Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 211 211: Leo vs RamosTimeless AssassinC211 211: Leo vs Ramos
(Sky-God Arena – Finals Match 7, Leo vs Ramos)
Ramos did not ask for a substitution after his fight with Enzo.
He had no intention of stepping aside—not when the final spotlight was within reach.
Internally, he was dead set on ending the tournament here and now, by striking down Leo and claiming the glory of securing Geneva's championship with his own hands.
As he desperately wanted the headlines, the post-match interviews and the winning photographs to be all about him and him alone, and not the team.
And for that goal, he stayed, although substituting might have been the best choice to make.
"Can't run away from me anymore, Skyshard" Ramos muttered with a grin as Leo approached, as he dropped into battle-stance and shifted his weight forward.
In response, Leo unsheathed two daggers of his own from across his waist before lowering his stance into that signature crouch of his— where he kept his shoulders loose, eyes cold and balance perfect.
The air grew taut with tension, as the whole arena held its breath.
"Fighters ready?" the referee called out, eyes flicking left—
Then right.
A pause.
And then his hand dropped.
"Begin!"
—-----------
There was no delay.
No cautious circling. No test strikes.
As both fighters launched into each other like loaded springs.
Ramos came in first—low and coiled, his blades crossing in an X-slash meant to split through Leo's defense before he could establish tempo—but Leo twisted mid-sprint, angling just outside the arc and countering with a dagger thrust aimed at the side of Ramos's ribs.
*CLANG—!*
Steel met steel as Ramos parried clean, his second blade already rising into a backhand meant to punish the approach, but Leo disengaged just in time—feet skidding across the sand as he absorbed the force with nimble precision before resetting his stance.
He hadn't been hit.
But he'd been pushed back, and that told him everything he needed to know about Ramos's raw strength.
'He's stronger. Way stronger than anyone I've faced before.' Leo realized, as he narrowed his eyes, flexing the strain out of his arms.
'Not just in raw power—but also in the way he controls space around him….. he's at a level where he can easily defeat Major Hen in battle.' Leo thought, as he charged again—but this time not head-on.
He shifted right, then cut left, moving in zig-zags like a flickering shadow, trying to angle for the blindside—but Ramos rotated smoothly with him, blades moving in controlled arcs, as he intercepted every attempt with calm efficiency.
"You thought I'd be as weak as Mikhail?" Ramos called, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Or as slow as Damien?"
He cracked his neck.
"I wouldn't be Captain of Geneva if I was anywhere close to those two….. being Captain means you're the best fighter on your team by far, and that's exactly who I am!" Ramos said, as he flexed his mana that pulsed through the arena floor, before activating his first move:
[Steelbound Step]—
*WOOSH*
A burst of mana launched him forward in a blur, closing the distance instantly as he appeared right at Leo's side with a vertical cleave already mid-swing.
*SHUA*
Leo barely ducked in time, the blade whistling past his ear close enough to shave the wind off his skin, as he kicked off the ground with a sharp recoil, landing low and spinning back into a wide arc to disengage—but Ramos didn't let up.
Not for a second.
[Steelbound Step] didn't just accelerate movement—it reinforced Ramos's footwork, tightening his pivot radius and anchoring his weight, allowing him to brake and accelerate again in unnatural sequences.
Which meant that even when Leo disengaged, Ramos was already on him again.
*CLANG—!*
*CLANG—!*
Two furious exchanges rang out in succession as Leo barely deflected twin slashes, the impact sending reverberations through his wrist bones as he rolled sideways to recover, using [Blade Switch] to reposition ten meters away and catch his breath.
But Ramos didn't chase this time.
He just stood there—blades lowered, exhaling through his nose—as if waiting.
As if daring Leo to come again.
'He's not just aggressive… he's reading me. Reacting one move ahead. He's used to fighting speedsters—and shutting them down,' Leo thought, his eyes narrowing slightly, chest rising and falling now in sharper cadence as he processed what he'd just felt.
Ramos wasn't faster than him in terms of pure speed, however, he was surely better timed.
It was like he was doing what Leo did in battle, which was to read the opponents movement before they made it by looking at their muscle contractions, but only better and faster than him, as he seemed to always be one step ahead.
And that was more dangerous than him having explosive raw speed, as while Leo could handle speed, such battle IQ was hard to counter.
'Every time I try to angle in, he rotates clean. Every disengage, he takes the center back. He's not chasing me… he's steering me,' Leo realized, before rushing in again—but this time, he didn't aim for a clean strike.
Instead, he darted in with feints—two jabs low, one mid, none committed—and the moment Ramos bit on the second parry, Leo used [Blade Switch] mid-motion to vanish and reappear behind him, angling for a stab at the kidneys.
*CLINK—!*
But Ramos twisted without looking, using the flat of his secondary blade to catch the stab with his elbow already bending to slam into Leo's ribs.
*THUMP—!*
The hit landed.
Leo grunted and skidded back with a cough, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs as he gritted his teeth and ran back for reset—but not before Ramos advanced again, now smiling wide.
"Finally landed one," Ramos said.
"You're slippery, I'll give you that. But you're also a one trick pony.
Your fast repositioning is hard to deal with if one isn't tracking where you've thrown your daggers, but if you're tracking that, it's pretty easy to know where you'll show up—" Ramos said, as he enjoyed watching Leo spit a small mouthful of blood.
'That damage isn't major—but him having figured out the blade switch is a pain…' Leo thought, as he felt pissed at having one of his core moves being seen through, however, he did not panic just yet, as he knew that he hadn't shown all his cards either.
And on the flip side, Leo also found out something important about Ramos.
He had opened strong.
Too strong.
'He's overexerting to end this quickly because he doesn't have the stamina to go on at this pace for long. He's wincing in pain whenever he moves, and is trying his best to mask it.
He's definitely hurt from his fight against Yu Shen, and the longer this fight drags on, the bigger disadvantage he will be in' Leo thought, finally settling his breath as he shifted his stance again, shoulders now tilted and low, blades closer to his chest.
Ramos was without a doubt the strongest opponent he had faced yet.
An opponent where he saw no easy openings to exploit.
However, he did not feel intimidated by him either.
Somehow, he had faith that if he dug in deep and did his best, he could definitely beat Ramos, and hence he decided to bet on himself and take this fight deep instead of going for a decisive finisher.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 212 212: SurpriseTimeless AssassinC212 212: Surprise
(Sky God Arena, Finals Match 7)
For the next five minutes, Ramos upped the ante against Leo, pressing down on him relentlessly, as he tried his best to dismantle Leo's defense.
*Clang*
*Clang*
*Clash*
*Clash*
Blade clashed against blade, steel clashed against steel, as Leo barely parried the constant flurry of strikes coming his way.
However, the constant blocking took its toll on him, with the vibrations from Ramos's powerful attacks numbing his wrists and forearms, making each subsequent parry feel heavier than the last.
And Ramos sensed this gap too, his veteran senses able to perceive Leo growing a quarter step slower, as he immediately activated— [Rapid Slash] to capitalize.
*WHIRR*
His blades blurred into motion, tracing shallow arcs meant not to kill, but to pierce and bleed—that disrupted Leo's stance and forced an error.
*Slash*
*Slash*
*Block*
The move paid off, as Leo's block staggered a fraction too wide, allowing Ramos to slide a cut across his left shoulder—then another across the waist a heartbeat later.
*Wince*
Leo winced at the sharp stings—blood drawn from the cuts as his momentum stifled—but he did not yield.
Instead, he stayed within range, forcing Ramos to keep swinging, as he refused to give Ramos the distance he needed to deliver a killing strike.
Leo did not even try to win this fight at this moment, as instead he stuck to his strategy of enduring till Ramos burned out.
Because Leo could see the desperation behind every move Ramos had made so far, even if the crowd or the commentators couldn't, as although it looked like Ramos was dominating this fight, in truth, he was just trying to win fast before his body gave out.
