Chapter 23 : Bout Time, Huh


    As Aron continued walking, weaving naturally through the crowded street, the two individuals shadowing him exchanged the briefest of signals.


    The first man, the one leaning against a streetlight earlier, barely moved his head. But his eyes flicked toward his companion with a silent indication.


    A question, almost. Now?


    The second figure, the one who had lingered by the crates, gave the faintest tilt of his chin downward. It was subtle, almost imperceptible to an untrained observer. But between them, the meaning was clear. Proceed.


    Their approach remained careful though in accordance. No sudden movements, nothing that would disrupt the natural rhythm of the foot traffic around them. Yet with each passing second, they drew closer, their paths aligning ever so slightly toward the unsuspecting Aron.


    Then, after seeing that Aron went to an alley looking place.


    The second man reached up, adjusting what looked like a loose cuff on his sleeve. But in doing so, he tapped his fingers twice against his wrist. A coded signal.


    Formation set. Ready.


    And so, step by step, the gap between them closed.


    Aron moved through the bustling streets with an air of ease, his expression unreadable as he walked the narrow pathways. The neon glow flickered across his face, the hum of the city a steady backdrop to his steps. To any observer, he appeared simply as another traveler, engrossed in his own business, unaware of the subtle shifts in his surroundings.


    The two individuals who had been lingering in the background were no longer just walking by. They were moving fastly yet still carefully. Their approach was so measured, so casual, that it wouldn’t register as unnatural to the untrained eye.


    They didn’t walk directly toward Aron, nor did they make any sudden movements that would draw attention. Instead, they closed the distance in increments. One adjusting his path ever so slightly, the other shifting positions in the flow of foot traffic. It was a gradual tightening, a barely perceptible convergence that would have gone unnoticed by anyone not paying very close attention.


    And Aron showed no sign that he had noticed anything at all.


    His pace remained the same with his posture relaxed. He didn’t glance over his shoulder, didn’t hesitate, didn’t give any indication that he felt the eyes that now watched him so intently.


    Looking exactly just like another traveler, completely oblivious.


    Whoooshh


    Suddenly, the sound of the wind being split apart sounded for a split moment near Aron.


    One of the two had launched an attack, using a blade toward the back of Aron.


    It was so quick that even the person being the center of it, which was Aron, didn''t seem to even have the chance to have the slightest reaction to it. And the blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, aimed directly at Aron’s back.


    CLANG!


    A sharp, metallic impact rang through the air.


    In the fraction of a second before the blade could reach him, something intervened.


    A faint shimmer flashed across Aron’s back. The attacker’s blade met an unseen force, a barrier, stopping it just short of its intended mark.


    The sheer speed of the counter caused a shockwave to ripple outward, sending a gust of displaced air through the street.


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    The assailant’s eyes widened. He had aimed to kill, had struck with the kind of precision that left no room for failure. And yet, his blade had been stopped effortlessly.


    Aron, on the other hand, hadn’t even turned around.


    For less than a split second, the street fell into an eerie silence. The two attackers, expecting a clean execution, now stood frozen, recalculating.


    Then, finally…


    Aron looked over behind his back.


    “…Bout time, huh.”


    Only now did he seem acknowledge them.


    Daashh


    The moment the attack was stopped, the assailant didn’t hesitate. With a sharp push off the ground, he launched himself backward. His movements were precisely controlled, not the frantic scramble of someone caught off guard


    His cloak billowed slightly as he landed a few paces away. His grip on the blade tightened, his posture coiled like a spring, ready to react at a moment’s notice.


    The second figure, who had yet to make a move, subtly adjusted his position as well.


    Meanwhile, Aron finally turned.


    Slowly and somehow relaxedly.


    “…That was quick,” Aron muttered, more to himself than to them.


    His gaze swept over the attacker. His expression remained unreadable, but there was a distinct weight in his stare. Though he somehow remained completely looking calm.


    Stomm


    With a single jump, the attacker kicked off the ground, propelling himself toward the side of a nearby building. His boots caught the surface, gripping against the worn metal plating with an unnatural ease. Then, in a rapid burst of movement, he ascended, scaling the structure with agile precision.


    In mere seconds, he perched himself on the edge of a rooftop, crouched low, his blade still glinting under the dim city lights. His figure was barely visible against the neon glow of the skyline, like a dark silhouette watching.


    Yet, the attacker didn’t stay still again.


    As soon as he perched himself on the rooftop, he moved again.


    His form flitted through the narrow space, shifting between ledges, beams, and overhangs with unnatural looking agility. His movements looked random and never lingering. One moment, he was crouched behind an old ventilation duct, the next, he was vaulting over a rusted support beam.


    The lights of his blade sometimes flickered on his figure as he darted from one surface to another, staying in constant motion. He was like a shadow, blending seamlessly into the city’s underbelly, using the towering structures as his personal hunting ground.


    Whooosh


    As the attacker kept on moving away and Aron''s eyes were on him, suddenly there was a blade coming up from beside Aron, striking him from the blind spot.


    It came from the side, very fast and merciless, aimed at his ribs.


    Clankk


    The sharp edge of the blade collided against a compact, metallic shield strapped to Aron’s left arm. Sparks flew, the force of the impact reverberating through the narrow alleyway.


    Aron hadn’t turned his head. He hadn’t even looked. Yet, his arm had moved at the perfect moment, intercepting the attack just before it could sink into his ribs.


    The assassin’s blade trembled against the reinforced surface with its momentum disrupted.


    “Wha-”


    Kraakk


    Aron’s foot slammed into the second assailant’s midsection with a solid impact. The force sent the attacker staggering backward, his footing momentarily lost as he stumbled across the uneven ground.


    Aron didn’t follow up immediately. Instead, he rolled his shoulder with his small shield still humming slightly from the blocked strike.


    "Not a bad coordination you two got there." With a smirk, he said in a somewhat flattering tone. His tone was casual, yet sounding like he was genuinely impressed.


    The first attacker, still shifting between rooftops, paused. His movements slowed for a brief second, as if reassessing the situation.


    The second assailant, now regaining his stance, tensed. His grip on the blade tightened, his posture shifting subtly like before, seemingly ready to strike again.


    They had executed a perfect ambush. Yet, their prey stood unscathed.


    Worse, he very much seemed unfazed.


    Aron then just played around with his blade, spinning the hilt with his hand and looked over calmly. The blade of his looked like a small sword with a circle point below it, making it easy for Aron to just circle it around. Just like now, using it as if it was some kind of a cheap toy.


    “I expect much from you guys, just give me what you have before you don’t have the chance.” Aron smirked with a relaxed posture. If only his shield wasn’t attached to his left hand, the two of them really thought that Aron would also play around with it.


    Only his eyes that looked sharp like a knife as if it could pierce the wind and the air.


    Looking at the situation, result, and Aron’s playful gesture, the two of them couldn’t help but frown their eyebrows. Out of the three of them, they honestly didn’t expect even one of it. Much less the latter.