we will rise to the top.

Thanatos' hand was caught in Agatha's blood shield. He felt the blood changing form, trying to stab his skin. Before giving her anything, he focused mana on his hand. "[Fireball]"

The blood shield evaporated in the explosion and flames. Agatha retreated with only minor burns. She raised her hands and cast another spell. "[Blood control]" Thanatos stopped right in his tracks as his muscles refused to listen to him.

Again, damnit, how much mana is she using to keep me from moving? The blood orb changed shape again, this time into a sharp and long spear. It was aimed at Thanatos and went flying with great speed. Before the spear pierced through his chest, he cast [Strengthening] to defend himself.

The spear crashed against the skin. Sparks flew away as neither Thanatos nor Agatha gave an inch. Suddenly, the flow of mana changed, and the spear turned into crimson ropes. They surrounded Thanatos and began to boil. "[Boiling blood]"

The crimson ropes exploded against Thanatos. It was too late to dodge at that point. The blood boiled Thanatos and burned him to death. Not even you can come unscathed from my boiling ropes. I saw the explosion in the store burn your back, your defense magic is useless against non-physical attacks. I just need to finish you now.

Agatha raised her finger, but something stopped her. It was pain. Her whole body was feeling the pain of several burns. "AAAAAAGGUUUHH!" The sensation and the look of the burn marks on her skin were the same as those who died by her blood ropes. She looked at the steam. She had the same burns as Thanatos. The pain would be unbearable for any normal person. These two passed that point a long time ago.

An ability to return the damage? He kept it hidden well, probably because all the ones he used against are dead. Without wasting time, Thanatos took the chance and jumped toward Agatha.

Like a bullet from a gun, he went straight at her before she could recover from the attack. He attacked with his claws. Agatha intercepted with her sword, but she was too slow. The pain from the burns made her reaction slower. Agatha's right hand was cut by Thanatos.

"Not yet!" Thanatos wasn't going to let go so easily. He kicked at her ribs, but he forgot to account for something. He cut Agatha's hand, and that meant she could draw blood from another point.

A spiked shield appeared from the limbless arm and stopped Thanatos's kick by piercing his leg. From the wounded leg, the crimson ropes formed and tried to grab Thanatos. He dodged to the side before they could explode again.

Agatha took the opportunity to put more distance between them. The bleeding from her arm stopped as the blood coagulated by her magic, ready to open again at any time. They both looked at each other. Agatha was burned and injured in her leg, and Thanatos was burned and injured in his leg. They knew the other was running low on mana. The next few spells would decide the winner of this fight.

"Can I ask you something?" She spoke with a dry and inquisitive tone. "Who are you?"

"What do you mean? Aren't you the ones that studied me or something?"

"I don't mean who you are as a person, but where did you come from?"

That question left Thanatos astonished. What was she referring to?

"You are too strong. Someone should have noticed your potential already and offered you a position in whatever they needed. A bodyguard, a high-ranking soldier, or even working for one of the other syndicates, yet you are here working for yourself alone. How old are you twenty, twenty one? I searched through the records of the city. You weren't born here, but I couldn't find a place of origin."

"There are only two reasons for that. Number one, your past is so well hidden that not even the information network from the Hand can track it. Number two, you came from outside the continent."

"…"

"Which one is it? As a favor, I'm not going to try to get information by torturing you. I'm not strong enough to take you alive. This is off the record. I want to know for my own curiosity. Can you at least tell me which one before you die?"

Thanatos didn't think about the answer. It came naturally to him like breathing. "I came from the twisted wish of an old man, so I can drag all of the proud and arrogant idiots of this world to the hell they belong. That is the truth." He covered his face, and for a single moment he paused the [Disguise] spell to show his true eyes. "I'll kill anyone in my way to the top. Is that enough?"

The cool and deathly look from the yellow and beastly eyes sent a shiver down Agatha's spine. "I see. You weren't even human to begin with…"

Thanatos' eyes turned back to their normal green color. Like a traffic light in a street, the change of color meant the continuation of the battle. Thanatos clapped his hands together and... "[Summon Skeleton]"

Five skeletons rose from the ground, clawing their way up. There weren't any normal skeletons. A simple skeleton was the lowest form of undead. Weak and barely strong enough to defend against a regular soldier, they attacked with numbers to gain the advantage. Thanatos's summons were stronger than regular undead, because he was a lord of Darkness, and on top of that, he used more mana to make them more resistant. Still, they were too weak to cause Agatha any damage.