Every time he surged, it was with the full weight of someone who couldn't afford to drag this match out and every technique he used was overcharged, carrying more mana than necessary as he was desperate.
And watching all this firsthand, Leo became mentally assured that Ramos wasn't conserving energy here.
That he was accelerating towards the finish line having faith in his ability to finish the fight before his body gave out, however, if only Leo held on for a bit longer, he could definitely make him pay for such a bold approach.
'You're banking on ending this before I adapt… before your legs give in, but that won't happen….. I'm going to outlast you!' Leo thought, adjusting his stance again, blades angled for quicker deflections now rather than full-on blocks.
[Moon Dive]
Ramos activated his next move at this moment—a sweeping shoulder-first charge that used the flat of one blade for cover while the second arm was retracted for a follow-up strike meant to pin Leo mid-evade.
It was a move built for fighters who dodged backward.
But Leo ducked inward.
He bent low, letting the charge pass just inches above his head as he threw his weight sideways into a short roll, letting the second blade scrape against his arm as he barely avoided the full arc.
It hurt—being nicked by the opponent's blade—but it was still within the bounds of what he could tolerate.
*THUD*
Ramos spun to chase the retreat, his expression narrowing as frustration leaked through his previous confident mask.
And Leo saw it too.
The faint twitch in his left leg. The way his stance reset just a beat slower and the way his shoulder roll had lost some of its previous crispness.
'He's burning out—-'
Leo realized, his confidence bolstering, however, although it seemed like he was on his way to burning out, Ramos wasn't done quite just yet.
[Wind Shredder]
With a growl, Ramos activated another technique—this one a ranged wind arc blast launched from a slash overhead, the wave splitting the sand in its path as it roared toward Leo.
Leo prepared to dodge—but this attack was too close, too fast, and too wide for him to dodge effectively.
So instead, he braced.
[Celestial Veil]
Mana surged outward from Leo's core, wrapping his body in a shimmering film of translucent force that deflected the incoming arc with a deafening impact.
*BOOM*
Sand exploded outward as the force of the attack collided with his barrier—and then seconds later when it settled, Leo was still standing inside, unharmed, as it seemed like his barrier had outlasted Ramos's attack in the end.
"A nice trick, but now block this—"
Ramos said, as he burst through the dust cloud with both blades raised high—his expression feral, his arms coiled for a finishing blow.
But Leo wasn't retreating this time.
He had seen what he needed to see.
He had waited for as long as he needed to wait, and this was finally the moment he had been waiting for.
As the tipping point was finally here!
[Phantom Bloom]
Ramos activated Phantom Bloom, the same move he had used to defeat Yu Shen, whereby his body blurred into two distinct afterimages, one darting left, the other one right, making a fighter confused on which was the real one?
However, Leo did not play his game.
Having anticipated that he would use [Phantom Bloom] when he was at his most desperate, Leo countered by using [Blade Switch] as he teleported 25 meters away, escaping Ramos's area of effect completely, as he rendered his special move useless.
"Coward–!" Ramos yelled, as both his afterimages merged into one once again, however, Leo did not care.
Leo had seen how erratically Ramos was breathing now, and how the wounds he had received against Yu Shen were now acting up again making his movements slower.
As Leo made the leap of faith and activated [Thousand Phantom Slashes] at this moment.
Leo's form blurred for a single breath, and then—
He was everywhere.
Dozens of him, dishing out dozens of slashes.
Afterimages bloomed around Ramos like a sudden storm, each one flickering in and out of sight with terrifying unpredictability.
Some came from above, some from the side, others from seemingly impossible angles as Leo's real form danced through them, indistinguishable from the mirage.
At this moment---
Ramos turned sharply, raising his blades in defense— as *Clang!*, a strike collided with his shoulder.
He spun and *Clang*, another one deflected off his leg.
But when he swept a blade in a wide arc, hoping to counter, it caught nothing but air as Ramos panicked.
"Which one… is real?!" Ramos hissed, his voice now laced with alarm as he pivoted frantically, trying to lock onto the rhythm.
But there wasn't one.
That was the genius of it.
Thousand Phantom Slashes didn't rely on sequence—it thrived on chaos. It wasn't about landing a fatal blow with brute power—it was about suffocating the opponent in uncertainty.
And Leo, having spent the past twenty minutes studying Ramos's timing, reactions, and pivot preferences, unleashed the technique with such pinpoint precision— that each slash he unleashed was placed not to strike, but to force Ramos's footwork into compromised patterns.
*Clang!*
*Clink!*
*Whiff!*
*Clang!*
The Geneva captain was deflecting by instinct now.
Not by plan.
As his rhythm was visibly broken.
And Leo saw it.
The twitch in the wrist. The stagger in the backstep. The slightly-too-wide swing of the right blade. Ramos was no longer responding to Leo—he was reacting to phantoms, his eyes already horrified by this unknown variable.
"This wasn't in my data sheet…. I've never seen or heard about you using this move before, don't tell me you hid it all the way to the finals—" Ramos said in shock, as Leo closed in.
Strike by strike, fake by fake, the real Leo drew closer—and then—
*SLASH!*
One slash landed deep—right across Ramos's ribs.
The real one.
Ramos gasped, stumbling backward with a wide-eyed expression as blood soaked into his side, as Leo's real form, carved his body open like it were a pumpkin.
*SLASH*
*SLASH*
*SLASH*
*SLASH*
*SLASH*
Leo turned him into a helpless ragdoll, as he sliced open every major vein, every major artery in his body, turning him into a standing blood fountain, with him unable to so much as lift a finger in response.
"You... tricked me…" Ramos muttered in disbelief before collapsing.
As Leo didn't respond with words.
Instead, he just stepped forward—calm, precise—and drove the hilt of his dagger into Ramos's solar plexus, knocking him out cold.
"WINNER: LEO SKYSHARD OF RODOVA!"
The referee declared at that moment, as the crowd didn't cheer right away.
They were stunned to do so.
And then—
*ROAR—!*
Rodova's section erupted like a volcano as the referee raised Leo's hand in victory.
Cheers cascaded across the arena like a tidal wave, drowning out even the announcers for a moment as the stadium rocked with applause.
Nobody had expected Leo to take down Gu Ramos, Geneva's captain, but against all odds he had, and now the score was 4-4, with everything on the line for the final battle.
This was without a doubt, the closest Circuits finals in the past two decades, and Leo Skyshard was the main character of it, having led Rodova from certain defeat to almost the cusp of victory.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 213 213: Making up his mindTimeless AssassinC213 213: Making up his mind
(Sky-God Arena – Commentary Booth)
"He wouldn't do it, would he? He can't…" Derek exhaled, his voice low, the disbelief still clinging to his tone. "I mean—he's bruised and battered, there's no way he can take on a fresh fighter… But there's no way he should've defeated Gu Ramos either. And although I know he can't… something about the boy makes me hope that he just may—"
Lee didn't respond right away.
His arms were folded across his chest, eyes fixed on the screen as the camera zoomed in on Leo—still standing alone in the center of the arena, half-soaked in sweat and blood, but silent. Unflinching.
"That's the danger of fighters like him," Lee said finally. "They're not the strongest. Nor the most experienced. But they have this depth about themselves that can't be gauged, as they keep pulling off things they shouldn't be capable of—and somewhere along the line, you stop betting against them."
"Well you can't deny that he's given Rodova a fighting chance," Derek nodded, still breathless. "It's 4–4 now. The entire Interstellar Circuits… down to the final match. And somehow—despite being down 3–1 just a few rounds ago—Rodova is still in this."
"But don't let that scoreline fool you," Lee cut in, his voice sharpening. "Geneva still holds the advantage. Leo's exhausted, and his body has taken a beating.
