Chapter 2 - The Assassin

" Next up is Ikuta, Daughter of Omen and Twin to Belial."

Leo said, sitting back in his chair while releasing smoke from his nostrils. The smell of tobacco filling the air around him, causing Luna to wave her left hand back and forth to remove the smoke from her face.

" I must give Artemis my appreciation, she was able to design an entire town just for Ikuta's display. She embodies the Assassin lifestyle, Live amongst the shadows and sever any ties that could harm her goal."

Leo said, tapping his cigar with his right middle finger resulting in the ashes to fall onto a hardwood floor. He gazed into the orb, seeing something leaping from roof to roof before smiling with the cigar resting in his mouth.

On the east side of town, Two men were discussing something right near a pitch black alley. Each of them wore light armor, covering their arms up to the elbow , and on their legs stopping at the knee.

" So, We have to kill one woman but there's twenty of us. Don't you think that's a bit over the edge?" The first male asked, lifting his head to gaze at the street lights. He slowly turned his head to the other male, seeing him think about what to say.

" Even though she's sixteen, There's been rumors that she barely tries to kill and succeeds anyway. If we do kill her, Assassins like us will have more offers to make our living. I see this... as a chance to grasp our own future with a simple task." The second male said, taking a second to stretch. He felt some things pop which resulted in a pleased facial expression.

An aluminum can bounced out into the light from the dark alley and immediately alerted the two men. The two of them pulled out rusty daggers, showing that they haven't had the coin to upgrade their equipment.

" You must've learned well from a beginner killer. The only downfall of this scenario is that you assumed I'm in the alley." A feminine voice spoke from what seemed like every direction, resulting in the two to twist and turn for about six seconds.

A steel dagger emerged out of thin air, slicing through the air before crashing into the first male. The dagger was aimed for the side of his head, showing the second male how precise she was with smaller weapons.

" H-How?" He said, watching his friend's lifeless body collapse onto the cobblestone street.

The male turned around, not feeling anything until realizing another steel dagger was thrown and now lodged in his throat. He tried screaming so that her position was revealed but he couldn't die to the dagger damaging his vocal folds.

" Here's a tip if you get a second chance, Distractions are very useful for my kind. I don't consider either of you Assassins because you stayed in the open which gave me enough time to plan out my attack." She said, landing on the cobblestone as her dark white eyes shined from the light.

The man fell forward, laying eyes upon her unique attire. She wore a unique version of a kimono, The color pattern was red and black with leather straps stitched into the middle where her stomach would be. A dragon tattoo was located on her right shoulder that had no meaning behind it at all. Underneath the kimono was slick plant pants with a golden dragon design on the left side.

" Two down with Eighteen to go, Why did I run my mouth, I should've asked for more." She said, having a smirk form on her face.

After finishing her sentence, She scaled a two story building. She used the bricks sticking out to boost her up faster until reaching the roof. When she reached the roof, The first thing that caught her attention was a light source amongst this dark town. Each second on that roof resulted in the light growing brighter and brighter.

" A frontal assault is what they want... They'll get what I give them." She said, taking a step forward with her right foot as she realized these were tile roofs. That alone made her smile evilly, giving her another idea of what to do.

Three minutes passed until the woman stood on top of a roof that towered over the seventeen men on the ground. She bent down, noticing no archers nor mages.

" Seems our trap drew you in Ikuta." A male's voice said from behind her. She didn't expect any of them to be strategic like her but that's her fault for assuming.

" Well done." Ikuta said, slowly turning around to witness a fist ten inches from crashing against her face.

Ikuta covered her face with her arms, seeing a glimpse of the male before releasing a mouthful of saliva. She didn't expect the man to change his target at the last second, feeling jolts of pain coursing throughout her body.

" He made me think that my face was his target but it was my stomach." She said to herself just before being launched off the roof and started plummeting towards the street.

The man walked to the edge of the roof, staring down at the smoke that was created from her impact.

" Go on then, Kill her men!" He shouted out, giving the all clear to the seventeen men on the street. Each of them had various types of weaponry and patiently waited for her to exit the smoke.

All of a sudden, A barrage of daggers erupted from the smoke. They were just being thrown at anything in the vicinity, giving off the idea that she had nothing else to think of.

" Wait a minute, There's a crest on each dagger." The man on the roof said, shifting his gaze to one of his men. He witnessed a dagger pierce the man's left thigh before it started glowing.

Ikuta appeared two feet from the man, sliding across the ground until grabbing ahold of the dagger and aggressively dragged it from the front to the back of his thigh.

