Volume 10 Chapter 61 Deathmatch with the Female Assassin
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”What…? Where am I…?”
Before he knew it, Klock was in the middle of a forest. He should have been inside the Brigante Division¹ camp until just a moment ago. Primlena had been right in front of him, spear in hand, facing the enemy. And yet…
I was warped away. I see.
He remembered the sensation of being sucked into the ground the moment he stepped forward. That must have been the trigger. Klock had been jumped, teleported to another location through some unknown means.
It was almost certainly an enemy trap. The assassin from before was definitely involved. In other words, he was in the middle of being killed.
Klock was unnervingly calm. The old Klock would have desperately tried to grasp the situation while struggling to hide his agitation, but today, his head was crystalline.
No, that wasn’t quite it. What smoldered in his chest was the color of darkness. His brain sent out a danger signal, but in a situation that foreshadowed death, he felt a strange sense of belonging, as if he were melting into the gloom.
”I thought I’d dispose of you one by one, but to think the big prize would be caught first,” a woman’s voice said.
”Huh?” Klock muttered.
A white line flickered at the edge of his vision. He noticed it, but by the time he could make it out, it was already too late.
”Tch-!”
He tried to dodge reflexively but couldn’t completely evade it. The blade grazed his arm.
”…That hurts. Who the hell are you?” Klock asked.
There was no response. For a brief moment, the voice he heard was a woman’s. She sounded teasing, almost exasperated. Was this woman the assassin who had just attacked?
He heard the wind slice. He only realized he was under attack after the hair on the back of his neck was grazed. He spun around to find multiple lines of steel flying straight at him.
”–!”
A simultaneous volley from multiple directions. As expected, the enemy wasn’t alone. This was getting bad.
”Guh!” Klock cried out.
The flying knife was solid silver. It pierced his leg, and the red stain of seeping blood began to spread.
”Are you there, you bastard?!” Klock shouted.
He caught the direction of the knife that had pierced his leg. He unleashed a Jumping Slash² from the Cianie Knife³. He cut in a straight line toward the direction of his hidden foe.
”So that’s the ability that fires slashes,” the woman said.
”What?” Klock grunted.
He leaped from the spot and hid behind a tree. Carrying the Cianie Knife, he focused his eyes on his surroundings, bracing himself to respond to an attack from any angle.
”It looks like it’s activated through a weapon,” the woman said, her voice echoing. “Is your ability the type that can’t be used without a blade? Or is that knife some kind of magic tool?”
”Well, who knows,” Klock replied.
”It’s a powerful ability. Why show it so easily? Are you hiding something else…?”
Klock scowled at the woman’s taunting voice. Strangely, the direction of the voice changed every time she spoke.
Just because I counterattacked, she’s already considering the possibility of another ability? She’s a veteran at fighting Unique Skill⁴ users. And from her tone, she already knows about my jumping slashes…
She was clearly an opponent he was meeting for the first time, yet it was obvious she had information on him. That meant she had been dispatched by someone-someone who had seen the Cianie Knife and lived to tell the tale. Since she called him the “big prize,” it meant Klock was viewed as a genuine threat by a very limited number of people. If he had to guess…
”You’re an assassin hired by Lord Roldi, aren’t you?” Klock asked.
There was no reaction. However, she couldn’t gloss it over with silence at this point. This woman was undoubtedly a hitman sent by Roldi. Even while heavily wounded, Lord Roldi had gone out of his way to plot an assassination to eliminate Klock.
She’s throwing her voice so I can’t pin her down. Cautious bitch. She only spoke to rattle me while gauging my personality. But two can play that game.
The knives that had been flying from four directions stopped. The assault had ceased all at once.
For a group, they’re being too quiet. Was that four-way attack just one of her tricks? There might be fewer enemies than I thought.
In the deathly quiet of the night forest, Klock held his breath and waited. The wind made the rustling leaves annoyingly loud.
She isn’t attacking. What, waiting for an opening? Is she afraid of my counterattack?
Was she baiting him to move first? If so, why? Did she think the Cianie Knife had a long cooldown? Or was she just trying to map out his ability?