He's bleeding from his shoulder and waist… and has already expended a lot of stamina to bring down three Grandmaster-level opponents, I don't think he's got much left in the tank—"
"And now he has to fight Darnell Nuna," Derek added quietly. "A fresh Grandmaster. One who hasn't lifted a finger all day and one whose record within the circuits has never seen a loss."
"There's no way he wins this," Lee said, shaking his head—but there was no mockery in his tone. Only gravity. "Logically, there's no path. Not against an unscathed Darnell. Ramos was already injured when he fought, but Darnell? Darnell's coming in with full reserves."
A pause.
And then Derek added—
"…But logic hasn't exactly been Leo Skyshard's strongest trait, has it?"
"No," Lee agreed slowly. "But miracles aren't sustainable, Derek. And he's already used two."
Another pause passed, heavier this time, before Derek leaned forward slightly, voice softer.
"Then I guess the only question now is… does he have one more left in him?"
—--------
The question of whether Leo had one more miracle left in him wasn't something the commentators wondered alone, as every spectator in the stands and back at home found themselves clutching to the same uncertainty, unable to look away.
For the longest time, the Sky-God Arena had been a thunderstorm of Geneva dominance—loud, rowdy, confident.
But now?
Now it was silent.
Not because they didn't believe in Darnell.
But because they had just watched the impossible happen.
They had watched a bloodied first-year with daggers and discipline carve through three seasoned Grandmasters without a single ounce of hesitation.
And while logic still screamed that the final bout should be a formality… their hearts hesitated to agree.
In the Rodova section, fans who had once slouched low in their seats now stood tall—hands over mouths, fists trembling on railings, eyes wide with unspoken hope.
Some had tears in their eyes. Others whispered prayers.
"Come on, Leo… just one more."
"You can do this boy! Please bring us glory after 22 long years!"
"I'll personally buy every product you endorse if you win this one for us. But please please please stand strong—"
All eyes were glued on Leo, as the circuit's viewership climbed to its absolute peak of 864B people watching live.
This was a new record, as the circuits had never been this interesting in a while, as people universally were glued to the screens, waiting for Leo to pull off a miracle.
Even the dignitaries seated in the VVIP balconies had their gazes sharpened—watching not just the scoreboard, but the boy who had tilted the entire bracket back from the brink of defeat.
The boy who did not have the surname of the six great clans attached to him, but still put any fighter from the six great clans to shame.
As curiosity about such a man and his past increased amongst the elite.
—----------
Finally, it was Leo's injured teammates, and instructors watching from the stands, who prayed for him to do well, as all their hopes and aspirations now rested on his shoulders.
Yu Shen, lying still on the infirmary cot, refused to look away from the screen. 'You're out there holding the line for all of us… and I couldn't even get past the opening round. If we win this… it won't be because of me. It'll be in spite of me. So please… finish what I couldn't. So that all of us can hold our heads high–'
Su Yang sat upright for the first time since regaining consciousness, still pale, still injured—but with both palms pressed tightly together in front of him. 'The fuck Skyshard? Why do you look so tired? I haven't woken up from near death just to see you fall here…. Come on! Dig deep and give them hell…. I know you can!'
Enzo, wrapped in bandages and lying crooked on the bench, let out a tired chuckle. "Heh… look at the crowd," he muttered. "Geneva's fans are dead silent. I'm sure they didn't think one skinny bastard with daggers could shake 'em this bad."
Principal Alric stood with arms folded high above in the Rodova box, watching Leo stand strong with a visible glee on his face. "Just one more win… and no one will ever question why I placed my faith in a couple new kids over the many. I saw it the day he walked in. That it would come down to him… and Su Yang. And I was right. In the end it's only those boys who scored points for Rodova—"
Instructor Hen leaned forward from the Rodova section, one hand resting on the railing, his knuckles white. 'All those nights I stayed late training you… all those hours we spent sparring until your knees gave out—I just hope it was enough to last you through the final round.'
And even Professor David, seated silently in the shadows of the faculty tier, sipped his tea without expression. 'If you pull this off for Rodova… maybe—just maybe—I'll go easy on you for the academic finals.'
—--------
"LEO!!!"
"LEO!!!"
*CLAP*
*CLAP*
*CLAP*
"LEO!!!"
"LEO!!!"
The Rodova fans sang in rhythm, as Leo stood unfazed in the centre of the arena.
Across from him stood Darnell Nuna, the son of the Black Serpents guild master Dupravel Nuna, and the opponent that he wanted to face the least in this tournament.
Up-till now, he hadn't made up his mind on whether or not he wanted to fight Darnell Nuna seriously, however, at this moment, amongst the cheers of this crowd, he finally came to the conclusion that he would fight against Darnell with his all.
If the consequence of him defeating the Black Serpent guild master's son was him being denied entry into the guild…. Then be it.
However, after witnessing how Su Yang and Enzo had pushed themselves to the brink just for Rodova's sake.
He couldn't bring himself to throw away the finals anymore, as he decided to give the next fight his all.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 214 214: Impending DoomTimeless AssassinC214 214: Impending Doom
(Sky-God Arena, Finals Match 8)
Darnell stood across Leo with his signature childishness plastered all over his face as let alone trying to intimidate Leo, he did not even try to hide his amazement.
"Sir Leo…. You're definitely an amazing fighter! You almost turned me into a fanboy! I'm for sure buying your action figure after the finals are over—" Darnell said, as Leo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Smack-Talk before a big fight he could handle.
Because smack-talk he expected.
However, such niceties before such a tense final wasn't something he could expect.
And somehow, it repulsed him even more than the worst insult.
'Agh shut your mouth or I'll shove that action figure right up your ass—' Leo thought internally, however, did not let any of his irritation reflect on his face, as he assumed his signature low fighting stance.
"Haha…. No words exchanged! You're as cold as my father….. No wonder you're an assassin by choice! Hahaha!" Darnell said, assuming his own fighting stance, as the referee nervously glanced between the two.
"Fighters ready?" He asked, looking at Darnell first and then Leo, as both nodded.
"Very well then…. Begin–" He said, dropping his hand, as both fighters charged towards one another at the same time…. With the crowd gasping collectively before the first exchange.
—----------
However, while every single eye in the stands was either focused on the fight or the jumbotron, there was only one man in the entire arena who was focused on neither.
This man was Ruyen Baximore, the Seven Lions guildmaster, and an Evil Cult elder in disguise, as he focused on the viewership numbers displayed on his data slate instead.
'Hoo— it was a good judgement call to not blow the arena up during the opening match.
The viewership dipped from 650B to 570 when Yu Shen lost. However, it's somehow climbed to nearly 900 billion now….' Ruyen thought, as he smiled happily looking at the climbing viewership numbers.
'Dozens of my Cult brothers and sisters will lose their life today once I press this button.
And for that I'm truly sorry, but it's a sacrifice that we must make.
We must remind the righteous alliance that we haven't forgotten the death of our previous dragon.
That this bitter war isn't quite over yet—
And for that, this terrorist attack is necessary!' Ruyen thought, as he felt his chest tighten up at the thought of just how many peak masters were about to lose their life in this mission today.
In total, the Cult had managed to integrate 51 undercover security officials inside the arena—31 of whom were Transcendent-level warriors and irreplaceable assets to their cause.
But now that the mission had entered its active phase, all 51 of them—including him—were as good as dead.
Even if they succeeded in abducting Darnell Nuna, there was no scenario in which the Righteous Alliance allowed any of them to walk away alive once the operation began and hence Ruyen's heart felt heavy as he weeped for their impending demise.
'Dupravel, you bastard… I'll be watching from the afterlife as you scream and writhe, begging for your son's return,' Ruyen thought, his gaze drifting toward the VIP balcony where Dupravel stood, as his killing intent flared, just for a moment.
And Dupravel noticed instantly.
As the Black Serpents Guildmaster turned slightly to meet Ruyen's gaze, before chuckling visibly.
Dupravel had known for years that Ruyen hated him in a professional capacity and hence he found nothing odd about his killing intent.
