Chapter 68 - 59

The Last Assassination 68: 59.

The Last Assassination The fragrance of lavender danced through the air, and even from a distance, Fisher could still feel the wave of steam that assaulted him like a heatwave.

The beautiful Dragon-man’s expression gradually turned serious, and her aura transformed from that of a lovely woman to a fearsome warrior.

Her claws spread open, aiming at the expressionless Fisher in the distance.

This time, Fisher did not launch an attack first; he just moved further away from the carriage and then stood still, waiting for Rafael.

In that case, it was time for a little probing.

Rafael took a deep breath and then stomped hard on the ground, causing a vast space in the lavender field to instantly cave in, while she herself sped through the swaying flowers and attacked Fisher like lightning.

Her outstretched claws met directly with Fisher’s calm gaze, a familiar feeling welled up in her heart, and the next second, her movements abruptly halted, stopping dead in front of Fisher, but this time, no countless bright threads surged up.

No traps?

Fisher’s actions were anything but vague; seeing the other party stop due to a psychological ploy, he fiercely swung his butcher’s knife at Rafael’s head.

Rafael dodged to the side, but still, some strands of her hair were cut by the blade.

Her steam erupted violently yet without her full force, just spinning in place and lashing out with her foot claws at Fisher’s raised butcher’s knife, causing a clear clanging sound like a massive hammer striking a nail.

Fisher was indeed very strong; even after such a fierce assault, his body only slightly bent, and he even observed Rafael’s movements while defending.

As expected, the next second, he seized the interval in Rafael’s attack and suddenly changed his motion from defense to dodging to the side.

The sudden shift caused Rafael’s already launched kick to just miss Fisher’s body, and then the dodging human man tightly grabbed her tail and flung her away.

The tremendous force made Rafael roll a good distance through the lavender field, but she was unhurt.

She gritted her teeth to regain her balance and, as soon as she raised her head, saw Fisher coming at her with the knife, exuding a heavy sense of suppression.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang!”

Fisher raised his knife, emotionlessly hacking away at Rafael.

Her claws stood sharp, meeting the strikes of her opponent’s weapon, creating crisp sounds.

It was only after Fisher’s arm numbed from the vibration that he realized his knife was full of cracks cut by Rafael’s sharp claws.

The Dragon-man Species’ claws were too sharp—had she hit him with her full strength, it would have been effortless for her to tear him in half.

That’s how the top predators of the South Continent operate.

So Fisher didn’t give her any respite, relentlessly pressuring her with strike after strike.

Meanwhile, on the unseen side of the knife, the pattern grew brighter as he gathered magic within the momentum of the attack.

“Roar!”

This time, Rafael realized what Fisher was doing.

Her cyan eyes narrowed to slits, and a massive amount of steam with scalding heat sprayed out around her.

Fisher, who tried to block it with his sword, was still blown away.

The Bee Dance that had been gathering was also invisibly shot into the air in the midst of it all, but due to the angle, it flew off to some unknown country.

Not only did she neutralize my offense but also broke my magic?

Fisher looked up at the sky while midair; his head was still, but he suddenly swung underneath fiercely, for he had already heard the sound of Rafael’s attack approaching.

The swing was just right to be blocked by her, turning it into a thrusting force that pushed Fisher away from her.

At that distance, it was enough.

This time, the emblem at the end of his butcher’s knife, resembling a Dragon Tooth, flared up brightly.

This was the full-fledged Dragon-man Magic, magnitudes more powerful than the previous one.

Along with the swing of his weapon, flames danced as well, and since Rafael was still midair, the fire did not reach the lavender field below.

The flames, solidifying like a fire dragon, opened wide to swallow Rafael whole.

But at the center of the storm, Rafael’s scales also lit up brilliantly.

She was ready to use her full force.

“Boom!”

A thunderous boom sounded, and her speed reached its peak as she shot through the fire dragon like a meteor, her body enveloped in fierce steam, striking toward Fisher.

Fisher couldn’t dodge in time and simply had to take the blow.

His blade no longer clanged crisply but instead let out a dull, pained wail as if about to fall apart.

Continuing this way, the weapon would soon leave his hand, but at that very moment, countless threads wrapped around Rafael’s body and restrained her, just like in their previous duel.

However, this time, her full strength had only just begun to show.

