Rise of the Chaotic Shadow Emperor-Chapter 44: Nullifying Smoke

"Nullifying Smoke is such a headache. I can't use any magic skills," Sidius complained through his gritted teeth.

"But this array uses a dark element. If I could wait for a while, my mana can be attuned to it and I can finally use magic, even a little," he contemplated, quickening his steps to distance himself from the enemy.

Sidius racked his brain for a strategy on how to defeat his adversary, however he couldn't come up with anything that does not involve putting his life on the line.

After a while, he finally decided.

A devious grin stretched across his face, and his eyes sparkled with determination. He increased his pace, finding a suitable place to execute his plan.

The man pursuing him tensed his ears, puzzled by the absence of footsteps. Gradually, a suspicion formed in his mind. He imagined that Sidius was hiding somewhere below.

Staying atop an elevated wall, the man couldn't contain his amusement and mocked, "Tired already rat?"

But there was no response, just an awkward silence.

The assassin was on the verge of bursting into madness but he managed to keep his temper in check and retained control over his intent to kill.

With a calculated move, the shadowy figure then decided to descend on the ground. A landing much like a whisper.

Although he knew that the Nullifying smoke had dulled Sidius' senses, he did not get too confident and continued his task with caution.

This time, he heard a faint, elusive sound somewhere from his left. He quickly reacted by throwing a dagger in the direction of disturbance.

"Are you there?" the assassin grinned.

However, there was no sign of an individual in that direction.

It was then, he felt a chill as he sensed that a dagger whizzed past him, hitting the wall just a few centimeters from his back.

The initial attack had been nothing more than a diversion.

However, the blurry man successfully dodged it.

Turning his gaze to the right, he spotted Sidius a few meters away, with an expression that betrayed shocked and fear.

The combined surprise attacks of Sidius had been for naught.

"HAHAHAHA! Did you think that the Nullifying Smoke will work on me? I drank the antidote!" the man jeered.

Sidius couldn't help but sigh after hearing the confident words of the shadowy figure.

The man was right.

The Nullifying Smoke, a type of poison, blocked and disrupted the flow of mana inside a Chosen after inhaling it, rendering them incapable of controlling their mana and performing any magic skills in the upcoming hours.

If it is a poison then there has to be an antidote, just like any other poison out there.

"You missed, rat!" the man gripped his dagger, swiftly dashing towards Sidius with all his might.

"It's time for you to die!" he added, finding ecstasy to the agonizing expression of Sidius.

Yet, just before his dagger can be pierced through, Sidius' lips curled into a devilish smile underneath his messy hair.

"You even have time to smile? You rat!" the assassin shouted, slashing the image of Sidius.

Unexpectedly, Sidius' form suddenly came to a blur and vanished like a bubble, making the dagger slice through the empty air.

It found no target.

In those same seconds, Sidius materialized behind the professional assassin, in the exact same place where the dagger was stuck in the wall.

His hands deftly gripped his dagger and, with a swift motion, he dashed towards the back of the man.

'A three way diversion tactic?!'

The man appeared to be in disbelief as the grim reality dawned upon him.

'But..'

"This tactic would not work for me! I said, I drank the antidote!"

With a swift movement, the assassin shifted his body to face the dashing form of Sidius through a defensive stance, anticipating a head-on strike.

Unexpectedly, just as he was close to the assassin, Sidius' form blurred and vanished again.

He instantly appeared behind the man.

In that split second, the back of the assassin was left vulnerable and even a child could kill him.

'N-no way... a four successive combo?!'

'Khuk... To think I would die in such a manner...'

"Y-you bastaaarddd!" the man muttered though his breath. "H-how?!"

"Y-you shouldn't be able to u-use magic!" he added, feeling the metal piercing through his back, straight through his heart.

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'This shouldn't happen! I cannot lose! Not like this!'

He couldn't accept it. Everything he had painstakingly worked for. From climbing to a servant to being a Deacon.

"I-I'm a D-ranked Chosen of the Almighty Dark---!"

- Slash!

- Thud!

'W-why is the world... spinning?'

The assassin's face was unrecognizable as he crumbled in pain and fell to the ground. His head rolling down the dimly lit street.

"H-how... y-you... b-bastard..." the assassin muttered until his death.

What Sidius had just employed was a Mystical Arts that harnessed mana, specifically a dark elemental mana— the Phantom Throw.

'Fortunately it worked!' Sidius muttered inwardly before regarding the fallen professional assassin.

"You are really a skilled assassin, but you got careless at a crucial moment," Sidius remarked, acknowledging the good judgment and ability of the assassin.

"A pity you met me," he added, leaving the corpse behind.

"Ahhh...!"

"I think he was going to reveal something?" he furrowed his brow, "Nevermind, I need to get out of this situation quickly."

Although Sidius had successfully executed a fast move, he paid quite a huge price.

He had nearly depleted all of his mana, forcefully unblocking his meridians to let his mana flow.

On top of that, he also spent almost his mind power in order to concentrate and control the direction of his mana accurately.

"Guggh!"

A bloody cough erupted. It was the aftermath of his big attack that resulted in an unrelenting internal bleeding.

"Exit, I need to find the exit!" Sidius muttered, lifting his heavily injured body.

However, before he could even take a step forward, a voice from behind resonated.

"There you are, Sir Shadow Guardian! You sure take your time dealing with such an insignificant ant!"

'These annoying assassins, they just keep coming!'

Sidius grumbled through his gritted teeth.

In the dimly lit strange street, the speaker mistook Sidius for someone else. Their similar heights, combined with the dark surrounding, concealed Sidius' true identity.

'Shadow Guardian? So this pro is a Deacon. No wonder,' Sidius mumbled before shaking his head.

He naturally understood the structure of the unorthodox organization. The Shadow Guardian served like a kind of butler or a helper of a certain group stationed in a particular place. They are also the one responsible for relaying information back to the main headquarters.

'And the only qualification to be a deacon in a big organization is D rank peak stage or higher...'

'There's no time to think about unnecessary things, I first need to get out of this situation quickly!'' Sidius grinds his teeth.

"You're quiet as always, Sir," the approaching man remarked with a frown.

"Can't you at least say any word? A report, perhaps?"

The man grinned, followed by the laughter of his companions in the background.

Sidius stayed in his position, sensing the number of individuals from his back. 'Eleven people,' he deduced.

As the man closed in, a glint of steel caught Sidius' attention.

In a swift motion, the figure lunged forward with his dagger, "Come on, say something—"

"Ah?"

However, before the man could strike Sidius, he found his head separated from his body. Falling into the ground.

- Thud!

"Did you really think I'd fall for such a pathetic trick?"

Sidius taunted, never caring even if his cover was blown already.

"Heh... What to do? I'm not your precious Shadow Guardian?" he jeered.

"Khuk..."

The assassins tensed at the mockery, clenching their fist until it turned white. Their veins bulged within their skin and their blood raised until it reached their eyes, burning like a wildfire.

"Oh, you're angry?" Sidius mocked. His low menacing chuckle turning into a sharp and cruel laugh.

One of the assassins can no longer withstand the insult and instinctively step forward.

Sidius smiled and his fist twitched. That was what he wanted. "Come then! Let's get this over with!"