded with outrageous sums like 200-500,000 MP.
And while Leo's account was the same, with an outrageous balance of 920,000 MP to his name, the originator of that transaction wasn't the Mu Clan, but rather The Universal Department Of Interstellar Immigration and Transport.
"What?"
Jackson muttered again, as this made no sense to him.
The department of transport only paid out money to either its employees or passengers who had worked labor jobs during their journey across the universe aboard the department's ships, and even if Leo did either, it was impossible to earn 920,000 in a single payment.
People worked their entire lives for that kind of money, so it couldn't be that he just earned it either.
"Hmm…. I wanted to see which faction in the Mu Clan is backing him, by auditing his financial history
But this is not what I expected—" Jackson said, taking another puff from his cigar as he couldn't make heads or tails of this situation.
His eyes kept hovering over the line :-
Origin of Funds: Universal Government – Department of Interstellar Immigration and Transport.
As he couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment.
"Tanya, honey," he said, reaching out to the comma button on his desk.
"Find out who in the Department of Interstellar Immigration and Transportat authorized a 920,000 MP transaction to a man named Leo Skyshard. I don't care how buried the logs are—pull the chain of command. I want names. I want timestamps. And if there's a Mu Clan rat hiding in that department? I want them fired before sunset." He instructed, as "Yes, Commander" came a sweet feminine reply from the other end.
"Good—" Jackson said, leaning back again, as his gaze darkened.
"Has the universal government agencies been infiltrated by loyalists of the six big clans?" Jackson wondered, as he couldn't help but fear the six great clans implanting spies within every agency of the government.
"I'll definitely have to get to the bottom of this—" He concluded, as he did not enjoy the idea of there being great clan loyalists within the government at all.
—---------
(Meanwhile, inside a tavern on a distant planet)
A hooded man sat hunched at a bar table, his shoulders slumped and fingers trembling faintly—less from cold and more from the slow decay of hunger and exhaustion that had hollowed him out over the past few weeks.
"One beer… and some bread, please," he rasped, voice raw like gravel dragged across metal.
The bartender, a large orc with kind eyes and a soft heart, gave him a long look before nodding.
A few moments later, he returned with a foaming mug and two thick slices of warm, buttered bread— that were double the usual portion.
"You look like you'll faint any minute from hunger, friend," the orc said gently.
"Eat up. Take your time and let me know if you need more. No shame in asking," the orc offered kindly, as the man gave a silent nod before picking up a slice with unsteady hands.
*Nom*
The first bite was small, cautious.
But the moment the warm bread hit his tongue, a quiet sound involuntarily left his mouth that sounded something between a sigh and a sob.
"Agh…" he whispered in relief, as at that point the limited restraint that he seemed to have tethered onto seemed to vanish.
He tore through the meal in seconds, devouring the bread and draining the mug with a desperation that made it clear he hadn't had a real meal in days. Maybe even weeks.
And as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, leaving some money on the counter to pay the orc, the kind bartender leaned in with an offer.
"If you need a room… or more food, I've got both. Free of charge, if you help me chop some wood out back with that sword you're carrying."
The orc offered, but the man only shook his head in response, offering a weak smile in return.
"I can't stay now. But… thank you for the offer," he said as he turned to leave.
However, as he moved toward the door, his eyes caught something familiar playing on the bar's old television screen.
It was the Sky-God Arena broadcast—replays from earlier in the day.
And the camera had zoomed in on a young man standing on the battlefield, his black hair tousled, daggers in hand, eyes cold and focused as the crowd screamed his name.
The hooded figure's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the screen.
At first, he took a step forward.
Then another.
"…Leo?"
The name slipped out before he could stop it, barely a whisper.
His legs moved on their own as he approached the screen, heart pounding.
The man on the broadcast—cutting through opponent after opponent with terrifying grace and calm precision was Leo.
His brother.
His little brother.
Alive.
Fighting.
Thriving.
His fingers reached out slowly, brushing against the edge of the screen like it might dissolve if he blinked.
His touch lingered on Leo's face, glowing faintly in the flicker of the transmission, as emotion surged in his chest—grief, relief, guilt, pride—all tangled together like a knot that had waited months to unravel.
