This mission was vastly different from the usual ones. Previous missions always provided the appearance and specific location of the target before the assassination was carried out.
However, this time the opponent was also an assassin, so their appearance was unclear. Even the location provided was only a general area, leaving the rest for Kaede to observe on her own.
First, she had to determine who her opponent was before she could carry out the assassination.
Walking on the road, Kaede felt it was a bit tricky. How could she assassinate a target when she didn't even know what they looked like? Should she release her killing intent to make them come to her, and then go on a rampage?
Not to mention whether she could pull it off, even if she could, Kaede wouldn't choose this method; the danger was too high.
However, the world is just that dramatic. While Kaede was thinking this, her targets were thinking the same thing. They were all very confident in their own intuition, and so...
The two collided.
"Jingle~" This was the sound coming from Kaede's body.
"Hm? Sorry..." This was Kaede's subconscious reaction. But in an instant, the hand she was about to extend froze. It was impossible for her to bump into an ordinary person, unless an ordinary person bumped into her.
And standing opposite her was an old woman. She was also startled; how long had it been since she had encountered such a thing? The person opposite her had absolutely no presence.
Yes, at this moment, both of them realized one thing: the other party was definitely not simple.
Kaede raised her head and looked at the old woman she had bumped into, as well as the two people beside her—a red-haired girl and a black-haired girl who seemed somewhat similar to her.
"Hello." The old woman looked at Kaede, and seeing her young face, shock appeared in her eyes. There actually existed a young person with even better talent than her own apprentices.
"Mhm, hello." Kaede also said. Sensing the chill radiating from the old woman, this was the first time Kaede had encountered such a chill, but she herself was synonymous with "devil," so how could she be frightened by mere killing intent?
However, Kaede also understood that the other side had also realized her identity. But since they met on the street and there were many ordinary people around, they did not intend to make a move there.
Moreover, they were unsure if Kaede had reinforcements here.
Still, Kaede stepped back a few paces; she couldn't get too close to them, otherwise, something might really happen.
However, Kaede also found it slightly amusing that her luck was so good that she bumped into the target on the first try. But there was a darkness in Kaede's eyes; bumping into the target meant her own appearance had been discovered. She didn't care about that, but the problem was Akame.
That's right, Akame looked exactly like her, and Kurome, aside from the color of her eyes, was not much different.
Watching the three people turn and leave, a terrifying killing intent appeared in Kaede's eyes. You will definitely not survive!
"I didn't expect to find another one," Barbara said. "However, it seems our identities have also been exposed."
"Eh? Are you talking about that young girl just now?" Chelsea asked, a bit surprised.
"Yes. Do you think just anyone can bump into me? Although I was thinking about things, it's not something an ordinary person could do."
"Oh, that's true." Chelsea nodded, only then realizing that the person in front of her was one of the strongest assassins. To think she had been bumped into! Just a moment ago, she had been a bit dismissive, thinking it was a coincidence, but at this level, coincidences only happened to the weak.
"And, didn't you notice? She had a lot of bells on her~" Caution appeared in Barbara's eyes.
"Bells?" Chelsea was stunned. An assassin using bells as accessories didn't seem right.
"That is why your observation skills need to be sharper," Barbara shook her head. "Besides the moment I collided with her when the bells rang once, did you hear any sound from the bells?"
"You mean!" Both Chelsea and Myoko behind her showed shock in their eyes.
"So, this is definitely a big problem. We must send her intelligence back! If not for the fear of making a mistake, This old woman would have really wanted to finish her off right there." Barbara continued, then suddenly her body paused, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "It seems the prey is also quite impatient~"
"Hm?" Chelsea and Myoko both became alert upon hearing this, but they didn't know in which direction the assassin in the shadows was.
Naturally, this assassin in the shadows was Kaede.
At this moment, Kaede watched the actions of the opposite side and realized she had been discovered. She was still quite a distance away from them, but just by focusing her gaze on that Barbara, she had already been discovered. Really...
Dangerous. This old lady was extremely dangerous. At this moment, Kaede's heart was constantly warning her. In the end, she sighed and retreated.
"Hm?" Barbara frowned, then said, "Alright, she should have left. Truly impressive. Even This old woman cannot sense where she is. She is worthy of being someone who could bump into This old woman."
For the first time, Kaede's assassination had failed before it even began. That old woman's range of perception was simply too terrifying. Even though this was related to Kaede focusing her gaze on her, it still proved the extent of Barbara's perception range.
"You lot, it's best not to separate." Kaede licked her lips, no longer thinking about chasing them. If that old woman didn't leave, she almost couldn't succeed.
However, in fact, after witnessing Kaede's existence, the old woman Barbara warned Myoko and Chelsea not to go out alone, because there was a terrifying person watching them.
If she weren't with them, Barbara would have had the thought of competing with Kaede to properly teach the newcomer a lesson. But now, she was carrying two very promising seeds, successors to Obergehr, and she could not take that risk.
Meanwhile, Kaede had already removed the bells from her body. After all, she only needed these bells for training—constant, moment-to-moment training. Walking, running, and swinging her blade; with no action would there be a sound from the bells. Everything was in preparation for the assassination.
Kaede kept trailing behind them, and Barbara seemed to be able to sense that the other party hadn't given up, maintaining the highest level of vigilance, leaving Kaede with absolutely no chance for an assassination.
However, Barbara and the others didn't have the chance to send out news of Kaede either. First, because they didn't dare to contact their informants—she didn't have the time to protect an extra informant. Furthermore, Barbara also wanted to lure Kaede into taking the bait and finish off this troublesome little girl directly.
But Kaede's endurance clearly exceeded her imagination. She hadn't even tried to test them, just waiting for the moment they separated.
However, even if they separated, could she really handle her? A smile appeared on Barbara's lips. When she was young, she existed as the number one assassin; how could she be pushed to this extent by a little girl?
So she came out alone, left Myoko and Chelsea in the room, warned them not to act on their own, and walked out of the room alone.
Kaede seemed to understand; this was a rhythm for a one-on-one duel. The danger Barbara brought her was extreme even for her alone, but... this was the only chance.
If she could finish off This old woman before those two girls arrived, then this battle would be her victory. Conversely, if she didn't resolve it, the possibility of her escaping should still be quite high.
Most importantly, since that old woman dared to do this, what did she have to fear? Excitement, trembling—this was the first time Kaede was having a head-on confrontation with an assassin of the same level, or perhaps an assassin even higher level than her.
Moreover, she was in the shadows, holding a sufficiently large advantage. So, why not give it a try?
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