"Who are you?" Rex's eyes already turned red as he asked.
After Berserker's recent upgrade in the Sword Saint's tomb, their telepathic relationship increased and now Rex could simply summon Berserker no matter where it was by simply outstretching his hands and asking for it.
Even as he asked, Rex was already about to stretch his hands having left Berserker in the armory but the intruder in black finally spoke.
It was a familiar voice. "Rex, long time no see".
"…" All of Rex's actions paused as soon as he heard this.
His eyes widened as he stared at this figure in black in astonishment. This was when his brain finally clicked as he started registering the familiarity, he stammered. "I-is that you?"
The figure in black kept silent as she finally stood up and turned to face him, then Rex's breath eluded him as he gasped for breath.
Rex could not control himself. He rushed closer as his hands grabbed her face and caressed it to make sure that he was not before the wrong person. The feel felt rougher but he was 100% confident that this was the girl he loved.
Once he confirmed, without saying a word, Rex engulfed her in an embrace.
Both of them kept the silence, they said nothing, simply expressing their love for each other through their bodies which were in close contact at this moment.
After about a year of not seeing her, Rex finally saw Cassandra again.
For a long time, due to his busy schedule and his pressure to become stronger, he simply forgot about her.
It got to a point where it seemed like he didn't miss her but it was on seeing her again that Rex discovered how much he really missed her.
Having to worry about enemies like the Ancient Holmes family, and the greatest swordsman alive, the pressure on his shoulders was enormous but, in this embrace, Rex felt all the pressure dissipating like the wind.
He hugged her so tight that he didn't want to release her anymore.
It was only after about 5 minutes did Cassandra finally protest.
She punched him slightly on the waist. "You didn't even care to try checking to know my current condition for once over 1 whole year and here you are trying to squeeze the breath out of me".
"Give me some space".
She soon pushed him away but Rex was all smiles.
After a long time of keeping his face serious due to the stress and pressure, for the first time in a while, a genuine smile of joy filled his face.
Though he wanted to use this rare opportunity to express his love that reached the ends of the earth to her, Rex was also perceptive and realistic enough to see the abnormality in her sudden arrival.
They've been forging their own journey for over a year already, why did Cassandra suddenly appear today? And why did she come in the night?
Lastly, how did she become strong enough to infiltrate the headquarters of the Berserk Gang so effortlessly without triggering any alarms?
After expressing his apology for not even asking about her all this while, Rex finally gave her the 'tell me everything' look that always worked wonders.
By now, he could already tell that Cassandra was no longer the same girl that he knew. She had a new aura that made him stay restrained and respectful.
"Have you heard of the Sad Flute Assassins?" Cassandra did not beat around the bush; she went straight to the point.
Rex raised an eyebrow on hearing the question but he answered. "Yes".
"I am the Snake Empress of the Sad Flute Assassins".
"Ahem…" Rex coughed and almost choked but he soon gave a knowing smile. "Then I am the Lightsaber Ghost…, no, the King of Daggers of the Sad Flute…"
"I…, am…, serious!" Cassandra stressed as her eyes and aura changed.
Instantly, a cold aura engulfed Cassandra's body like that emitted by a Python that was curling, patiently stalking and waiting to devour its prey.
As soon as Cassandra's eyes turned into those of a snake, Rex felt a predatory aura that jolted his soul as instantly, all the hair on his body stood on their end.
Whoosh!
His hand instinctively stretched and with the speed of the wind, Berserker flew into the room before landing on his grasp. It was when he finally felt the reassuring feeling of Berserker's hilt that his anxiety finally calmed down.
Silently, both of them stared at each other.
"I am serious". Cassandra said again, this time in a lower tone.
Rex nodded quietly to indicate that he was in the same page as her. At this moment, an unnatural expression was on his face though he tried hard to no avail to hide it and remain neutral.
Cassandra ignored his expression and continued. "As the Snake Empress, I have a lot of authority in the Sad Flute Assassins".
