Assassination in Progress

No one knows when the Assassin appeared.

Even Soren hadn't realized this; the enemy's strength was somewhat beyond his expectations. It wasn't until the moment before the enemy was about to stab him that Soren realized someone was attacking him from behind. His powerful Dodge ability and amazing physical attributes allowed him to try to avoid the sneak attack from behind, but it was too late. Because of his lack of Feat, the enemy had already struck his back the instant he prepared to Dodge.

The blade pierced his back; Dodge was no longer an option!

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Soren's mind, but ultimately, the will to survive took over his body. As the enemy pierced his back, he instantly activated Stoneskin, but the blade still pierced through the muscle layer and headed towards his heart. Soren could only activate it simultaneously in that split second. Then, the next moment, his body began to undergo an astonishing transformation. His pounding heart squeezed out blood, and in less than a millisecond, his entire physical abilities were greatly enhanced, and he then entered his transformed state.

The knife tip pierced his heart.

Soren stiffened; the pain of having his heart pierced was excruciating, diminishing his strength. However, the abilities granted by his Change Shape the Child of Slaughter were already activated. The Soren seemed to be a Legendary- level Assassin, as only Legendary Assassin could approach Soren undetected. But as an Assassin, the enemy's strength seemed relatively low. The blade, which should have pierced Soren's heart and emerged from his chest, was stopped short after striking his heart thanks to the Stoneskin and the Slayer Form Change Shape. Soren's muscles clamped down on his opponent, and just as the enemy prepared to twist the blade and crush his heart, Soren, nearly dead from the heart wound, suddenly felt a cold light appear in his palm, and the Legendary Scimitar, Icetail, appeared. He slashed directly at the opponent's throat. This desperate, last-ditch attack was incredibly fierce, clearly causing Soren Legendary Assassin to hesitate. In his mind, Soren was almost certainly doomed, so he certainly didn't want to die with Soren.

As a result, the opponent took three steps back, dodging Soren's attack while drawing his dagger!

"Tsk tsk!"

The Assassin let out a Taunt gasp. He looked completely unremarkable from the outside, like an ordinary sailor, but Soren knew this wasn't his true identity; before him stood an Assassin skilled in Disguise. This was a less common type of basic skill, a more sophisticated disguise achieved through craftsmanship than one that could be dispelled by Magic.

The Legendary Assassin stared at Soren before him, licking his lips. "You're still alive even after being stabbed in the heart! Your Hit Points is truly remarkable! No wonder that person was willing to pay such a high price for my services! But how long can you hold out with injuries like this?" The Slayer Shape had given him a sense of danger.

Soren's pupils turned blood red, and streams of blood oozed from his back. However, his muscles had temporarily stopped the massive bleeding, so Soren wouldn't die from blood loss in the short term. He was now like the Gnoll hunter he had successfully assassinated. Soren had also stabbed the hunter in the heart, but because the hunter's Hit Points was too tenacious and his Constitution was over 20 points, he didn't die immediately. He held on for quite a while before succumbing to blood loss.

A row of blood-red data appeared:

"Under attack!"

"You have been assassinated from Backstab!... You have taken 126 points of piercing damage!... You have taken 21 points of Shadow Damage!... You have been hit in the heart!... You have triggered a fatal Saving Throw throw!... You have successfully passed the Death Saving Throw throw!... You are now Heavy Injury Condition!... You are now bleeding heavily!... Your remaining Hit Points will rapidly deplete!..."

A Backstab.

Even with Soren's Superhuman Constitution of 22 points, plus the 2-point Constitution bonus from the Slayer Shape and the protective effect of Stoneskin, he still couldn't reduce the enemy's damage much. This strike directly put him in Heavy Injury Condition. Even if he temporarily passed the Death Saving Throw check, being hit in the heart meant he would soon enter a near-death state and eventually die!

"I can't die here!"

This was the only thought in Soren's mind. Then, the willpower he had been training all along began to take effect. Soren suppressed the pain in his body and the fear of death. His brain worked at lightning speed in an instant, and in that brief moment, he found a glimmer of hope for himself, as well as an opportunity to counterattack his opponent.

Temple of the Sea!

If he can escape to the Temple of the Sea, the Naga Priestess can heal his wounds. While such a fatal injury is terrifying, a single Greater Restoration can pull Soren back from the brink of death. With the heart injury fully healed, the mere bleeding is insignificant. If Soren escapes to the Temple of the Sea, even if his heart is destroyed, he won't die, because Greater Restoration can even Regeneration the heart. The Naga Priestess will definitely not stand idly by and watch him die. Both sides are currently on the same side, and without Soren as her weapon, the Naga Priestess will ultimately be isolated and helpless, and her situation will certainly not be better than it is now.

Escape!

We must escape from there.

Only a high-ranking priest can heal his fatal wound!

But where would he find a chance to escape? How could the enemy in front of him possibly let him get away? He was so badly injured! The chances of escaping from their grasp were extremely slim! Not to mention, the Temple of the Sea was still quite a distance away!

--"Cause Fear!"

--"Summon Shadow!"

--"Hide from Gaze!"

--"Shadow Shift!"

In an instant, Soren unleashed several abilities in quick succession. First, he cast a Faint Divinity- infused Cause Fear, then summoned a shadowy figure, before disappearing into the shadows. However, this time Soren wasn't retaliating against his enemies, but rather fleeing to avoid their attacks. His figure emerged from a distant shadow, then instantly downed an expensive Healing Potion and fled towards the Temple of the Sea.

The Naga Priestess gifted him a high-level Healing Potion that could temporarily prolong Soren's death!