When Aldus had taught him combat techniques, he had emphasized this point.Now, alone and vulnerable, any carelessness could lead to the same fate as the seven bodyguards lying dead on the ground.Rustle!Almost as Austin stepped back, the ground covered in smoke and thick bamboo leaves began to bulge.The bulge moved rapidly toward Austin's feet."Damn, ground escape for real?" Austin's pupils contracted, and then a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.Ignoring the approaching bulge, he lunged forward instead of retreating, kicking fiercely at the bamboo leaves.Thud!The bulging leaves exploded open, revealing nothing.Meanwhile, a flash of cold light streaked through the spot where Austin had been."Did you find it?" Gerard exclaimed in surprise, rolling on the ground to put distance between himself and Austin.Austin stood his ground, smirking coldly. "You're not a mole, digging holes isn't that fast. It's just a trick and some mechanisms!"This bamboo grove had been thorou
Creak!The faint sound was excruciatingly loud to Austin.He knew it was the razor floss tightening, digging deeper into his flesh.The terror of death enveloped him, and the indescribable pain coursing through his body nearly drove him to the brink.In just a few seconds, he would meet the same fate as the three bodyguards who had been shredded by the razor floss.As he screamed, Austin struggled in vain. The more he fought, the faster and deeper the razor floss cut into him.The pain was excruciating. It felt like his entire body was being shredded into pieces.Sweat poured down like rain. Blood flowed freely."Is this… really how it ends?" Austin's eyes were wide with rage and despair, bloodshot and full of defiance.But then, something unexpected happened.Swish!In the darkness, an arrow shot through the air like lightning, swift as lightning.Gerard's pupils contracted. He cursed but had no time to stop it.Thud!The arrow struck the trunk of a bamboo stalk near Aus
He slowly looked at Gerard, his bloodshot eyes radiating fury. His hands instinctively clenched the bamboo leaves on the ground."You idiot! Charon, you actually know him!" Gerard was clearly shocked by the exchange between Austin and Raquel."Why didn't you show yourself earlier? If you know him, shouldn't you have been protecting him all along?"His plan had involved two top assassins cornering Austin, with the ideal scenario being Charon standing by helplessly while he swiftly killed Austin and claimed the reward alone.But now, Charon had not only saved Austin. She was poised to join forces with Austin against him!"Fool! Do you think you're a match for me? Or do you believe he still has the strength to help you take me down?" Gerard shouted angrily.Creak!In response to Gerard's outburst, Raquel simply raised her strong bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the string until it was taut like a full moon."The best protection is in the shadows! If I had shown myself earlier, how w
Whoosh!The strong bow and sharp arrow flew without hesitation. Like a harbinger of death, it interrupted Raquel's speech.Rage surged in Gerard's eyes.He turned abruptly, his long blade flashing coldly as he slashed with a howl.Clang!Sparks flew.The strike cleaved Raquel's arrow in half.Austin's pupils contracted, his heart pounding.Was the gap between them so vast, even with only two ranks' difference on the Death List?Raquel's archery was unparalleled, he has experienced it firsthand.That first night, when an arrow carried the message, if Raquel had truly intended to kill him, he wouldn't have survived a second shot.But now, Gerard had deflected Raquel's arrow!"Die!"After splitting the arrow, Gerard moved like a phantom. A smoke bomb burst, filling the air as he charged at Raquel with his long blade."Raquel, watch out!"Austin's face changed drastically. He instinctively tried to get up and help, but a sharp pain made him grunt and fall back to the ground.
With a fierce swing of his right hand, Austin yanked the razor floss tightly."Foolish!" Gerard shouted angrily, feeling the tremendous pulling force on his long blade.Instead of letting go, he gripped it tightly and quickly retreated backward."Raquel!" Austin's face darkened as he saw Gerard moving back rapidly. He shouted urgently.Gerard was about to redirect the strike meant for Raquel onto him!Raquel's face changed drastically, her eyes filled with murderous intent.In an instant, she bent her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at Gerard, and released it.The arrow whizzed through the air with a piercing hum.Just as it was about to hit Gerard, he quickly drew a slightly shorter blade from his waist and spun it in front of him, creating a barrier of steel that deflected the arrow."Let go!" Austin seized the moment, yanking his right hand hard.The razor floss wrapped around the long blade finally pulled it from Gerard's grip, sending it flying out of his hand."Foolish
The intense pain made Austin's whole body tremble uncontrollably. The sound of the blade cutting into flesh and Gerard's roars echoed in his ears.Gritting his teeth, Austin's right arm bulged with veins as he used all his strength to resist Gerard's downward force.But one arm couldn't hold off Gerard!Blood flowed down from his left shoulder, soaking half of Austin's body. The heavy blood loss made Austin's consciousness gradually blur."Let go of Mr. Campbell!" Suddenly, a cold, stern voice shouted.Austin's heart stirred.He saw Raquel had reached Gerard's back.She swung her long bow fiercely, smashing it against the back of Gerard's head.Then, Raquel quickly twisted the bow, using the bowstring to choke Gerard's neck, pulling back with all her strength.Squelch!The tremendous force yanked the short blade out from Austin's left shoulder, bringing a gush of blood.Gerard staggered backward, frantically trying to tear the bowstring off his neck. But the sharp string cut
It felt like a sharp needle piercing Cecily's heart.She could no longer hold back, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards Austin, her voice breaking as she shouted, "Liar! Austin, you big liar!"Austin gave a bitter smile, not denying it.Meanwhile, Ezra and Wolf saw Austin's injuries, and their faces changed dramatically. When they saw Raquel lying on the ground, a murderous look appeared on both their faces."Kill him!" Ezra ordered, raising his gun. The earlier shot had been fired by him!As Ezra raised his gun, the bodyguards behind him also aimed their weapons.It was finally over!Austin felt a huge sense of relief, grateful that he had held on until Ezra and the others arrived!With so many people around, even if Gerard had wings, he wouldn't escape today!However…Bang!Before anyone could fire, Gerard suddenly pulled out several smoke bombs from his chest, filling the area with thick smoke and instantly obscuring him from view.Damn it!Austin's heart c
Austin's cold, stern voice echoed through the bamboo forest.In an instant, the temperature in the bamboo forest dropped to freezing. Killing intent surged.The sudden scene left Ezra and the others in a panic.Austin's reaction and chilling words sent shivers down everyone's spine, making them feel as if they had fallen into an ice abyss.They had never seen Austin like this before!Even Gerard, who was glaring back at Austin, felt a massive shock to his spirit. In a daze, one word surfaced in Gerard's mind.Death!At that moment, Austin felt to him was like the Grim Reaper incarnate.Gerard was a top assassin, ranked 20th on the Death List! This feeling was something he usually inflicted on others, not the other way around!Even when he was under a barrage of bullets earlier, he had remained calm, planning a final counterattack.But now, he bizarrely felt a flicker of fear.Instinctively, Gerard tried to pull the short blade out of Austin's shoulder.But to his horror, Au