"Do you remember your reason for why we can't be together yet? You complained of not wanting to burden me, and I held this word close".
"Over the year, that word pushed me and I worked hard after joining the Sad Flute Assassins until I ascended to become one of the 3 leaders of the assassin organization".
"What have you been doing all this while to still be a gang leader while I grew to become the 2nd most important member in such a big assassin organization?"
"…" Rex speechlessly looked back at Cassandra.
Without a doubt, Cassandra the girl he loved was no longer the one who was speaking to him now, rather it was Cassandra the Snake Empress who spoke.
Cassandra noted his silence and continued. "After so long of developing, the Sad Flutes Assassin is finally ready to expand its reach and territory. I finally got the opportunity that I was waiting for".
"I brought the suggestion up first and therefore took priority for the proceedings. With my authority, I influenced their decision to come here".
Rex finally spoke. "The Sad Flute Assassins are here?"
"Yes, in the Gundam Shelter but not in the Red Zone".
She spoke again. "I want to help you and your gang".
"Once we settled in the Gundam Shelter, we observed things for the past few months and discovered that a takeover would not be as straightforward as we thought. We needed an insider to succeed".
"If we forced things, taking over the Red Zone and even the Snake Territory was not impossible, but the Black Zone of the Gundam Shelter is a different story".
"The military organizations and mercenary organizations that settle there are evolutions of gangs which thrived in each of the previous 2 zones of the shelter for at least a century already before upgrading to the Black Zone".
"2 of the military organizations in the Black Zone has Super Grade mystic warriors as their secret leaders unbeknownst to the public".
By now, Rex was as silent as a mouse as he only listened.
"Despite the power of the organizations in the Black Zone, it didn't deter us, it only motivated us after we thought of the possible benefits of success".
"Despite being motivated, we are realistic enough to know that we cannot take over the Black Zone without inside help".
"We need a local gang that can serve as our mascot".
"We believe that by secretly supporting a local gang, we'll get their loyalty while secretly orchestrating their rise to the top to topple the immovable powers of the Black Zone".
"We still haven't decided on a target, but I already choose you".
"All you need to do is perform well and attract the attention of the other 2 leaders. Once you do, with my support, the Berserk Gang will be chosen".
"Within 1 week, make sure that the Berserk Gang secures a spot for itself in the Snake Territory. This is your ticket to receive my support".
Cassandra finally stood up and turned to leave, but she paused. "One more thing, through the incredible influence that my organization gained in recent times, I was able to get information about the Great Shelters".
"Have you not always wondered why the powerful Super Grade and Myth Grade warriors of the Holmes family didn't come to personally kill you yet?"
"Well, put your mind at peace, something is holding them back".
"This thing would die though after 5 years".
"You have only 5 more years to develop".
"If you don't make it and acquire enough strength, you'll die".
After leaving those cold words, Cassandra disappeared from the room like a shadow. Even with his shadow mystic ability, Rex could not trace her.
It was after she left that the air that was stuck in his lungs finally flowed freely. Rex coughed hard as her parting words left a deep impression on him.
Cassandra offered to help him; he was supposed to be grateful but the manner in which she did it left him in a great dilemma.
Cassandra spoke as the Snake Empress to him with such nonchalance like his life or death didn't matter before her. He knew that this was probably to pressure and stimulate him to work hard, but it was still an awful experience.
"Why did she change so much?"
Instantly after he asked, he got his answer. "Strength".
Over the past 1 year, he thought he already tried and even contemplated slowing down, but after Cassandra's speech, he now felt really inadequate.
"I can't let myself be outdone!"
"I can't lose!"
That night, Rex did not sleep as he spent the whole time working on perfecting the plan. His perseverance paid off as even though the plan was still not perfect, it was miles better than where they stopped yesterday.
Despite his blood-shot eyes, Rex was super motivated. "I can do this!"
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