The Silent Battlefield

In the depths of the universe, a nameless asteroid drifted through endless darkness like a forgotten clump of ash.

Its surface was pitted and scarred, covered in impact craters and bottomless rifts left by meteor strikes. Exposed rock layers blended deathly dark red with iron gray.

There was no sound here, only dust and fragments of stone slowly drifting beneath the faint light of distant stars.

A funeral in the vacuum, silent enough to suffocate.

This planet had long since died.

There was no atmosphere, no water, not even the slightest trace of life.

For tens of thousands of years, it had spun alone, never recorded by anyone, never cared for by anyone.

But today, the silence was finally broken—two peak warriors had turned this place into a battlefield.

They stood side by side on a flat stretch of black basalt, no more than ten meters apart.

The stardust beneath their feet quietly slid away under an incredibly subtle vibration, drifting into the void.

One of them wore a gray cloak, old but so clean that not a speck of dust clung to it.

The edges of the cloak swayed gently in the low gravity.

He stood ramrod straight like a sharpened spear, his face cold as an ice sculpture.

His purple skin gave off a dim metallic sheen beneath the distant starlight.

His name was Hit.

The most famous—and most feared—assassin in Universe 6.

That name was legend, a code name for a thousand years of death.

He had carried out countless assassination missions across the galaxy, with a flawless record and not a single failure.

At this moment, he appeared to be standing casually, but every inch of his muscles was under perfect control, like a fully drawn bow ready to strike at any moment.

Most terrifying of all was his "Time-Skip"—he could skip through gaps in time, moving beyond reality like a ghost.

Before his opponent could even react, they would already be down.

Opposite him stood a black-haired young man with his hands behind his back. His posture was relaxed, and a faintly lazy smile rested on his lips, utterly out of place in this lifeless environment.

He looked to be in his early twenties, tall and straight-backed, with refined features. Yet between his brows lay a calmness far beyond his age.

His black eyes were as deep as ancient wells, still and undisturbed. They reflected neither starlight nor the sharpness of his opponent.

He wore an extremely simple set of dark combat clothes, soft and fitted. There was no armor, no weapon, and no insignia that could reveal his identity or combat strength.

He stood at ease, his left foot slightly forward and his center of gravity naturally lowered. He did not look as if he were preparing for battle, but rather as if he were admiring the night sky in his own backyard.

His entire body seemed full of openings, yet he was perfectly integrated, without a single flaw to exploit.

This young man was Chen Feng.

Hit's gaze swept over Chen Feng like a scanner, analyzing him carefully.

The commission had been clear: assassinate this man at any cost.

The intelligence said the target was extremely dangerous.

But when he truly stood before Chen Feng, a numbingly cold unease coiled around his heart like spider silk—he had not felt this way in many years.

Chen Feng had no aura, no killing intent, no fighting spirit, not even the slightest leak of energy. He seemed as though he had always been part of this void.

"You're Hit?" Chen Feng spoke first, breaking the frozen silence.

His voice was calm and easygoing, as if he had run into an old friend. "The number one assassin of Universe 6?"

Hit nodded slightly, his lips pressed into a hard, cold line.

He said nothing. All his focus was fixed on Chen Feng as he tried to find even the slightest opening in his muscles, breathing, or gaze.

But there was nothing.

The other man's physiological signs were as steady as a sleeping glacier, and his eyes were clear enough that nothing could be read from them.

Chen Feng seemed to find his silence amusing, and his smile deepened slightly. "I've heard of you. 'Time-Skip'—a very special ability. You can skip over gaps in temporal perception and act beyond your opponent's reality. In theory, it's almost impossible to defend against." He spoke calmly, as if discussing an antique. "It really is impressive."

Hit's pupils contracted sharply! This man not only knew of him, but also understood his ability! Very few knew the secret of Time-Skip, and most of them had already become cosmic dust.

Chen Feng had said it so casually. Either it was the recklessness of ignorance, or it was absolute confidence.

Hit's instincts screamed a warning—it was the latter.

"Your employer," Hit finally said, his voice low and hoarse like grinding stone, "paid an astonishing price and emphasized only one thing: you are very strong." He stared fixedly at Chen Feng. "But I didn't expect that when we met, you wouldn't even bother assuming a combat stance."

His gaze swept over Chen Feng's empty hands and relaxed shoulders.

"A combat stance?" Chen Feng looked down at himself in mild surprise, then shrugged casually, relaxing even further. "I think this is enough."

Enough? On this dead planet, facing the assassination legend of Universe 6, he said, "This is enough"? Hit's brow furrowed deeper, like cracks in stone.

He had seen every kind of opponent: arrogant ones, cautious ones, cowardly ones, and those willing to risk everything.

But someone like Chen Feng, who seemed not to be here to fight for his life but to attend an unimportant date, while even studying his opponent with a hint of curiosity—this was absolutely the first time he had seen one.

That abnormality made Hit more wary than any aura ever could.

"You..." Hit spoke slowly, each word carrying a chill. "You're very confident."

"No." Chen Feng gently shook his head. His black hair remained perfectly still in the vacuum, yet his tone was as firm as if he were stating a fact. "It isn't confidence."

"Then what is it?"

"Understanding." Chen Feng answered calmly, his gaze meeting Hit's in midair without the slightest hint of retreat.

"Understanding what?"

"Understanding that between you and me..." Chen Feng paused. His voice remained steady, yet it carried immense weight. "...there is an insurmountable gap."

—Boom!

There was no sound in the vacuum, but it felt as though lightning had struck inside Hit's heart. At last, a cold gleam burst from his eyes, sharp as a blade.

Anger? It was more than anger. It was the cold fire born from being utterly looked down upon, along with an ever-deepening unease.

He hated Chen Feng's lofty tone, that air of having everything under control. What he hated even more was that—even after being provoked to this extent—he still could not see through Chen Feng's strength!

Hit had never encountered such a situation before.

Other than Time-Skip, what he relied on to survive was his battle-hardened insight.

From an opponent's aura, muscles, footsteps, and eyes, he could accurately judge their combat power, style, and intentions.

Yet Chen Feng stood there like an abyss of absolute stillness, its surface smooth enough to reflect no shadow, while its depths contained darkness that devoured everything.

No aura, no fluctuations, no openings—and no end.

The light of the dead star fell between them as dust slowly revolved within an invisible force field.