Strike one!

"Hey, Xian. How would you like to dance?"

The question seemed to catch her off guard. She blinked several times before glancing at me, confused. Then she looked around us, searching for clues as to who I could possibly mean.

After a few moments, her eyes landed on me again, and she smiled.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." Xian chuckled. "I haven't had this much fun in ages. This is so refreshing. Thank you, skilled human."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't plan any of this."

I was being deliberately vague, hoping that Xian wouldn't pick up on the fact that I knew exactly what I was doing.

If she did, then there'd be no point in continuing our conversation.

All I needed was a strike to finish the job, but knowing how much I loved dragging a fight for my enjoyment, I couldn't help but hope she'd play along for a little longer.

Her smile widened as she nodded slowly.

"Your inability to use your skills will be your downfall," she said confidently. "This time, you're going down. The last time we fought, you almost managed to beat me, but I learned my lesson. I won't make those same mistakes again."

"And here, I thought you were supposed to be better than me," I replied with a smirk.

She laughed loudly and charged toward me once again.

This time, I waited until she was close, then ducked under her swing and jabbed the tip of my blade into her neck.

'Strike one!'

I pulled back quickly, drawing blood as I did so.

Xian stumbled backward and dropped to one knee, gasping in shock.

I smirked triumphantly.

"I know it's not your head I targeted." I spoke calmly, as though this was nothing special. "But you can still die by my next move. And you might not understand what is going on if you don't tell me what I want to know."

My voice grew cold. It was clear that I meant every word.

After all, I had plenty of experience killing people as a hitman. I was well aware of the feeling when someone's life ended.

It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't scary either. In truth, it was rather boring.

This was why I gave up being a mercenary and went for a corporate job, trying to get a normal life and getting accustomed to the innocent acts I put up.

I just wanted to work, eat, sleep, and repeat. If possible, skip the work part.

Sure, I might have been a bit rusty since leaving the clan, but I doubted even my old self would have let me get away with this much.

I kept my dagger pointed at Xian's throat as I watched her closely.

She was trembling slightly, and I noticed that her breathing became rapid and shallow. Her pupils shrank, and she stared directly at the tip of my blade as she struggled to speak.

Eventually, she found her words.

"What do you..."

She stopped herself suddenly.

When she opened her mouth again, her voice trembled with fear.

"Wha—what do you want to know?"

I smiled widely.

"Why has your race been searching for me?" I asked simply. "Why are they hunting me?"

She hesitated.

For a moment, I wondered if she actually didn't know. But then I saw her lips twitch as she considered what to say.

Finally, after a long pause, she spoke.

"You've heard about the invasion, yes?"

I nodded.

It was all over the news; people spoke about it on the bus while trying to move to safer locations. The explosions and hysteria that had spread were enough reason.

I'd be dumb or blissfully clueless about the potential danger it posed to us humans if I didn't know about it.

"Well, there's another side to the story," she continued. "A group of us started to investigate the possibility that we weren't really losing. Maybe the other races were just too powerful, or that we had made a mistake somewhere, and we're gradually dying out."

Her gaze shifted upward as she stared at the sky.

"We came across evidence that suggested a race on earth had awakened the key—the very weapon we believed would give us victory. A race capable of fighting against us if they ever found the secrets of the key once it bonded with its master."

The corner of her lips curled up into a slight smile.

"That key... is now bound to you," she whispered. "In a sense, you are its master, which means you possess all of its abilities. Which makes you a threat to us."

'So I got superpowers now? No, rather, I got the affinity to gain abilities if I leveled up from the task linked with Lianne.'

Great! Just great.

There was no hint of emotion on her face, but I could feel something dark and dangerous rising from within her.

"So, naturally, we wanted to stop you before you could do anything to harm us."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Is that all? Is there a way to unbond this thing from me?"

Xian shook her head.

"Unfortunately, no. As soon as the key is bound to you, it will continue to grow stronger over time, becoming more and more difficult to remove. There isn't any way to undo the bond once it's been created. You'll need to die for it to end."

She looked up at the sky once more as she finished speaking.

"Or else we'll keep hunting you until you die."

Her smile widened, showing off sharp teeth.

"I'm sure you understand our dilemma."

I snorted mockingly.

"Of course I do. Your race always finds a way to screw things up."

I leaned closer, lowering my voice.

"Don't worry. If you kill me, you won't be able to find anyone else who knows how to unlock this thing either."

I pressed my blade harder against the side of Xian's forehead as I spoke.

"I am the only one who can control it."

With those last words, I pulled my dagger back.

Just like that, the tension in the air disappeared, and the two of us relaxed.

"Hm. So, that's your plan, then?" She said it casually. "Go against us and take on the world single-handedly?"

I shrugged.

"Maybe. Or I might go where it's safe and live a peaceful life with those that mean the world to me."

I thought for a second.

"Actually, I think I'd prefer an adventure this invasion has created."

Xian blinks slowly.

"You don't seem too worried."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think I care about the outcome of this war? What difference does it make if we win or lose? Either way, the world will change, and not necessarily for the better."

My eyes fell upon her, and I studied her expression carefully.

"Besides, it seems that's all the information you can offer," I murmured quietly.

Xian stiffened.

Then she smiled softly.

"I see. Well then, I guess this is the end for me..."

She closed her eyes.

I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fine," I mumbled. "Then I suppose this is goodbye, Miss Xian."

I aimed the dagger at her head and brought my blade down hard.

Cutting through her face, the tip of the blade sliced cleanly through her head, severing the top part of her head from her face.

Blood spurted out onto my hands as her severed head rolled to a halt next to the ground.

'Strike two!'

I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head as I stepped backward.

It didn't matter what I did to her anymore. She was already dead.

I turned around and began walking away from her.

I had just made a curve down a block when I heard footsteps behind me, so I stopped.

"Were you planning on searching for us, huh, bud?" Frederick asked.

I glanced over my shoulder to look at him.

He stood there with his arms crossed, smiling smugly at me.

My gaze traveled down to the little ball of trouble, with Lianne staring at me with teary eyes. Her expression was sad, almost pained.

'What had happened while I was busy? How long had she been awake?'

I opened my mouth to speak, but then I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

Lianne seemed to sense my hesitation because she suddenly moved forward.

She ran toward me, crying and hugging my legs tightly.

"Uncle Ally, safe! Uncle Ally, safe!" she sobbed. "Lia, sorry for sleeping. Lia, sorry for being bad girl. Please don't leave me again."

"Eh?"

That was definitely not the reaction I expected.