Watching the two pull off, the smile on Akashic's face fell.
The first step of his plan worked—he successfully contacted Keven's sister. It helped that they had an intersection before this, so it went smoothly.
He didn't have an exact plan with her yet, but he knew of Keven's interestingly deep love for her, so he figured he could use her for something.
For now, he thought it best to link back up with the girls.
Until…
*Woosh*
He felt a slight shiver run up his spine as it seemed like someone was watching him and directing a small amount of killing intent toward him.
The trace was minuscule. If it weren't for his physique's enhancements, he wouldn't have noticed it.
Whoever it was obviously had training—and murderous intentions.
Keeping his cool and not missing a step, Akashic continued walking, taking advantage of a nearby car to check the reflection.
Unfortunately, the person disappeared, and the trace of killing intent weakened further before ultimately disappearing.
'Damn, guess they were just surveying their target. Interesting… I can think of a few people who'd want me dead.'
Realizing that returning to the girls would be a mistake, Akashic instead got in his car and continued with his postponed errands.
He decided to wait until the person attacked him.
…
*Ding*
The sun was beginning to set as Akashic walked out of the last place he had business at. While exiting the building, he received a message from Alexia asking if they were going to eat together tonight.
He responded, apologizing and letting her know he'd return late.
As he went to put his phone away, intense danger signals suddenly flooded his body.
With his parallel thought, his guard wasn't down for even a second, even if it looked like it.
A slight smile appeared on his face at his successful bait as he moved to dodge the sudden attack.
It was aimed at his heart, definitely a fatal blow.
Soon, though, the smile dropped as he took in the sheer speed of the assailant. It was faster than anything he'd seen before. His current self couldn't react.
Akashic forcefully pushed every cell in his body to the maximum via [Supreme State] as he attempted to dodge the fatal strike.
He succeeded in avoiding the worst outcome, but the attack still landed—scraping the side of his torso, leaving a large gash while cracking a rib.
'Damnit…that must've been a skill. They aren't that much stronger than me, so they wouldn't have been able to pierce my defenses otherwise.'
To confirm his point, Akashic used [Observe].
———
Stats
Name: Kaelith
Skills: [Heartpiercer], [Shadow Step], [Void Shift]
Physique: Veil - Shadow
Strength: 340
Agility: 385
Stamina: 215
Rank: Mid Guardian
Race: Human
———
*Whistle* 'Not bad…'
Akashic noticed the new sections but put it off for later. Right now, he had a fight on his hands.
He quickly analyzed the situation. Based on the waiting and the stat spread, Kaelith must've favored one-shot kills. He had the agility and strength to instantly take out his opponents, but with his stamina, it was clear that drawn-out battles weren't his thing.
"Tch. Lucky brat."
Kaelith was a little surprised by Akashic's dodge, but sensing the strength disparity, he felt no danger. He'd been on countless missions and had taken out people even in the Paragon realm.
Kaelith had a strong ego; He'd been killing longer than the kid had been alive.
Sensing the ridicule from the man attempting to take his life angered Akashic. It reminded him of Daniel's haughty face that day.
More than that, he felt something deep inside him take offense to the man's contempt.
Akashic changed his stance as he prepared to fight, a new feeling arising within him.
One that needed to be satisfied.
~
/Several Days Earlier\
*Knock Knock Knock*
A young man knocked on a large wooden door and waited patiently.
"Enter."
A cold voice came from the other side as the doors swung open.
The young man swiftly entered and, with a complicated expression, spoke to the beautiful woman sitting at a desk.
"Mother!"
The woman looked up, and upon seeing the boy's face, she frowned before speaking, her voice still as cold as ever.
"Is something wrong? I thought you were with your father discussing the marriage contract."
Daniel thought about the contract, and his anger flared.
"Almost! Grandfather returned and put an end to it!"
The woman merely nodded at the news, not seeming particularly bothered.
"I see. How did he get cured? Even with my resources, it would be difficult to achieve."
Once she said that, Daniel launched into another tangent.
"It's Akashic! That peasant somehow awakened and healed him! All so he can break up the contract and steal Alexia! Even Sierra can't stop talking about him!"
Daniel's mother contemplated the situation, frowning occasionally.
"The boy… you've mentioned him before. All of a sudden he's awakened? To a healing physique of all things? This is too much of a coincidence. I will look into it."
Daniel was happy. He knew his mother was powerful and had strong connections. He honestly didn't know why she married his father.
She was always cold and rarely showed emotion, but she made up for it by spoiling him.
Happy with the results, he practically skipped out of the room.
Now left alone, his mother tapped her finger against the desk before grabbing her phone and dialing a number.
<"Valentine, how may we assist you?">
A hoarse voice came over the phone, conveying respect through its tone.
"I need you to collect some information for me. I want a full file by the end of the week. For now, I want a special security detail on my son."
Valentine gave her orders and hung up swiftly.
…
Days passed, and it was finally time to retrieve the information.
Valentine looked at the folder on her desk and immediately knew something was wrong.
Opening it revealed a single sheet of paper with the most basic information on it.
She looked it over numerous times to see if she was missing anything. Upon confirming she wasn't, she became annoyed.
Quickly redialing the number, she was informed of a few issues.
Her people couldn't find any information on him.
All of these problems together made Valentine feel uneasy for the first time in a long while.
The boy had some backing, she was sure, and it might be smart to leave it alone while it was still mild.
Daniel would be upset, but there was no reason to poke a sleeping bear.
Currently, the boy hadn't posed any threat.
*Ring*
Suddenly, her phone went off.
Considering that this number wasn't known to people outside of her organization, she answered.
<"Lord Valentine, we've just received word of an incident that took place at the Wyte Family manor. It seems to be tied to the boy.">
Valentine knew the name—her son was cousins with its heir. He was supposed to attend last night's party.
"Speak."
Noting the authority in her tone, the voice continued without delay…
<"A few hours ago, it was revealed that the guard of Keven Wyte was killed at the party. While no official information has been released, Master Wyte has been looking for the same kid as you.">
<"I have tried to reach out to Shadow Lord for information on this person, but you know how they are. They control a large part of our network.">
This caused Valentine's heart to drop.
She knew this wasn't some random attack. Keven and her son were thick as thieves, and she was aware of some of their antics at school. If this Akashic kid had a problem with her son, he definitely had one with Keven as well.
The guard had to be fairly strong—definitely stronger than her son was now.
'This isn't adding up! Didn't he just awaken to a medical type? Unless it's a dual physique? No, there are only three people in the world who have one.'
'Has he been pretending this entire time? Biding his time until he can launch the perfect attack? No… that doesn't sound right either!'
Valentine was in a rare state of stress.
She wasn't concerned—she still had ways to deal with such a thing—but the situation itself didn't make sense to her.
*Sigh* 'Whatever the reason, it's clear this is a threat that can't be ignored. I have to deal with this, permanently.'
Standing up, Valentine exited the room—but not before sending an encrypted message to a specific chat.
[Thirteen Hands - Initiated]
{Order Signed By: Night Lord, Valentine}