LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Yan dashed through the underground waterways with swift agility.
Boom!
The explosive clash between Diana and the Trio of death echoed, filling the tunnels. Yet, Yan’s sprint did not falter.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Yan reached the end of the waterway, and an unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes.
“…What is this?”
The murky water that should have been underfoot was floating in mid-air, and rats scurried along the walls, defying gravity.
It was as if gravity had lost its grip on the world.
Then, Yan’s gaze fell upon something resembling iron bars.
And within, Lia stood motionless, her eyes showing nothing but white.
It seemed the rampage the fiends spoke of was underway.
Flashes of a past life crossed Yan’s mind—the calamity caused by the Witch of Oppression.
A well-ordered city, reduced to mere dirt.
He gritted his teeth.
“Damn it!”
If he wasn’t careful, he could be swept up in her frenzy.
And the likelihood was high.
If her powers surged like the Witch of Oppression, not only the waterways but the city above could crumble to dust.
‘Turning back now would be just as pointless.’
Without a just cause to strike the Special Task Force Commander, there would be no chance for retaliation.
He would be left defenseless against the Commander’s assault.
“That cannot happen.”
Yan approached the iron bars imprisoning Lia, the gravity intensifying with each step.
His pace slowed.
Thud, thud.
Yan trudged on, resisting the crushing force of gravity.
Just then.
Thump!
Someone fell from the ceiling.
He slowly rose, fixing his gaze on Yan.
“Are you the Chief Instructor’s disciple?”
A voice devoid of highs and lows, carrying a chilling presence.
Yan bit his lower lip.
‘Shadow Wraith.’
Ranked third in the Special Task Force and the right hand of the Commander.
Even the most senior officers couldn’t guarantee success in assassination missions that he completed with a 100% success rate.
If he were only skilled in assassination, Yan wouldn’t have been so wary.
But.
‘Shadow Wraith’s combat prowess is superhuman.’
Despite reaching a fourth-grade realm, he stubbornly insisted on assassination.
‘And he’s my antithesis.’
Yan’s strength lay in detection and understanding.
He usually leveraged an opponent’s movements, weaknesses, and traces to gain a relative advantage.
But his adversary was an assassin who skillfully concealed his movements and left no trace.
And he was armed with formidable strength.
For Yan, who analyzed movements in combat, this was the worst possible match.
Even with magic as his secret weapon, the challenge was undeniable.
“Are you truly the Chief Instructor’s disciple?”
Shadow Wraith asked again, his voice ominous.
Yan nodded slightly.
A hint of a smile seemed to play on Shadow Wraith’s lips.
“Lucky me. To have the chance to kill the disciple with my own hands.”
And then.
Swoosh!
A dagger flew like a streak of light, grazing Yan’s cheek.
Crash!
It embedded itself in the wall behind him.
Drip.
Yan tasted the blood trickling from his cheek.
Bitter and sour.
“Poison?”
“There’s nothing more efficient for assassination.”
Yan frowned.
It seemed as if Shadow Wraith’s body split in two.
“Deadly poison.”
The mere graze took effect within seconds.
He felt his breath quicken.
“Shouldn’t you be collapsing by now?”
Shadow Wraith tilted his head, stepping closer.
Clearly intent on severing Yan’s lifeline, he drew a dagger.
In that moment, Yan called out.
-Momon, keep casting the antidote spell.
[You know the spell as well as I do.]
-If he keeps using poison, a one-time use is pointless. Keep casting it from within.]
[Tch, troublesome creature.]
Momon clicked his tongue.
Soon, color returned to Yan’s ashen face.
Shadow Wraith, now close, widened his eyes in surprise.
“I didn’t see you take any antidote… You must have resistance.”
A poison potent enough to knock out even the fiercest beasts.
Shadow Wraith let out a slight chuckle.
Then, gripping the dagger, his eyes gleamed.
“Typical Chief Instructor. He’s prepared his disciple well.”
Unbeknownst to Shadow Wraith, Momon was continuously casting the antidote spell from within Yan’s pocket.
Concealing mana traces was child’s play for Momon.
Yan drew Ascalon from his belt.
“That’s one way to put it.”
He gestured with his chin toward the bars holding Lia.
“But shouldn’t we be worried about leaving her like this?”
The gravity pinning Yan down was growing stronger.
It meant Lia’s powers were still rampaging.
Shadow Wraith smirked in response.
“Her power may have slowed me down, but that’s not your concern.”
“Don’t you feel it? The gravity’s getting stronger. If the waterway collapses…”
“The Commander must have had his reasons for placing her here.”
Yan laughed bitterly at Shadow Wraith’s unwavering faith in the Leader.
‘It’s unlikely.’
If there had been any thought, the ‘Witch of Oppression’ wouldn’t have existed in his past life.
Regardless.
The option to persuade through Lia’s rampage was gone.
Only one remained.
To defeat Shadow Wraith.
‘I know all the techniques he uses.’
The problem was not knowing how someone from the same era would utilize them.
