In the middle of the Rhine Empire was a small, unassuming city called Wyning City. It didn’t hold much value for the Rhine Empire itself; as such, it didn’t usually see much foot traffic aside from its actual residents, but today was different.

  There was no one wandering the streets at all today. In fact, it seemed more like a ghost town.

  All the locals had locked themselves in their homes, as had the city’s main defence force. The only ones outside were the robed assassins of Saber.

  It was an odd site to see a few hundred assassins formed up outside the city gate as though they were an army ready for war.

  It was that the assassins of Saber preferred to attack from the shadows and kill their targets before they even realised they were being targeted, but from the multiple attacks on their various brahey had already realised that Ace seemed to have the ability to seheir preseno matter how hard they tried to hide it.

  Though they didn’t know how he did it, they khat hiding in the shadows against a warrior like Ace was no different than sitting down and waiting for death; as such, their best option was to face the demonic trio head-on.

  Still, despite the fear that the trio had instilled in Saber’s ranks over the st few months, especially when news got out about the massacre of the st branch, the members of the Wyning City branch radiated nothing but fidence, and it was for no other reason than the white-haired young man standing at the head.

  Whilst everyone else was dressed in dark shadowy robes with their hoods up, c their faces, the young man was dressed in a pristiight-fitted robe with a pair of short swords sheathed by his sides.

  Although Cesar was the founder and head of Saber, he wasn’t the one who ran the everyday business – he was more of a spiritual leader that prevented any of the other powerhouses that saw his anisation as an eyesore from wiping them out. It was actually his disciple, Ragnor, a powerful peak saint-level warrior who really ran Saber.

  And this young man was Ragnor’s sole disciple, Sis, also known as the prince of killers. He was one of the leading genius’ of the previous geion, the same geion as Wukong and Olivier.

  Although he had previously lost to both Olivier and Wukong at different points in time, he was still the leading youngster of Saber.

  Whilst the Saber assassins were stood waiting for their invaders, in a dungeon deep underground was a total of ten cells, with one surprisingly made of Adamantine.

  Of the ten cells, only two were actually in use. In one was a middle-aged armless man with several scars snaking across his burly body and his feet shackled. Still, despite his precarious predit, he was able to sit cross-legged with a grin on his face as he looked at the guard in the tre of the room.

  “Haha, so it seems you idiot assassins finally provoked someone you shouldn’t have,” The armless man smirked.

  The fact that the guard didn’t respond didn’t dampen the man’s mood in the slightest. “And judging how you forced me and that little ss to s cells with me so you could put her in the adamantine cell means that whomever it is that’s ing after her is someohat even you have to take seriously…”

  “Hahaha! Ahh, e on, , you at least tell me that much before you hand me over to those bastards from the O’Brien Empire to die,” The man said, taking no small amount of pleasure iroubles that seemed to have found the anisation that captured him.

  But as his voice wahe formerly closed eyes of a young silver-haired teen, whose body, despite having no visible injuries, seemed void of strength, shot open.

  “There’s someone ing for me?” She asked anxiously. “Who is it?”

  Unfortunately for her, like her fellow prisoner, she too got no response.

  “Please tell me who it is,” She begged, the worry in her voice being more and more pronounced. “Master, please!”

  It was only when she said that that the man standing guard over them opened his cold dark eyes.

  A helpless sigh escaped his lips as his eyes fell on the young girl who called him master.

  His name was , and he, as a mid-staged ninth-rank warrior, was a well-respected member of Saber, and to this day, he had only ever taken on one disciple.

  Ten years ago, he was just about to hand in a pleted mission when he saw a child eared to be a toddler standing outside their doors with a look of resolve in her eyes that caught him by surprise.

  Upon handing in his mission, he found out that the girl apparently wao join their ranks, but ordinarily, uhey had been cherrypicked, one had to be at least of the first rank to join them, so she had been turned away.

  Still, she refused to leave until they accepted her. Acc to the receptionist, she had already been there for over 48 hours without moving.

  At first, had every iion of fetting about the girl and going on with his life, but upon remembering the unwavering resolve in her eyes, he found himself drawn to the idea of seeing what she was capable of with the proper training.

  As such, he took her in as a personal disciple, teag her everything he knew. As time went on, he realised that not only was her willpower impressive, but so too was her natural talent. In fact, ‘impressive’ was an uatement. Her talent was like nothing he had ever seen before.