He entered a silent standoff with an invisible opponent. The woman remained completely silent, leaving only the incessant sound of leaves rubbing together in the wind.
I’m in a pretty dire situation. But it’s strange… I’ve never felt more at peace. I was much more depressed until a moment ago. To think a day would come where I’d feel more at ease while trading lives.
The weight of his guilt felt remarkably light at this exact moment. Was it the proximity of death? Or was it the pure, honest hostility? He felt as though, right now, no one could blame or rebuke him. He was standing on the threshold of the grave. He was about to die miserably, so he could finally say he was on his way to join the others.
This was just his way of arranging his own end. Just by thinking that, his heart melted into the darkness. Every nerve concentrated on the battle.
I don’t know where I am. There’s no way I can expect reinforcements from Primlena and the others. I have to handle this myself. But how? As long as she knows my position, I’m at a disadvantage. I have to move. Even so, if I slash recklessly, I won’t hit a thing. The only move left is…
Klock bolted. He was surrounded by dark thickets and had no idea where he would end up, but he knew the enemy would pursue. That meant the enemy’s position would be fixed in a chase. It would be the key to finding her. If he could determine her location even slightly, he could bury a slash into her.
”Huh?”
Something surged out from the brush right at his feet. A figure materialized from the shadows-from the pitch-black gloom where no human should have been able to hide. Light reflected off a blade. It was a person with a knife, lunging across Klock’s path.
”Ugh!” Klock gasped.
He reflexively guarded his neck and chest with his arms, but he had been read. A silver blade was driven deep into his abdomen.
”Ga… hah…!”
It was the work of a professional hit-and-run attacker. Someone had driven a knife into Klock and vanished into the shadows. He snarled, aiming the black blade at his disappearing foe. However, the jumping slash hit nothing but air, only deeply wounding a tree trunk. The human who had been there a second ago had vanished.
I see… It was… some kind of… teleportation…!
She appeared, stabbed him, and vanished. He hadn’t expected her to circle around like that. It was an elusive movement that could only be explained as teleportation.
His legs nearly gave out, but he managed to maintain his posture before slowly sinking to the ground. Clutching his abdomen, he crawled on all fours toward the cover of a tree.
”You… bastard…!” Klock hissed.
The enemy had vanished as if sucked into reality. That was her assassination method: lure him into this forest and launch blind-spot attacks from portals installed everywhere. This forest was likely a killing floor rigged with teleportation formulas.
He reached toward the spot where the attacker had vanished. He felt the trees and bushes, but there were no portals, no traces of a magic circle. He had planned to destroy the entrance, but there was no teleportation technique to be found.
You’ve got to be kidding. There’s nothing. How…?
If it were magic-based teleportation, there should be a portal. To do it without one was like crossing the sea without a ship. It would require an enormous amount of magic power and precision on par with Cianie. It wasn’t a feat a sane human could pull off.
Is it Shadow Walking again? No, that’s not it. There’s something else. Can she erase the exit after she uses it? If it’s to keep me from following, I can see why she’d do it.
A human had appeared and disappeared. There were no traces at the entry or exit points. At a glance, it seemed like teleportation, but maybe it wasn’t. The knives from four directions, the way he was taken away, and the way the attacks stopped when he counterattacked…
The forest floor erupted in a synchronized rustle. The sound of treading on dry leaves echoed from all directions at once. It was a clear diversion. Klock dove into a thicket to hide, his face twisting as spiderwebs clung to him. In that instant, something rolled into the spot he had just left, venting a blast of crimson heat. Fire erupted where Klock had been sitting.
It’s not just teleportation. This is a Spatial-Manipulation⁵ Unique Skill!
The flames rose to smoke him out. The orange glow illuminated the dark woods, making Klock a clear target. He bolted, clutching his stomach. Another knife hissed through the air, grazing his leg. He dove behind another tree. Thud-thud. Two blades buried themselves in the wood.
”There!” Klock shouted.
