The man in black ran for his life, but the Floating Cannon behind him clung like a second shadow. It followed thirty meters back, keeping the high ground and refusing to let up. Whenever he slowed even slightly, Arcane Bullets came streaking toward him.
"Damn thing won't leave me alone. Fine. I'll destroy this pest first." He gritted his teeth and darted around the next corner. Then he pressed himself against the wall and waited for the Floating Cannon.
Two seconds passed. At its speed, it should have come around the corner by now. He was ready to strike, but it never appeared. A sudden chill seized his heart.
He snapped his head up. More than twenty meters overhead, the Floating Cannon had turned its barrel toward him.
"Fuck!" He rolled aside. A heartbeat later, bang, bang, bang, bang—Arcane Bullets hammered the spot where he had been.
Frio, following at an unhurried pace, saw the man leap out of the alley and gave a soft snort. "You think you can still get away?" He swept his Magic Staff forward and fired two Arcane Missiles to catch the man between them.
The man in black proved worthy of Zero Group. As the attack came from another direction, he weaved like a fish through the narrow gaps between the missiles. Then he looked toward Frio, his eyes burning with murderous fury.
An instant later, he vanished and reappeared in front of Frio. His Short Sword swept out, sending a blade of energy across a four- or five-meter span. The keen edge hissed through the air and struck Frio as he hovered above the ground!
The man's eyes lit up. He had not expected it to be so easy. But years of assassination had honed his instincts, and something felt wrong. He regained