It has been three days since Alex and others departed toward the capital. They passed through several cities and villages until now nothing noteworthy happened.
Today they were passing through a forest. As usual, Conrad was driving the carriage while Alex and Gracier were inside it, Silveria excused herself saying she had something to do.
While wondering what Silveria was up to, Alex looked out the window to kill the time as the trees of the forest passed by at high speeds.
"Hoo-ahhhhhhhhm!"
Gracier let out a big yawn next to him. She stretched her arms as her mouth fell open. It seemed that she was sleepy.
Soon, the sound of quiet even breaths came out of her body. She had fallen asleep from all the exhaustion.
Suddenly her head fell on Alex's shoulder, spreading her red hair on him.
Alex looked down at her. He couldn't help but smile upon seeing her cute face as she slept.
"Mmm. Mmm-nyaa~!"
It seemed Gracier liked the feeling of her big brother's shoulder as she clutched at Alex's arm and leaned onto him. Alex looked at her for a brief moment, then moved his gaze out the window once again. 'How cute.' he mumbled.
For a while, he was lost in thoughts.
After some time.
"Ooh~ Mmm."
Gracier's eyes slowly opened. As she wiped away the drool around her mouth, she froze.
Her round eyes stared at Alex and rolled around to assess her current situation.
Realizing it, she quickly parted from him in surprise.
"Ah. I'm, I'm sorry!"
"It's fine."
Gracier's face turned red when she saw a large drool spot on her brother's shoulder.
"Oh, oh no! I'm sorry big brother."
She tried to bring out a handkerchief, however, Alex stopped her.
"It's fine. Th-"
Alex was about to calm down the flustered Gracier when he stopped. He had caught sight of something outside the opposite window.
His senses sharpened, and he recognized the object.
'Arrow?'
However, it was too late to take action against it.
〖Master-〗Silveria wanted to speak however, Alex already knew what she going to say.
'I know.'
Alex said, then he grabbed Gracier hand and pulled her in toward him. Gracier was taken aback as her face contorted, she finally felt the incoming threat.
However, without hesitating for even a moment, Alex used his Divine Sense and selected a location before Accel-ed there, there heard Conrad's warning just as left the magic carriage. They saw Conrad jumping high in the air using a sword to cut down an incoming fireball. He then kicked the air and jumped far away.
Finally,
The arrow flew and pierced the Magic carriage.
In a flash..
Boom!
The impact ripped the Magic carriage apart like paper, and its pieces were sent flying across the air.
Alex's face hardened as he looked at his surroundings.
On the other hand, Gracier was surprised by how powerful the arrow was, she paled thinking about what would have happened if they hadn't escaped.
Conrad appeared on the other side of the forest after he defended against the fireball.
An unknown group of attackers had suddenly appeared circling them. They were clad in armor that covered their entire body and wore masks.
Suddenly, Alex's eyes picked up something once again.
Another arrow
Aiming at the incoming arrow Alex fired.
Bang
Boom!
An explosion followed.
That was not a normal arrow.
'Someone is sniping me from a great distance thinking that I wouldn't know his location. Well too bad for you.' Alex said while grinning.
He then used his Divine Sense skill to localize the hidden archer's location.
''There.''
Having localized the archer, Alex aimed Silveria in the archer's direction and fired a,
'Phantom Bullet.'
Everything happened so fast that the archer didn't have time to dodge, by the time his instinct warned him it was already too late, the archer's head had been blown away.
Unaware of the hidden archer's demise, the others finally moved.
Six individuals dashed toward them, after a quick appraisal, Alex saw that none of the incoming attackers were weak, the weakest was Level 45, same as Gracier, the strongest was Rank 8, Conrad immediately engaged the Rank 8 and another Rank 7.
Gracier engaged the Level 45, on Alex's order.
Meanwhile, Alex aimed Silveria toward the enemy dashing at him and fired another
'Phantom Bullet'
As if the other party had sensed the incoming threat, the ambusher quickly brought a shield to defend against the incoming attack.
Bang!
The person holding the shield was blown away alongside the shield.
Alex planned to finish the ambusher, however as he was about to shot, something caused him to twist his upper body. A spear had flown in from the side, and its blade brushed past Alex's head.
'Shit!'
Alex glared at the enemy who had interrupted him from the side. This second attacker's face was hidden by a mask, but his appearance was malicious. Alex threw a Silver Bettie's toward this person, but the knife hit nothing as the second attacker twisted his upper body to dodge it.