He spun around, pinpointing the enemy’s direction from the knives. He fired a slash. Branches and leaves showered down from high in the tree. He immediately fired another slash toward the fire, but it only kicked up a cloud of dust.
I’m starting to see it. Even with teleportation, a simultaneous four-way attack shouldn’t be possible. Her aim wasn’t perfect, but she was definitely targeting me from multiple points. You can’t do that unless you can control the orientation of the exits.
The jump that brought him here had no magic signature. That meant the teleportation was a Unique Skill-no tools, no circles. And Unique Skill users always rely on their power above all else. Just as humans use their hands because they have them, a Unique Skill user builds their strategy around their ability.
”You’re not a hireling,” Klock shouted into the dark. “You’re Lord Roldi’s personal hound, aren’t you?”
There was no reaction.
”If you were a hired assassin, you’d have coated your knife in poison. A fast-acting one, too. The fact that I’m still standing tells me assassination isn’t your primary specialty. In other words, you’re worth taking alive,” Klock said.
Whether or not the situation actually allowed for a capture was another story. This was a bluff. Klock was just talking; he had no idea if his words were true.
Managing poison is an incredibly difficult task. One is prone to accidental self-poisoning by inhaling vapors or touching the blade. When killing with toxins, it’s safest to keep it in a vial and mix it into a meal.
A warrior or a soldier might coat a sword or arrow with slow-acting venom, but would someone capable of killing at this level even need it?
Reaching into his pocket, Klock pulled out a Fire Magic Stone⁶ about the size of a pebble. The stone was imbued with fire-aspected magic power. If placed on a magic circle, the power would seep out and activate; if the stone itself was agitated with magic power, it would ignite and explode.
”Brillare!”⁷ Klock shouted.
He remembered the composition of the magic circle. This time, he would attempt to activate the magic without one. The magic stone began to sear, and Klock hurriedly threw it away and covered his eyes.
A sharp intake of breath echoed for an instant, followed by an intense light that burned through his eyelids. Klock turned his back to the glare and squinted. While being careful not to let the flash sear his retinas, he roared, “There you are!”
The Cianie Knife⁸ flew through the air. Klock delivered a full-force slash toward the source of the sound.
”Gah!” a woman’s groan echoed.
It was hard to see through the spots in his vision, but it looked like a person had tumbled from the trees.
”Your power… it’s the ability to connect space!” Klock yelled.
Holding the knife out, he fired off a follow-up slash at random. He missed. He couldn’t keep his eyes open because of the glare, making it impossible to judge his aim.
”Abducting me and those attacks from every direction – that was your doing. You attacked from portals you set up. And those exits can only be placed where you’ve touched. That’s why you waited for me to move. You couldn’t strike unless I stepped in front of a warp hole!”
”You…!” the woman hissed.
That explained why the attacks had felt strangely restrained. It was a touch-based spatial connection. If she could set them anywhere, Klock would already be dead. The assassin was banking on a trap, targeting his blind spots from behind.
”How is it? Too bright? Can’t keep your eyes open? Because you set up warp holes all over the place, your pathetic face is lit up like a stage!”
Knives had flown in from all directions, but the person throwing them was the same woman. It was easy to guess that the other side of the spatial gate was where the assassin hid. Klock bet that if he set off a flash bright enough to illuminate the forest, the light would flood the connected spaces and concentrate on her. As he predicted, a single spot in the midnight forest became blindingly bright.
The woman uttered something unintelligible. Klock instantly sensed magic, but he wouldn’t know the spell until it manifested.
The ground heaved. An earthen wall rose up, covering the illuminated area. The barrier stood in the way, blocking his slashes and hiding her figure.
Of course, even an assassin comes prepared. But landing one hit was enough. Since she fell from the tree, she had to be hurt.
The light began to subside. The magic stone’s power was spent, turning it into a mere pebble.
”Huff… huff…”
Klock was running. His speed was closer to a stumble, but he attempted to escape the forest by pushing through the thickets. There might have been a chance to defeat her, but dealing with the enemy in this state was too high a risk.
Crap, the bleeding won’t stop.
