The corridor in the middle of the night was shrouded in silence, with only the moonlight casting mottled light and shadow through the stained glass windows. A few black shadows moved silently against the wall, and their leather boots stepped on the ancient stone slabs, and there was not even a trace of echo.
The leader of the men in black raised his hand to signal, and everyone immediately dispersed in front of the doors of Herbert's house. Everyone's movements were as precise as if they had been rehearsed thousands of times, and even their breathing maintained the same rhythm. They exchanged glances with each other and gently rubbed their fingers on their weapons, waiting for the signal to take action.
"Remember," the leading man in black whispered breathlessly, his voice so soft that it was almost blown away by the night wind, "That guy is a demon hunter, and his senses are very sharp. We touch it at the same time, it's best if we stay calm..."
His words suddenly froze in the air. Everyone felt a biting chill climbing up their spines - it was an instinctive fear of being targeted by a beast.
The moonlight was suddenly cut off by a tall figure. Yavi's door had opened at some point. He was leaning against the doorframe, his silver sword glowing coldly in the moonlight. The demon hunter's brown vertical pupils Cat shone slightly in the darkness, and there was a creepy smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.
"Go on," Yavi's voice was as soft as a whisper, but everyone in black could hear it clearly, "I'm listening."
The leader of the man in black's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and cold sweat instantly soaked the clothes on his back. His brain was working rapidly, but he desperately found that all escape routes had been blocked. Deep in the royal city, they had nowhere to escape.
After a subtle eye contact, the people in black pounced on Yavi like arrows. There was no battle cry, no shouting, only the cold killing intent flickering in the moonlight. Yavi's figure suddenly blurred on the spot, and the silver sword drew a perfect arc--
The ensuing battle took place in absolute silence. Yavi's figure wandered in the narrow corridor like a ghost, and every dodge accurately avoided the incoming blade. Under the moonlight, only a few cold arcs were occasionally drawn by the silver sword, followed by the unique muffled sound when the sharp weapon pierced the flesh-like the sound of thick cloth being suddenly torn.
One man in black covered his throat and slowly knelt down, with his mouth wide open but could not make any sound. The other covered his abdomen and staggered back. When he hit the wall, there was only the rustling sound of cloth rubbing against the stone wall. Every step Yavi took was in the shadow where the moonlight could not shine. Every time the silver sword struck out, it accurately avoided the bones that would make sounds, and only penetrated the softest and fatal parts.
The corridor was filled with a faint smell of rust, and the moonlight still flowed quietly on the ground. When the last man in black collapsed silently, Yavi released a Axii Sign on him to collect some information, but unfortunately nothing was found. Sheathing his sword, he listened to confirm that the breathing in all rooms was still steady and even - the family members were still asleep, and knew nothing about the life-and-death battle outside the door.
Yavi flicked the tip of the sword gently, and a few drops of dark red liquid disappeared silently into the cracks in the stone. He retreated back to the room as quietly as when he came, leaving only his body that was gradually cooling down on the ground, and a few traces of strange luster under the moonlight. In the distance, a nightingale suddenly cried, as if offering an elegy for this unwitnessed killing.
As soon as the first ray of sunlight in the morning passed through the colored window in the corridor, a sharp maid screamed, breaking the tranquility of the castle. Jace was the first to rush out of the door, holding tightly the sword given by Yavi in his hand. Herbert followed closely behind, with experienced fingers already holding the sword hilt.
The two of them froze in the depths of the corridor at the same time - the solidified blood on the floor and the scattered corpses formed a horrifying scene. The young maid collapsed on the ground, covering her mouth with her hands, and her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Jace's face instantly turned pale, but she still subconsciously raised her arms to stop the wife, daughter and sisters who came after hearing the sound.
"Don't come out!" His voice was slightly sharp due to nervousness. Mrs. Maya only glanced at her and immediately withdrew into the room.
When Yavi was the last one to yawn and walk out of the room, the corridor was already crowded with guards who came after hearing the news. The young soldiers looked at each other in disbelief at the bloody scene. The captain of the guard forced himself to calm down and ordered, "Protect the scene! No one is allowed to leave!" His voice was trembling, but he still maintained his basic professionalism.)
Yavi leaned lazily against the door frame, his blue pupils shrinking slightly in the morning light. He glanced at the corpses casually, with an imperceptible sneer appearing on the corner of his mouth.
"Please go back to your room and wait for now." The guard captain wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "The royal city guards will be here to deal with it soon..." His eyes unconsciously drifted to the precise fatal wounds on the throats of the corpses, and then quickly moved away.
Everyone gathered in Jace's room, and the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed like water could be squeezed out. Mel's face was pale, and his fingers were twisting the hem of his skirt unconsciously; Amy was surprisingly calm, and even curiously looked out through the crack in the door. Jace's two daughters raised their little faces and asked innocently, "Father, what happened outside?"
"It's just... some drunkards causing trouble." Jace forced a smile and ruffled his daughters' hair, "The guards and uncles will take care of it."
Herbert's eyes never left Yavi standing in front of the window. The morning light outlined the tall and straight outline of the youngest son. His indifferent look on life was completely different from the little boy in his memory who always loved to pester him to listen to stories.
"Yavi..." The old baron finally spoke, with a hint of hesitation in his voice.
Yavi immediately turned around with just the right amount of confusion on his face. "What's wrong, father?"
Herbert took a deep breath, his wrinkles filled with worry. "Those people outside... are they you..."
Before he finished speaking, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Maya covered his mouth, Jace suddenly raised his head, and even Amy, who had always been lively, fell silent.
Yavi raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and that smile reminded Herbert of an executioner who regarded human life as nothing, "Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from my father." His tone was as relaxed as if he was discussing the dishes for breakfast.
"What on earth is going on?" Herbert's voice was trembling, "Why would those people..."
"Because they came to our door quietly last night with knives." Yavi interrupted his father calmly, "I guess they didn't come to say good night."
The air in the room solidified instantly. Everyone took a breath, and even the sound of breathing became clearly audible.
Herbert's hand unconsciously clenched the armrest of the seat, and his knuckles turned white. "But... we just arrived in the Royal City yesterday... How could..."
Yavi shook his head and his eyes became sharp. "I only collected one code name - 'Black Mamba'." His voice was low and calm, "These people all receive instructions through secret messages and have never seen the true face of the mastermind behind the scenes."
Herbert sighed heavily, the wrinkles on his forehead getting deeper. "So... we don't even know who the enemy is..."
"But at least I know," Yavi walked to the window with his back to his family, "The fact that they did not hesitate to take action in the royal city shows that we have touched the sore spot of some people." His figure cast a sharp shadow in the morning light.