Her gaze began scanning their surroundings. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized the true extent of the massacre. The backline was almost entirely decimated. The screams of her fallen comrades still hung in the night air. Katie knew that if she were to survive this ordeal, she would be hearing their final sounds while she slept- and wept.
But all of that faded into the background when her eyes locked onto the figure that had just torn through their ranks, killing two team leaders without difficulty.
The assassin.
She stood motionless over Ralke’s fallen corpse, making her silhouette clearly discernible for the first time. The dim light that the tall forest let through its leaves caught the edge of her gauntleted claws that were dripping with the blood of two team leaders, causing the metallic sheen of the weapon to glint ominously.
She didn’t move. She didn’t need to. The menace emanating from her was palpable- thick, suffocating. Katie could feel the weight of it pressing against her chest, threatening to crush her resolve.
Blood dripped steadily from the assassin’s claws, splashing softly onto the dirt below, each drop echoing in Katie’s ears like a countdown to their doom. The assassin’s stance was unnervingly relaxed with her arms hanging loosely at her sides as if she was completely at ease, unconcerned with the group of more than a dozen combatants that were now gathered in front of her.
She was a nightmare turned reality, a creature of darkness that had stepped out of the shadows to lay waste to everything in its path, and she was looking directly at Katie. The longsword wielder had met numerous monsters over her decade-long adventurer career, but none of them managed to make her feel this terrified.
Once their eyes met Katie felt tremors enveloping her entire body. The assassin’s eyes were cold, devoid of emotion, but there was something in them- a spark of predatory excitement, a hunger that made Katie’s stomach turn. This wasn’t a person she was facing. It was a monster. A predator toying with its prey. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The fighters around her fidgeted nervously. While their weapons were bravely raised toward the enemy, Katie knew the truth- they were just as, if not more terrified than she was. They had never faced something like this before.
The only sound they all heard was the steady *drip, drip, drip* of blood from the assassin’s claws.
“We’re not scared of you!” Katie shouted suddenly, bolstering morale quite successfully, as more soon followed.
“That’s right! Disgusting beastwoman!”
“Come and get it if you dare!”
“I will make you my bitch!”
“Take this!” An archer shouted, then let two arrows fly towards her.
The assassin didn’t flinch. She didn’t even raise her arms in defense. Instead, with an eerie calm, her eyes tracked the first arrow as it whistled through the air toward her. Discover magic on freewebnovel
In one smooth, casual motion, she sidestepped to the right. The arrow zipped harmlessly past her, striking Ralke’s corpse instead.
But the second arrow? That one she met head-on.
She raised her clawed hand and with a flick of her wrist, the arrow was batted aside, sent spinning into the dirt like it was no more than a nuisance.
The archer’s face went pale with his confidence evaporating as quickly as it had come.
The assassin tilted her head to the side questioningly. There was no response, no taunt, no boast. Just that cold, predatory stare, watching Katie and her comrades as if deciding if they were serious or not.
Katie could feel her pulse quicken, but she refused to break eye contact. This was a standoff. As long as they stayed together, as long as they didn’t give the assassin an opening she couldn’t attack them. After all, a glass cannon build like her was only useful as long as she had the element of surprise on her side.
But the assassin… she was patient.
Katie tightened her grip on her sword and adjusted her stance. She was ready- at least she thought she was. But in that moment, staring into the eyes of a true killer, she realized just how fragile that readiness was.
And her opponent knew it. Sensed it.
Without warning, the monster moved.
It was a blur of motion- so fast that Katie nearly didn’t even register it. In one fluid movement, she lunged forward as her claws flashed through the air with lethal intent. Katie’s body reacted before her mind could catch up with her heart leaping into her throat as she braced herself for impact.
But then- just as suddenly as she had attacked- the assassin stopped. She was back in her original nonchalant, carefree position standing over Ralke as if she had never moved at all.
Katie flinched and the rush of adrenaline left her momentarily lightheaded, but she held her ground. Around her, some of the others hadn’t fared as well. Several of her comrades had fallen to the ground in sheer terror, some dropping their weapons as they scrambled back. One man sat frozen on the ground with eyes wide and unblinking and a face pale as death.
Katie caught the distinct smell of piss in the air, and somewhere to her left, she heard someone begin to wail. Their sobs were breaking the silence like a glass shattering.
They weren’t ready for this. “Stand your ground, cowards!” Katie shrieked, getting some of them to return to their senses.
They had hunted monsters before- real ones, the dumb, predictable beasts that roamed the wilds. But this? This was something entirely different. This assassin, this ‘woman’ who was built like a humanoid was more terrifying than any creature they’d ever faced. Her movements were precise, deliberate, and cruel.
If that wasn’t enough, she was toying with them.
Katie’s stomach churned as the realization sank in.
Then the assassin let out a soft, chilling sound.
She was laughing.
It started as a low snicker that was barely audible at first, but it grew louder, more mocking with every passing second. She was laughing at them- at their fear, their weakness. Katie couldn’t see the assassin’s face due to her mask, but those eyes told her everything she needed to know. This was fun for her. She was reveling in their terror.
This wasn’t a fight. It was a game- a game where the assassin was the predator, and they were her prey.
With a flick of her wrist, the assassin sent the blood on her claws to splatter onto the ground in front of Katie’s feet. The smirk beneath her mask may have been hidden, but Katie could feel it’s existence without a shred of a doubt.
Katie tightened her grip on her sword, knowing that when the assassin finally decided to strike for real, there would be no stopping her.
The dog-kin however suddenly spoke up, engaging in conversation for the first time. “Hehehe! Ghost loves the reaction, but shouldn’t you know already? Ghost is Master’s loyal pawn, which means that she is just a side attraction. She’s nothing more than that. Thus she can’t help but wonder; why is everyone so focused on her like she’s the final boss of a labyrinth when she’s just an underling?”
“… Huh?”