The wound in his abdomen continued to weep. The cut wasn’t deep, but the blood flowed nonetheless. He had no leeway to treat it.
He broke through the forest and reached level ground. Short grass spread out before him. He was at the foot of a mountain, somewhere along the Brest Mountains⁹.
Where the hell am I? He couldn’t tell in the dark. I have to get back to the Brigante Unit¹⁰ camp soon.
The power to connect space was formidable, but the magic consumption had to be significant. She likely couldn’t maintain the bridge over a long distance. The further the gates, the more it would exhaust her. Klock assumed he had been dropped nearby. As long as he found his bearings, returning to the Brigante Unit wouldn’t be difficult.
A faint sound of a foot kicking the dirt reached his ears. It was instantaneous – the mark of a professional. Half-reflexively, Klock dove to the side. A silver line hissed through the air. Looking back, he saw a figure hiding in a hooded cloak, a blade glinting in their hand.
”You’re a shy one. If you want a dance, take off that sweltering cloak. I’m generous toward women; I won’t ignore a girl with a bit of spirit.”
Klock forced the words out through ragged breaths. The enemy stopped.
What if it was a third party? As the thought crossed his mind, the figure let the cloak fall. Klock frowned. Beneath the cloak, the woman was nearly bare. With only a few bandages hiding her skin, her provocative physique was on full display. The wound on her shoulder was from Klock’s earlier slash.
”You’ve got to be kidding me…”
A cloth masked her face. She was almost naked, with throwing knives lined up in rows along her thighs. This was an assassin who used her body as a distraction. Her breasts swayed as she walked toward him.
”Lord Klock Livorno. Will you be kind even to a woman you’ve just met?”
”Sure. If you throw away those knives right now.”
”I understand. Let’s do that.”
The woman took a knife in her hand. Klock readied his own. Instead of attacking, she tossed it into the sky.
It flipped in the air and fell straight back down. The woman raised one hand and seemed to swallow the blade.
Klock was stunned. The knife vanished. It should have pierced her arm, but it disappeared into a void.
Instantly, the woman pointed her other hand at Klock. A swirling black vortex opened in her palm.
”No way!”
The “swallowed” knife shot from the portal in her hand.
”Aaargh!”
A tiny premonition made Klock twist his body. The knife was aimed at his heart; instead, it tore clean through his shoulder. It was a penetration, not a stab. The blade had shot through him at an extraordinary velocity.
”Guh! Space manipulation is a hell of a cheat… using it like that…”
”You are a clever man. I shall put an end to those thoughts immediately.”
She was maintaining the connection. Top to bottom. She launched the blade after increasing its speed through the acceleration of the fall.
Klock tried to force his body up, but his limbs wouldn’t respond.
Of course. It was a slow-acting paralysis poison. His body refused to move. The knives that grazed him earlier weren’t meant to kill – only to scratch. Now, the numbness was spreading, and he was losing the sensation in his limbs.
A lethal poison only kills, but paralysis is for those you want to keep alive. She was likely a subordinate of Roldi.
The assassin narrowed her eyes. She noticed the poison taking effect.
”Will you give me time for last words?” Klock asked.
His leg was injured, his stomach stabbed, and his shoulder shot through. He was covered in wounds. Because his sword arm was hit, the assassin would move faster than he could swing.
The assassin closed in, stopping five meters away. She really does have a great body. She had stripped to bewilder him, and it was working. It was hard to focus on a fight with such a distraction. She was his natural enemy.
”Go ahead,” she said.
The woman drew a knife and lunged. She had no intention of waiting. She moved to hunt his life without delay. But she was too clinical – too predictable.
”You’re in range!”
An air-slash leaped from the Cianie Knife. Klock didn’t need to swing the blade to fire; he had only been feigning the movement to sell the bluff.
The woman’s footing gave way. She was astonished as the slash reaped her ankle, sending her falling face-first into the dirt.
Klock extended his arm, whipping his numbing body to capture her. He firmly grabbed the arm of the fallen assassin.
She shook off his hand and leaped backward, performing a handstand-pivot to retreat. Her bandages shifted, flaunting the line of her thighs. Klock’s gaze was unintentionally pulled toward the sight. The pathetic curse of being a man. Her ploy was working all too well.