However, little did Dupravel know that this time it wasn't because Ruyen was pissed by his presence, but because he genuinely wanted to kill him.
'Him, The Su family patriarch…. The Mu family patriarch and the Enigma Wade are the strongest fighters in attendance for the finals and they are the ones we must stall for the kidnapping to go successfully–' Ruyen thought, as he hoped that everything would go as planned when he hit the button soon.
"900 billion and 663 million watching— I think this is enough!" Ruyen decided, as he glanced down at the arena, where Leo and Darnell were exchanging fast paced attacks, before bringing out the activation remote.
"Oh God Soron please watch over us as we carry out this heroic act under your name…." Ruyen prayed, before pressing the activation button, as all Evil Cult members within the Sky God Dome got a 30 seconds activation signal, which was a small electric current across their wrists from a common device they all wore, which signalled that only 30 seconds remained until the explosion, so that they could all synchronise their future movements.
—------------
"Ooof—- What a close dodge by Skyshard, he's beginning to really play it close to the chest now, as his dodges have grown riskier and riskier," Derek said, as he watched the finals match play out from the edge of his seat.
"It's the fatigue kicking in Derek…. Nothing else.
This is the fourth match he's fighting in the day and his legs are not as fast as his first.
He's playing it close because he has no other option—" Lee added, as Leo dodged yet another attack by Darnell at the last possible microsecond, his close quarter dodging causing the Rodova fans to shriek and squirm in panic.
"Skyshards unique blocking ability is what's keeping him alive in this bout so far, as when he can't dodge, he simply activates that unique barrier move to deflect Darnell's attack. However, for how long can he keep that up?
A barrier of that strength is sure to be draining on one's mana reserves and considering how he's an assassin and not a mage, I don't think he's got much left to spare anymore—" Derek theorized, as Leo blocked yet another attack using [Celestial Veil], with him looking utterly on the backfoot, so far in the bout.
"Well we have seen it again and again…. Leo Skyshard on the backfoot for the entire match, until he isn't.
So maybe he's just waiting for the right moment to counter, or pull out yet another unseen move from his bag... you never know with this one—" Lee said, as the camera angle cut to Leo's smiling face, as he activated [Thousand Phantom Slashes].
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 215 215: HellTimeless AssassinC215 215: Hell
(Sky-God Arena, Finals Match 8)
In the final battle, Leo found himself in the same position that Ramos had stood in not long ago, where he was cornered, drained, and hunted by his opponent.
Except this time, he wasn't the one pressing down with lethal intent, but rather the one being chased.
'He behaves like a naive child, but his battle instincts are the real deal…His speed and reflexes are no joke. I can barely keep up with this tired body of mine–' Leo acknowledged, as he barely dodged a slash that went over his head.
'The longer this fight goes, the worse my odds of victory become,' he admitted internally, his chest rising unevenly as he adjusted the grip on his daggers, the weight of exhaustion pulling at his limbs.
Due to [Faster Recovery], the waist wound he had received in the previous battle had dulled but not disappeared— as each twist of the torso reminded him it was still there.
His shoulder throbbed beneath the dried layer of blood and his field of vision fluttered at the edges like a light bulb about to burn out.
He had burned through most of his body's natural mana reserves and he was now drawing energy from his new improved cells, however, even they could only sustain his movement for so long.
He needed a finish.
An end to this fight—
And fast.
But charging in without having a handle on the opponent's abilities— without knowing Darnell's range, tempo, or reaction delay—was akin to suicids, which was why Leo decided to gauge his abilities first before betting it all on one final sequence.
*Swish—Clang—Whoosh—!*
He watched, as Darnell's short sword sang through the air, the arcs deceptively graceful—wide swings giving way to sharp jabs, all accompanied by that annoyingly innocent grin stitched across his lips.
"Whoa! That almost got you, didn't it?" he giggled mid-strike, like a boy trying out a new toy, but Leo didn't respond.
He remained focused and intense, his mind calculating the precise arc of Darnell's attacks using [Absolute Vision] while his eyes processed the twitch of his muscles and predicted his next move.
*Swoosh*
Leo tilted. Slid. Rolled. Pivoted. Never letting Darnell's blade touch skin, but never retreating far enough to reset either, as he pushed his body to the limit of its reflexes.
Every dodge was calculated—not to preserve distance, but to inch closer to an answer, as he gauged Darnell's abilities in the most daring way possible.
He read the pivot delays in Darnell's footwork. Tracked how long it took him to shift from a low sweep into a high feint. Measured the two-step recovery he needed after committing to a lunge.
And then came the one that nearly caught him.
A tight inward step. A low-to-high transition meant to bait a jump. A deceptive shoulder drop to sell the feint.
And a real thrust aimed straight for the ribs.
It was a move called [Serpent's Bite] and it was a combo Leo had never seen before, as he fell for the deception for a split second, before realizing his mistake and correcting his trajectory, however, it was too late to dodge by then, leaving Leo with only one option, which was to activate–
[Celestial Veil]
*CLANG!*
Mana surged in a shimmer of light—translucent, radiant, and impenetrable—as Darnell's blade crashed into it with enough force to rattle the stands.
Dust kicked up. The crowd gasped.
And inside the haze, Leo crouched—breathing hard but eyes sharp, as he came to the conclusion he had been waiting for.
'So that's your strengths limit. That's your maximum reach and that's the best move you've got—'
He concluded, as he finally got the information he needed to go for the counter attack.
'I don't have enough mana to do this twice…. So this has to work by hook or by crook—' Leo thought, as he knew he did not have much left— but hopefully he wouldn't need much either.
As he activated [Parallel Processing] and the world slowed down—
He could see everything more clearly now.
The slow rise and fall of Darnell's chest as he breathed.
The movement of his feet as he charged in for a follow up strike.
And the gleam in his eyes as he waited for Leo to spin into a dodge.
Every tremor of Darnell's muscle, every shift in his heel weight, every inch of his exposed flank, became clear to Leo now, as he activated [Thousand Phantom Slashes] and pushed his speed to the maximum.
To the crowd, he became a blur, someone so fast that they couldn't even follow his movements at all.
And to Darnell—he became a nightmare, as dozens of phantom Leo's burst toward him—some slashing high, others low, others striking from impossible angles in succession.
His brain could barely register one before the next one came, and although he spun to defend the first strike which he felt was coming from the right—
It actually came from the left, and with such power at that, that it simply blew his blade out of his hands.
*CLANK!*
The short sword clattered to the ground.
And in that moment, the real Leo stepped forward—one hand steady as it bent Darnell's right wrist, while the other was pressed to his neck, as he drew a single line of blood.
"It's over… I win—" Leo whispered in his ears, his voice exhausted, as Darnell froze in shock.
"No way! I didn't even see you move—" Darnell spoke in shock, as he couldn't even register when or how he found himself in this state? As Leo was just that fast towards the end.
"Let him go…. It's over—" The referee said, jogging over to the duo, as Leo pulled his blade away and smiled, while the crowd burst to its feet.
It was done! Leo had won…. He had somehow achieved the impossible. However, just as the referee came up beside him, and was about to raise his hand as the victor, something unthinkable happened.
"Winner—"
The referee began, reaching towards Leo's palm, when suddenly—
*BOOOOOOOOOM—!*
The ground split open.
And everything went to hell.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 216 216: DropTimeless AssassinC216 216: Drop
(Sky-God Arena, Leo's POV)
*BOOOOOM—!*
A massive explosion shook the ground below Leo's feet as he stumbled off-balance, his daggers instinctively raised in confusion.
'What's going on?' he wondered—but before the thought could even complete, the very arena beneath him split open with a terrible mechanical groan, and his entire body lurched downward into the abyss.
He was free-falling.
The ground beneath had collapsed, or rather, had been completely destroyed, as he dropped through the cracked floor like a helpless stone, the surface level of the arena vanishing above him, as he fell deeper and deeper with every passing second.
