The captain, as well as several other members of the Stalking Mantis Assassin Guild all had looks on their faces as if they had seen a ghost.
Those in the group who did not recognize John could tell the situation was bad just based on their captain's reaction. Their captain was an incredibly stalwart man, and they had never seen him cower at anything, especially a young boy who appeared no older than sixteen.
Their divine senses scanned out, and shock appeared on their faces as well.
"Meridian Forging!" the woman from the torture room couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
John's smiling face gazed at the group before him, as he took note of the several familiar faces. His vision darkened for a brief moment as he spotted the one who had landed the fatal blow on Austin in the group.
His finger suddenly pointed out to the group, who instantly jumped in fright and readied their weapons for an attack.
"You, you, you, you, and….you. The one's I pointed to, step forward now," John instructed with a calm voice.
The ones who had been pointed at felt their hearts leap out of their chests. They all recognized John, as they had been part of the group that had assassinated Austin and the rest, and had attempted to kill John as well.
The ones who had been pointed at froze, and some started to take several steps back in an early attempt to flee.
"Shit! Run!" one of the singled out members turned and began to flee at his fastest speed.
John frowned as he saw this, and his body suddenly blurred in the vision of those looking at him.
"Gahhhh!"
A pained cry echoed out behind the group, causing them to all turn their heads in fright. However, when they looked back behind them, the only thing they saw was some blood splattered on the ground.
"Please, don't kill me," a pained and frightful cry sounded out in front of the group, causing them to look forwards once more.
A collective look of absolute shock appeared on their faces as the man who began to flee was kneeling before John, who looked down at him with cold eyes. One of his arms had been ripped off, and was lying on the ground next to him.
The group of assassins instantly felt a chill crawl up their spines as they saw this. They were a group that specialized in speed and stealth, but even they were unable to see John move. He had moved towards the man, cut off his arm, and brought him back to his original spot without them even seeing his blur.
There were even several of them at the Core Formation Realm, and they had been unable to see John's movements.
It was at this moment that everyone in the group, the captain included, knew they were at the mercy of the one before them. There was only one hope for them left, but that hope was out of the hideout at the moment.
"Please, don't kill me. We were only taking orders that night!" the man cried out again to John.
He instantly recognized John as the youth that had escaped, as John's actions that night were beyond shocking.
John glanced down at the man kneeling before him with cold, indifferent eyes.
"I know Duke Trommel hired you all, but he seems like a reasonable man. I doubt he called for the execution of all of us, and only paid you to retrieve the spear. What exactly were his orders that night?" John asked calmly.
The man trembled as he heard John's question.
"I...I don't know. I wasn't told the orders. I only did what I was instructed," the man cried out in panic.
John's divine sense was locked onto the man, and he could instantly tell that the man was lying based on his soul fluctuations. His hand reached out and gripped the man by his throat, dragging him up off his feet and into the air.
"Don't lie to me, or I'll make your fate beyond miserable," John instructed with an icy tone.
The man nearly passed out from fright upon hearing this, and quickly babbled out the truth for John to hear.
"You're right. I was told the instructions from Duke Trommel," the man cried out hastily. "The instructions were to retrieve the spear, as well as kill the leader of the operation. We were to incapacitate the rest of you and bring you back to the Duke himself to decide your fate."
John narrowed his eyes as he heard this.
'Most likely, the Duke would want to publicly arrest us and incarcerate us for life, as a show of his power. However, I could have gotten us out of that situation. It seems like this guild took matters into their own hands.'
"Oh?" John said as he glanced at the man. "And you chose to instead execute us all?"
"It's because we leave no witnesses or survivors in our missions, no exceptions," a voice suddenly boomed out from the crowd.
John glanced towards the crowd, and raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. The captain stepped forward out of the crowd, as he had been the one to speak out just now.
"Have you finally regained your nerve?" John asked while staring at the man who had led the assassination mission against him.
The captain smiled at John as well, as he had fully accepted death at this moment.
"Death is only death, but I refuse to let myself die without pride and dignity. It would be unbecoming of an assassin," the captain replied firmly. "I have taken hundreds of lives in my lifetime. It was only a matter of time until my life was the one being silenced."
"Captain," the woman called out with great concern in her voice.
"Silence," the captain commanded as he looked over his shoulder and smiled at the woman. "I have made up my mind."
A look of pained despair appeared on the woman's face, as tears began to stream down her face. A curious look appeared on John's face as he saw this scene carry out before him.
"Oh? So even cold-blooded assassins can know love?" John said to the captain, as he could clearly tell what was going on between the captain and the woman.
The woman suddenly stepped forward and stood next to the captain.
"What are you doing? Get back," the captain commanded with an angry voice.
The woman smiled as she stared up at the man before her. "If we die, we die together. I have no regrets."
A wave of emotion flooded through the captain as he heard this, and he could tell she had firmed her resolve. A pained smile appeared on his face as he wrapped one of his arms around the woman, pulling her in close.
Che!
Che!
Che!
Che!
John's finger suddenly pointed in several directions in an instant, as thin but powerful Qi beams raced towards the group. The Qi beams pierced through the heads of those in the crowd he had recognized from that night, but had not stepped forward yet.
Those struck by the Qi beams died without even realizing it, and their bodies fell to the ground lifelessly. The nearby assassin guild members all jumped back, before they gazed at John with icy glares. It was like their fear was erased, and replaced with calm bloodthirst.
"It seems as though you have all found your nerves again? Not bad."
John looked towards the captain once more and pointed his finger at his head, ready to unleash the final attack. "This assassin guild of yours is quite impressive. You should be proud of what you have made here."
The captain smiled as he heard John's words. "It's not all by my own doing, but I will thank you nonetheless. I know my fate is sealed, but I will still make the request that you let the rest of them live."
John thought about it for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "I can make use of a guild with such skills, so I'll let them live."
The captain smiled upon hearing this, and his gaze shifted from John to the woman next to him. She smiled at the captain as well, and they both nodded their heads in unison.
Che!
Knives held by their own hands slashed across each of their necks, severing their arteries. Blood began to spew out, but each ignored the pain as they stared into each other's eyes.. Life slowly drained from their bodies, as they collapsed into each other for one final embrace.