The assassin regained her posture. She had already pulled three knives from her thigh. Silver glinted in the dusk. Klock realized his mistake – he should have aimed for her throat. His “kindness” was a fatal error. Against such a swift counterattack, Klock couldn’t dodge. He could only raise his arm to shield his head, waiting for the strike.
”–Gah?!”
The female assassin looked down. Two knives were buried deep in her gut. They had sunk into her abdomen from the very direction she had thrown them.
”–Wha… t–??”
A dark, swirling void had manifested over Klock’s heart-a Connection Space¹¹. The exit point was aimed directly at the assassin. Two of the three knives she had thrown had been sent right back at her, tearing through her stomach. The third had gone wide, grazing Klock’s side before thudding into the dirt.
This was something I’d never told a soul. Ever since I realized my ability was Dominance¹², things had started making sense. Specifically, why I somehow knew exactly how to use someone else’s ability the moment I took it. My power wasn’t Bandit or Plunder-it was absolute rule over the abilities of others. That was how I could pull off high-level moves on the fly without a second of practice. Though, without the right tactical knowledge, things still go sideways pretty often.
The assassin collapsed to her knees. It wasn’t a fatal wound yet, but the poison on her own blades was already circulating. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to move at all.
She staggered, trying to push herself up on all fours. The way her breasts dangled beneath her was the exact view you’d get during a b**job. But the fluid spilling from her lips wasn’t white-it was crimson. The knife must have punctured her stomach.
”Master Klock!”
A bolt of lightning tore across the ground. Cat claws shredded the darkness. A shimmering streak of feline light blustered past like a gale, shielding Klock.
”Meina?!”
Moving like a living thunderbolt, Meina entered the fray. The cat girl appeared, a single ray of light cutting through the gloom.
The assassin’s brow furrowed in shock. She tried to scramble to her feet to retreat, but froze. She’d sensed another presence standing right behind her.
”Just as I suspected… Neria. It was you.”
”…Suzette…?”
Lifting her hem with slender legs, Suzette appeared with poised, elegant grace. My household maid had taken the enemy’s rear, but both women wore grimaces of mutual recognition.
”I thought I smelled a compatriot. I’m surprised you’re still breathing. Why are you here? Don’t tell me you’ve turned traitor?” Suzette asked.
Neria remained silent. Suzette leveled her knife while Meina bared her claws. It looked like the talking was over; the battle was about to restart. The assassin prepared to defend both front and back, but-
”Nyaaaa!”
The assassin’s body suddenly tilted. Seeing her balance break as she stood on one leg, Meina lunged for the kill. But in that heartbeat, the female assassin was sucked into the earth. Meina skidded to a halt, watching as Neria vanished into the ground as if swallowed whole.
”Wh-? What was that?!” Meina cried.
”Meina, compose yourself. That was her unique skill: Vermin’s Path¹³. She has fled. If we pursue, we will only be walking into a trap,” Suzette said.
Suzette hurried over to Klock, still daintily holding the hem of her maid outfit.
”Master Klock! Are you alright?!”
”Suzette… thanks for coming. How did you find me?” Klock asked.
”Please, save the questions for later,” Suzette replied.
Her voice had that incredible sense of security. As she pulled me into her arms, I let my weight slump into her chest, exhausted. The life-or-death struggle from moments ago felt like a distant memory. I just wanted to go back and let her take care of me.
I had won the fight. Maybe it’s petty to say that. If my opponent had been a man, I would have slit his throat or sent a knife through his skull to finish the job. But because she used her womanhood as a weapon, I couldn’t bring myself to deliver the killing blow. I’d played my hand; I might have just been waiting to be finished off. Or maybe she would have retreated anyway before the paralysis set in.
”An abdominal wound… we must treat this at once! Meina!” Suzette shouted.
”On it!” Meina shouted back.
