Chapter 70: Assassins

When Declan finally woke the next morning, it wasn’t because of his alarm, but because the warm rays of sunlight were stinging his face.

He groggily opened his eyes and looked outside, only to realize that the sun was already shining brightly.

"What the—?"

He immediately grabbed his device, and his eyes widened when he saw that the alarm had gone off thirty minutes ago and the current time was already 7:35 AM.

"Shit!"

"I silenced my phone last night, and the alarm didn’t ring."

He hurriedly threw on his clothes and rushed out.

The next class on his schedule was Technoget Class, which focused on the latest gadgets, most of them offensive or defensive tools used by Nexians against the Ember.

The class covered which gadgets were the most effective, their functions, and various other related topics.

That alone made Declan raise an eyebrow, as the more classes he attended at X-Guard Academy, the more he noticed that many of the things they were taught revolved around one thing:

The Ember.

One might even call it the Ember Extermination Academy, but perhaps that was one of the reasons X City had never been invaded before.

Three hours passed, and the class finally ended, with another class beginning immediately afterward.

It was a strange one.

History Class.

Nexians weren’t exactly known for caring about the past, as things were happening far too quickly in the present for most people to bother worrying about what had already happened.

There was a class for it regardless, and as Declan expected, it eventually circled back to the Ember.

The lesson covered the history of the first Nexians and how they had eliminated several prominent figures among the Ember, meaning that once again, the Ember were at the center of everything.

Normally, students only had one or two classes per day, but today there were four, and by the time the final class ended and Declan stepped out alongside the other students, it was already 8:24 PM.

His stomach immediately growled, so Declan decided to stop by the cafeteria before returning to his dorm.

Judging by how crowded the place was despite the late hour, he wasn’t the only student who had the same idea.

After finishing his meal, Declan finally began making his way back, but halfway there, something made his heart thump:

He was being followed.

The moment Declan realized it, he deliberately changed his route, taking a detour instead of continuing toward his dorm.

He walked for several minutes before sensing them following him, causing his doubts to disappear immediately.

If they were merely Newcomers heading back to their own dorms, why had they changed directions the moment he did?

Since someone was already following him, there was no reason to hurry back.

It was already around 9:00 PM, and after another two minutes of walking, Declan suddenly turned into a dark alleyway.

Thirty seconds later, two figures entered after him, their footsteps quickening as they approached, but they soon stopped when they realized the alley ended in a dead end and Declan was nowhere to be seen.

"How did he...?"

BOOOOOOM!

A heavy impact suddenly came from above, and both men spun around to find Declan slowly rising from his crouched position after dropping from the skyscraper above.

Apparently, the moment he entered the alley, he had climbed the building, circled around, and descended behind them.

CRACK!

CRACK!

Declan cracked his fingers and stepped forward.

"I won’t be giving up my points that easily. So if you’ve got something, better pull it out now."

SHRRRRING!

The sound of metal being drawn echoed through the alley as both men revealed mechanical gauntlets, the devices coming alive with a crackling hum while three red-hot blades extended from the backs of their hands like energy-forged claws, each one gleaming with crimson light.

The air itself seemed to split as the blades sliced through it.

"Oh, shit. For real!?"

Declan couldn’t help but blurt out in genuine shock.

Neither man answered; one leaned forward and shot toward Declan while the other leaped into the air, running along the side of the skyscraper before launching himself downward, sending all six blades tearing through the air directly toward him.

Declan leaned forward slightly before suddenly stopping, waiting until the attacks were mere inches away before moving two steps forward.

The first upward slash missed, and Declan bent his knees and dropped horizontally toward the ground, narrowly avoiding the second attack as it swept over him.

Then,

BAM!

A kick from behind slammed into his back, launching Declan into the air, but his hands caught the window of the skyscraper, allowing him to push himself off and land at the end of the alley.

He slowly rose, only to find a blood-red slash running across the back of his hand, while a thin line of blood ran across his neck and the fabric covering his chest had also been sliced open, revealing another cut dangerously close to his heart.

Declan stared at the blood on his fingers.

"A slash to the neck and a stab to the heart..."

His voice echoed through the alley as he turned toward the two men.

"You two aren’t after my points, are you?"

With more than 400 points in his possession, Declan was an obvious target for other students, especially since points could be earned through the Challenge System but there was another, much easier method: taking them from someone else.