'A blast? And here?' Leo's thoughts spun with confusion as the wind howled around him, his hair flailing and his limbs whipping in the fall.
The Sky-God Arena… was the last place he would have expected something to go wrong.
After all, this wasn't just any battlefield—it was the most protected arena in the universe with billions across the universe watching live and with some of the most influential warriors of the universe in attendance.
With such a set-up, one expected it to be a safe place, but apparently it wasn't, as the blasts that took off the floor were proof of the lapse in security.
'Damn it… Why does this fall feel endless?' Leo wondered after a couple seconds, as his fall momentum continued to build up.
The Sky-God arena was known for its modular floors, and the ability to swap battlefields that it stored beneath the surface.
However, because of this feature, the construction of the arena was layered across several levels of levitation technology, each floor supported by anti-grav stabilizers and retractable suspension cores. And yet—
Now, they were gone.
Blown to pieces, with nothing to break his fall to the absolute bottom anymore.
'Well fuck—' Leo thought, as his sharp eyes scanned his surroundings.
And to his relief, he wasn't in this alone at least, as to his right—Darnell was falling too, his limbs flailing, his eyes wide in disbelief, as that ever-present childish smile seemed to now be replaced by raw, primal terror.
'Alright… finally a reality check for the kid—' Leo thought, before looking left, where the referee was tumbling alongside him too, with blood splattering from a gash across his shoulder, which he likely received by being caught in the initial blast radius.
Then finally, as Leo twisted and looked underneath, he saw a yawning chasm of steel and exposed machinery, along with faint glimmers of light far, far below.
Pieces of shattered arena tiles spun in the air. Charred fragments of support pillars, cables, pipes—all spiraling downward like deadly debris.
'Uh-Oh…. There's the bottom—' Leo thought, as he spotted the end, as he twisted mid-air and angled himself into a controlled fall—just in time to slam shoulder-first into a metal platform below, as he cursed his luck for not having enough mana to cast one last [Celestial Veil].
*CRASH!*
*CRACK—!*
Pain exploded through his back as he rolled across the surface, tumbling twice before crashing into a wall of support mesh, the wind knocked clean from his lungs. His shoulder screamed in protest, and blood trickled anew from his reopened wounds.
His vision shook. But he endured.
Above him, smaller pieces of debris that were slower than him to fall now finally hit the surface like pelting hail, and the air above seemed to be sealed by a golden barrier that vibrated with powerful energy.
*WHUUUUMM—!*
A golden dome of light formed over the crater he was in, sealing it shut, as several dozen warriors landed on it just a split second later, with one of them being Muiyan Faye, who immediately started punching and slashing at it, but to no avail.
'She looks desperate to break the containment spell…. But why?' Leo wondered, looking at the frantic expression on Muiyan Faye's face, however, he could not understand the reason behind it.
He had never seen such panic in Faye's eyes before.
She was always composed, always cold… but now she seemed desperate, and that made Leo feel scared too.
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
At that point, Leo sensed the presence of three hooded warriors around him, as the uneasy sensation he felt in his chest rose tenfold.
'Survive—' his instincts seemed to scream, as he perceived a threat to his life, however, his depleted and bruised body was in no state to even stand up properly, much less muster a proper fight.
'Somethings not right here…. I can definitely feel a thick killing intent on my back—' He concluded, as he searched frantically for the daggers he dropped after falling, however, unfortunately couldn't find them under the dust and debris of his surroundings.
—--------------------
Meanwhile, above ground, chaos erupted like a chain reaction.
Before anyone could react, before screams even had time to echo—the VVIP balconies were hit.
Three warriors clad in arena security uniforms who had been standing patiently on-guard outside Dupravel's room, suddenly barged in with blades glowing as they charged towards Dupravel with a reckless abandon.
They were Evil Cult operatives and their mission was to stall Dupravel Nuna, even if they had to sacrifice their life for it.
And that's exactly what they did.
They prevented Dupravel from jumping after his son momentarily, and stalled him long enough for the barrier to take hold, as they fought against him in a high paced action sequence.
The Guildmaster of the Black Serpents had just turned from the railing when an obsidian blade shot toward his throat.
However, with blinding speed, he raised his arm, catching the blade on a forearm guard— before dispatching the transcendent warriors that lunged towards him with a single palm strike to the forehead that made his head explode like it were a ball.
*BOOM*
"Don't let him move…."
"Stall as much as you can!" The other two warriors said, as they unleashed their strongest attacks, and a brutal battle unfolded within the VVIP balcony, the clash sending shockwaves and aftershocks sideways, injuring many in the audience nearby.
Elsewhere, the Mu Clan Patriarch fought off three attackers alone, his sword sweeping in golden arcs as security officials scrambled to his aid.
Everywhere one looked there was only chaos.
People screaming. Bolts of energy being exchanged. Blood sprayed across the marble tiles as Cult warriors began targeting select individuals in the crowd—names they had marked, faces memorized before the operation began, as they massacred key political, financial and influential figures in front of a massive live audience.
"KILL THE GUARDS…. THE GUARDS HAVE TURNED ON US—" someone said, as because of a handful of guards who committed misdeeds and betrayed the righteous alliance, all guards suffered the consequences, as members of the audience began to turn on them.
Regardless of their affiliation, all warriors in guard uniforms were targeted by the righteous alliance members in the confusion, which only made the chaos worse, as the guards retaliated under self defence, making their situation seem even worse to an angry mob.
However, while the fights happening on the surface were bad.
What the billions universe-wide were watching live, was a cracked feed of Leo, Darnell and the referee scrambling to their feet, while unknown masked assailants surrounded them, in what had to be undoubtedly, one of the most haunting live feeds in sports history.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 217 217: Final OfferingTimeless AssassinC217 217: Final Offering
(Muiyan Faye's POV)
Faye watched Leo win the Circuits from the upper faculty stands, from a vantage point that offered not only a flawless view of the battlefield, but also placed her within immediate reach of Leo should something go wrong.
From where she stood, she could still see the dust curling from his final step, the tension in his stance, and the faint tremble in the referee's fingers as he reached for Leo's arm, as she smiled ear to ear watching him win.
'I can't believe you really did it…' she thought, arms folded tightly across her chest as she tried to steady the storm of emotions rising within her.
She felt pride— immense, immeasurable pride— for what Leo had just accomplished.
He had defied logic, crushed expectation, and shut-up all naysayers with his performance today.
As in only a single day, he had defeated four Grandmasters consecutively and carved his legend into the halls of the Sky-God Arena.
But even as her chest swelled with admiration, a heavier feeling pressed down on her ribs.
As deep down she knew that something wasn't right.
A tightening in her gut. A prickling at the back of her neck. An instinctive dread that refused to be reasoned with.
She had known for weeks now that the Cult was planning something at the Circuits— something catastrophic. She'd been warned by the Elder, entrusted with Leo's protection the moment things went south.
And yet, when the explosion finally happened— when the floor of the arena tore open and swallowed Leo whole into a pit of fire and ruin— she was still a step too slow.
"LEO—!" she screamed, the name tearing out of her throat as she hurled herself forward without a second thought, heart racing and panic flooding her system like venom.
Yet she was too late.
As by the time her boots touched down near the crater's edge, an unknown golden barrier had already sealed the area below— seperating her from the boy she was entrusted to protect.
*BOOM*
She slammed into the barrier mid-stride, palms flattening against the shimmering wall of mana that pulsed with high-tier enchantments that were impossible for her to breakdown at her level.
"NO—" she hissed, eyes wide, heart pounding, as she instantly flared her mana and drew her blade, carving into the barrier with a precision strike—only to watch the barrier absorb the energy without so much as a flicker.
Yet, she struck again.
And again.
And again.
Each swing more frantic than the last, as her panic grew louder in her chest.
