Chapter 96: The Impossible

Raphael Coleman wasn’t a man who took a loss sitting. And if there was one thing he hated the most, it was dealing with people who did not know their place.

Adam Highstein was one such person.

The boy would have remained under his radar had he kept to himself. He would have overlooked his minuscule achievements as nothing but dumb luck.

But this boy kept appearing in the limelight, overshadowing those truly gifted and chosen to lead the new world. The most unnerving part of all this was that Asher, a true-born elite, had taken that street urchin as his disciple.

Attempting to convince that man had proven to be unfruitful. Asher, with his eccentric personality, had taken a liking to the boy. But what drove him over the edge was seeing Adam sully the high-end training facility with his dirty hands.

The plan to get rid of him had been perfect. Get him expelled and all would be made right. Killing the boy would have been a loss, as several elites had expressed their desire to make the boy their subordinate.

Despite the boy’s lacking background, he possessed a measure of talent worth mentioning.

Raphael did not know how things went south.

Even if there had been doubts, the council could not have denied the fabricated evidence. But somehow, everything that had gone into planning the setup had been unravelled so plainly that it hurt to look at.

He was reduced to an absolute moron overnight, his status, career and reputation reduced to nothing. Everyone he had thought would have had his back turned their backs on him when he needed them the most.

But that did not hurt as much as his family cutting him off like some useless thing! The rage that boiled in him could have turned a mountain to ash; it could vapourise oceans!

Because of some randomly talented kid, he lost everything. Because of this one kid, his life got ruined. Raphael was beyond livid. He would denounce his name should that boy live to the end of the week!

The academy and everyone else be damned.

He would take that boy’s life even if it was the last thing he did. One way or another, Adam had to die. It was a good thing he still had contacts he could rely on.

Reaching out to one of them, he was able to commission the services of two third realm assassins. Their mission was to kill Adam as swiftly as possible. There was to be no room for error or interference.

No matter how strong the kid was, he would not survive the deadly skills of trained killers at the third realm. And just an hour ago, he received word that the takedown would be happening soon.

Raphael could not wait for the good news.

***

Like everyone who had been paying attention to trendy matters, the two commissioned assassins knew who Adam Highstein was. The boy was the entire package. He had the looks, the talents and the brains.

The boy was someone you’d be curious about.

But none of that mattered to them when a client wanted someone dead. They had no attachments or pity for their targets whatsoever. The moment their handler gave them a target, they moved to carry it out.

Getting into the academy and studying Adam’s movements was the easy part. The hard part was getting the job done and leaving the academy undetected and unscathed.

Fortunately for them, their target made their job easier than they could have hoped for.

[Deadeye, do you copy?]

[Loud and clear, Wraith.] Deadeye replied, touching the right side of his mask. [What’s your status?]

[The kid is on the move.] Wraith added, quietly keeping up with Adam’s car in the shadows. [He’ll be in range in a few minutes.]

[Roger.]

The line went silent as the two assassins worked together to bring an end to their target. Deadeye lay hidden within the grass on a small hill approximately a kilometre away.

He loaded the anti-personnel sniper round and silently waited for their target. He observed as one car drove by on the quiet road, unaware of the danger lurking in the darkness.

[Deadeye.]

[I see him.]

Deadeye looked into the scope of his rifle, mentally calculating Adam’s driving speed. As soon as he got the numbers, the barrel shifted. When he pushed the bolt to chamber a round, he noticed Adam react, momentarily surprising him.

But the reaction speed of a third realm awakened was no small thing.

Deadeye pulled the trigger, aiming for Adam’s skull. Somehow, the boy knew he was being targeted and steered the car out of the way, the bullet tearing into the asphalt instead.

"What the..."

He had missed a perfect shot. Deadeye could not believe Adam was able to react to his shot. Quickly reaching for his comms, he notified his partner.

[Wraith, do you copy? I missed the shot. Somehow the kid saw it coming!]

The vehicle had somersaulted into the field on the other side of the road, the smoke and flames obscuring his aim for a second attempt.

[Leave the rest to me.] Wraith replied.

Deadeye lowered his hand and looked into the scope, trying to spot Adam. Through the flames and smoke, he saw one of the deformed doors shoot out of the smoke, a silhouette rising.

Shifting the scope, he spotted Wraith swiftly closing in on Adam with his tactical sword in hand. He moved like the wind, and within seconds, was upon the boy.

Wraith drove his blade into the target without hesitation. Deadeye did not get a clear view, but he knew the mission was over. It was time to bolt out of there. However, before Deadeye could look away from the scope, something caught his attention.

"Wh—"

[Shit! It’s a decoy!]

The scream came through the comms raw and panicked, the urgency nerve-racking. Deadeye saw it before the warning even reached him, his heart skipping a beat.

"!"

The kid they had been commissioned to assassinate, the kid a blade was supposed to have run through, crossed the road and dashed toward him with speed that should have been impossible given his realm.

"Oh no."