Chapter 8: Slashing through the storms

It's been three days since the Lyxx breakout. The news of the Deathmaker escaping from one of the most secure prison facilities of the Vermax Empire spread like wildfire. Such news couldn't be kept a secret.

It started as a rumor until it was confirmed to be true.

Emperor Argilac, furious about everything, ordered a lockdown. The armies and the huntsmen were deployed across the capital, and the Veils were closed to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.

All soldiers were equipped with battle suits specifically designed to hunt down humans. They scoured the area for the one known as the Deathmaker, the infamous assassin of the North.

The royal capital, Rubenious, was crawling with soldiers searching from building to building while the watchmen were active. A curfew had been declared since the armies were scattered across the plain.

The princess had already reported that she was a target of the Deathmaker, further enraging the emperor. During these three days, the armies were on high alert, ready to kill anyone who stood against them.

"My, my, it seems the soldiers are really looking for this Deathmaker guy. But how is it possible for him to break out of Lyxx? Isn't that the most secure prison?" A voice echoed from inside a bar.

The bar was filled with patrons who were high and drinking their lives away.

Located on the northern side of Rubenious, this was the underground town of the royal capital—an area populated by dirty merchants and assassins who had found their way into the Vermax Empire's capital.

A young figure entered the bar, covered in a red robe, holding a bag. His face was hidden by the red hood. As he walked in, all eyes were on him.

"Damn that Veil. I can't possibly leave Vermax while it's still active. Emperor Argilac knows that," the mysterious figure said to himself with a warm smile as he walked further into the bar.

He took a seat and sighed calmly, watching the soldiers roam around.

He could hear people gossiping about the Deathmaker's recent escape from Lyxx. After ordering a drink to blend in, he received an alcoholic beverage, which he gently opened with his teeth. No one could easily move around.

It didn't take long before soldiers entered the bar, holding their swords firmly and dressed in their suits. The mysterious figure sighed as he stared at them.

"Listen up, you filthy merchants and contractors. Emperor Argilac has placed a bounty on the head of the one known as the Deathmaker. Whoever finds him will be richly rewarded by the Emperor himself. Contact us if you have any information regarding the Deathmaker," one of the soldiers announced after scanning the bar before they decided to leave.

"What a joke. Does the Emperor think we'll turn on the Deathmaker even if we see him? He is literally a star of the assassin guild. If we snitched on him, we'd be dead," one of the men in the bar remarked.

Another made a joke that caused everyone to laugh.

The mysterious figure smiled as he pulled out a card, checking it to see a red cross marking a failed mission. He chuckled softly and put the card back in his pocket.

"Based on my calculations, things will slowly start to cool down, but I will have to take my leave now. The Veil may be a problem, but I can't ignore the military power of the Vermax Empire as a whole."

"Even I couldn't kill them all, and besides, it would be a pain fighting those platoon generals combined," the mysterious figure said to himself as he walked up to the bartender's desk.

"Thanks for the drink; I will be leaving now," he said, dropping two silver coins on the table before turning to exit. He slowly made his way out of the bar and breathed in the fresh air.

"Now I need to return to the North," the mysterious figure said, revealing his eye patch—the very eye patch known to be in the possession of the Deathmaker, the man of great chaos and destruction.

"The Baylor Slaughter Incident… there are still a few more folks responsible for that catastrophe. I have a purpose and a mission," the Deathmaker said. In an instant, he vanished from the scene, moving at super speed as he dashed across the rooftops, riding the wind.

He was detected by motion detectors, which alerted the soldiers nearby.

"Motion detectors, huh? Vermax really is crazy when it comes to tech," the Deathmaker mused, pulling out a dagger. Clicking a button on the dagger, he increased his speed while adopting different movement styles.

Huntsmen equipped with their battle suits were sent after him, particularly the Bear Claw Company, as they were highly equipped. The soldiers trailed him like it was nothing as the wind blew heavily.

The Deathmaker frowned as he leapt high, jumping from the rooftop!

He landed on the ground just as two soldiers charged at him. Moving with quick precision, he slit their throats before dashing off. Activating his skill, Fleet Foot, he enhanced his speed.