By the time they made it back to camp, the Brigante Troop¹⁴ was in a total uproar. The men who had been cheering for victory were now frantic, news of the assassin’s raid having spread like wildfire. Soldiers swarmed around as the men carried Klock in. The story of the attempted assassination of Klock rippled through the ranks. In an instant, the festive mood died, and a heavy silence fell over the camp.
—
Summary:
Klock is separated from his allies and warped into a rigged forest killing ground. He faces a female assassin sent by Lord Roldi who uses spatial manipulation to teleport and attack from multiple angles. Klock is wounded but manages to deduce the nature of her Unique Skill.
Klock faces a spatial-manipulating female assassin in the forest. He successfully bluffs and uses a magic stone flash to reveal her position, but eventually succumbs to a slow-acting paralysis poison. Despite his injuries, he manages to wound her with a hidden air-slash, only to be overwhelmed by her counterattack and his own distraction.
Klock turns the tide against the female assassin Neria by revealing the true nature of his ability, Dominance, which allows him to redirect her attacks. Just as Meina and Suzette arrive to secure the victory, Neria uses a unique skill to escape into the ground. The chapter ends with a wounded Klock being brought back to a now-somber military camp.
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Trivia:
- The assassin was previously attacking the camp before warping Klock.
- The forest is likely full of preset teleportation points or a field effect.
- The lack of magic circles/signatures proves it is a Unique Skill, not standard magic.
- Klock feels a morbid peace because of his heavy internal guilt.
- Klock was poisoned earlier by ‘grazes’ from knives he thought missed or were poorly aimed.
- The assassin’s lack of clothes is a deliberate tactical distraction (honey trap) for psychological warfare.
- The spatial portals require the user to have touched the location beforehand.
- The ‘penetrating’ knife shot used gravity/falling acceleration through portals for extra speed.
- Klock can fire air-slashes mentally without the physical swing gesture.
- Klock’s ability was previously thought to be Plunder or Bandit, but is actually Dominance.
- The assassin was poisoned by her own weapons.
- Suzette and Neria are former ‘compatriots’, implying Suzette has a dark past as an assassin.
- Klock intentionally hesitated to kill Neria because she was a woman.
- Vermin’s Path is a tactical escape skill that leaves traps behind
—
Character Insight:
Klock is showing extreme tactical maturity, using his own movement to fix the enemy’s position despite being severely injured. His suicidal ideation (‘arranging his own end’) paradoxically makes him more focused in combat.
Klock demonstrates tactical brilliance and a high pain tolerance, but his ‘kindness’ (refusal to aim for the throat initially) and basic male instincts prove to be his tactical undoing. The assassin shows cold professionalism, using every part of herself, including her nudity, as a tool for mission success.
Klock shows a significant internal conflict between his ruthless pragmatic side and his lingering chivalry/mercy towards women. Suzette transitions from a domestic maid to a cold combatant instantly, showing her depth of loyalty and skill.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author contrasts ‘Unique Skills’ against standard ‘Magic’ to highlight that Unique Skills are essentially ‘cheats’ that bypass the physical laws of the world.
The use of ‘Brillare’ (Italian for ‘to shine/sparkle’) follows the naming convention for light-based or ignition magic in the series.
The author uses highly s*xualized imagery even in life-or-death scenes to maintain the ‘Seinen’ tone of the light novel.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Primlena – Orange-haired merfolk priestess, fierce yet elegant | First v8c3 | Sister of Sea General Primjune, subordinate to Primrity | Once captured and violated by Klock, now obsessed with reclaiming honor | Commands Obsidian Riders on giant fish, fights with trident | Seeks to drag Klock to Seabed Temple for marriage trial or execution | Unique note: revenge-driven siren bride who masks fury under ritual grace
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Roldi – A male subordinate of Bandanzine, executes orders efficiently, tasked with commanding forces in Orrid and coordinating the invasion strategy.
• Meina – She is a golden-haired catgirl employee of the beastman (Larana the cat woman) Inn, appeared performing fellatio, desperate and tear-streaked, with an inexperienced yet earnest approach to her work.
• Neria – A female Roldi’s subordinate, tasked with killing Klock. Ludovico’s young mistress.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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