  With a master who was a warrior of the ninth rank, the training she received was better than most children could ever dream of.

  As a result, she was able to reach the first rank at the tender age of five, allowio attempt the sele to bee an assassin of Saber, which required her to plete any of their missions by herself.

  After her first successful mission, she spent the couple of years with her master pleting harder and harder missions, honing her skills, and tinuiraining.

  It was only when she reached the peak of the first rank that her master allowed her to ve by herself.

  For a while, was able to keep track of her progress, but that ged after her first failed mission.

  It was only a seemingly simple assassination of a weak group of oners, but acc to the reports, the corpses of his disciple’s teammates were found, but hers wasn’t.

  In the end, he found out that she had apparently ehe youth sele for the various mage and warrior institutions. For what reason, he didn’t know, but all that mattered was that she was alive.

  But that was wherail went cold. Apparently, she had joined a newly established institute, but not even Saber had any information on this ‘Yin-Yang Pavilion’.

  For seven years, hadn’t heard so much as a whisper about his disciple, and although he was worried, as an experienced warrior and assassin himself, he also uood that this was his disciple’s life to live as she saw fit.

  But almost a year ago now, news of his disciple’s re-emergence reached his ears. When he eventually found her, he realised she was looking for information on the Prey – a family that was taboo amongst saber due to their founder’s apparent hatred for them.

  Although it had been years since she had seen her master, as the man who had taught her almost everything she knew, she decided to let him in oruth, hoping he would help her in her pursuit of the truth. Unfortunately, she was mistaken.

  Though had grown to deeply care for his disciple, the pce she held in his heart couldn’t pare to the anisation he’d been a member of for over a tury, let alohe fact that Cesar was the man he feared and idolised most in the world.

  Upon transf into a Tigerstriped warrior, realised that she was an enemy of Saber, and although he was hesitant in his as, he ultimately captured her and imprisoned her to gift her to his idol.

  Still, upon hearing his disciple’s almost hysterical rea, his heart couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

  Even when he captured her, she hadn’t been too surprised. On the trary, it was as if she had somewhat expected it.

  But upon hearing that there might be people ing to rescue her, her posure faltered.

  “Alissa…” started coldly as he stared at his silver-haired disciple, but when he saw the ay, fear, and helplessness iear-filled eyes, he could only sigh regretfully. “Apparently, two teens named Gol D. Ad Killian and their lion-type magical beast are looking for you.”

  As soon as her master mentiohe names of the two boys, the image of their faces appeared in her mind, and tears began to stream down her pale cheeks untrolbly.

  “Master, please…” Alissa voiced anxiously. “You have to let me go outside ahem to turn back. I prom…”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” said sternly.

  “You don’t uand,” Alissa replied, deg to ge her approach. “Ad Killiahe disciples of experts with the power of Peak Saints. If somethio happen to them, Saber would be c a disaster that only Cesar would be able to deal with.”

  Alissa’s words caused ’s eyes to widen in shock. He had already read the reports of the two boys, and although Saber guessed that Ad Killian were reted to Aiden, who definitely had the strength of a Peak Saint, from Alissa’s words, Aiden wasn’t the only oh the power of a peak saint.

  Although he hated to admit it, Alissa was right; provoking a force with that kind of power was incredibly dangerous, but when he remembered who was above ground, his heart calmed down.

  “You don’t o worry about Saber,” replied indifferently. “Sis is upstairs waiting for them, and his master, Lnor, should be arriving ter.

  If either of their supposed masters dares to e, they won’t be leaving with their lives.”

  This time it was Alissa’s turn to be shocked. As ’s disciple, she was clear about how strong Sis and Ragnor were.

  Although she knew Mathias and Aiden were powerful experts, she didn’t thiher of them would be a match for Cesar’s eldest disciple. Ragnor was supposedly far strohan your average peak saint. Acc to her master, Ragnor was at the level of power beh the prime saints like Cesar.

  At this point, all Alissa could do ray that Arianna would e and save Killian and Ace.

  The armless middle-aged man, who’d been all but silent till now as he struggled to his mind around the tents of the versatioween the master and disciple, suddenly looked up as he felt the whole dungeon shake. “Looks like the battle’s begun!”

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  Book 6: Chapter 44 – Demi-God Artifact