'I must get to him…. I must protect him–' She thought, as she pressed her face closer to the glowing seal— desperate to try and peer through the layers of dust and light that separated her from the pit below, and what she saw made her stomach roll, as helplessness filled her body.
'Three… I can sense three unknown signatures down there with him,' she realized, her senses extending past the veil like trembling fingers into a storm.
Cult operatives.
She didn't even need confirmation.
As she could feel their murderous intent directed towards the three helpless individuals sprawled in the pit floor below.
'By Soron, they're going to kill him—'
'No… worse….. they're gonna murder him live—' Faye thought, as her heart beat wildly, when she saw a Cult operative pick up a dented camera, meant to stream the circuit matches live.
And for a terrifying moment— her breath caught— because a thought far darker than panic clawed its way up her spine:
'Will the next Dragon be devoured by its own Cult?'
She looked left and Major Hen had landed beside her, furiously channeling strikes into the same barrier.
Two Geneva professors joined seconds later, followed by a dozen more fighters who all converged on the barrier now, however, despite their combined efforts, nothing seemed to work.
The barrier was too strong, it was made from ancient enchantments that gave it power akin to a Demi-God level spell, and none of them had the strength to break it.
"Come on— COME ON—" Faye growled, slamming her forehead to the barrier, her hairline bloodied now from the strain, as her voice broke under the weight of helplessness.
'I was supposed to protect him...' she thought, as she kept watching the scene unfold below her with growing helplessness.
*SPLAT—*
The poor referee was the first to be murdered live, as he was decapitated without mercy, without even having a chance to fight back or say a few last words.
'No— stay off him! Stay off our dragon!' Faye thought, as she saw one of them turn towards Leo next, however, thankfully, Darnell stood up and attacked them at that moment, distracting them from Leo momentarily.
—-------------
Unlike Leo, Darnell wasn't as injured or tired from the Circuits, and hence once he regained his footing, he charged forward without hesitation— his mana surging as he sprinted straight at the closest Cult operative with fury burning in his eyes.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM—!" he shouted, throwing himself into the clash with reckless abandon, his body still trembling from the earlier battle, but his will undeterred.
However, his opponent didn't even shift.
The man he was charging at— a masked warrior cloaked in black— wasn't a Grandmaster like the ones Darnell had trained to fight all his life, but rather a Transcendent level warrior, who was in an entirely different league of his own.
And unfortunately, Darnell realized that the moment their bodies collided, as—
*CRACK!*
The Cultist caught his punch mid-air and twisted his arm with such absolute precision, that his right arm snapped at the elbow joint like it was made of paper.
"ARGHHHHH—"
Darnell screamed, as his knees buckled— but he didn't fall.
Instead, he clenched his teeth and lunged with his left, mana pouring through the only working limb he had—
Only for the same result to be repeated.
*CRACK—!*
His left arm followed the same fate as his right, being snapped-off clean but in the opposite direction, as he gasped in pain, but no scream came this time.
"Ai….."
Only a faint sound escaped his lips as the Cultist's elbow drove directly into his ribcage with a dull thud that sent shockwaves through his spine.
And that was it.
His body gave out, his limbs dangled uselessly, as the Cultist casually slung him over his shoulder like he were but a broken puppet.
Then—
*BOOOOOOOM—!*
The golden barrier suddenly trembled under the weight of a colossal strike.
As Dupravel Nuna finally arrived.
His body landed like a meteor atop the golden barrier, the sheer pressure of his descent shattering the surrounding platforms.
The moment his feet touched down, he raised both arms and unleashed a roaring domain strike, his voice trembling with wrath.
"LEAVE MY SON ALONE, YOU FILTHY EVIL CULT BASTARDS—!"
And immediately the sky cracked and the barrier dented.
The golden dome shuddered beneath his power, glowing with fault lines of mana that webbed outward like breaking glass—but unfortunately for him, the barrier still did not shatter.
"He's breaking through—!"
"We don't have time—go, now—!"
The Cultists shouted, their voices sharp with urgency as Dupravel's power cracked down from above like divine thunder.
Without hesitation, one of them opened a teleportation portal mid-air, the space around it warping violently— before stepping through with Darnell slung over his shoulder.
"The Cult will forever remember your sacrifice, brother Jishan," the second operative said solemnly, giving a brief nod to the cameraman before stepping into the portal himself.
And then—only one remained.
The man they called Jishan.
The cameraman.
He let the portal close with a flick of his wrist, sealing off their escape, as silence returned to the pit.
For a moment, he simply stood there— still, composed— before slowly turning toward Leo, the camera still clutched in one hand while the other drifted to the hilt of the dagger at his waist.
His steps were unhurried, almost casual, but there was a finality to the way he moved— like a man walking toward the end of a song, or the end of a life— his presence devoid of flair, yet heavy enough to make the air itself feel thicker.
And when his eyes finally locked onto Leo's— hidden though they were behind that blank black mask— Leo felt the killing intent hit him like a crashing wave.
Cold.
Deliberate.
Absolute.
The man wasn't here to buy time.
He was here to finish what the others couldn't.
And he had chosen Leo as his final offering.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 218 218: SacrificeTimeless AssassinC218 218: Sacrifice
(Sky God Arena, Leo's POV)
The moment the portal shimmered shut, sealing the last of the cultists' escape, Leo felt the weight of the silence settle across the crater like a veil.
It wasn't the kind of silence that invited relief or calm, but the kind that marked the arrival of something inescapable, like a guillotine finally descending after an eternity of waiting.
And as he stood there, barely upright, the burn in his ribs felt like a constant scream that refused to fade, his left shoulder seizing with every breath he took, as blood slid down the side of his arm and dripped quietly on to the dust below.
Yet through it all, despite the broken state of his body, his mind remained strangely clear, as if detached from the pain entirely.
[Monarch's Indifference] had started to work overtime to stabilize his emotions.
And with it came not peace, but sharpness— as every thought, every calculation, every possibility for survival now laid bare in front of him with brutal honesty, as the truth carved itself into his head like scripture.
'I don't have much mana left, my ribs are cracked, my shoulder is dislocated, there's no weapon within reach, no escape route, no reinforcements—just me, a shattered mess of flesh and bone, facing a transcendent-level killer whose entire purpose in this moment is to end my life while the universe watches.'
And yet even knowing all of that— he didn't panic.
Because panic was a luxury he couldn't afford anymore.
What he needed now was time as his only shot at survival was through external intervention, and the only thing he had left to buy it with was his breath and his tongue.
'The only shot I have left to survive is to stall. And the only tool I have left to do it with… is my voice.' Leo calculated, as he began thinking about what were the best words to trigger his opponent and bait a response?
'Should I beg for him to spare me? Should I mock him for attacking a kid?' Leo wondered, as swallowing the copper taste of blood in his mouth, he kept his eyes locked on the cloaked figure ahead— who moved towards him calmly with a camera cradled loosely in one hand, and a dagger in another.
However, while he thought of many opening lines to speak, eventually he settled on the most cliche one, as he asked.
"Why are you doing this…?"
Leo asked this, not as a plea, not as some naive cry for mercy. But as a question that he needed the man to answer, if only to educate the billions watching this live.
"I'm not from a powerful clan… I have no legacy to threaten you with… I'm a nobody, born and raised in obscurity… So why me? Why kill me?"
There was a pause.
Then—amusement.
A dry chuckle escaped from behind the masked man's lips, as he tilted his head upward, just slightly, toward the shimmering barrier where Dupravel Nuna and the other top brass continued to rain down blows, to no avail.
And then slowly— he looked back towards Leo.
"You know," he said, his voice soaked in sarcasm, layered with something darker than simple humor.
"The way the universe paints us— the so-called Cult of Ascension— we're always labelled as the villains, aren't we? The madmen in cloaks. The zealots with no cause. Butcherers. Maniacs."
He took a step forward, not fast, not sudden, but measured, deliberate, as his pitch rose.
"But we are not that," he continued, as the camera's red light blinked, still rolling, still capturing every second for the universe to see.
