Timeless Assassin

(Sanfe City, Dupravel's POV)

*BOOM*

A section of the abandoned school building crumbled into dust as Su Pei's [Heaven-Piercing Arc] slashed through the entire structure and even a neighbouring house along with it.

Dupravel didn't bother clashing with it head-on, as he blinked out of sight mid-movement, hopping backwards from one roof-top to another, deliberately maintaining a set distance while Su Pei gave chase.

"Running like a rat?" Su Pei tried to bait.

"How disappointing. I thought Monarchs fought their battles with pride….. even if they were affiliated with the Evil Cult."

Dupravel snorted as he landed atop a broken roof-top and spun, flicking a pair of daggers downward at his feet.

Behind him, the ground erupted the moment Su Pei touched it, as [Crimson Snaproot] vines burst from the concrete in an explosion of mana, wrapping around his ankles like iron chains before igniting with condensed flame.

*FWOOM*

Su Pei let out a grunt and flexed his legs as he broke free of the restraints with sheer force.

*Thud*

A moment later, he once again landed on Dupravel's tail, but needed to use mana to douse the fire that had caught onto his robes and charred his boots.

"Grunting from such a small attack? I expected more from you, even if you're affiliated to the cowardly Su Clan." Dupravel retorted, as Su Pei cracked his neck in response.

"Wow... I can't believe I let that attack hit. I must be getting rusty." He said, before letting out an amused smile.

Dupravel's eyes narrowed. That was the kind of smile that didn't belong on the face of someone worried of losing a battle, as alarm bells instantly started to ring in his head.

*WOOSH*

Su Pei shot up like a missile, his body blurring through the air with a trail of golden aura as he drew back his blade and unleashed [Starfall Cleave], a downward slash so heavy that it collapsed the building they were fighting on in one fell swoop, burying Dupravel under rubble.

But the instant the dust rose—

*SHINK*

A dagger flew out sideways, striking Su Pei's shoulder mid-air.

The blade hissed as it pierced his armor, laced with a paralyzing toxin.

Su Pei winced but didn't flinch. "Poisoned blades? What are you, a sewer rat or a back-alley whore?"

"Call me what you want," Dupravel's voice echoed from behind as he leapt out from a side corridor, already mid-throw with a trio of curved knives aimed at Su Pei's knees, collarbone, and elbow.

*TING* *TING* *TING*

The monarch spun and deflected all three with swift precision, but his eyes narrowed as his foot touched down on a suspiciously wet piece of street tile.

*CLICK*

*BOOOOM*

[Explosion Glyph] detonated at his feet, engulfing him in a spiraling pillar of fire and throwing him across the plaza.

Dupravel took a breath, crouching low behind a broken carriage as he quickly dipped another blade into a vial of highly acidic venom.

"Still too early to go for the kill," he muttered to himself. "First let's damage his armor."

Su Pei emerged from the smoke cloud moments later, coughing once, his once pristine military robes tattered as it revealed the glowing marks along his forearm.

Since he had been cut by Dupravel's poisoned blade, he was forced to circulate mana to isolate that region and keep the poison from spreading.

"Cute tricks," Su Pei said as he wiped soot off his cheek. "But you're starting to bore me."

With a roar, he raised his hand and cast a domain spell.

[Heavenly Domain: Weight of the Ancients], turning the surrounding hundred meters into a crushing gravity field.

The sky shimmered and the very air grew heavier, as Dupravel's knees buckled slightly, his cloak flapping downward like it had been soaked in lead.

"Hah... You like running like a rat, masked man? Try doing that now," Su Pei grinned.

Dupravel's body pulsed with mana as he activated [Veilstep Mirage], his form blurring into five illusions that scattered in every direction.

Su Pei didn't even blink.

"Tricks of this level don't work on me…." He said, as he immediately chased after the real figure, only for his foot to land on yet another trap set by Dupravel.

*BZZZTTT*

*KABOOM*

A powerful bolt of lightning suddenly materialised from nowhere, and struck Su Pei on his shoulders, as the Monarch frustratingly grit his teeth in annoyance.

The constant traps were hindering his battle rhythm, and making it very difficult for him to actually focus on his opponents movements.

"Damn…. You're lucky we are in the middle of a city, because if I were not, I would have unleashed my true power and gotten rid of this entire district, turning it into a flat ground." Su Pei said, as he grabbed his sword with both hands and unleashed the attack [Invisible Slash].

*Cut*

Dupravel's eyes widened in shock, as an invisible blade slash sent him flying across the street, blood trailing in the air.

*Crash*

He crashed through a fruit stall and skidded to a halt near the abandoned library steps, coughing blood.

"Oh yeah, He's still a monster," Dupravel muttered, brushing broken porcelain from his cheek.

Su Pei walked forward, dragging his sword along the ground, golden sparks flying with each step.

"You're fast, I'll give you that," Su Pei admitted, his expression sharpening. "And annoyingly persistent. But you don't belong with the Cult, you don't know a single signature technique that those bastards use."

Dupravel stood again, wiping blood from his chin.

"I don't need to belong anywhere," he said, voice low. "I just need to win."

He snapped his fingers, and a glyph hidden behind Su Pei detonated, sending a chain of [Piercing Lance Mines] flying at him from behind.

Su Pei turned just in time to raise his blade and activate [Steel Guard Mantle], a defensive skill that cloaked his body in hardened mana plating.

*Shatter*

The lances shattered upon contact, sparks flying like fireworks, but one slipped through and grazed his side.

Su Pei staggered for half a second, steadying his breath as a faint streak of blood dripped down his hip.

"Can you even fight without relying on tricks?" He asked, as Dupravel responded with silence, spinning a dagger in each hand as he took a defensive stance atop the library ledge.

The two stared at each other for a moment, both breathing hard, both bloodied, both calculating their next move.

Then, Su Pei spoke again.

"The more I fight you, the more I feel like I've seen this fighting style before."

Dupravel froze, ever so slightly.

Su Pei continued.

"You fight like a snake. Precise. Fast. Always retreating. Always striking only when the odds tilt. Just like someone I remember... a certain someone they once called a Dragon Slayer."

He raised his blade again, eyes narrowing.

"Tell me honestly. Who are you really behind that mask?"