The Two Faced Emperor

Faithless walked with the mysterious girl, but they took a path a bit far from the gate so they wouldn't be noticed by the guards.

They entered a narrow alley. The lamps flickered strangely, turning on and off. The ground was wet with water from the sewers… It was a filthy path, almost like a place where the homeless and criminals lived.

"What a strange place… does anyone live here?" Faithless spoke in an astonished tone as he looked around.

"In every city, there's always such a filthy area. Even the capital has many places where the poor and killers dwell," the mysterious girl replied in a deep voice.

'She knows this city well… and the capital too. It seems she hides many secrets,' Faithless muttered to himself in a low voice.

After walking for ten minutes, the two reached a long street connecting north and south. In front of them stood a giant wall, behind which lay the royal palace.

"This is the right place where you can sneak in and enter the palace, because the security in this area is almost nonexistent." The girl pointed with her thumb toward the wall.

"Let's say I got into the palace. Where can I find the imprisoned children?" Faithless asked the girl calmly.

"I'm not exactly sure, but while the palace looks small on the outside, in reality it hides many secret places. So I expect they're underground in some kind of cellar," the girl answered as she ran her fingers over the wall, drawing an imaginary map.

Faithless smiled and looked at the wall, speaking in a low voice:

"Either way, I'll turn the palace into a sea of blood… so it doesn't matter."

Faithless stepped back, then leapt with such force that he left a clear mark on the ground… The girl was shocked because a single jump from him did that.

Faithless landed on the edge of the wall, looking toward a large yard filled with trees and many gardens… There were guards carrying large burning torches to light their way.

The palace emitted a strange aura that filled you with disgust and unease… as if the stench of blood overflowed from it.

Most of the guards watched the palace closely, while only a few guarded the wall or other areas… The girl called out softly to Faithless:

"Is there anything you want to know before you go down there?"

Faithless looked at her and smiled, speaking in an indifferent tone:

"If you reveal everything, you'll ruin the fun of exploration for me."

Faithless jumped into the palace grounds… The girl spoke to herself as she pulled her hood over her head:

'What a fool… he thinks the palace is something amusing.'

Faithless hid behind a large tree, casting a simple glance toward two men talking near some tall grass.

"Did you hear the news?" the first guard spoke in a surprised tone.

"What news? I went to the bathroom for a few minutes, and it seems huge events happened." The second guard wiped his head with a towel.

"The guards have spread out across the entire city just minutes ago to enforce a curfew to catch someone who killed the black order," the first guard whispered, looking around.

"What are you saying???" The towel fell from the second guard's hand, and he spoke in a loud tone.

"What's wrong with you? Lower your voice! As I said, there's someone called Fate of Nothing who killed the black order and sent their heads to the tavern," the first guard said, placing his index finger on his chin.

"It was just a fake announcement… For ten years many people tried and couldn't complete the mission or return alive… How did that bastard kill them?" The second guard was shocked, placing his palm on his head.

"I don't know myself… and not just him, there was also a tall girl with him. Her face looked royal, as if from a distant continent… Probably she helped him in the mission. And they had two girls with them," the first guard gripped his sword, eyeing the corners of the walls and trees.

"And now the black guards have spread out to look for them?" the second guard asked in surprise.

"That's right. Under the command of the noble 'Nylon'. From what I heard, the city mayor wants them dead or alive," the first guard spoke with a worried tone.

"Looks like a great massacre is about to happen in the Emerald Lost City." The second guard looked at the black clouds gathering a huge amount of angry rain that would fall tonight.

Faithless listened carefully to them, taking in every word that came from their mouths. Darkness hovered around his face from the negative thoughts that plagued him…

'I'm worried about the two girls… but why am I worried in the first place? That Marianne isn't an ordinary girl… she's the blood demoness… she could crush that noble and cut off his head easily,' Faithless muttered to himself.

And he continued in the same tone, placing his palm on his face:

"The two girls will be safe because they're under the protection of the blood demoness."

As he wanted to take another look, his eyes glowed golden. He placed his five fingers on them… and heard Antrios's voice speaking to him:

"How are you, big brother?"

"And is this the right time for jokes?" Faithless spoke in a deep tone.

And he continued:

"Your appearance now means something important. What is it?"

"It seems you're on a mission that I see as the best to unleash the assassin skill," Antrios spoke in a deep tone.

"Assassin skill? And what exactly is that?" Faithless asked in surprise.

Antrios spoke in a mysterious tone:

"The assassin skill appears at the necessary moment when you enter a place where you want to sneak in and kill in hiding."

And he added in the same tone:

"You will use only two weapons — the dagger 'Hermes' and a chain called 'Apollo'. These will be very useful for you in this mission."

"And how do I use them?"

"All you have to do is say the name of the weapon you want, just like you did with the weapon Rebliuam…" Antrios answered him calmly.

A wide smile spread across Faithless's lips… Antrios noticed that strange, eerie, exaggerated smile.

"How insane you are… you clown."

The golden light of his eyes faded… He removed his five fingers from his face, and his eyes changed from golden to black with a white dot in the center. His face was smeared with red and yellow (the clown).

He smiled widely as he looked at his palm and spoke in a cold tone:

"Hermes." A burning golden glow appeared in his palm, until he grasped a medium-sized dagger, very sharp, with decorations and words in an incomprehensible language. Strangely, the blade seemed to smile at you.

The clouds clashed, lightning lit up the sky, and the rain's first drops fell on Faithless as he hid behind the tree. He pulled his hair back with his five fingers and continued in the same cold tone:

"From hunting to assassination… is this Hermes's Judgment."