“Roar!!”

After the roar, Rafael’s body moved again.

She pulled the threads that grew from the ground up into the sky, tearing a large chunk of soil with them, which she tossed toward Fisher as if those threads were chains.

“Bang!”

Fisher slashed the soil in mid-air, raising his blade and charging at Rafael.

Rafael too raised her claws, slashing down at Fisher.

One claw, two claws…

countless claws.

The intense collision and striking sounds, reminiscent of the ding-ding-dong of a blacksmith’s hammer, slowly forged the soul that burned with the light of the Sun.

“I hate it when people interrupt me while I’m talking.

I had to resort to these measures…”

“Decide for yourself, was this assassination a success or a failure?”

“If a Dragon-man warrior is nothing but a little dragon dancing to the tune of emotions, then it looks like you were caught without any injustice.”

“This can’t be considered punishment, right?”

“…Arrogance is humanity’s original sin, seems like Dragon-man Species aren’t exempt from it, are they?”

“In everything you do, even if your heart is surging, you must keep a poker face, and only after thoughtful deliberation should you take action…”

He was so strict, merely a human, yet his wisdom, his teachings…

That’s why Rafael wanted to know more—why he treated her like this, why he was different from everyone else, why he stirred her heart so deeply…

Strength wasn’t the answer; it was that profound yet kind soul that was the answer.

“Fisher!!”

In the midst of a fierce assault, Rafael’s horns suddenly burst forth with brilliance like the Sun.

All his words, his serious demeanor, his silhouette—all of them flooded her mind, crystallizing into the most substantial, solid power, fully igniting Rafael’s soul.

In just an instant, a tremendous force blossomed on Rafael’s body.

Her entire being shone with a brilliance like scales.

Gusts of wind rushed toward her from the mountains and ocean, causing the lavender to bow down in layers at her feet.

Such beauty and strength even made Fisher briefly lose his composure.

Maybe it wasn’t because she was nearing the prophecy’s predicted “Red Dragon Queen”?

It was the teardrop that drifted alongside the steam beside her emerald eyes…

“Rafael, stop!”

At that moment, Fisher’s expression turned to “panic,” as if he feared Rafael’s next powerful strike and wanted her to cease her motion.

But Rafael’s gaze flickered, and her body didn’t pause.

She flipped over him in midair, because in the next second, Fisher’s right hand wielding the blade was slashing towards where she had been standing—if she hesitated for even a moment, she would be hit…

Without pausing, Rafael traced a perfect somersault through the air, landing lightly behind Fisher, her claws sharp as Steel Blades pressed against his back, just a step away from piercing through him.

“Huff…”

The lavender field swayed again with the breeze, but the world suddenly fell silent, as if only their breathing could be heard.

Fisher’s “panic” slowly faded from his face.

Feeling the young girl’s claws pressing against his back, he regained his calm.

“This was the last test, Rafael.

You didn’t waver because of me and perfectly completed this assassination.”

“…” Rafael’s pressing gesture against his back held the menace of assassination but also the intimacy of an embrace.

Yet, in her eyes, she could only see Fisher’s back, not his expression, “The acting, too fake…

if you had said this without expression, I would have stopped.”

Fisher felt excruciating pain all over his body.

The battle had reopened all his wounds, and Rafael’s speed was so great that in the rapid barrage, he’d failed to block every attack; his left leg, right hand, and abdomen all bore fresh injuries.

“This also proves you have a good understanding of the enemy, making the right judgment on the spot…”

His tone was light, but the pain caused fluctuations in his pitch.

“Why…

do this to me…?”

Rafael’s hand remained pressed against him, now even her cheek rested on his back.

Fisher chuckled softly, but didn’t respond.

He lowered his head, seemingly uncomfortable from blood loss, but certainly a faint smile must have been on his face, right?

“I made a promise with you, to not let you attack other humans until our game was over.

And now, you’ve won this game…”

In Rafael’s arms, his body grew weaker, and finally, he praised Rafael, emphatically, one word at a time,

“Well done, Rafael.”

Fisher lost consciousness and collapsed in the fragrant Lavender Field.

The wind nearby grew silent, and a few hot teardrops fell on the soil beside him.

Regrettably, at this moment, he was unaware, with only the ancient, quiet soil of the South Continent to bear witness to this moment.