Pushing the human limits

"Those two useless fools!"

The anger-filled voice came from one of the two assassins responsible for pinning down Sir Winstin. That said, they were both heavily injured. Sir Winstin was not the strongest knight for no reason! Even with everything stacked against him, he still maintained a solid advantage. It was taking every trick they had just to stall him! To think that their subordinates would fail at such a crucial point… against children nonetheless! Although their subordinates were not Perception Realm, it took a huge amount of resources and time to train them up. They could contest against Half-Perception Realms! Every loss meant a huge blow to the Whispering Shadow. Everyone's faces turned ugly under their masks.

"Allow me, captain," a female assassin whispered.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded. Without saying a thing, they already knew exactly what to do. Otherwise, they would not be the captain and vice-captain of this esteemed group. So far, less than five minutes had elapsed since the battle started. Already so many things had happened, the assassins' attack, the Twin Flicker technique versus Sir Winstin, Benedict arriving with Lorenzo, and then Elizabeth and Benedict's rapid improvement. Yet, these two assassins became increasingly grim. They were not far from Castle Reinhard and reinforcements should be on their way by now. One Sir Winstin was enough to push this group to the limit. Once he received appropriate support, none of the assassins would survive. Therefore, it became a contest for time!

The captain and vice-captain burst into action, shooting across the battlefield with far greater speed than before. Sir Winstin was taken aback and brandished his glaive. As a Perception Realm Master, he could push his senses to the peak. Time seemed to slow down as every second stretched out to a thousand seconds. Despite that, the two assassins moved so quickly that they were a blur. To the ordinary bystander, they might as well have teleported! That was how fast they were! It was the absolute limit of the Twin Flicker technique! Even Sir Winstin felt astonished at the frightening capability of these two assassins.

Before anyone could see a thing, he had already slashed down. His glaive carried tremendous force enough to cleave any person to two! It could slice even metal in half! Should the assassins try to block it, they would be instantly killed. It was like the reaper of lives and the overlord of the battlefield! A single slash was enough to annihilate anything! That was the might of Sir Winstin! In an instant, a shockwave rang out as the two sides collided. Air and dust were blasted away from the epicenter. The power of the attack was enough to send shivers down everyone. It was not something a human should be able to do!

The one assassin facing Sir Winstin took the full brunt of his attack. Against Sir Winstin's full-powered strike, any resistance was meaningless. Furthermore, in such an extreme battle of speed, dodging was simply impossible. The two assassins were certainly Perception Realm, but the difference between them and Sir Winstin was still large! Sir Winstin sliced clean through the assassin's custom dagger, cloak, armor, skin, flesh, and then bone! Like cutting butter, he cut through everything with frightening efficiency. In a flash, blood splattered everywhere as the assassin was heavily injured. His opponent was one step from death!

However, Sir Winstin immediately cursed. In the second that they collided, he realized his mistake! The Twin Flicker was a mere ruse! Just before they met, one of the assassins forcibly changed directions mid-way. At their speed, to accomplish that meant inflicting horrendous injuries on themselves. In fact, their foot, ankle, and even their leg was broken! Their organs were also churned so roughly that the assassin spat out mouthfuls of blood. The pain alone was enough to knock out five men! But they persevered and slipped past Sir Winstin at the last instant! Their target was Lorenzo, Christina, Benedict and Elizabeth!

Everything happened so fast that Lorenzo and Christina, who were nearby, saw nothing as a cold wind swept passed. Although Lorenzo was the famed heir of the Hawken Household and a Half-Perception Realm swordsman, he too could not resist. The gap between him and the assassin was far larger than the gap between the assassin and Sir Winstin! In the end, Half-Perception was not true Perception Realm! Lorenzo vomited blood. A grotesque cut formed on his chest, nearly cutting his belly open! He paled by several shades and lost consciousness immediately. Christina was the same way, suffering a critical blow.

Before Lorenzo and Christina even realized they were struck, the assassin was only a few steps away from Benedict and Elizabeth. Their eyes glinted with dark light as the dagger lunged forward towards Benedict! However, once again, an impossible scene played out. A massive shadow flew across the battlefield over Elizabeth and Benedict. Elizabeth briefly saw the glimmers of plate armor and a golden cape! It was a Royal Guard! Despite their large size, they moved shockingly fast and clashed with the assassin. Their massive two-handed claymore came crashing down like a meteor! Its killing potential was comparable to Sir Winstin!

The assassin let out a female yelp and tried to maneuver around it. She struggled and barely managed to shift her posture and speed in time! The blade sliced through the air and missed its target by a mere hair. That tiny movement allowed her to live! As time resumed, Elizabeth and Benedict had their jaws dropped. They knew exactly who this new fighter was. It was the second strongest knight in the kingdom, Protector of Queen Bethnal, and the son of the late Lord Korogin, Sir Sebastian Highguard!

Besides Sir Winstin, this was the first time any of them had seen him fight. After all, he served as the old queen's Protector. The woman had completely receded from the political limelight and lived a comfortable life in the castle. Under such strict security, there was virtually no chance for Sir Sebastian to display his skill. In fact, many considered his skill dubious and resented him.

And yet, those who knew him saw him differently. Sir Sebastian was younger than Sir Winstin by more than twenty years, yet the former had already reached a power comparable to the latter! His monstrous potential was fully displayed. In time, he could push further and possibly break through Perception Realm to the realm above! His arrival alone signalled the end of the battle. Together with Sir Winstin, the two could effectively dominate the battlefield.

The female assassin's cloak and mask slide off after being shredded by Sir Sebastian's attack to reveal a voluptuous woman underneath. Her figure was as thin as a snake and proportioned perfectly. Anyone would burn with desire after seeing such a woman. But despite her overwhelming charm, no one saw her with lust. She wore a strange and crooked smile with cold eyes. A small trickle of blood streamed from her forehead across her cheek. It painted a terrifying scene! Elizabeth and Benedict felt their hearts grow cold as ice.

Sir Sebastian narrowed his eyes and spoke, "You're vice-captain Julie of the Second Hand. Is the Whispering Shadow intent on declaring war against the Alzar Kingdom?"

The woman spat out blood and gave a maniacal laughter. "Captain… It seems the gig is up. They know who we are now."

The assassin facing Sir Winstin grunted. His cloak and mask were also destroyed by Sir Winstin's attack. As the last pieces fell, a very pale-looking man was shown. A single scar ran down his face. Half of his body was drenched in blood. His aura was flickering on the verge of extinguishing. It seemed like his life would end shortly.

"Retreat!" the man shouted.