“The Skyshadows have failed,” a man in a black martial arts outfit reported, his voice devoid of emotion as he knelt.
“Failed?” the listener replied with a frown and a click of his tongue. As the captain of the third unit of the Black Forest, one of the three major assassins’ guilds in the murim, he went by only his code na, the Third Captain.
He roughly estimated the extent of Shadowless’s failure, then asked, “Shadowless confidently declared that we wouldn’t have to intervene, but it seems like he’s all talk. Hmph, just as one would expect from a spoiled palace upstart. So did the bodyguard nad Shadow escape? What’s the target’s status?”
The subordinate’s response far exceeded his expectations.
“The Skyshadows were annihilated, and we lost track of the bodyguard. Fortunately, we didn’t detect any unusual activity from the target.”
“…What?” the Third Captain exclaid, suspecting there might be an error in the report. The Skyshadows were annihilated? While they were not on par with the Black Forest, they weren’t entirely incompetent.
“Where is Shadowless now?”
“He was found dead along with the other assassins.”
“…Did the bodyguard called Shadow do this alone?”
“We can’t be certain, but judging by the state of the bodies, it seems like the work of a single person.”
“……” The Third Captain scowled. The Skyshadows, who had been so confident of their success, had not only failed spectacularly but even got themselves wiped out.
Is the one called Shadow stronger than we imagined, or was there another bodyguard we didn’t know about…?
The gap in his information was problematic, but the critical situation they were in was more important.
I had a bad feeling about this mission from the start.
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The assassination of a forr pri minister was a dangerous business. One mistake and they would beco the enemies of the nation. When they’d received the request, he had even begged the Forest Lord, the master and owner of the Black Forest, to reject it, but the Forest Lord had refused.
“Forest Lord, this mission is too risky.”
“…Both Deathshroud and Bloodletter accepted. We can’t be the only ones to decline.”
In the end, the three major assassins’ guilds, Deathshroud, Black Forest, and Bloodletter, all accepted the mission. However, because the Skyshadows exhibited a confident deanor, none of the guilds had mobilized in full.
Still, their forces weren’t exactly weak, either.
“Third Captain, don’t be such a worrywart. Look on the bright side. If the Skyshadows’ plan goes smoothly, we’ll get a reward for doing nothing.”
I hoped it would be that easy too, but…not this ti, I guess. With the Skyshadows’ failure, the other assassins had no choice but to step in.
The Third Captain sighed and asked his subordinate, “Are we ready to go?”
“Yes. All forty mbers have been split into ten teams and are ready for deploynt.”
“Any updates on what Deathshroud and Bloodletter are doing?”
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“Bloodletter has already made their move. They likely received the sa information as us.”
The Third Captain scoffed, “Ignore them. Those Bloodletter guys may be many, but individually they’re weak.”
Historically, Bloodletter was founded by a motley crew of freelancers who accepted reckless assassination contracts driven by their lust for killing. Although they were now recognized as one of the three major assassins’ guilds due to their large numbers, the Black Forest had never considered them as equals.
The Third Captain was more concerned with the other group. “Who did Deathshroud send?”
“Reportedly, it’s the Seventh Shroud.”
“The Seventh Shroud… that’s a big na,” the Third Captain sighed. Although Deathshroud had less than thirty mbers, it was the undisputed strongest assassins’ guild in the murim. It was even rumored that their best assassins, known as the Ten Shrouds, were capable of assassinating the most formidable masters.
If that wasn’t terrifying enough, the Forest Lord, the current leader of the Black Forest, was once a Deathshroud assassin himself.
“Keep updated on Deathshroud’s movents.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Third Captain rose from his chair. Deathshroud, Black Forest, Bloodletter. They were collectively known as the three major assassins’ guilds, but most martial artists ranked them in that exact order.
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This might be our chance.
The ultimate goal of the Black Forest was to surpass Deathshroud and beco the top assassins’ guild.
The Third Captain recalled the Forest Lord’s instructions.
“If the Skyshadows succeed, quietly take the paynt and return, but if they fail, the Black Forest must be the one to take the Pri Minister’s head.”
We can’t let anyone else steal our prize.
The reward for this mission went beyond re financial gain. Influential individuals within the Imperial Palace had pledged to annul all existing warrants against Black Forest assassins and provide them with credible false identities as long as they succeeded. Moreover, with the Skyshadows gone, soone had to fill the void they left behind.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Having settled his thoughts, the Third Captain turned to the waiting assassins and commanded, “Bring the Pri Minister’s head. As quickly as possible.”
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The assassins nodded and dispersed in all directions.
Little did the Third Captain know, the assassins of Deathshroud and Bloodletter were all thinking along the sa lines.
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