The dagger rose from the ground, formed from the bones and muscles of the Dawn Archduke's melted corpse.
It contained both the power remaining in the Dawn Archduke's body and the power unleashed by the Blood Magic Array.
The former was merely residual power and posed no lethal threat to Ji.
But the latter?
A century of annual "reinforcement" by the Saint Seanda Royal Family had long since pushed this magic array's power beyond anyone's imagination.
Not only was it immensely powerful, it also possessed all manner of extraordinary properties.
Even the King of Assassins among the players could not evade such a strike.
Bang!
With his heart pierced, a series of explosive cracks rang out inside Ji, and his entire body burst apart.
Amid the flying flesh and blood, Reinhold easily avoided being caught in the blast.
Naturally.
After all, he had orchestrated everything.
From the beginning, Ji's uncanny Stealth technique and speed had put Reinhold on guard. Thus, Reinhold had never intended to let Ji enter the vault containing the "crown" alive.
That was why he had proposed his earlier plan: when it opened, they would attack the native Burning Marquis together, then divide the vault's contents between them.
Ji had not suspected a thing.
With a Contract binding them, the King of Assassins among the players had felt completely at ease.
And that was precisely the illusion Reinhold had given Ji.
A Contract could not be violated.
But that did not mean it could not be circumvented. Especially once "he" became Reinhold, sidestepping certain restrictions of a Contract was far too easy.
Idiot.
That was Reinhold's inward assessment as he looked at Ji, who had exploded into a puddle of mangled flesh. Then his gaze shifted to the Burning Marquis, who stood enveloped in Demon Flame, likewise