The shadowy vessel of the Shadow Sect drifted outside the outskirts of the first target city, where the glow of fires lit the night sky in violent hues.
From this height, Lassim could already see the wreckage in the distance ahead—a scene of chaos and destruction, a city torn apart by abyssal demons who had once been Sun Sect disciples.
Their twisted forms wreaked havoc in mindless fury, driven by the corrupting influence of the Abyss.
The corrupted demons were causing more than just physical damage. The lingering heat of the Sun element, now perverted by abyssal energy, spread like a toxin through the air, filling it with an almost unbearable weight. Especially since they’d had several days now to cause the chaos unabated.
And while Lassim and the Shadow Sect assassins had the strength to take them down, there was no denying the danger in facing such creatures.
"Don’t underestimate them," the First Blade warned his team, his eyes sweeping over them. "They might not be on our level in raw power, but for many of you it’s your first time encountering them. You’ve drawn shit lots too as this time, they’re even more tricky than usual as the Sun element from these former disciples is a direct counter to our Night techniques.
Though, while a counter, they are also more susceptible to our night element. Follow your training. Strike fast and with precision. No mistakes."
Lassim stood beside him, nodding silently.
He was confident in his own abilities, he was only there as backup to help close portals, and at this first stop he could sense the spatial fabric was fine and there were no issues.
Beside him, Lustria quietly summoned and prepared her bow, the black and silver engravings glowing faintly as she focused her spirit energy.
Lassim noticed there were several changes since the last time he saw it. There were new pitch black runes on her weapon that shimmered slightly when the light tried to catch them, and a floating black ring hovered just in front of where her arrow would go, possibly to guide and amplify each shot somehow.
With an unspoken hand signal from the First Blade that was almost unnoticeable from Lassim—had he not been standing next to him—the team moved into action.
Each assassin activated their Night element abilities, becoming shadows themselves as they activated their shadow steps and movement techniques to descend from the vessel. Most of their movements completely invisible to the naked eye.
Lassim realized at that moment that his ability to sense the spatial fabric was probably the literal bane of these assassin’s techniques, which made him smirk slightly.
The moment Listria followed and stepped forward towards the ship’s railings, she became a part of the night too—her presence blending seamlessly into the shadows, a mere wisp of movement in the darkness.
Ignoring his spatial sense, even Lassim had to strain his spirit sense to track her and he was standing literally next to her.
Lassim, however, decided to remain on the deck with Lustria, his eyes scanning the battle below.
Lustria then held up three fingers with a closing and circle motion quickly as she knew the First Blade was watching.
She then glanced at Lassim and explained, "I’ll handle the ones near the town center," Lustria whispered beside him, her voice soft and giving him butterflies.
Without waiting for a reply, she raised her bow, knocking an arrow of pure shadow energy. The arrow disappeared into the black nothingness as soon as she released it.
Lassim watched in awe as Lustria’s arrow vanished from sight. No streak of energy, no visible sign of the projectile’s path.
The next thing he saw was the body of a demon collapsing hundreds of meters away, the arrow materializing in its eye socket as it hit the ground.
In the distance, two more demons fell in quick succession, each felled by an invisible arrow that pierced their skulls with deadly precision.
Lustria didn’t even flinch as she moved from one target to the next, her gaze locked onto the battlefield below.
Lassim gave a short whistle, impressed, as she struck targets from such a distance that even Tristan would most likely be impressed by.
Below, the rest of the Shadow Sect team moved like specters through the ruins of the city. The demons, despite their raw strength and the power of their Sun-infused abyssal energy, were no match for the silent precision of the assassins. They were just rampaging and mindless beasts at this point, unaware of the situation they were in.
One demon, a hulking figure with burning golden skin, thrashed wildly as it tore apart a building. But before it could strike again, one of the Shadow Sect assassins appeared behind it, his form flickering in and out of the shadows.
With a single swift motion, the assassin’s blade sank into the base of the demon’s spine. The creature let out a twisted roar, but by then, the assassin had already disappeared, melting into the shadows as if he had never been there. Lassim’s focus changed as he knew the assassin would finish it off shortly to something else that caught his spirit sense’s attention.
Another demon, more monstrous and grotesque, lashed out with sunfire that scorched the ground. Its eyes glowed with a solar hue, and it bellowed in rage. But then, two more assassins emerged from the darkness, one above and one below, their blades slicing through the demon’s limbs and joints all across its body in synchronized strikes.
The creature fell with a scream, its body disintegrating into corrupted goo before it even hit the ground.
In a matter of minutes, the city had grown quiet.
The Shadow Sect’s elite team had cut through the demons with terrifying efficiency. No sounds, other than blades meeting flesh, and no wasted movement—just a clean, swift execution of their enemies. It was truly a magnificent sight for Lassim to see as he felt the Shadow Sect was truly worthy of its reputation.
Lustria lowered her bow a minute early, her eyes scanning the battlefield to confirm the kills.
Lassim couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride as he watched her work. Her training had honed her into a deadly weapon, but she still carried herself with the same grace and calmness he remembered.
"That’s one down," the First Blade said, his voice breaking the silence. "Next target."
---
The vessel moved silently through the sky, cutting through the skies as night was beginning to show its tendrils as the sun began to sink towards the horizon as they approached their second target.
