Brush-in with death

I've really done it now, haven't I? Benedict smiled bitterly.

He sighed then focused. The estate spanned a large area and comprised of five buildings. There was the main manor where the family lived, the servants' quarters, a horse stable, a warehouse, and a library. All were large structures that commoners could only hope of seeing. They would die to live in a house as big as the horse stable, much less the main manor! Benedict glanced around for any clue. Obviously, there would be none, so his search was pointless. Thankfully, he was surrounded by shrubbery in the manor's gardens, so he was well hidden. He did not have to worry about being caught for now. That said, if he wanted to find Elizabeth, then he would have to explore.

Benedict slinked around in the darkness like a common thief, avoiding guards whenever possible. He had a few close encounters that made him sweat. However, there seemed to be a great curtain drawing everyone's attention elsewhere. The guards were too nervous to bother about their duties properly. He saw many patrol groups rushing hurriedly to the main gate, as if they were expecting the arrival of a great enemy. It baffled Benedict, but then it dawned on him. The Alzar Kingdom must be finally making their move! Indeed, this coincided with the deployment of the three brigades under Prince Dannark! As was said before, Elizabeth was simply too important to the Royal Family. Even a dullard could see this. There was no way the Royal Family would not respond in kind!

This gave Benedict more confidence. As he waited, the density of guards visibly dropped. As he was about to make his move, he spotted a familiar figure and his heart stopped! It was not Elizabeth, but Captain Julian and Vice-captain Julie of the Second Hand! The two assassins were wearing cloaks and masks again, making it nearly impossible for him to discover their identity. Unfortunately, they could not completely conceal their monstrous aura and terrifying killing intent. It seemed to drench the air in blood! Having nearly died from Julie's hand an hour prior, there was no way he could mistake her! Benedict turned cold towards the Lannisail Household. No matter what, there was no way they were innocent, right? The best proof was here!

He hid behind a tree trunk as quickly as possible, making the branches sway the tiniest bit. He covered his mouth and suppressed his breathing. He stayed as still as a rock and prayed that they would not notice. Any Perception Realm had their senses elevated to a supernatural level. They could sense the most minute of changes in any environment, which was largely why they were so strong. Even without consciously focusing, their innate senses allowed them to detect everything passively. This was not to say that no one could sneak up on them. It was just ten times harder to do so. Only when they fully extended their senses would their perception encompass everything! As the son of a Perception Realm, Benedict understood this best!

As expected, Julie glanced in his direction and paused. Seeing this, her captain did the same. The two of them elevated their senses to the peak allowing them to see every detail. The newfound ease at which they did so revealed how much Lord Wenmord strengthened their condition. It approached the boundaries of Perception Realm Master! Their auras combined into a monsoon, crashing toward Benedict! It was enough to send anyone into the abyss of terror!

Benedict felt his muscles tensing reflexively, as he tried to stop his body from shaking. His mind was sent into chaos. But he could not move! If he moved, then he would die! He bit his lip so hard that blood dripped out. His nails were driven so deeply into his skin that he could tear it off if he wanted. His heart was beating a thousand times a minute. The mental strain alone was unbelievable, unmatched from anything he experienced before! This was truly flirting in the face of death! He felt he was about to go insane from the pressure. These two assassins were too scary! The seconds passed by slowly; however, the pressure let up soon.

"Was I mistaken?" Julie muttered.

Her captain said, "Thanks to Lord Wenmord, our condition is far better than before. We'll need time to properly digest our gains. You must be mistaken."

"That does make sense…" she started, continuing to stare at the tree Benedict was standing behind. Finally, she spotted a large lizard scurrying across the tree trunk which thoroughly dispelled her concerns.

"The Alzar Kingdom has caught onto to us. We don't have time for this," he concluded. She nodded and the party of assassins rushed to another location.

Behind the tree, Benedict slumped down in disbelief. Despite the cool nightly air, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe and he was close to wetting himself… He had never been so scared before. Ironically, he was partially saved because he was so weak. His presence was insignificant in their eyes; hence, he was not noticed. Should he be a Perception Realm, it might be different. Then again, with the power of a Perception Realm, he could at least offer some resistance. Nevertheless, Benedict felt relieved that his gamble paid off. Without the threat of these apex assassins, his success rate would increase by a large margin!

He took several minutes to recollect himself. His hands were still shaking, but not so much anymore. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and rushed in the direction they came from. However, as soon as he stepped out the bush, three guards turned the corner and ran into him! Each of them was startled. However, that lasted no time. The three guards jointly unsheathed their swords and stared at Benedict warily. Benedict turned grim. With him sneaking around, there was no way he could excuse himself. If possible, he did not want to hurt anyone, but… If he continued like this, forget Elizabeth, he would not even save himself! That soft attitude was thrown away!

He unsheathed his sword in a smooth manner, adopting one of the stances of the Hawken Style. They immediately tried to encircle him, but he saw through it. He continued moving backward while alternating his attention to each of them. His sword kept switching sides as his concentration was pushed to the maximum. Swordplay was a profound art. In a battle of amateurs, one might exchange a thousand sword strikes. However, in a battle of true masters, one might kill with a single strike! Of course, he had yet to reach such a level. Even his father, Sir Roland, took most of his life to scratch the surface. Still, it showed how deadly a swordfight was. A single strike could mean death!

Perhaps the Hawken Style emphasized this the best! It focused on lethality, killing with one strike! In a way, it could be compared to the art of assassination. Both relied on grasping opportunities perfectly, mastering the flow of their surroundings, to maximize their killing potential. This was why the style was simple overall with five stances. However, each stance was unfathomably deep. So far, Benedict only understood two stances with barely acceptable mastery. On the other hand, his brother, Sir Lorenzo, was better at having mastered three stances! That showed the level of difficulty involved!