Bullying points out of another student was far more rewarding and far less troublesome, so when Declan noticed the two following him, he naturally assumed they were after his points.

But then there were the Red Wolverine Claws.

Those gadgets alone were worth more than 200 points, so why spend that much just to rob someone?

More importantly, their attacks had been precise.

The neck.

The heart.

They weren’t trying to injure him, but to kill him.

And judging from their silence and precise movements, this certainly wasn’t their first time.

The two assassins rushed forward again, their crimson claws flaring with red energy.

This time, Declan didn’t joke around.

"Activate Core."

HUUUUUUM!

A powerful hum rippled through the alley as an invisible wave of energy spread outward, reaching the assassins as they closed within five meters of him.

"Activate Darkthar Transformation."

BA-DUMP.

BA-DUMP.

BA-DUMP.

His heartbeat thundered as golden light began to coil around his body.

His hands transformed first, the golden radiance wrapping around them before fading away to reveal enormous golden-black claws in their place, each segment consisting of sharp, jointed plates that locked together with metallic clicks, their contours sleek yet jagged while faint dark energy pulsed along their edges.

Then the golden light spread across his lips, stretching from one ear to the other, and when it faded, his gums had hardened and his teeth had fused into a single metallic structure, forming a jagged steel maw that stretched across his face like a living machine.

When Declan exhaled, white vapor escaped between the glowing gaps of his new jaw.

RIIIIIIP!

RIIIIIIP!

The incoming claws were stopped halfway as Declan’s own claws slashed toward both attackers.

BAAAAAANG!

A tremendous impact erupted, forcing both assassins backward by the sheer power of the collision as their eyes widened while staring at their trembling hands.

’So... so much power!’

Vernand’s mind went blank before he looked up and realized that Declan was already standing before him.

Vernand instinctively stepped backward, trying to create some distance, but it was too late.

Declan’s clawed hand grabbed his face.

BOOOOOOM!

The ground exploded beneath them as Vernand’s head was brutally smashed into the pavement.

PIERCE!

Even while being pinned down, Vernand reacted, sending his red-hot claws shooting upward toward Declan’s neck in an attempt to tear through his throat, but Declan simply tilted his head downward, causing the blades to strike his metallic maw instead.

Vernand’s eyes widened as he immediately pushed with all his strength, attempting to force the blades through Declan’s mouth and into his brain.

But then,

CRACK!

The sound of metal breaking echoed through the alley as cracks spread across the blades.

Declan’s metallic jaw clenched.

CRUNCH!

The blades shattered between his teeth and horror flooded Vernand’s eyes.

’He... he swallowed it!?’

The moment Declan swallowed the metal, the golden light around his claws intensified, causing them to become even sharper while his heartbeat thundered louder and pumped more energy through his body.

"What the hell!?"

Vernand stared at him in horror.

"What the hell did you fuse with?"

Declan grabbed him and lifted him from the ground.

PUUCCCHI!

A red-hot claw suddenly pierced through Vernand’s stomach, and it wasn’t Declan’s.

It came from behind.

Declan had deliberately placed Vernand in the path of the other assassin’s attack.

"How...?"

Robert stared in shock as he withdrew his claw from Vernand’s stomach, only for Declan to immediately swing his own claws.

BOOOOOOM!

Vernand was hurled into the wall, disappearing into a cloud of dust.

Declan had sensed the footsteps behind him and heard the whoosh of the incoming attack, allowing him to time it perfectly and use Vernand as a shield.

Robert looked as though he had just seen a ghost as his gaze shifted toward his fallen partner, who was embedded in the wall with a massive wound through his stomach.

His eyes turned blood-red.

"DIIIIIIEEEEE!"

Robert roared and charged, his claws slashing recklessly toward Declan.

’Activate Apex Strike.’

Declan’s eyes sharpened as he moved, causing Robert’s slash to miss by inches while he dodged with almost robotic precision.

Then he saw an opening and his claw shot toward Robert’s neck.

BOOOOOOM!

The skyscraper wall cracked violently as Ruoert’s body slammed into it, his eyes widening as blood spilled from his mouth.

"Hehehe..."

Declan grinned, a dark light staining his blue eyes as his golden claws gleamed with pitch-black energy.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!