The assassin appeared without warning.
He burst out of the ground, and a thunderclap exploded across the dry earth, jolting the surrounding space-time into a brief standstill.
That instant was fatal. Ninety-nine percent of those present had no time to react.
They could only watch helplessly as a figure burst from the earth, a short blade in hand, thrusting at Zhou You's chest.
Assassins rarely used long weapons. They generally favored short weapons—hand halberds shorter than swords and sabers, short swords, daggers, palm blades, and the like.
Because an assassin's creed was, "I am the weapon." The fleshly body was merely an extension of the short weapon, nothing more than its edge.
Within the environment they created, assassins would close in for the kill, striking once and ending a life, so fast that by the time the target reacted, death had already come.
Assassins were often another kind of master hunter. The difference was that hunters targeted beasts, while their targets were... people—more cunning, and far more skilled at protecting themselves.
Thus, just as hunters excelled at setting traps, assassins were likewise adept at "creating a setup."
This time, they had arranged an extreme situation in advance, luring Zhou You into the snare. All the earlier steps had piled up until, at the very end, the assassin burst unexpectedly from underground, leaped onto the carriage, and stabbed straight at Zhou You's chest.
"..."
Zhou You's movements seemed frozen as well, unchanged like everyone else's.
Yet Great Star Commander and Pavilion Master Chang, standing within arm's reach, were the only two unaffected.
"Assassin 'Verdict,' I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Great Star Commander moved half a beat ahead of Pavilion Master Chang. Before she could act, he unleashed a downward chopping strike that engulfed most of the assassin's