Assassin Squad

The golden sun hung high in the sky.

It radiated an astonishing temperature, illuminating the sand dunes on the earth.

Golden sand dunes, grains of sand sparkling.

Like small mountains made of gold.

The white bones submerged in the sea of sand stretched out a bony hand towards the sky.

As if begging for salvation...

This place was a desert, praised by people as the land of death, an ominous place once personally cursed by the god of death, "Nine Heavens Palace."

Those who entered this place rarely left alive.

Those who died here found no peace.

Their souls were trapped here, never to rest!

Wriggle.

Wriggle wriggle...

"Ptooey! Ptooey ptooey!! Damn it, my mouth is full of sand!" Lancer, with his face and hair covered in sand, spat out the grit as he leaped out of a sandy patch.

"Tch, seriously... going all out right from the start? Is their magic an bottomless pit or something?!"

Lancer, who had just emerged from the sand, spoke in exasperation. He raised his hand and looked around, only to find sand dunes wherever he looked.

And the Servants who had entered with him were nowhere to be found!

"Tsk..."

He looked up at the sun high in the sky.

Lancer unconsciously licked his slightly dry lips.

"It seems this isn't ordinary sunlight... To make me, a Heroic Spirit, feel sensations only a 'human' would have. What an incredible barrier!"

{Moreover... my magic detection has been suppressed to the lowest point by this light. What exactly is this barrier called Eternal Throne?!}

Lancer shook his head in annoyance, no longer pondering it. He casually slung his spear over his shoulder and began walking step by step into the depths of the sandy terrain.

Lancer's feet left shallow, almost imperceptible footprints on the sand dunes.

Walking, walking.

One hour...? Two hours...? A day..? Two days..? Or four days..?

Even Lancer didn't know how far he had walked when he stopped, frowning.

His once handsome face was contorted with impatience and unease. Sweat poured from his skin as quickly as rain. Furthermore, his magic was draining at three times its normal rate.

Feeling the increasingly urgent situation within his body, Lancer irritably drew his spear and gripped it tightly.

"Hey! Is anyone there?! That brat named Xia! Since you brought this great me in here, at least... spurt!!"

The sound of a blade piercing flesh.

Lancer's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

The moment Lancer reached out, drawing his spear and shouting impatiently, a blade that appeared out of nowhere pierced his throat, which was momentarily unguarded due to his anxiety.

Spurt! Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!

The sound of four more blades appearing out of nowhere and piercing his body. They lodged into Lancer's heart, internal organs, liver, and spine – four fatal spots.

"Ugh... you... you guys...!!" With eyes filled with rage, Lancer unyieldingly extended a hand that was exposed. He tried to reach out to the five mysterious figures clad in golden trench coats who had suddenly appeared beside him.

A sword unsheathed! Then, Lancer felt a flash of white light before his eyes, and his body suddenly felt light...

Under the harsh glare of the sun, Lancer's head was tossed high into the sky, flying through the air with traces of blood.

Thump!

His knees buckled, and his headless body turned into specks of starlight, disappearing before the mysterious figures.

After confirming Lancer's disappearance, the five mysterious figures let out a long cry!

The golden sand surrounding Lancer suddenly began to writhe in unison!

Whoosh~!

A squad of a hundred people instantly emerged from underground.

They all wore golden helmets and golden trench coats, each adorned with the character "Xia".

The mysterious figures let out another long cry!

The squad of a hundred instantly performed a synchronized maneuver, and along with the five mysterious figures, they all rapidly vanished from the spot.

Leaving behind only the swirling golden sand in the air...

Lancer - OVER.

The Assassin stood silently on a mountain peak, gazing at the surrounding peaks that pierced the clouds, and the endless sea of clouds below.

"..."

Although he couldn't figure out why he was here, the most important task now was to hide himself! This was the most basic rule for an assassin.

But...

The Assassin looked around his surroundings with some difficulty. Peaks piercing the clouds, an endless sea of clouds.

And he himself was standing on a mountain platform less than 20 meters wide and less than 20 meters long.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

All around were smooth rocks or medicinal herbs growing precariously on the cliff's edge.

In such an environment, even the most skilled assassin would find it impossible to find a suitable hiding place on the spot.

"@!#@*……%!"

An unknown whisper came from the Assassin's throat. The Assassin's figure flickered! He vanished from the platform as if he had never been there, leaving not a trace.

After that, no matter how harsh the environment was.

No matter the wind and rain, or the thunder.

The Assassin seemed to have truly disappeared from the mountain peak, never to reappear.

Three days after the Assassin disappeared.

The weather was sunny and clear, with not a cloud in the sky.

Suddenly, the originally clean platform began to float up and down strangely.

Then, two or three people dressed in white slowly emerged from a crevice, their bodies contorting in an unusual manner.

After appearing, they quickly gathered together and whispered amongst themselves for a while.

Then, as if an agreement had been reached, one person, who seemed to be the leader, walked to the edge of the platform and stepped twice on a protruding rock on the edge, then three times on the other side.

Kala-la...

A sound of chains turning echoed, and a tunnel leading into the mountain appeared in the center of the platform.

After the tunnel appeared, the three white figures quickly entered.

Then, with another kala-la sound, the tunnel slowly disappeared from the platform.

"..."

Seeing this, the Assassin's face, hidden behind a white mask, showed an expression that resembled mockery.

The expression flashed and disappeared. The Assassin continued to maintain his hidden aura, remaining concealed.

One hour, two hours, half a day, one day later.

Huala~!

Suddenly, the sound of a cape rustling was heard. The surroundings of the mountain peak began to shake strangely.

Then, about three to five people suddenly appeared around the platform.

As their cloaks fell, people realized... that the seemingly empty platform was actually hiding so many assassins.

"He's gone."

"Notify the 'Xia' Squad below the mountain."

"Understood."

After a quick exchange, the agreement was reached. They suddenly wrapped themselves in their cloaks and then leaped sharply towards the edge of the platform!

The few people jumping into the air had no measures to slow their descent.

Any ordinary person witnessing this scene would be certain that they would fall into the sea of clouds and be smashed to death on the ground!

But something strange happened.

After falling only a few meters, the few people who leaped downwards made a patta sound!

They actually landed on empty air as if standing on solid ground!

Then, with a slow twisting motion at the side of the cliff, a stone gate slowly opened, admitting the people standing in the air.

... After another day.

As the light on the platform rippled, the Assassin's dark figure reappeared.

The prolonged concealment of his aura and the massive consumption of magic had taken their toll on the Assassin, who was not naturally a magic-user.

"Hoo..."

Finally feeling safe, the Assassin let out a slow breath.

After all, the mental strain of the past few days of wit and strategy had been immense. An ordinary person would have probably gone mad and jumped off the cliff by now.

For now, he could breathe a sigh of relief, but the real problem was yet to come.

Thinking this, the Assassin slowly vibrated his Adam's apple again, intending to cast his secret spell once more.

But...

A burst of blood-red light suddenly erupted! The Assassin only had time to feel a violent tremor throughout their body.

Before they were sliced into a thousand pieces by a figure in a blood-red cloak who suddenly appeared behind them!

As pieces of flesh fell from mid-air, the figure in the blood-red cloak slowly turned around.

Looking at the platform that had already become a bloody mess, they let out a deep sigh...

"Old fox..."

Assassin - OVER!

Today, an additional update!

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like adding another chapter.

Even though Xia and Artoria don't have much of a role in this chapter~

Wahahahaha!