" Hello darlin." She said, removing the blade before slamming into the side of the mans neck. There was blood dripping onto the street and into her clothing but that didn't remove the lust filled expression she was making.

Ikuta twisted the handle, listening to the man choking on his own blood until forcefully removing the dagger. She got closer to his neck, licking the blood running down his neck.

" Bittersweet if I say so myself." She said, licking her lips as she moved her head at the last second. A spear took some strands of her hair but made no contact to her body.

There was five men closing in on her, The first two wielded regular short swords while the remaining three wielded spears.

" Just die, You can't kill all of us!" One of the spear men yelled at her, catching a glimpse of her seductive smile.

The first swordsmen and spearmen charged at her, only thinking about killing her which would make their deaths easier. The swordsmen tightened his grip on his sword, arching his right arm back and prepared to strike her down.

" So many openings..." Those three words escape her luscious lips, resulting the male to freeze in place for a second.

Ikuta turned around, kicking in his right knee cap which forced the male to fall on his behind. She silenced her mind, hearing heavy breathing drawing closer from behind her.

The spearmen thrusted his spear forward, grinning devilishly until witnessing Ikuta step to the side. He turned his attention to his now killed comrade before letting go of the spear with his mouth wide open in shock.

" Now you'll die knowing your reckless actions killed him." She said, grabbing ahold of his head and shoved him down to the end of the spear that was facing him.

There was no resistance from him, ignoring the pain of the wooden end crashing against his left eye. He clenched his fists, accepting the pain throughout his body until collapsing onto the ground.

Ikuta took a deep breath, turning her head in the direction of the remaining three closing in on her. She rushed at them, not wasting anymore time with mer playthings.

" Summoning Spell : Beast Of Omen!" She shouted out, drawing out the spell with her right index finger before punching it.

A small creature materialized on her left shoulder until a deafening screech escaped its small mouth.

" Ottie, I guess I'm not strong enough yet for you to be in your sixth form. " She said, feeling the creature licking her cheek.

Ottie was a combination of an armadillo , porcupine, and some type of dog. He looked around, analyzing the situation before realizing the three people Ikuta was charging were already dead.

" H-How did it kill them?!" A man shouted out, taking a step back in fear. When Ottie screeched, He was capable of releasing invisible quills that are attracted to anything near him or his summoner. Ikuta smiled, not expecting Ottie to do anything in his weakest form.

" Twelve more then the big guy" Ikuta said, slamming her hands together before her eyes flickered a dark shade of silver.

" Assassination Technique : Dance Of The Night Witches!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, extinguishing any light source in the vicinity. One by one, Street lights and torches were being extinguished until Ikuta faded into the darkness of the street.

With each passing second, Screaming was the only thing filling the streets. It was like Ikuta felt at home amongst shadows rather than be exposed to the light.

" Light magic: Enlightenment!" The man on the roof shouted out, slamming something on the tile as a flicker of light revealed everything before him.

Ikuta was surrounded by the remaining twelve men, blood seeped through her lips showing that she was abusing her power while keeping Ottie around.

" I want to know your name, It'll please me knowing I killed another rat amongst mice." She said, signaling Ottie to return back to their realm. The little creature licked her cheek, releasing a little squeak at the man on the roof. He tried to sound intimidating but seemed to have failed.

" Ikuta, My name is Lino. I studied you prior to making my decision to partake in this. I know you lack strength and mental focus during certain circumstances. " Lino said, running his left hand through his long autumn brown hair. He had a scar running across his left eye, revealing that he's blind in that eye. The male's attire was concealed by a cloak which gave her suspension of what's underneath.

In that moment, Lino lost sight of Ikuta until sensing her aura at the last second. She clenched her right fist, squeezing it tightly as she crashed it against his back.

" She made herself faster and concealed her presence until the very last second..." Lino said, twisting himself around mid-air before landing on the street. The cobblestone crack in various places upon his landing, showing that he used the surface to soften his impact.

The male took a quick glance at his companions, noticing slash marks on specific locations of their bodies. Each one shifted their attention to Lino, not hesitating one bit to rush him.

Lino shook his head, twirling his Executioner Axe as he waited for them to get closer to him. He looked up at Ikuta, seeing her smile sadistically.

" May you all rest peacefully." He said, taking a step forward and quickly spun in a circle once. There was no regret in his actions, decapitating each man knowing they were under some type of spell. Each of their heads bounced off the ground, leaving a blank expression on Lino's face.

