Chapter 71: Assassination Attempt

Raevor intercepted him, stepping directly into the line of the charge with absolute authority.

Their weapons collided with a deafening metallic crash that reverberated through the ancient chamber. Sparks showered over the floor, illuminating the dark armor of the assassin.

At the same moment, another assassin attacked Rhaevia from behind, sliding across the floor with a poisoned blade aimed at her spine. She ducked down effortlessly, dropping her center of gravity without taking her eyes off the frontline.

Raevor’s blade passed over her shoulder, the steel whistling mere millimeters above her head as he swung backward without even looking.

It struck the attacker’s weapon with such precision that the enemy was forced backward, the assassin’s wrists snapping under the absurd physical force.

Rhaevia spun on her heel, using the momentum of her duck to sweep around in a fluid, devastating turn. Her palm struck the assassin’s chest armor directly over the central power core.

BOOM!

Azure energy launched the attacker across the chamber, shattering the front plate of the stealth suit and slamming the assassin hard into the far wall.

Raevor glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a rare glint of approval flashing in his dark gaze.

"You’re getting faster," Raevor noted, his voice smooth despite the chaos around them.

"You’re getting predictable," Rhaevia shot back, a dangerous smirk playing at the edge of her lips.

A faint smile appeared on his lips, vanishing as quickly as it had come as he parried another strike.

"Then keep up," Raevor said, stepping into the middle of the enemy formation.

They attacked together, shifting from a defensive stance into a lethal, aggressive advance. The battle became almost effortless, a bloody dance executed with artistic precision.

Raevor broke enemy formations with brute, overwhelming Sentinel force, shattering shields and forcing the attackers into disarray. Rhaevia exploited every opening he created, driving concentrated Guide pulses into weak points in their armor.

When one attacker targeted her, Raevor was already there, his blade intercepting the strike before the enemy could fully commit. When another attempted to flank him, Rhaevia intercepted them before he even turned, her mental pressure knocking the assassin off balance.

Their Guide-Sentinel resonance pulsed between them, filling the room with a visible, shimmering wave of combined golden and azure energy.

Raevor’s wrist device beeped furiously as the system tried to quantify the impossible power output.

[SOVEREIGN RESONANCE DETECTED].

The readout flashed brightly against his skin, locking in numbers that defied standard military parameters.

[COMBAT SYNCHRONIZATION: 97%].

Rhaevia’s eyes flashed with radiant azure light as her power spiked, flooding the vault with an overwhelming aura of authority.

The final assassin suddenly retreated, realizing the team had been outmatched within seconds. He kicked off a pillar, trying to reach the ceiling vent.

"Don’t let him escape!" the eldest brother shouted, drawing his weapon to intercept, but he was already too far back.

Rhaevia and Raevor moved simultaneously, crossing the room like twin streaks of light. The assassin threw a small black sphere onto the floor between them, triggering a chemical fuse.

WHUM!

A distortion field erupted from the device, bending the ambient light and sending out a blast of blinding sensor-jamming radiation. For a fraction of a second, everyone’s vision disappeared, replaced by a wall of darkness and white noise.

Rhaevia didn’t rely on her eyes. Her military-trained senses immediately registered a subtle pressure shift in the room. Behind her, the air grew slightly colder. She turned smoothly, bringing her hand up to form a defensive barrier.

The assassin was already there, bursting through the distortion field with desperation in his posture. A blade flashed toward her throat, the hyper-frequency edge humming with lethal energy.

Raevor appeared between them, stepping into the narrow gap like a wall of solid iron.

CLANG!

His weapon caught the blade just inches from her skin, the collision driving shockwaves into the stone floor beneath their feet. The sheer force of the assassin’s desperate attack pushed him backward half a step.

Rhaevia immediately stepped beside him, reinforcing his stance with a wave of her own Guide energy. Together, they forced the assassin back, their combined power easily overpowering the attacker’s strength.

The enemy’s mask cracked down the center under the intense atmospheric pressure, revealing pale skin underneath. A portion of black fabric tore away from the chest of the armor, ruined by Raevor’s kinetic energy.

Rhaevia’s eyes suddenly fixed on the symbol underneath the torn fabric. It was a black geometric emblem surrounded by three interlocking rings, etched in dark metallic paint. Her expression changed instantly, the cool confidence giving way to a dark, dangerous realization.

"Project Genesis," Rhaevia whispered, her voice chilling the air.

Raevor’s gaze hardened, his grip on his weapon tightening until his knuckles turned white. The assassin froze, realizing his armor’s hidden mark had been exposed.

"You know that symbol," Rhaevia said, her eyes fixed on the cracked visor.

No response came from the assassin, who remained completely silent behind his ruined mask. Raevor raised his weapon, resting the tip of the heavy blade against the assassin’s throat.

"Who sent you?" Raevor demanded, his tone laced with absolute deadliness.

The assassin remained silent, refusing to offer a single piece of information.

Rhaevia stepped closer, her posture radiating pure cold authority.

"You were sent to kill me," Rhaevia said, her eyes locked on the assassin.

Her voice was cold, echoing sharply in the vault.

"Why?" Rhaevia asked, demanding an answer.

The assassin suddenly laughed, a terrible sound that scraped against the room. It was a distorted, hollow sound beneath the damaged mask, altered by a failing vocal synthesizer.

"You shouldn’t have awakened," the assassin rasped, blood leaking from the edge of his cracked visor.

Rhaevia’s Guide core pulsed violently, demanding answers from the dying operative.

"What does Project Genesis want from me?" Rhaevia asked, stepping even closer.

The assassin’s shoulders began shaking uncontrollably, his armor emitting a high-pitched electronic whine. Raevor immediately noticed something, his battle instincts screaming an alert.

"Rhaevia. Move!" Raevor yelled, reaching for her instantly.

Too late.

A crimson energy surge erupted from the assassin’s armor as the suit’s self-destruct mechanism overload triggered.

Raevor seized Rhaevia and pulled her backward, using his body to shield her from the violent discharge.

The assassin’s body collapsed onto one knee as the internal bio-lock fried his organs from the inside. Blood flowed beneath the damaged mask, dripping steadily onto the cold vault floor. Yet the figure was still smiling, his teeth stained red behind the broken visor.

Rhaevia stared at him, her mind racing to connect the pieces of this sudden attempt on her life.

"Who are you?" Rhaevia asked softly.

The assassin slowly lifted his head, using the last of his failing strength. Behind the broken mask, his eyes glowed with an unnatural crimson light that slowly began to fade. His voice became barely more than a whisper, rasping out a final warning before his life force vanished.

"The Sovereign must never remember," the assassin choked out, his head snapping back as his body went completely limp.