He maneuvered through corners when targeted beams began to fire at him. They had been authorized to kill him on sight. After all, Emperor Argilac knew the Deathmaker couldn't be easily killed.

"Hehehe, I had no intentions of showing my powers against mere soldiers, but I must break through the Veil to escape here. I have to wipe them all out," the Deathmaker said, a bright smile on his face.

Slowly, he removed his eye patch, and his left eye glowed brightly.

A mark shone on his left eye, causing the battle suits of the soldiers to malfunction. Within seconds, time slowed down for them, but he remained unaffected.

**[The Canceller]**

*A skill directly imbued in his left eye by the Assassin Guild. It grants him the power to cancel and disrupt anything—be it enhanced battle suits, motions, or skills.*

While motion was being canceled and everything slowed down, the Deathmaker increased his speed using his Fleet Foot skill. He quickly dispatched two soldiers before turning and speeding off.

Charging directly towards the direction of the Great Veil!

The Deathmaker grinned evilly as his suit suddenly glowed brightly. His battle suit, crafted from the body of a single-horned demon he had slain, enhanced his physical abilities.

Thanks to the battle suit, the Deathmaker was naturally fast and strong, but now he possessed super strength, allowing him to lift tons of objects. His speed was further amplified with the Fleet Foot skill.

He was known as the fastest assassin to ever exist. Approaching a cliff, he faced the Veil, an impenetrable barrier capable of incinerating demons, let alone a human. It was said to be breached only by something with the power to cancel it out!

Taking a deep breath, the Deathmaker leapt from the cliff. Mid-air, he unsheathed his sword and gathered his power, causing his left eye to glow brightly, directing its force towards the Veil.

He landed a single strike on the Veil, breaking through what was deemed impregnable.

He sliced through the Veil, diving out and landing heavily on the ground, breaking a few bones. Within moments, the Veil closed back, repairing itself nearly instantly.

The Deathmaker chuckled softly as he slowly rose to his feet. His feat became known to the Emperor himself. Piercing through the Veil had always been regarded as an impossible task.

Not even demons could easily break through the Veil, yet the Deathmaker did it.

"As expected, my skill could neutralize the Veil for a few seconds since it cancels nearly anything. This will put me on Vermax's most wanted list again, but I'm used to it already. Hehehe," the Deathmaker said with a warm smile, closing his left eye with the eye patch as he sighed. He sheathed his sword back into its scabbard and turned to leave the area.

Outside the Veil lay a chaotic wilderness—a desert teeming with deadly sand snakes, sandworms, and demonic creatures that made leaving the capital without protection from huntsmen or soldiers perilous.

Yet, a single man was seen walking through the wilderness. He knew who he was—the infamous Deathmaker—killing every sandworm and sand snake he encountered with pride as an assassin.

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.

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Deep inside an unknown cave, its walls adorned with ancient runes and dark symbols, torches flickered. Footsteps echoed as a woman dressed in red ventured deeper into the cave.

Covering her face with a mask, she approached a figure seated on a throne, shrouded in darkness.

"My Lord, the Deathmaker has successfully escaped the royal capital of Rubenious, and the princess still lives," the woman reported, gazing at the figure who remained obscured by shadows.

"The princess still lives, and the Deathmaker isn't in Vermax anymore? That means only one thing: he failed to do his job. If he wanted to kill her, he could have done so before being brought to the Empire," the dark voice of the man in the darkness rumbled, his dark green eyes gleaming from the shadows.

"What are we going to do now?" the woman asked.

"There is nothing to be done. The princess must die. She is a key that should not exist. I failed to obtain the source of the Qi seventeen years ago, and I am paying for it already," the figure replied.

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"Adrian left the key in that girl before he died, so the princess must die. I don't care who does it, but she must not live until her eighteenth birthday. Find a way to kill that girl," the dark voice commanded with authority.

"Yes, my Lord. I will send someone else to kill her," the woman replied.

"The storm is approaching, and the Lord of Nemesis shall rise soon. We have to keep everything under control before that happens. The demons of Astaroth will soon be under my command, as promised."

"But first... the girl dies!"