Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 72: No Hope (2)

"There is no hope for you ..."

Osbourne gritted his teeth as his eyes darted around, his guard raised to the limit.

The tunnel system led the family to somewhere in the woods. It was a private property of the Royals no one else was supposed to trespass. But given the current situation, that didn’t seem to matter.

The discouraging thing was how they knew this exact location and went so far as to set an ambush.

’Are there traitors still among us?’ The prince questioned as he looked at the knight guards. ’It’s best to keep an eye out for any surprises.’

"Mother," He called softly, looking over his shoulders. "Focus on protecting Celine and yourself. The rest of us will take care of the enemies."

"Mm." The queen nodded, already standing by Celine. She wasn’t as helpless as she looked. As a mage, she had a few tricks up her sleeves.

The man who spoke earlier observed their interaction with a calm gaze. Covered in a black magical cloak and over twenty of his men, the knights and the Royal family stood no chance.

All around them, slightly away from the exit of the hidden tunnel system were rows of tall trees with branches and thick foliage that provided good cover.

"Why are you doing this?" Osbourne asked, trying to buy as much time as possible. There was no guarantee someone was going to come to their rescue, but he held on to hope.

For a moment, the man and his company remained silent, as if to ponder the question.

"Let’s just say your father made a lot of people unhappy." The man said. "Sometimes, it’s best to just keep the status quo."

Osbourne knew what the man meant and hated the fact that their very own nobles went this far.

’The most annoying part of all this was how they got so many knights involved.’ The prince was smart enough to know it wasn’t by normal means and not all of them were traitors. ’The question is, how did they get in touch with demons?’

"Don’t take this personally." The man spoke again, retrieving a pair of daggers. "We’re only doing our job."

His actions prompted the knights to close in on the Royals, forming a protective shield around them.

"Kill them all..." The command was finally given.

"Kekeke... with pleasure."

In one swift and detailed formation, the over twenty men in dark cloaks hopped off their branches.

Weapons gleamed with a deadly glow of mana. Assassins swooped in with their daggers and mages charged their spells at the gather formation.

"Defend!"

The prince roared as he and his men cast their barrier magic, conjuring an azure ward around themselves.

BOOM...!!!

The rain of spells made contact with the barrier and its surroundings, resulting in a thunderous explosion.

The shockwaves from the attack blew the surrounding trees away, creating massive craters in the area.

CRACK!

’Shit!’ Osbourne cursed as the compounded barrier cracked under the power of the overwhelming spells.

The first crack spread through the barrier while the knights channelled their mana to repair the damage.

Unfortunately for them, they were already exhausted from the many fights they had, and overcoming the combination of multiple spells with so few of them was merely a dream.

The cracks continued to spread until finally, it gave in.

"Attack!" Osbourne roared loudly, his body flaring with mana as he charged his weapon.

He didn’t want to move away from his mother and helpless sister, and the possibility of a traitor in their midst made things difficult for him.

The only thing he could do was support the knights with ranged attacks.

The knights rushed towards the approaching enemies, outnumbered but hopefully not outmatched. Losing momentum at this stage, especially given their current situation would be disastrous.

Blazing swords met daggers in a flurry of fast-paced exchange. Spells rained in all directions, aimed at dealing a killing blow instead of probing.

This was a deadly battle. One wrong move and it could spell disaster.

Unfortunately for the knights, the cloaked figures were so easy to deal with. They blazed past their spells and attacks with swift and agile movements, closing in on their opponent before dealing killing blows.

Very soon, the first knight met his end. And that was just the beginning.

"Kekeke... too slow." The maniacal laughter of one of the cloaked figures echoed as he plunged his dagger into the neck of another knight, unaliving him.

"Whoa!" A lightning spell zoomed past him the moment he turned around.

"Wait your turn, little prince." The amusing tone irked Osbourne to no end.

"Ugh!" Another knight fell as a fire spell explosion at point blank, reducing the number to just five.

At this point, the fight was over. None of the cloaked figures had fallen, and despite the support fire from the prince and queen, it wasn’t enough.

The assassins were good at what they did. The remaining knights grouped together with their backs to each other, protecting the Royals.

"Like I said before..." The leader of the assassins landed on the ground, walking towards the group. "There’s no hope for you."

Before the man could take another step, his instincts flared, prompting him to leap out of the way.

BOOM...!!!

Unfortunately, his goons were not so fast.

"Ugh!"

His men cried out in pain as the explosion hit right where they gathered, sending them flying. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Some got off with broken bones, severed body parts and other injuries. The ones closest to the explosion were not so lucky.

"Says who...?" King Gray countered as he landed at the site of the explosion.

The smoke and dust from the attack obscured his figure but did little to mask the blaze around his sword.

"Father!" Celine called out in joy, recognizing the voice of her father.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" He looked over his shoulders, getting nods from his wife and son.

"Yes, father." Celine replied cheerfully. "You came right on time."

Her reply calmed the king’s racing heart. His family was alright, saving him from excessive worrying.

"Good." King Gray turned his attention back to the assassins, his expression turning serious.

With some of the assassins injured and dead, their numbers were reduced to a mere twelve.

"Take care of the small fries..." King Gray instructed the remaining knights. "As for that one, leave him to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The knights replied with a sense of pride, getting ready to finish off the goons.

"You sure you’re enough to handle me?" The head assassin asked with a cocky grin, all the while keeping a safe distance from the king.

As for his men, well, they knew what they were getting into. It wasn’t a charity organization, after all.

"Why don’t we find out?" King Gray replied, assuming a combat stance. His sword was aimed directly at the assassin.

"Hehehe..." The head assassin chuckled slightly. "It’s not every day you get to fight a king. Let’s see how different you are outside the safe—"

Before the assassin could finish his statement, King Gray’s figure flickered, instantly appearing before the assassin. It was a move that took the assassin by surprise, barely giving him time to process the swiftness of it all.

The king’s sword glimmered with a dangerous glint as he swung the weapon, aiming for the head.

’Shit!’