What is he planning? She asked herself that as she saw the undead Thanatos running toward her. She didn't have any experience with the undead, but the fact that he spent mana to summon extra bodies was perfect for her plan. From her stub arm, the blood began to flow again like a river. "[Blood maelstrom]"

SSSPPPPLAAASSHHHH... The wave of blood came like a broken dam, submerging everything in its path. A maelstrom formed right on top of Thanatos, dragging him and his skeletons along.

Did she still have that much mana? No way, she must have used her own blood to amplify the spell. Thanatos was correct; Agatha had to use a significant quantity of her own blood to make a pool of blood big enough to form the maelstrom. He couldn't see her because he was being dragged along by the blood toward the center of the whirlpool, but Agatha was pale and weak.

She looked like she was about to pass out from severe anemia. The difficulty breathing and dizziness almost made her fall into her own spell. She remained conscious by pure determination. Should I wait for him to drown or try to deal the final blow while he's submerged? Jakov is still fighting with the underlings, I received blood from their wounds but none of them is death yet. I don't know how long he can hold his breath. He's not even human. I need to kill him now!

She grabbed her sword, but before she could jump into the whirlpool… SSSSHHHUUUU… The center of the maelstrom began to freeze rapidly. Agatha stopped the pool, separating the rest from the freezing blood. After a few seconds, the only thing remaining in the center was a solid block of frozen blood. In the middle, Thanatos and his skeletons stood still.

She tried to discern the plan of her opponent. Can he survive in the cold for long periods of time? But that doesn't make any sense. I'm out of his reach. I can go kill his companions-

The frozen blood began to crack. The skeletons broke free from the cold prison and attacked Agatha with their naked hands. They were fast, but even an anemic Agatha was enough to deal with them. She smashed them with the back of her sword.

"…!"

After breaking the bones of the first two, she noticed the trap. The skeletons were frozen in blood just a few moments ago. They still had frozen fragments embedded in the bones, between ribs, inside the skull and in the vertebrae. When she smashed them, those little fragments broke into even smaller pieces and covered her body. She managed to see Thanatos, still frozen in the blood, moving his hand and speaking something she couldn't hear...

"[Frostbite]" The last of his mana came from inside the frozen cube of blood, reaching Agatha like a single ray of sunshine. It was enough to lower her temperature and cause a massive growth in the small blood fragments.

He used the skeletons as bombs. Like mines after being step on, they grew into frozen shards that pierced Agatha body from all directions. The blood sprayed for a moment before freezing still on her body, giving her a particular look.

Thanatos broke free and walked in front of the agonizing assassin. "You look like one of those frozen statues. the red from your blood gives you a nice look."

"You used a hollow inside… You pretended to be frozen, but instead you were waiting inside your small pocket…"

"Correct. I must admit, your whirlpool of blood was a good move. I had to improvise a way for my skeletons to withstand the damage."

"Freezing them yourself…"

"Any last words?" A shook came from the other side of the room, along with Eric's scream. She knew what it meant. Jakov died just now.

"Congratulations Thanatos, not many can say they've taken down an assassin from the Hand one-on-one… Sadly your fate is sealed, no matter where you run... The Hand will find his way and strangle your neck when you least expect it to…"

A single stab to the heart, and Agatha's life ended in a cold and solitary act.

"Are you guys alright?"

"Yes, boss, don't worry…"

"You are missing an eye, and Adel is missing a hand. How can you say that? Did you get hit on the head or something?" Neo yelled while putting Adel on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Neo."

"Save the talking after you recover."

The sound of footsteps caught their attention. It was Castess who brought a group of Underworld members as backup.

"Is everyone alive? I have healing potions. We need to leave now. The army is closing in for all the noise."

He had to leave the bodies behind, but it was okay. Seeing his friends alive was enough for Thanatos.

"Let's all go back."

A couple of weeks passed, and it was the day of departure for both Thanatos and Lia. They were standing beside one another while saying their goodbyes to the rest.

"Take care, Miss Lia. If you need anything, just contact our branch in the Capital."

"I will, Adel, but I don't tend to get in trouble like you guys."

"Don't worry, Boss, we'll handle the syndicate in your absence."

"I know Eric. If anything happens, just send a messenger. I'll come running to help."

"Man, I feel left out. I can't go with Thanatos because he is going to a country that kills demi humans, and I can't go with Lia because her family is going to ask questions about how we met each other. Guess I'll just have to watch that Eric doesn't burn down the base while you're gone." Neo poked fun at Eric to try to lift her spirit.

"I'll see you after I come back from my trip."

"Please try to not get into fights, okay?"

They shared one last hug before leaving. Lia back to the Capital and Thanatos to the Nation of Los.