Brutal Methods

Carlos and Fox's expressions changed in an instant. Before even a hint of triumph could surface, terror had replaced it. After all, it had taken less than six seconds for the two sniper rounds to leave the rifles and hit Clark and Robet.

Yes, after conducting a thorough search for information, the Brotherhood had finally pinpointed Clark's location. After several days of preparation, Carlos and Fox had both felt confident they could complete the mission without a hitch. After all, Clark and Robet, who was beside him, looked no different from ordinary people...

But when the sniper rounds failed to blow Clark and Robet's heads apart, Carlos and Fox felt their hearts sink. They didn't hesitate for a second: both of them dropped their rifles and ran!

"They're trying to kill us? Why?" Clark still hadn't recovered from the shock. His gaze fixed on Carlos and Fox, confusion flickering in his eyes as he asked.

"Who cares why? They tried to kill us, so they'll pay for it!" Robet didn't give it a second thought. He shot straight into the air and flew after Carlos and Fox!

Robet: Am I supposed to just take this? I just got my Sky Dance Technique back!

"Flying?" Clark stared as Robet flew off, momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Robet to show off another ability he'd never seen before.

Clark: You always manage to surprise me with something new.

Robet flew fast—far faster than Fox and Carlos could run. Even when they made it to their car, he quickly caught up. And as he flew, the red dot on his forehead disappeared.

"Hmph!" Robet watched Fox and Carlos scramble into the car and fired a Shockwave at its trunk.

With a bang, the car went flying. It flipped through the air and landed upside down, all four wheels spinning wildly. But there wasn't a sound from inside the cabin, as if Fox and Carlos had died in the crash.

Robet quickly landed in front of the car and ripped off the door. Just then, two black gun barrels pointed at him, and both guns fired!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Did you think playing dead would work on me?" Robet scoffed. Before the shots rang out, he'd already dodged both bullets with a sidestep. Then he grabbed Fox and Carlos, one in each hand, and hauled them out of the car.

"Hm?" To Robet's surprise, the two bullets he'd dodged suddenly curved around and shot toward his head again.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Unfortunately for them, Robet tilted his head and dodged the bullets once more. They struck the car instead, unable to curve around for another shot at him.

"You have special abilities too?" Robet looked at the two unfamiliar assassins in surprise. He was about to ask them something when Fox pulled a dagger from her waist and stabbed at his chest. At the same time, Carlos struck at him too, aiming one hand at Robet's eye and the other at his throat.

Robet dealt with their counterattack simply. He raised both arms, then slammed them down, smashing Fox and Carlos into the ground. Not only did he thwart their attack, but the tremendous impact left their bodies badly twisted. They trembled all over from the pain.

"Ah..." Fox and Carlos gritted their teeth, but faint groans of pain still escaped them.

"Robet..." Clark had arrived and was staring at Robet's brutal methods, his mouth slightly open as he started to say something. Then he noticed something strange about Fox and Carlos and instinctively warned him, "Careful! Their adrenaline levels are surging. They can still fight back!"

Just as Clark had said, Fox and Carlos seemed to temporarily ignore the pain in their bodies. Despite their injuries, they forced themselves to unleash tremendous strength and struck at Robet together.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

But Robet gave them no chance at all. He snapped both their arms, then followed through by breaking all four of their limbs, instantly stripping them of any ability to fight back.

"Ah!!!" Even a skilled assassin couldn't endure the pain of having all four limbs broken. Fox and Carlos could no longer bear it, and they cried out in agony.

"Now, tell me. Why did you try to kill us?" Robet showed them no sympathy or mercy as he questioned Fox and Carlos.

"Ha! Kill us, and you'll still face endless assassins! Destined to become a god? You're nothing but a false god! The true God has found you. All that awaits you is death!" Fox endured the pain and shouted through gritted teeth at Clark. Then she closed her eyes and began murmuring, "To kill one, to save a thousand. We work in the darkness, yet serve the light..."

Clark: (⊙_?)> Is she talking to me?

"What the heck?" Robet eyed Fox suspiciously, wondering if the assassin had lost her mind. Then he turned to Carlos.

Carlos remained just as silent. He tensed up, bore the pain, and glared defiantly at Robet, showing no intention of saying a word.

"Forget it. I'll find out myself!" Robet sighed and shook his head in resignation, then reached out and pressed a hand against Fox's head.

Fox's body trembled slightly, but she didn't stop. She kept reciting her creed, as if she were calmly facing her own death.

"The Brotherhood? Assassins? Fox? Leader Sloan? They obey the Fate Weaver's commands, killing whoever the Fate Weaver tells them to?" After a while, Robet managed to glean a few simple memories from Fox's mind and piece together some information. But he couldn't understand why a group of people would obey the commands of a Loom, even if that Loom seemed downright eerie.

"You!" Hearing Robet's words, Fox stopped reciting her creed and stared at him in terror. Then she gritted her teeth and said, "So there's more than one false god. You false god—you'll go to hell..."

With a burst of force from his palm, Robet blasted Fox from head to toe, killing her instantly without even splattering any blood.

"Robet..." Seeing Robet kill Fox, Clark's eyes flickered with pity, and he called his name almost instinctively. At the sight of how Fox had died, a flicker of terror passed through Carlos's eyes.

"You're not going to ask me to let them go, are you?" Robet raised an eyebrow and looked at Clark in surprise. "They came after us, and they've already found out where we live. Do you really think letting them go would be good for Mom and Dad?"

"We can withstand their bullets, but can Mom and Dad? Or do you think you can protect them every second of every day? If anything really happened to them, it'd be too late for regrets!"