Two hours later, their date ended. After accompanying Luna back to their villa, Alex after bidding her farewell left. He refused the invitation to enter the villa as he had a more pressing matter. The mock battles were about to start, so he must use every second he had to train.
Just as Alex started walking back home, he felt a subtle killing intent directed at him. He felt a chill down his spine, without hesitation he summoned Silveria and fired into a certain direction, it was where the killing intent was coming from.
However, nothing happened after the Phantom Bullet passed there. Even his divine sense did not detect anything.
''Maybe it was my imagination.''
〖No, that person fled. He was injured. His speed was too fast, the reason why you're not able to see it.〗Silveria explained.
'Oh? Sil, you're back.' Alex said surprised.
〖Indeed am I. You can't be thinking that you can use me and at the same time I can be also at home?〗she asked.
Alex scratched his head in embarrassment as it was exactly what he was thinking because in the Illusionary Battlefield, she was there while he was using the silver gun, therefore he mistakenly thought that she could be at two different places at the same time. It was to say that even if she was resting in the villa, Alex could use her without her leaving the villa. However, now it seems that assumption was wrong.
〖It's impossible to do what you think. What happened, in the Illusionary Battlefield is because I was in a world I've created myself.〗Silveria explained.
'I see. That aside. I wonder who's after me? Damien's men? Leonardo? Or the third princess?' Alex mused over while walking toward his villa.
〖The other two aside, I do not think it's the third princess. She won't do that because she wants to recruit you, remember?〗
'Indeed. It must not be her. As the culprit being Leonardo, I doubt. Which left us with one person, Damien.' Alex guesstimated.
His face turned cold when he thought that it was Damien's doing. Nobody likes to have his life played with.
'Because of woman, he tries to eliminate me. A woman who isn't it even yours. I'll make you pay.' Alex mumbled, he was seething with killing intent.
Silveria chuckled when she thought that Damien was about to suffer a heavy lost as that person was here. Silveria knew she was protecting Alex and Gracier in the shadow, it has been few days since this started. With her coming, there was no way Damien's will go back unscathed.
•••••
At the same, while Alex was fuming in another location, a black-clothed man was leaning against a wall.
Even though his face was concealed, from his eyes you could feel how much pain he was in. There was a large gaping hole above his right elbow, his right arm was limping.
''Ah, ah, to think that I'll be caught off guard and suffer such grievous wound. If I haven't fled I'd have probably lost my life because of the sudden dangerous feeling I've got.'' the black-clothed man muttered.
The dangerous feeling he was talking about had come from Silveria. What he said was not wrong, if, after that injury, he had not fled Silveria would have killed him.
''Let contact the others.'' the black-clothed man said before using a communication stone to contact his subordinates.
A few minutes later, five individuals dressed in black came and when they saw the state their leader was in, they were baffled. One should know that he was almost Rank 9. So, to be able to injure, the person responsible must at least strong as him or beyond him.
Unfortunately, the one responsible for their leader's injury was only early Rank 7. If they knew this, they will be surprised.
''Leader, what-"
Just as that person was about to ask what happened, he stopped midsentence, no, it would be more accurate to say he was forced to stop as his head had already left his body.
Thud!
The headless body fell onto the ground creating a thud sound.
''What?!!!!" Exclaimed the other four.
Before they could turn around, all four felt their center of gravity shifting, they witnessed their headless bodies followed by eternal darkness.
Five Rank 6 died like that, their leader was scared beyond limit. Only one thought was inside his mind at the moment, 'Flee, I must flee.'
Even though he was injured, this doesn't mean he became weak, that he was useless, he was still expert Rank 8, just a little bit and he would advance into the next Rank. It was to say, he was not a weakling and yet he was not able to see anything when his subordinates were dying one by one in front of him. He only saw darkness, not the person who killed his men.
Suddenly, the shivering injured black-clothed man heard a voice that seemed to come from the deepest part of hell.
''Sigh! You lot, I did not do anything when I saw you moving sneakily around before because I was not planning to ruin his date.
However, instead of appreciating my generosity, you even harbored killing intent toward him just because I went to report something? How dare you. Not even, Slade, your leader dare to be disrespectful in my presence.''