"I don't take pleasure in killing a mere Grandmaster. Especially not one who's already at the edge of passing out. Especially not one who, truth be told, earned my respect with his fighting today."
Another step.
"But I must kill you, because killing you means something."
Another step—closer now.
"Unfair, isn't it?" he asked, his tone turning somber, almost reflective. "You, who've done nothing to us. You, who never once raised your blades against our cause. You, who might never have crossed paths with us at all…"
He stopped then— eyes fixed on Leo, voice dropping like a blade.
"But then again—Noah Stormwind never hurt the righteous alliance either."
The name struck harder than any weapon could.
"Our Dragon. Our future. Our hope."
He said it with reverence, with pain buried beneath steel, and in that moment, Leo saw it— the raw hatred within the man that didn't need faking.
"Noah was the kindest soul I've ever known. He didn't care for power, didn't care for conquest— only for guiding our people, for protecting those who had no voice. And for that, he was hunted… betrayed… assassinated."
The man's gaze flicked upward once more, toward the man still hammering uselessly against the barrier— Dupravel Nuna.
"That snake up there slit his throat. Not because Noah was evil. Not because he was a threat. But because Noah was loved."
"And now… you," Jishan said, turning back, his tone hardening, the bitterness in his chest surfacing like a tide.
"You, who captivated the galaxy today. You, who rallied the hopeless and dragged your team from the depths of defeat. You, who now carry the same weight of admiration Noah once did." He said approaching, as he reached an arms length away.
"I must kill you today to pass-on the same pain that we once felt to those watching at the righteous alliance, so that they dare not think about coming after our talents in the future—"
Leo's eyes widened in panic as he heard those words, as he tried to shift his stance and balance his weight, preparing a make-shift fighting stance, however, it was utterly useless.
With his left shoulder rendered useless, he couldn't even put up a proper guard, while his injured waist and damaged spine made it hard for him to squat.
To make matters even worse, he moved too clumsily to put any real distance between them when retreating backwards, nor did he have the stamina left to dodge and weave, when he saw Jishan sending a punch his way, as–
*BAM*
"Kugh—"
With just a single brutal punch to the gut, Jishan drove the air from his lungs in a burst of pain so violent it shattered what little balance he had left.
*THUD—*
He buckled.
His knees gave in as he dropped, fingers instinctively clutching at the black robes in front of him, knuckles pale against fabric, as his head slumped powerlessly against Jishan's thigh.
The universe watched, as the same champion that helped Rodova come back from a 3-1 low to a 5-4 win, now hung helplessly onto a terrorist's robes, waiting for judgement to befall him, as Jishan pointed his weapon towards him with a slow and steady hand.
"So say goodbye to the universe, Leo Skyshard, for I'm about to immortalize you forever—" Jishan said softly, almost tenderly, as the scene locked into place.
With blood on his lips and defeat pressed into his spine, Leo Skyshard knelt beneath the cold gaze of the lens—offered not as a warrior in battle, but as a sacrifice meant to echo through the annals of history.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 219 219: A forbidden moveTimeless AssassinC219 219: A forbidden move
Leo's breath stuttered in and out, blood pooling thick behind his teeth, as the world seemed to blur at the edges—tilting in and out of focus like a camera struggling to hold on.
His knees dug into the dirt. His body trembled under its own weight. His fingers clutched the hem of his enemy's robes—not as a warrior bracing for his next attack, but as a beaten, ruined thing barely clinging to consciousness.
Or at least, that was how it looked.
And that, Leo thought, was the whole point.
Because while his body was indeed broken, and his lungs did scream for air with every breath, his mind— his most dangerous weapon— had never been sharper.
[Monarch's Indifference] dulled the pain and slowed his panic, letting him think with the same calm, calculated malice he had just used to win the Circuit.
And now, with a blade pressed to the back of his neck and the universe ready to mourn him… he calculated that the only way out of this mess for him, was by using the one forbidden technique that he promised himself he would never use in a public setting.
'I don't know if this will work or not.
I have no idea how painful this will be–
I don't even know if it will make a transcendent warrior flinch, or will it just make me look stupid to even try…. But it's my only way out—' Leo thought, his vision narrowing as he subtly adjusted the angle of his fingers.
The move he was planning to use was one he had learned a few months ago while receiving a genetic awakening shot.
It was a perverted move that wasn't designed to kill, wasn't designed to maim, but was rather designed to commit unspeakable atrocities on both men and women.
However, while it was effective on both genders, for men especially— it was designed to humiliate. To incapacitate. To destroy a man's will to continue fighting in a single instant.
A forbidden skill by most righteous martial code standards, named– 'The Ball Buster'.
The move's name alone was enough to earn him mockery should he utter it out loud, so much so that he had never once used it in public.
But now… that embarrassment? That shame?
It didn't matter.
Because, being embarrassed was still better than being dead.
*Shuffle—*
Leo shuffled his grip on the enemy, his arms now holding his robes near his inner thigh, as he looked up, trying to look like a pathetic helpless mess.
"Do you know what hurts a man more than being killed?" He asked at this moment, blood sputtering out of his mouth as he spoke, as Jishan smiled evilly at his words.
"What?" He asked, humoring one last word from Leo before killing him, as Leo closed his eyes and smiled….. before opening them again as he looked into the camera and said.
"I'll show you what—"
Before activating the move [Ball Buster].
—-------------
Leo's arms moved with what little speed left in them, as thankfully he was too close to the opponent for him to react in time to his intentions.
His fingers, once trembling on Jishan's robe, suddenly turned steely and sharp as they slid up the inner fold of the warrior's cloak, his thumb hooking the fabric open just enough for his right hand to snake in like a viper.
As the contact was immediate.
His palm flattened against the groin of his opponent— centered perfectly over the sack— through the thin layer of robe, and for a moment, everything slowed.
Time. Breath. Motion.
And then—Leo's mana surged.
Not as a slash. Not as a blast. But a focused, invasive flow—channeled directly through the core of his palm like a piercing wave, as he pumped volatile mana into the densely packed nerve clusters of Jishan's testicles, embedding it deeper than any physical strike could reach.
The sensation was vile.
Even for Leo, who was not fazed by any amounts of blood or splattered brains, this still felt filthy.
The mana felt wrong in his veins— like pushing raw current into something sacred.
He could feel the delicate tissue throb beneath his palm, the capillaries fluttering like terrified insects as they resisted the invasive energy.
However, they were helpless against him, as before even Jishan realized something was wrong, Leo clenched his fingers, as–
*BOOM—*
There wasn't a sound heard in the air, but there was a reaction that Jishan surely felt straight in his soul.
As from the inside, Leo's mana swelled like an expanding balloon— and burst everything that was most precious to a man.
Capillaries ruptured in dozens. Veins snapped. Tissue imploded under the pressure, as Leo's mana dispersed like shrapnel through one of the most sensitive clusters of nerve endings on the male body.
And the result was instant!
Jishan didn't scream, No, instead, his body underwent a seizure.
Back arched. Eyes widened. A choking gasp escaped his mouth as his legs buckled, his entire frame spasming violently like he'd been electrocuted.
His knees gave in before he could even register what had happened, as
*"Guh—GAAAAAAAAH—AAAHHHHH—!!!"*
He screamed violently, unlike anything Leo had ever heard from a grown man before.
As there wasn't a note of pain in his voice, just pure devastation.
"AIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOO"
A keening wail ripped from Jishan's throat, raw and ragged, as he collapsed backwards, rolling onto his side as he clutched at his ruined groin with both hands— his dagger dropping from his grip like an afterthought.
"WHAT THE FUUUUUCK—!?!"
His voice cracked mid-sentence. His legs kicked helplessly, his heels digging furrows into the dirt as he writhed like a man being pulled apart from the inside.
His mask was still on. But Leo didn't need to see his face to know it was twisted in agony— because no amount of facial control could mask that kind of trauma.