He hadn't seen that face in so long.
And now, there it was… being broadcast across the stars for the entire universe to witness.
However, just as he began to savor the moment—
"Are you okay?" the orc bartender's voice came from behind, snapping him back to the present.
The man blinked.
The screen remained.
Leo's next opponent was already falling.
But the moment was over, as he turned away while pulling his hood a little lower.
"I'm fine," he replied, voice hollow once again, as without another word, he walked out of the tavern, not bothering to look back even once.
He couldn't afford to stay.
He was a wanted man with bounties and bloodhounds at his back, which made staying in one place for too long akin to willingly placing himself in chains.
But even as he stepped into the cold dusk air, even as he vanished down the alley with shadows clinging to his heels, a small smile crept onto his face for the first time in many weeks.
Leo was alive and thriving.
And somehow, that knowledge alone made the road ahead seem a little less lonely for Luke—because deep down, he felt assured that Leo would come looking for him and the others in the family soon.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 180 180: What have I done?Timeless AssassinC180 180: What have I done?
Commander Jackson wasn't the only one digging into Leo's background.
As after his stellar performance against Button Academy, many others had begun snooping into his past as well.
The first issue with Leo's alias lay in his surname: 'Skyshard', and how it wasn't named Su, Mu, Gu, Lu, Du, or Yu—meaning he wasn't publicly tied to any of the six great clans.
And while some speculated that he might be a Mu Clan offspring, cast into the universe without the family name like many of their young often were, others were eager to bet on the off-chance that he wasn't tied to the Mu Clan at all.
Especially since not everyone knew about his memory loss or the circumstances leading to his Rodova admission.
As those who had only just discovered him through the Circuits had no clue he was still piecing his past together—so they leaned toward the belief that he was a rising star from some obscure and forgotten bloodline.
But the second, more alarming issue, was his monstrous talent.
A first-year Grandmaster, with blinding speed and ruthless efficiency—Leo's capabilities already eclipsed most young geniuses from even the top clans.
And for someone that exceptional to appear without a dominant background?
It made many wolves salivate.
Monarch-level bloodlines were vanishingly rare. Outside the six great clans, the odds of such potential emerging from common blood were one in a trillion—if not worse.
Which was why, across the galaxy, mid-sized clan patriarchs suddenly found themselves watching closely.
They saw in Leo a mystery worth solving—and perhaps, a treasure worth claiming.
Desperate to elevate their family's lineage, many began quietly dispatching agents to investigate his origins, hoping to uncover anything—any detail at all—that would justify an approach.
As even the flimsiest thread of connection would do.
Because in their world, the line between obscurity and legacy could be drawn with a marriage contract… and a well-timed introduction.
—-----
(Sky-God Arena – Private Viewing Chamber, Alcazar Clan Rental Suite)
The Alcazar clan was one of those mid-tier clans who had a couple transcendent tier warriors within their fold and some minor success in the economic sector, however, they couldn't quite break through to the realm of being a powerhouse.
They controlled a few cities on a planet and were quite famous where they lived, however, on a universal scale their influence meant nothing much.
However, today, the Patriarch of the clan saw through Leo an opportunity to elevate the clan out of its mediocrity and he hatched a plan to act on it, on the spot.
Standing inside a luxurious private box overlooking the central battlefield, with his hands folded behind his back, Lord Alcazar gazed towards his youngest and most beautiful daughter, who was the apple of her eye up-till yesterday.
"He's perfect," Damien Alcazar muttered.
"Speed, presence, bloodline—maybe even a Monarch-talent lineage… because if he's not at least that talented he would never make it to the Rodova team as a first year Grandmaster." Alcazar theorized, as behind him, Serina Alcazar stood stiffly, draped in a lavender silk gown, her lips trembling slightly.
"After the round of 16 ends tomorrow. The day after that is a rest day for all fighters.
On that day they're supposed to participate in mandatory interviews and meet and greets, and that's our chance to make an impression—" Damien began, as he turned and looked directly into the eyes of his favorite daughter.
