千寻影视

Swoosh—!

Just like that, the orc slowly fell on both knees. Blood gushed out from its neck.

As the woman reappeared, registered within everyone\'s peripheral view. Her coat seemed to flutter, her hood pulled down, unveiling her black hair and azure eyes.

However, as soon as it did, she quickly pulled her hood up and looked away.

She slid her sword back in her hilt, and walked towards the podium.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as they screamed what seemed to be the woman\'s code name.

"Woooo…! Evangel…!"

"Evangel! Evangel…!"

"Woooh!"

Brandon\'s eyes traced this…. \'Evangel\' woman\'s figure, as she walked towards the exit.

Her figure slowly faded within the darkness. Truth be told, Brandon had come here to watch the upcoming fights against the other races.

However, seeing the woman….

….His plans shifted.

"Stay here, Matthew."

"Uh—Ah?"

Matthew stammered, reaching out for Brandon.

However, before he could even get the words out of his mouth, Brandon had already rushed down the flight of stairs.

Clank—!

Shutting the door, Brandon glanced around.

"...."

He was about to head right when the clicking of heels echoed from the other side, catching his attention.

Click— Click—

It was the woman. Her hood was pulled up. The only part Brandon could make out was her nose.

Click— Click—

The clicking of her heels continued to ring. Scanning, the woman wore a fitted black cloak that hugged her body tightly, highlighting her voluptuous figure.

"...."

The woman\'s head raised, and Brandon met her azure gaze.

She wasn\'t wearing a mask.

How peculiar.

The woman walked ahead of him, completely ignoring his presence. Brandon shook his head and stared at her departing back.

As soon as a fixed distance was established, Brandon fixed his mask.

The mana around him began to dwindle, until it became unperceivable.

Then, he followed the woman, trying not to alert her of his presence.

There was something about her that made Brandon eager to uncover her identity.

The air around her seemed strangely familiar.

In fact, Brandon already had an idea on who it might be. But he quickly shook his head.

Her hair was black. And though, it could\'ve been dyed. The woman was a duelist.

"That\'s impossible…."

The woman on her mind was a mage.

There was no way someone like her had decided to pick up on swordsmanship.

***

Someone was definitely following her.

And though she couldn\'t really sense the presence of this person, her instincts told her otherwise.

That something was off.

That someone was following her.

And so, she became wary of her actions.

\'Have they caught on to me?\'

She shook her head and pushed down her thoughts.

It was impossible.

There were only two others who knew about her mission, and her current whereabouts.

The head she was working for seemed to have trusted her. There was no way an assassin was sent to get rid of her. Not during these dire times.

The organization needed her.

And so, after coming to a conclusion, this person who\'s following her….

\'He or she is doing this under their own volition.\'

Perhaps she had gotten the interest of this person after taking down the orc with ease.

The colosseum was an interesting pastime.

She had to make several reports as to how they had gotten the other races…

Those beasts…. inside the blackmarket, without attracting the attention of peering eyes.

She trudged along the alley, paying no heed to anyone, pretending to not have noticed the stalker.

Continuing to walk, she flicked her eyes towards the rooftop.

"...."

There was nothing.

They were fast.

Step—

She ignored and continued taking her steps.

Just a bit more, and she could shake them off her tail.

It was a shortcut.

Only she knew of it, after spending six months inside the syndicate\'s blackmarket.

Minutes passed.

"Huu….."

She took a breath and fixed her hood, pulling it up. The main reason why she had never worn a mask was because she didn\'t need it.

Because she was already wearing a mask.

A mask that changes appearances.

An artifact.

And so, finally arriving at the narrow alleyway, she closed her eyes.

Mana started to gather around her legs. Though faint, her legs were glowing a hollow color.

Swoosh—!

Kicking the ground, she bolted and traversed the alleyway. The main reason why she had led the stalker here was because there was no gap in the roofing.

Meaning, if the stalker wanted to keep following her, they had to enter the alleyway.

She looked back.

"...."

She had caught sight of the stalker\'s silhouette.

Her eyes traced, it appeared to be a man.

He had a black mask.

That mask….

She was familiar with it.

"Ah."

She recalled. It was the man from the colosseum.

Meaning, she had caught his attention and he decided to follow her.

But for what reason?

She had to find out.

She was fast, much faster than him on her feet.

Looking back, the man was far behind. The alleyway was like a maze, and so the man had to trace the source of mana she had intentionally left behind.

She wanted to be found.

It was better to hunt than to be hunted.

Besides, she was strong. She was confident there was barely anyone who could defeat her within the syndicate, and especially inside the blackmarket.

That was because she had broken through recently.

Her Mana Core shot up to Tier 7. And the magic orb had deemed her to be an SS- ranker.

It was an astonishing feat for a 24 year–old. And though it didn\'t compare to the previous top ranker, Lucian—who was an SS+ ranker at 21—years old, it didn\'t matter.

Lucian was an anomaly himself.

A once in a lifetime talent.

"....!"

Then, her instincts told her.

The man was close.

With such thoughts, she composed herself and held the hilt of her blade, preparing to unsheathe it at the right time.

However, it was then when she noticed…

"Eh?"

The sun\'s rays shined down, and she could make out its reflections on what seemed to be a thread attached to her wrist.

"...."

Threads…?

Seeing the thread, she was lost in her thoughts for a second.

It was nostalgic.

An image overlapped in her mind.

Pale–white hair and ice–blue eyes.

She frowned, and a melancholic feeling washed over her.

It was her student. Her favorite student.

She regretted not being able to save him back then.

And despite proposing for him to be her protege, all she was able to teach him was basic combat techniques, and mana control.

But throughout the time spent together with him, it was obvious that he wanted to learn swordsmanship.

He seemed really interested in it.

\'Brandon….\'

She thought of his name.

It was for that reason why she had picked up the sword after the calamity.

If she were to find another student, she wanted the flexibility to be able to teach her students anything.

Closing her eyes, magic energy rippled around her. The treads became loose and seemed to have cut off.

"Now."

In a flash, she unsheathed her sword and sliced the air.

The man appeared before her, and just before the tip of his neck, her sword stopped.

No, she stopped it herself.

With a frown, she muttered.

"Who are you?"