It was beyond torture.
It was an emasculation incarnate.
A blow not to the body, but to the soul.
And for a brief second— Leo just stared, still on his knees, panting heavily, blood rolling down his chin, as he observed a transcendent-level warrior lose all concept of pride.
It had worked!
Somehow, grabbing a transcendent warrior by the balls had worked, and although everything happened too quickly for Leo to properly feel it, as he opened and closed his palms, he felt even his own body shudder involuntarily at his work.
'I think I completely atomized his balls to nothingness…. If someone pushes the flimsy hanging skin back inside his body…. I—I think I might have just created a new hole in his body—' Leo realized, as he felt shivers run down his own spine.
This was a fate he wouldn't even wish upon his worst enemy.
And yet, it had been necessary for him to survive.
'I survived for now, but he's not going to stay down forever—' Leo thought now, as his eyes fell upon the dagger, that Jishan had just dropped a few feet away, lying uselessly in the dust.
His eyes locked onto it like a dying man spotting water in a desert, as with his limbs still trembling, and his balance still uncertain, he crawled towards it with all the strength left in his body.
Each motion felt like dragging a corpse. But he pushed forward regardless, one agonizing inch at a time.
Because he knew.
Jishan wouldn't stay down forever.
And the next time he got up… there would be no second chance or wasted chit-chat.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 220 220: Silent PromiseTimeless AssassinC220 220: Silent Promise
(Muiyan Faye's POV, A few seconds ago)
As Faye watched Jishan draw his blade, her heart lurched into her throat, a silent scream lodging behind clenched teeth as her eyes fixated on the glint of metal that hovered just above Leo's neck.
Her fists slammed the golden barrier harder in one final desperate effort born from instinct rather than logic, because logic had long since told her this wall could not be broken by anything she had.
Not by her alone, at least—
And yet, she still tried.
Still carved her blade into the same groove she'd carved a dozen times before, as if persistence might defy the enchantment where strength could not.
But it was too late.
The blade was drawn. The angle had shifted. Jishan was ready to finish it.
And she could do nothing but watch as the dragon she swore to protect was about to be executed.
However then— Leo moved.
A subtle shift of the wrist. A tightening of the shoulders. A strange closeness to Jishan's thigh that seemed deliberate.
As Faye's eyes narrowed.
"What are you—?"
And that's when it happened.
The mana spike was small, almost negligible to anyone not paying close attention to the exchange. But she was.
And she felt it.
That sudden pulse of raw, invasive energy that Leo sent into Jishan's body, was a technique she had never seen before and the results it produced were shocking to say the least.
"Guh—GAAAAAAAAH—AAAHHHHH—!!!"
The scream that ripped from the cultist's throat wasn't pain, but rather the sound of a man discovering a kind of agony he didn't even know existed.
Jishan reeled. Collapsed. Convulsed.
While Leo— bloodied and broken— remained on his knees, panting through a crimson smile.
And Faye could only stare, as half of her wanted to cry from relief…
…while the other half looked around in desperation, as she glanced towards the same Dupravel Nuna that her cult hated, hoping that he would crack the barrier soon, so she could dive down and save Leo.
*THUD*
*THUD*
At this moment, two other Monarch's entered the fray, as the Mu Family Patriarch and the Enigma Wade, also showed up.
Both gave Dupravel a knowing nod, as the three stood in formation, seemingly ready to enhance each other's attacks and work together to break the barrier.
Dupravel's aura surged first, as a violent torrent of black-violet energy burst around him in serpentine coils.
Beside him, the Mu Patriarch drew a long breath, and as he exhaled, golden runes spiraled from his chest and danced along his arms and onto the curved Talwar Sword he held.
And finally, Wade— ever silent, ever enigmatic— merely raised a single hand, and the space around his palm bent unnaturally, as if reality itself was preparing to give way.
Then—
*BOOM*
All three unleashed their might in a single coordinated strike.
Dupravel moved like a beast unchained, his fists hammering down on the barrier in a flurry of precise, brutal blows that fractured the dome's outermost layers.
The Mu Patriarch followed with a divine cleave of his blade, a golden arc slicing through the fabric of the enchantment, carving deep into the structure's core.
And finally Wade simply tapped the barrier with his index and middle finger—
As the world went silent for half a second before a high-pitched crack echoed like shattering glass from within the enchantment itself.
Within microseconds, factures webbed outward across the dome's surface, spreading like veins, glowing with unstable mana as the golden light began to flicker, until it shattered completely, as the barrier came undone.
*Crack*
The barrier cracked, and hundreds of warriors fell into the pit all around Leo, while several dozen attacks landed on Jishan, who was turned to a pile of bones and ash within moments.
"HALT… NOBODY MOVES—" Dupravel commanded, as soon as he landed in the pit, his voice sounding grave, as he seemed desperate to do something, before the people standing in the pit ruined it.
Extending his hand, he summoned something strange— an ancient silver urn, etched in glowing white runes, as it hovered before him, suspended in air by the sheer amount of mana he fed into it.
It did not seem to appear from a spatial pouch, nor a spatial ring— no, this was not an object he carried, but rather an object he conjured from a sealed space known only to him, like a sacred relic bound to his soul.
And then he began to chant.
Low at first— so low that even Faye, standing a few feet away, couldn't hear it clearly— but the longer it went on, the more the universe seemed to respond, as the wind stilled and the temperature dropped, as if the urn was sucking the vitality of the universe itself.
*SHINGGG—*
The urn trembled.
It's lid cracked open slowly with a hiss of pressurized air that reeked of old blood and burnt incense, as the ashes that were once Jishan— bone fragments, slivers of tendon, even the last flakes of his scorched black robes— rose from the floor like dust caught in a reverse wind, drifting upward, before being drawn into the urn.
Faye could only watch as every last speck of his body was collected by the artifact, devoured in silence, before the lid sealed itself shut with a deep, final clunk that echoed like a tombstone slamming into place.
Only then— after the ritual was done and the artifact returned to stillness— did the wind start moving again, and the temperature return to normal, as Dupravel covered in sweat from head to toe, let out a deep sigh.
"I can't sense the other two," the Enigma Wade said, his voice rough, worn, but filled with certainty.
"Not in this sector. Not even in this star system."
He paused, his brows furrowing deeper as his expression turned grim.
"Whatever spatial rift the Evil Cult bastards used to escape… It wasn't a simple hop. They've covered a vast distance, and fast at that."
His eyes turned slowly toward Dupravel now, and though his voice held no emotion, there was weight in his words.
"Apologies, Guildmaster… it seems the cult bastards have got your son." Wade said, as Dupravel didn't respond to him right away.
He stood there, one hand still resting on the sealed urn as his chest rose and fell with the weight of mana fatigue, his eyes narrowed beneath the tangled strands of damp hair clinging to his forehead, not from fear or sorrow, but from pure, simmering calculation— like a man already dissecting the next hundred steps in his mind before the first words ever left his mouth.
"Don't worry about it." He said in a voice that bore no hesitation or doubt, as he simply glanced down at the urn, and for a brief second, broke into a dark, cold smile.
"I've got one of them now," he said, lifting the urn slightly with a twitch of his fingers, "and I have my ways to make the dead sing like canaries."
His tone wasn't boastful.
It wasn't theatrical.
It was the flat, matter-of-fact promise of a man who had done this before— many times— and would do it again without blinking.
"I'll find out everything," he continued, his voice low but heavy, each syllable landing with purpose. "Who ordered it. Who sanctioned it. Where they took my son. What they plan to do next. All of it."
And then, slowly, his head tilted upward— past the ruined edge of the shattered arena, past the stunned warriors still trying to make sense of what they'd just seen— until his gaze locked on the beautiful blue sky above.
"I'll find my son," he said again, softer this time, but no less terrifying. "And once I do..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Because the promise in his silence was louder than any vow he could've ever spoken.
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