The injured black-clothed man was frozen in terror, when he heard that emotional voice, heard his leader's name, he was able to identify the other party. This person was a nightmare, nobody in the continent dared to mess with this person because of how ruthless this person was, nobody knows this person's gender, however, the number of kills under this person's belt was in the three-digit. Zero, the Phantom, the Death God.
'I'm screwed.' The man thought. When he accepted the mission and started monitoring Alex's on his date, he knew somebody was watching them, he did not dare to act rashly until that person's presence disappeared.
Even after that person disappeared, he was not planning to act but was forced because somehow he was annoyed with Alex's happiness. When he remembered how deeply the Saintess was in love with this man, and because of that his master had no chance of winning the girl's heart, the only solution left was to kidnap her, the black-clothed man was so annoyed that he inadvertently let a little bit of his killing intent slip as for a moment he considered whether or not he should eliminate the threat Alex represented. Damien was like his grandchild after all, he ought to think about his happiness and above everything else Luna was vital for the Holy Crux empire. Therefore he must eliminate any future threat to the empire.
However, just as that idea blossomed inside his mind he was forced to flee because his target injured him and now the grim reaper was here to harvest his life. He regretted his hastiness, how unbefitting of an elite assassin.
Zero dressed in black from head to toe coldly glanced at the injured black-clothed man.
Behind the black mask she grinned evilly, she vanished and when she reappeared she was holding a severed arm in her hand.
''Ahgah!''
Finally aware of what happened, the injured black-clothed man utterly an anguished cry that reverberated inside the alley. The man who previously did not utter any sound even when he suffered such a grave wound, now was crying in pain after having his left arm sliced. It was to be expected, it was not your typical wound, his wound was being corroded by darkness, it was extremely painful, so painful that an assassin trained in the art of enduring pain couldn't do it.
Tossing the arm into the air, Zero destroyed it, not even leaving a speck behind.
Before leaving she said, ''Tell, your master that this will be the only time I'll tolerate such insolence. There won't be a next, if there's I'll personality deliver his head to the Holy Pope. I do not care whether he's the Holy son or not. He must know there is some person he must never touch.''
Even under such inhuman pain, the injured black-clothed man who was now a one-armed man fearfully nodded his head.
Zero disappeared after delivering her message. Taking something out of his space ring, the one-armed man treated his injuries before leaving, he was limping.
In another location, Zero appeared, she sighed, the frightening pressure she was emitting vanished like a lie. Looking in the direction of Alex's villa she mumbled begrudgingly.
''Hmph! I'm busting my ass to protect you and yet you have the leisure to go on date. You even forget about our- Ah! Forget it. I ought to go, no need to think about. His protection is more important.''
She then disappeared again, normally she should have gone toward Alex's villa, however, she made a detour as she must go report what happened.
On the other side, the one-armed man went back home with a special method.
He immediately entered Damien's study.
Presently, Damien was smiling as he was waiting for his men to come back to tell him how Alex's date went. With this information he would know to proceed, to know whether or not he had a chance, if he doesn't he would retort to the last solution that consists of kidnapping Luna. However, this is the last resort thing, he must carefully plan, it was not something he can do now, it's too soon.
''I will-"
Bang!
Damien stopped talking when he saw one of the men he sent on mission appear in his study room. He immediately falls to the ground.
Seeing his grievous wounds, Damien's complexion sank, he immediately approached the man and held his hand to help him up, but the man stopped him before looking at him with fearful eyes, he warned Damien with sternest that left Damien's speechless. It was the first he acted like this.
''Damien, Do not mess with that person.''
Were the only words he managed to say before leaving this world forever.
''Grampa Stone, Grampa Stone !!"
Damien called the one-armed man several while shaking his body, he was panicking.
However, no matter how many he called the one-armed man whose name must be Stone, there's no response.
Finally aware that his Grampa Stone died, Damien kneeled while looking blankly into space for a long moment before roaring.
''Alexander Kael Touch, you'll pay for this.''
His roar shook the whole mansion. It was a roar filled with hatred.