Under Siege (1)

"Surrender or die." The simplicity of the phrase did not take away from the inherent effect. The imposing figure only needed to say such words for people to freeze in fear, cold and hapless.

"Tanya… This man is powerful, however, I do not believe it is impossible to kill him." Penelope said while readying a spell.

"I guess you choose death-"

The figure paused, feeling himself coldly sweating from his forehead, steaming his helmet with hot vapours. His eyes became erratic in their movements and he suddenly stepped back.

"What is this…?!"

Tanya's body became enshrouded in a coat of dark crimson light, clouding the enemy's judgement and slowing his movement. The weight of a lion had just been pressed down on him, crushing him with absolute dominance. This feeling was terrifying.

'[Shroud of Dominance], what a wonderful skill. I wonder what type of faction has the audacity to come in and kill noble children? I wonder who has such a painful death wish as to wish harm unto those I am fond of. It does not matter in the end, they will die. They will die with their coffin impaled with spikes and their ashes in the sewers.' Tanya let out a hideous smile, directing all of her malice towards the armoured enemy.

"What- have… you done to me?!" The knight would not move from his position, frozen in place by his own fear.

"It is a shame that Charles was killed by you, however, it won't be a shame for you to be killed by me. It will be rather entertaining." Tanya's face became deadpan. She pointed her index finger towards the knight's head, coldly staring.

"Actually, I do not believe a mere ember will kill you. Come closer…" Tanya gestured for the knight to come closer. Just as she said, the fearful man did as he was told.

"Tell me who is behind this and how many of you are within the academy premises. More importantly, who is your strongest and where are they located?" Tanya demandingly questioned with a set of sharp metallic talons pointed towards the knight's neck.

"It- it… It's Duke Barwon! I swear! This was all staged by him! I was just working under orders… There are 80 of us in the academy, all at the second ascension. Our leader is at level 9 of [Swordsman], now please spare me!"

"Lastly…" Tanya continued questioning.

"What are your orders?" Tanya asked with a terrifying cold glare. Her eyes became as cold as ice and her glare pierced like a curse. The knight was unable to resist.

"We are to capture any students and teachers we can find, and kill those that do not surrender. The objective is to herd all of them to the centre grass area of the academy and kill them there, with the royals as the most important targets-"

SLASH

[Skill acquired: Snipe (mid 2nd tier)]

The armoured man fell to the ground, dead.

"Tanya! What the hell did you- -you- just do?! You just killed someone! Without mercy!" Erina shouted with a variety of emotions. She had never seen people die before today, for her standards, this was like slaughtering a lamb. Even if her friend had just been murdered, killing still did not sit well.

"I see you have a new skill, good work, Tanya." Penelope smiled upon noticing a set of steel talons on Tanya's right hands, covered in the thick crimson of blood.

"This is nothing. Our only problem is the dulled senses. If I could have noticed that knight coming, Charles would not have died like that." Tanya regretfully commented.

"The only good news is that no one else has come for a fight. That means that the rest of the unknown force is no longer here. Come with me, we will get to the bottom of this." Tanya picked up the crossbow that the knight was using, deciding to also take the remaining bolts from his satchel too. Although Tanya could not exactly work a crossbow in a masterful way, she could at the very least load the crossbow and shoot straight.

"Fine… Only because I don't want to stay out here and get spotted… Charles really did not have to die like this." Erina let out a few tears, unable to stop herself. This was the first time she had witnessed a friend's death, it happened so fast too. Therefore, the punch of the event came late.

"It is alright, stay calm, Tanya knows what she is doing." Penelope comfortingly spoke, placing her hand on Erina's shoulder.

"I hope so…"

No matter how many blocks of wood you cut and how many spars you have participated in, the scene of ending a life can never be prepared for. The repercussions depended on the person, but the first time would always be the same. Disgust, fear, and shame.

"We need to find the rest of the students before this becomes a massacre…"

"But how did 80 armed soldiers manage to breach the academy's defences so quietly like this?! It is simply not possible, even for Duke Barwon!" Penelope for once, was utterly dumbfounded.

"I do not know, but this has all of the signs of foreign intervention. Why kill all the noble youths? Penelope, you said we are not hostile with any other nation. Perhaps you are wrong."

'Even a Duke cannot launch such an attack on the academy, there had to be inside and outside help. Someone must have let these knights in and someone else must be behind Duke Barwon.'

Duke Barwon: The cousin of the current emperor and a famed politician known for schemes including the suppression of multiple opponents and for being one of the most influential people in the Golde Kingdom. Tanya has been taught by Penelope that Duke Barwon does not seem to be loyal to the royal family.

Knight that died: A mercenary with two death penalty warrants across neighbouring nations. Is known to follow orders and to engage in unsavoury businesses.