" You are terribly wrong my dear, those men were already dead prior to you beheading them. I'm a shadow manipulator, I have the capability to use shadows that fit my desire except being able to enter someone's shadow." Ikuta said, bending down to grab a hold of some roof tiles. She ripped off about four, trying to pinpoint Lion's blind spot.

" Silly me, I forgot that you already have a blind spot." She said, laughing at her own sentence.

Ikuta took her time putting her hair up in a ponytail, making sure that the string wouldn't come undone. She tossed the roof tiles aside, realizing that they wouldn't be needed.

" There's a specific reason why I became an Assassin." She said, taking a step forward and fell towards the ground.

Lino watched her twist and turn her body around in the air until she landed on both feet. He didn't give her time to react, warping right in front of her as he crashed his fist against the right side of her jaw.

The building behind her started cracking, bricks started falling one by one but she remained still. She locked eyes with Lino, showing him a devilish grin before turning her head back for him to see her entire face.

" You call that a punch?" She asked, clenching her right fist until an imprint of a fist formed on his chest.

The sheer impact of that punch, pushed Lino back fifteen feet. He slammed the end of the Axe into the ground, preventing himself from going any further.

" Now that's what I want to see more of." He said, staring her down as she charged right for him.

Lino tightened his grip on his Axe, taking a stance to where the tip of the axe was facing her. He waited for her to get closer, trying to predict what she'll do if he misses or connects his attack.

" Come on little rabbit." He said under his breath, taking a step forward before lunging with the tip of the axe.

Ikuta smirked, jumping up and barely missed the attack until she landed on the weapon. She balanced herself on it, shifting her weight to make it stabilized for both sides before lunging at him.

Lino pushed up on his side, causing the axe to be upside down as Ikuta swatted it aside. She arched her right arm back, tightening her fist.

" Assassination Technique : Relentless Wounds!" She shouted, swinging her fist as it crashed against his face. The ground beneath them started caving in, revealing to Lino that she was holding back this entire time.

That punch contained more power than the first one as he was launched back towards the endless amount of daggers scattered throughout the street.

Ikuta narrowed her eyes, cracking both of her knuckles as the scenario transitioned to something from her past. Everything in front of her was up in flames, screaming and explosions filled the air.

" The reason I became an Assassin is to protect the ones I love from the shadows." She said, staring at the back of someone taller than her. He had the crest of Omen on the back of his neck, signifying that he is apart of her family.

" Doom, I'll find you and best your ass for leaving Belial and me...." She said, looking to her left so see a small boy holding a stuffed rabbit. He had tears running down his face, showing that he was sad about whatever is causing those explosions.

" And Thorn, Together we will find you and bring you home. " She said as reality reverted back to normal for her.

At that moment, Lino was being thrown back and forth. He caught a glimpse of her silver eyes before a dagger crashed against his chest. She was warping back and forth to different daggers, continuing to stab Lino with whichever dagger was near him.

There was blood raining down from the sky and started painting the street red. Ikuta warped five feet behind Lino, taking a step forward as she slammed two daggers into his shoulders and one in his back.

" One last thing Lino..." She said, warping right in front of him before crashing her right fist under his jaw.

Lino was sent thirty feet into the air, blood staining his clothing and body. He couldn't even utter a single word at this moment.

" I may not have my Brothers monster strength, but that doesn't mean I don't pack a punch!" Ikuta screamed at Lino, clenching both her fists for one more hit.

The cobblestone beneath her feet started cracking and in various places it started rising off the ground. She couldn't help but smirk, looking up at Lino before noticing a dagger twirling right above him.

Ikuta took a deep breath, removing all the thoughts of her family dwelling in her kind for this moment. She warped right above Lino, grabbing a hold of the dagger and gripped it tightly with both hands.

" YOU WILL LEARN TO NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A CHILD OF OMEN ESPECIALLY ONE WHO PLANNED YOUR DEATH WHEN I FIRST LAID EYES ON YOU." She screamed once more, falling down to Lino until slamming the dagger on the top of his head. Lino simply watched everything going black, feeling the top of his skull crack as his head busted open from the sheer power behind the dagger.

Lino's body plummeted towards the surface, showing how the strongest amongst them was a simple stepping stone to her.

" It seems that we needed more Luna, she overcame an obstacle and revealed to us why she's a handful." Leo stated, standing up from his chair as a light shined on his body. The light revealed that his biceps were mechanical and it led up to his shoulders.

Ikuta couldn't help but smile, feeling the wind crashing against her back as she twisted herself around. She looked in the direction of the Orb that allowed Luna and Leo to bare witness of her display.

" I hope you enjoyed it." She said before warping back to the surface as Lino's body crashed into the ground behind her.