Before the third ambusher could attack, Alex suddenly let go of Silveria, and due to its momentum, the gun continued on its path. At the same time, Accel-ed to appear in front of the third attacker who had been solely focused on Silveria, so he looked taken aback, and even so, the third ambusher still defended against Alex's fist.
Bang!
The third ambusher was sent flying to the side, and his figure collided against a tree. His left arm, which has been used to defend against Alex's fist, was bent at an odd angle.
However, Alex once again couldn't land the finishing blow as an arrow flew toward him.
''So, there is another one still hiding,'' Alex murmured before kicking the ground and jumped back. He did not forget to shoot a bullet in the direction of the hidden archer.
However this time he did not manage to kill the archer like the last time.
Just as Alex landed he quickly defended against the attack of another ambusher. He then distanced himself from that ambusher as a second one was coming from his back.
Looking at his sister he saw that she was doing fine, while the battle on Conrad's side was heated, Conrad was truly powerful to be able to fight against two strong opponents at the same time.
Shaking his head Alex quickly drunk a Mana recovery potion, then he had a sudden idea, so without wasting time he put his idea into motion as he saw two ambushers charging toward him.
Just after putting all his remaining SP on his Gun Art skill, Alex felt as if time stopped around him, he was somehow enlightened, the gun in his hand felt like an extension of him, the two were perfectly synchronized.
〖No way, to think he would acquire a domain like this.〗Silveria exclaimed as she knew what was happening to Alex, he was comprehending a domain, not everyone can acquire one. One's domain is related to either an element (Fire, Ice, Water, Earth, and so on) or a skill. In Alex's case, it was a skill like that monster Silveria's sister had killed. In your domain you're like a king controlling almost everything, others would feel pressure in your domain, it is all domain's basic function.
The two-headed mutated ogre's domain was Intimidation, it was related to the monster skill, it was why Alex and the others were feeling so pressured back then.
Alex's enlightenment state lasted a couple of seconds, his left eye shined, just as the two ambushers appeared twenty meters from him, Alex activated his newly acquired domain.
The two ambushers who were about to attack froze as they felt pressured all of sudden.
''Not good, it is a domain.'' shouted one of them shouted, he became panicked.
Before they could do anything, they saw a rain of bullets coming in their way, the speed which Alex was using to shoot was too fast, one of the ambushers died as a bullet went through his head, the last one was seriously injured and before he could escape Alex appeared behind him like a ghost, a shape knife pierced through the ambusher's neck killing him.
Alex quickly canceled his domain as it drains too much MP, only ten seconds or so passed yet he had lost 1200 MP.
Then he removed his eye patch and looked at the third ambusher (the one with a broken arm), as he saw Alex's right blue eye, he stood frozen, his head buzzed, he was sent back when he was suffered untold hardship to become an assassin, then the scene switched to his worst nightmare, he saw all of his victim's faces, they were crawling toward him, wanting to drag him into the abyss.
''No, stay away.'' the man shouted hysterically, Alex appeared behind him quickly finished him by beheaded the poor assassin who seemed to have lost his reasoning.
Alex's breathing was heavy, quickly calming down. He Accel-ed and caught up with the fleeing archer
''No way. They said you are just a low Ranker, level 32 at best. There's no that is true, you're a monster. I'll never let you capture me.'' the archer said before using the hidden poison under his teeth to kill himself.
Alex ended disappointed. He chose to go help Gracier, however, the battle was already over.
Approaching his sister, Alex asked, ''How are feeling? Are you injured?"
''No, I'm fine. As expected of Big brother. You've already finished the three who attacked you.'' Gracier responded before looking at Alex with shining eyes.
Alex could only smile wryly under Gracier's intense admiration, his expression turned serious when he saw Conrad coming towards them empty-handed. He could guess that none of the ambushers wanted to be caught alive, they'd rather die than to be caught.
''How are you two? Fine?" Conrad asked once in front of the siblings.
''We are fine. Conrad, you didn't manage to catch at least one?" Alex asked.
Shrugging his shoulders, Conrad replied.
''Well, I killed the Rank 8 and seriously injured the Rank 7, however before I could approach him, he killed himself.''
''I see.'' It was as he feared. Gracier was frowning, wondering why they have been attacked, last time it was an AA monster and now it's some ambushers, what's going on?