Yan pulsed his mana heart, gripping Ascalon tightly.
Shadow Wraith admired the aura swirling around Yan.
“Ho, such mana at your age… Did the Chief Instructor find some elixir for you?”
With that, Shadow Wraith melted into the shadows.
‘Heaven’s Hidden Strike. And he’s added his exquisite stealth skills.’
Yan closed his eyes.
Facing an assassin using stealth, relying on sight alone would be suicidal.
In the shadowy realm of Yan’s senses, a lone silhouette darted swiftly behind him.
At that moment, mana burst forth from the Mana Heart, swirling within before cascading into Ascalon in a torrential flow.
Whoosh!
Ascalon erupted with light.
Yan, with both hands on the radiant Ascalon, swung towards the location his senses had snagged.
The sword’s energy scraped the ground fiercely.
Clang!
Only after slicing through the shadow Yan had detected did the explosive sound halt.
“Did I catch it?”
Yan approached the still, sliced shadow without lowering his guard.
Just then, a hidden weapon surged swiftly from behind him.
Swoosh!
“Damn!”
Sensing the weapon, Yan immediately raised Ascalon to shield his vitals.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thud!
He blocked three, but the last one burrowed into his left forearm.
The pain was intense, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
His eyes flashed.
“There!”
Yan drew three daggers from his waist and hurled them towards the direction of the incoming weapon.
But the daggers, despite their momentum, only embedded in the wall, failing to pierce the dark figure.
It had moved.
“Damn it all!”
Yan yanked the weapon from his arm and flung it to the ground.
Blood flowed freely, but there was no time for stemming the tide.
“Momon!”
[Tsk, tsk.]
Momon cast a detoxifying spell along with a healing one.
The pain in his arm subsided, and the bleeding stopped.
Yet, using his left arm further was out of the question.
“This won’t do.”
Yan changed his approach, kicking off the ground and sprinting through the underground waterway.
He abandoned the idea of standing still to pinpoint his adversary’s location.
“I’ll force the shadow out.”
At the end of Yan’s sprint lay the iron bars imprisoning Lia.
If the figure didn’t reveal itself, he’d reach the bars.
Yan sharpened his senses and dashed towards the bars.
Then, a hard object rolled underfoot.
“Smoke bomb?!”
Considering the possibility of poison, Yan held his breath.
The dusky smoke filled the space between Yan and the barred cell holding Lia, but he didn’t stop.
Internally, he kept pondering the shadow’s location.
“Above? Below? Right? Left?”
Yan’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
He felt a dense mana presence behind him.
“Found you!”
He twisted his body instantly and kicked off the ground.
His form shot towards the source of mana like an arrow.
Puff!
Whiz!
Swoosh!
Dozens of hidden weapons pierced through the smoke, flying towards him with ferocity.
Yan’s gaze darkened.
“I could block them all, but… I’d tire first.”
Resolved, Yan didn’t slow down; instead, he increased his speed even more.
Boom!
He deflected most of the weapons, but couldn’t stop them all.
They embedded everywhere except his heart, throat, face, and groin.
A dizzying pain assaulted him.
Crunch!
Yan bit down hard to stay conscious.
Through the dissipating smoke, he saw the shadow trying to retreat.
Thump!
His heart pounded as mana exploded from the Mana Heart, encircling him vigorously.
Yan’s eyes widened.
He gripped Ascalon tighter.
Then, he recalled the second form of the Shadow Sword technique taught by the Chief Instructor.
“From above to below.”
His hand with Ascalon rose high.
The bewildered eyes of the shadow, unable to retreat, were clear.
Yan’s lips curled up.
[Shadow Sword Form 2 – Bisection]
Instead of dark energy, a tremendous burst of light erupted from Ascalon.
It was the instinctive use of the Dragon’s Breath, not the mana technique of the Shadow Sword, that made the difference.
But Yan didn’t care.
He brought it down.
Boom!
The sensation of slicing through skin, muscle, and bone was transmitted vividly.
Rumble.
The underground waterway shook as if on the verge of collapse.
Yan quickly turned to where the shadow had been.
There lay not a person, but a heap of flesh.
“I’ve done it.”
Yan stared at the remains of the shadow, then quickly covered his mouth.
“Cough!”
The backlash from the excessive use of mana hit him.
When he removed his hand, it was soaked with blood.
Yan shook his head vigorously.
“No time to dawdle here.”
He moved towards the iron bars.
The gravity that had been easy to navigate was now overwhelming.
The strain had accumulated in his body.
Reaching the bars, Yan surveyed the scene before him.
The bars that held Lia resembled a massive cage for a beast.
Bang! Bang!
Yan pounded on the bars, shouting at the imprisoned Lia.
“Lia! Can you hear me?”
Despite Yan’s cries, Lia remained motionless.
She still trembled, head tilted back.
Yan ground his teeth.
“Damn.”
Entering without preparation was too risky.
With a sigh, Yan approached the bars.