"100,000 MP. That's what I just paid for this access pass, that guarantees personal entry to Rodova's VIP meet and greet event." Damien said, flashing a pass in his hands, as Serina looked down at it with a sinking feeling in her chest.
"I've arranged your dress fitting tonight. And I've already contacted a Genevese stylist to fly in tomorrow morning. And pay her whatever it takes to get the fitting done in a few hours."
"Father, I…" Serina intervened, struggling to find her voice as she whispered. "I'm not sure I can do this—"
"You must," Damien snapped back, gripping her shoulders, as the maniacal look in his eyes intensified.
"This isn't about you. This is about the clan."
He gestured toward the screen in the VIP Box where Leo's highlights were playing from earlier in the day.
"If he's from one of the great clans? Wonderful. We bind ourselves to them by marriage. We elevate in status and influence."
He leaned in, eyes narrowing.
"And if he isn't? Even better. Then we manipulate him. Use him. Breed a generation of talented Skyshards under our banner and enrich our bloodline forever"
Serina's breath hitched.
"I know you're a virgin. I know this is… unpleasant. But that is the burden of those born into noble blood. You don't get to choose who you love, Serina. You only get to serve the legacy."
Serina's eyes welled with tears, listening to her father, but she didn't let them fall. She couldn't.
As for a moment Damien's tone softened—but only slightly.
"Wear something bold. Tight around the waist. Show him a little shoulder. Innocence with a hint of temptation. Men like that—warriors—they want sweetness until they taste blood."
Serina closed her eyes.
"You can cry now," he said quietly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But not in front of him. When you see Leo Skyshard… you smile. You shine. You give him a reason to remember you."
She nodded through the tears. No protest. No defiance.
Because failure was not an option.
Not in the Alcazar household. Not in this cruel universe.
She had been cherished by the clan all her life so far and now it was her turn to pay them back.
—------------
(Sky-God Arena – Upper Bleachers, The Cola Clan)
"No! No! No! You don't understand, Papa!" screamed Layna Cola, stomping her foot as she turned red in the face. "You have to buy me that pass!"
Across from her, Lord Cola—a plump man with greying sideburns and an oversized Clan Cola crest stitched onto his tunic—clutched a trembling hand to his chest like he'd just been shot.
"100,000 MP?! For a single meet-and-greet token?" he gasped. "You want me to mortgage my left kidney for a five-minute handshake?"
"It's not just a handshake!" Layna cried, throwing a plush cushion across the room. "It's Leo Skyshard! Do you have any idea what that man does to me?"
"Layna, you're nineteen—"
"And I know what I want! That man is cool, mysterious, insanely fast, and he saved Rodova all on his own! I love him, Papa!"
"Oh sweet stars above," Lord Cola muttered, rubbing his temples as his daughter began pacing furiously.
"I will literally never forgive you if you ruin my one chance to meet him. I'll run away. I'll join the Pepsi Clan. I'll change my surname to Pepper!"
"Don't you dare take that beautiful cola name off your records—!"
Layna collapsed dramatically onto a couch, burying her face in a sequin-stuffed pillow. "Just let me meet him. I don't care if I cry, faint, or forget how to breathe—just let me try."
Lord Cola stared at her for a long moment, the dramatic sniffles echoing louder than the arena crowd outside.
Finally, with a groan of defeat, he yanked his datapad from his belt and tapped furiously.
"I'm going to regret this when your mother finds out… but fine," he said, shaking his head. "You'll get your damn pass. Just don't tell her how much I paid."
Layna shot upright, her teary eyes wide with disbelief. "Wait—really?!"
"Stars help me, yes," he sighed.
"AAAAAAHHH!" Layna shrieked in joy, launching herself into her father's arms with enough force to nearly knock him over. "You're the best papa ever!"
Lord Cola patted her awkwardly on the back, groaning under the weight. "Just don't faint on the boy. Or propose. Or talk about marriage. Or babies. Or—"
"Too late!" she sang, twirling in the air as she danced around the room. "I'm gonna marry Leo Skyshard and name our first son Cola Skyshard!"
"Oh gods," Lord Cola muttered, reaching for his flask. "What have I done…"
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