Two days passed inside the rolling fortress.
For two days, Rias didn't sleep. He sat perfectly still on the plush velvet cushions, his eyes closed.
With every breath, the [Celestial Void Breathing Art] dragged pure mana into his lungs. He was constantly compressing the energy in his core, preparing his body for the breaking point.
The journey was quiet. Too quiet.
They were traveling through the jagged Blackwood Pass, a notorious stretch of road near the border. It was the perfect place for an ambush.
Rias was waiting for it.
*BOOM!*
A deafening explosion shattered the quiet afternoon.
The massive carriage jerked violently to the left. The enchanted mythril plating groaned as a shockwave slammed into the side of the vehicle.
The Obsidian Horned Steeds screamed in panic. The carriage skidded to a violent halt, throwing the crystal wine across the cabin. It shattered against the wall, spilling red wine over the velvet seats.
Rias didn't flinch.
He slowly opened his crimson eyes. A cold, sharp smile formed on his lips.
'Finally.'
*CLANG!* *THUD!*
Outside, the sounds of chaos erupted.
Steel clashed against steel. Men screamed. The heavy thud of bodies hitting the dirt echoed through the thin gaps in the carriage door.
"Ambush!" a Leonhart guard yelled. "Protect the—Gah!"
The man's shout ended in a wet, sickening gurgle.
Rias didn't move to help. He simply sat there, listening.
With his increased senses, he mapped out the battlefield using sound alone.
There were twelve attackers. Their footsteps were light, coordinated, and entirely silent.
They weren't screaming for loot. They weren't shouting bandit threats.
'Professional assassins,' Rias noted calmly.
'And based on their mana signatures, they are all in the early Silver Tier. Whoever hired them really wants me dead.'
"Fall back!" another guard shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
"There are too many! Retreat to the woods!"
Rias chuckled softly.
Just as he predicted. The elite Leonhart knighta were putting up a token fight. The moment they realized the enemy was strong, they abandoned the carriage. They had zero loyalty to the "trash" of the family.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel outside his door.
Someone was approaching the carriage.
*SLICE!*
A jagged steel blade suddenly pierced right through the thick luxurious door, stopping just an inch from Rias's face.
The assassin ripped the blade out, preparing to kick the door open and slaughter whatever terrified noble was cowering inside.
But Rias wasn't cowering.
Before the assassin could even raise his boot, Rias kicked the door from the inside.
*CRACK!*
The heavy, mythril-reinforced door flew open with the force of a battering ram.
It smashed directly into the masked assassin's face.
The man's nose shattered instantly. He stumbled backward, dropping his sword in shock.
Rias moved like a ghost.
He launched himself out of the carriage. Before the stunned assassin could hit the ground, Rias grabbed the hilt of the falling sword right out of the air.
In one smooth, fluid motion, Rias spun on his heel and swung the blade.
*Slash*
A thin red line appeared across the assassin's throat. The man collapsed into the dirt, dead before his body even registered the wound.
[Ding!]
[Enemy killed. +100 EXP.]
Rias exhaled, flicking the blood off the sword.
He stood in the middle of the ruined road. Four dead Leonhart guards lay scattered around the carriage. The rest had fled into the trees.
Standing in a half-circle around him were five remaining assassins dressed in black leather armor.
They stared at Rias, completely stunned.
They were told their target was a crippled, weak boy. A pathetic pawn who couldn't even lift a wooden practice sword.
But the boy standing in front of them had just executed their comrade in less than two seconds.
Rias held the sword at an angle, his black tunic blowing slightly in the wind.
His crimson eyes locked onto the leader of the group—a massive man holding a pair of heavy curved axes.
"Who sent you?" Rias asked, his voice completely calm.
"My lovely stepmother? My brother Lucien? Or was it the Velmer nobles?"
The leader narrowed his eyes.
"Kill him. Don't let him speak."
The five assassins lunged at once.
Mana flared around their weapons. They were all Silver Tier fighters, moving much faster than Rias's current physical limits.
If the original Rias were here, he would have been sliced into pieces instantly.
But Rias had the [Infinity] talent.
As the assassins rushed in, the world seemed to slow down. Rias's supercharged mind instantly analyzed their footwork, their breathing, and the exact flow of their mana.
He saw the gaps in their attacks before they even swung.
The first assassin thrust a spear directly at Rias's chest.
Rias simply tilted his body half an inch to the right. The spear missed him entirely, scraping harmlessly against his black tunic.
Rias stepped inside the man's guard and drove his sword upward, piercing the assassin's heart.
[Ding!]
[Enemy killed. +100 EXP.]
He ripped the blade out and ducked immediately. A heavy axe swung over his head, slicing off a few strands of his blonde hair.
The leader roared, bringing his second axe down in a brutal overhead chop.
The physical pressure of the Silver Tier attack was suffocating. Rias raised his sword to block, but his muscles screamed in protest.
*CLANG!*
Rias's knees buckled slightly. The force of the blow sent a numb shockwave up his arms.
He was instantly pushed to his absolute physical limit. This was the gap between tiers. A Bronze could not easily block a Silver.
"Die, you crippled trash!" the leader spat, pushing down harder.
Rias gritted his teeth, his muscles tearing under the pressure. The blade of the axe was inches from his forehead.
This was it. This was the life-and-death pressure he needed.
Instead of fighting the overwhelming strength, Rias let go of his sword with his left hand.
He channeled every single drop of his mana into his fist and punched directly upward, aiming for the gap in the leader's armor under his armpit.
*CRUNCH!*
Rias's fist shattered the man's ribs.
The leader gasped, his eyes bulging as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. His grip on the axes faltered for just a fraction of a second.
It was all Rias needed.
He twisted his sword, deflecting the heavy axe, and slashed cleanly across the leader's chest.
Blood sprayed into the air. The massive man fell backward, crashing into the dirt.
[Ding!]
[Enemy killed. +200 EXP.]
The remaining three assassins froze. Their leader was dead.
The target wasn't just fighting back—he was butchering them.
"Monster..." one of them whispered, taking a step back.
Rias didn't let them run.
He dashed forward, his body moving purely on instinct and adrenaline. He deflected a dagger swipe, kicked a man in the kneecap, and drove his sword through the back of the third assassin as he tried to flee.
In less than a minute, the road was completely silent again.
Rias stood alone among the bodies.
He was breathing heavily. His arms were covered in bruises from blocking the heavy attacks, and his muscles ached fiercely. His black tunic was splattered with blood.
But he didn't feel tired.
He felt incredible.
[Ding!]
[Life-and-Death Combat Condition Met!]
[The bottleneck has been shattered!]
[Congratulations! The Host has broken through the Bronze-tier limits.]
[You have reached: Tier - Silver Lv. 1]
A massive, roaring shockwave of pure energy exploded from Rias's core.
The wind whipped around him, blowing the dirt and leaves away from his boots. The minor aches and torn muscles from the fight healed instantly as his body was remade into something far stronger.
He could feel the ambient mana of the world answering to him now. He wasn't just breathing it in anymore; he could command it.
Rias looked down at his blood-stained hands, a wild, unrestrained grin spreading across his face.
"Silver Tier," Rias laughed out loud, his voice echoing through the silent, bloody gorge.
He wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it at his hip. Then, he turned his attention to the bodies scattered across the road.
'Time to see what kind of loot the assassins brought me,' Rias thought, his eyes gleaming.
'A good person never leaves gold on the ground.'