"Be careful how you judge a book by its cover. Some people end up biting back hard," Noir said as he began to grow rapidly, his body expanding until he stood as tall as a small house. In a flash, he exploded forward toward the assassin.
The speed with which Noir launched himself was like that of a lightning mage. His acceleration rivaled—if not surpassed—the assassin's,
and in a split second, before the assassin could react, a massive paw slammed into his head, sending him crashing into a tree, shattering it completely and nearly uprooting its roots.
Hmph! My strength has grown so much these past few months, Noir thought as he skidded to a halt and looked up to see the gorilla dashing toward Grey, who responded by conjuring an earth fist and hurling it at the beast. The attack slammed into it, pushing the creature backward.
"Noir! Help me hold the beast for a few minutes. I need to pay back that assassin for nearly killing Arthur!" Grey shouted as he sprinted toward the area the assassin had crashed into, the beast hot on his heels.
"I don't take orders from you," Noir muttered as the beast moved to pass him.
"But I don't like being ignored." A laser beam shot from his horn, sizzling toward the beast. It hastily raised an ice wall to block, but the beam sliced clean through.
"I have the power to end this fight... but I enjoy toying with my opponents more," Noir said with a sharp-toothed smirk. With a bang, he charged forward.
The beast fired ice and earth shards alternately, each shard slamming into the ground with force that caused the earth to tremble. But Noir evaded them all with ease.
Leaping into the air, Noir appeared in front of the beast and, from his mouth, launched two enormous fireballs—each nearly twice the size of Grey's.
The fireballs slammed into the beast, scorching its black fur and sending it skidding across the field.
In an instant, Noir vanished from its view and reappeared behind it, delivering a crushing blow to its head with his paw, nearly making the beast tumble.
The gorilla swung its arm in retaliation, but Noir vanished again, the gust from the attack creating a shockwave that rippled through the area.
"Tch! Too slow," Noir scoffed, reappearing in front of the beast. A single laser beam shot from his horn and pierced its shoulder, creating a smoking bullet hole. "Guess your skin ain't that tough!"
While Noir fought the beast, Grey stood before the assassin, who was groaning and slowly getting to his feet.
"Damn that little wolf!" the assassin cursed, blood dripping down his forehead. He lifted his head, only to find a brown-haired boy standing over him, blood staining his mouth, his eyes burning with fury.
"Now that the beast's being handled, how about a little rematch?!" Grey growled and smashed his knee into the assassin's jaw, jerking his head back. Before he could recover, Grey grabbed him midair and shot upward with wind magic, the force bending nearby trees away.
"Let me go, you accursed child!" the assassin shouted, lightning crackling in his hand as he prepared to strike.
"Gladly," Grey replied, releasing him.
The assassin plummeted several meters before Grey rocketed down after him, kicking off the air with blinding speed.
As he neared, Grey coated his hand in earth and delivered a devastating punch, blood bursting from the assassin's mouth as he crashed into the ground, creating a crater from the impact.
His eyes rolled back, but Grey jolted him with a lightning bolt, forcing him to his feet. The dazed assassin stood unsteadily, only to notice a shadow looming over him.
Looking up, he saw five wind blades, three fireballs, two lightning bolts, and twelve earth shards all aimed at him.
"I'm feeling generous, so choose how you want to die," Grey said with a smirk.
"Me? Die?! Haha! So delusional!" the assassin laughed. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Grey, fist cocked, but Grey had already vanished and reappeared behind him.
The assassin spun and charged again, but Grey's lightning-boosted boots let him dodge with ease, weaving effortlessly between the attacks.
"I know you're frustrated by how I keep dodging," Grey taunted as he ducked another punch. "It's simple—I can sense whenever you're about to attack."
"Arghhhhhh!" the assassin roared in frustration, unleashing bolts of lightning in every direction in a desperate attempt to hit Grey.
"Tch. Without your mirage magic, you're nothing. You would've died a long time ago if it weren't for that meddling beast," Grey said, hurling a wind blade that severed the assassin's hand.
The assassin, blinded by rage, didn't even realize he was missing a hand. He kept firing lightning bolts wildly, screaming incoherently.
"I… I will not lose! I will complete my task! My reputation as a task completer won't be tarnished!" he shouted, continuing to attack at random.
Dodging with ease, Grey appeared behind him, his fist now sheathed in thick, heavy earth.
"Well, too bad your reputation's already in shambles. You picked the wrong target," Grey said before slamming his fist into the assassin's skull, knocking him to the ground with a sickening thud.
"Earth Magic: Bind!" he shouted. Pillars of earth rose around the assassin, wrapping around his limbs and pinning him in place. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free.
"How… how… how have I lost? Why have I lost?" the assassin cried, tears trailing down his cheeks—just as four wind blades began to hover above his head.
'I knew it, I felt it when I was taking that task. My gut feelings were telling me something was wrong and I wish I listened to my feelings.
Arghh! It's all that hunched back man's fault! If he hadn't tasked with this mission which came with a lot of coins, I wouldn't be here... In this situation. If only... If only I can be free, I would teach him a lesson! Arghhhhhh!' the assassin screamed in his head.
"You lost the moment you decided to face me," Grey whispered, and with a snap of his fingers, the wind blades shot downward, piercing the assassin and ending his life.
'Although you were also human like me, I will never hesitate to kill those who try to kill me. Because if I die, Mum and Jesse would be heartbroken,' Grey thought.