This time, it was a smaller village nestled in the foothills, its once peaceful streets now overrun with demons. For some reason there seemed to be a group of disciples that had been stationed here or traveling here for some reason when the transformation occurred. Fires burned in the distance, and the air was thick with the stench of burning wood and flesh.
Lassim’s heart clenched at the sight. It was just a small village that should have no stake in the war between the Lightning Sect or former Endless Sun Sect.
But there was no time to dwell on the destruction. The Shadow Sect team moved into action immediately, their abilities allowing them to descend into the village without being detected.
Again, Lustria took up her position on the deck, her bow ready as she scanned the area for targets. Her arrows flew, each one hitting its mark before the demons could even react.
Meanwhile, below, the assassins moved like wraiths through the village, their blades slicing through their enemies with terrifying efficiency.
One demon, a Spirit Ascension level monstrosity, turned its head just in time to see a flash of movement. But by the time it realized it was under attack, a blade had already pierced its heart, and its body collapsed to the ground, melting into lifeless goo.
Another demon, one with some shreds of mindfulness still left within, tried to rally its comrades, calling out in a guttural, abyssal language as it attempted to form a defensive line. But the assassins were faster.
A shadowy figure emerged from behind, cutting the demon down before it could issue any further orders. Its body crumpled, the corrupted energy leaking from its wounds as it died.
It was over almost as quickly as it had begun. The Shadow Sect team with their precision and speed leaving no room for error. They were truly remarkable to witness
---
By the time they reached their third target, Lassim had fallen into a rhythm with the team. He watched closely as the assassins executed their strategies flawlessly, taking down the demons with minimal effort.
Even though he was a Spirit Ascension cultivator with the power of an early or mid-Spirit Transcendent,, Lassim found himself constantly impressed by the level of skill the Shadow Sect assassins displayed.
Their Night element techniques were both awe-inspiring and terrifying, their ability to manipulate shadows in various ways to bind and slaughter their enemies was impressive and even their movement techniques allowing them to move with near invisibility were something he admired.
This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.
Lustria, too, was proving herself time and again, her arrows never missing their mark. The focus ring on her bow spun with each shot, guiding the shadowy arrows with a precision that was almost unnatural. He could almost feel the pride radiating off of the First Blade after each successful shot.
But as they approached the fourth target, Lassim felt a strange unease settle over him. There was something different about this location—he could feel something pulling at the spatial weave.
He felt his progenitor marks tingle as they neared. He readied himself and moved closer to the front, which caused the First Blade and Lustria to raise their eyebrows.
As they got just within range of the next target, Lassim’s eyes widened.
A group of five demons, each at the Spirit Transformation stage, stood in a clearing at the edge of a small village.
But what drew Lassim’s attention wasn’t the demons—it was the swirling portal behind them. The air around the portal crackled with abyssal energy, and the ground beneath it was twisted and corrupted, as if the very essence of the Abyss was seeping into the world.
"Damn it!" Lassim cursed, "They’ve opened a portal!"
Before anyone could react, Lassim’s progenitor marks flared to life across his body as he sent the void energy surging through his mana pathways, the root-like markings crawling up his face and lighting his eyes with a faint, otherworldly pitch black glow with a faint thunderstorm for pupils.
Not only that, but Lassim’s constellation came to life above his head, with the full vivid and life-like Leviathan roaring in defiance as it shattered the heavenly chains that bound it, while riding a Tsunami with the cataclysmic tempest behind its back.
He swiftly activated [Tempest Steps], his body becoming an electric blur as he flew through the air and raced toward the portal as a bolt of lightning. His mind and senses were entirely focused on the spatial threads holding the portal open, and his spirit sense locked onto them as he observed their weakest spots.
As he closed the distance, his halberd crackled with the combined energy of lightning, water, and void. The blade shimmered with power, and with a single [Slash] that ignored the gathering of weak demons, Lassim severed the still unstable set of threads, the portal flickering as it began to destabilize.
The demons turned toward him in the middle of his attack, their corrupted sunfire eyes glowing with fury as they launched themselves at him.
But Lassim wasn’t done as he continued the halberd’s [Slash] motion as he twisted his body to add a second burst of power in his halberd. He cleaved through the remaining demons, their bodies falling apart in a spray of dark blood and goo. Their abyssal energy dissipated into the air as they crumbled to the ground, their twisted forms cleaved grimly into halves.
Lassim landed lightly, as the portal collapsed in on itself in the next moment, the connection to the Abyss severed completely.
The First Blade, who had been watching the entire encounter carefully to lend his assistance as a powerful Spirit Mystic cultivator, appeared out of Lassim’s shadow on the ground next to him with a serious expression. "You… Where do I even begin? That insane constellation or how you closed the portal that quickly?
I mean you mentioned the constellation earlier, but seeing it is a whole different thing."
He sighed before adding, "Seriously! What are you, boy? This isn’t something that should be possible. You didn’t even use any arrays or runes or use anything other than that odd purple energy that’s mixed with your cultivation!"
His voice was laced with disbelief as the weight of his spiritual pressure bore down onto Lassim who could sense the seriousness and intensity of the situation.
He was being eyed wearily by this powerful cultivator and closing a portal to the Abyss wasn’t something that should have been so easy. He wasn’t quite so sure how he’d be able to explain himself or his situation.