“The legend is fake you say? Then why don’t you come and try it for yourself? Boy–” Ben said, as he pointed his dagger towards Hollard.
At this moment, there was not one ounce of fear in Ben’s body, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice.
He knew that he was the better fighter between himself and Hollard, and he was not shy to prove it.
On one side, Hollard was being closed down by 6 Virex Corps members, but on the other he had to face Ben Faulkner.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Hollard eventually decided to test the mettle of Ben Faulkner as he got up from his ass and sprinted towards Ben in a frantic attack.
*Shing*
*Shing*
*Shing*
Hollard, fuelled by adrenaline and a desperation to survive, tried his best to disarm and kill Ben, however, let alone killing him, Hollard could not even scratch the legend, as Ben was faster, stronger and more technical than him in his counter.
*Slash*
*Slash*
*Slash*
Leo and the Virex Corps members watched on in awe as Ben began to systematically dismantle Hollard at inhuman speeds.
Every third attack that he produced, managed to break through Hollard’s defenses and land a nasty gash on him, as even without using any special abilities or his signature skills, Ben overpowered Hollard in a one on one battle.
‘So fucking cool-‘ Leo thought, as he saw his master in a proper battle for the first time ever and realised that the spar that Ben had with him while training was only child’s play for him, while his true strength was leagues above.
Hollard was by no means a weak or easy opponent.
He was fast, accurate and a lethal assassin that even 10 Leo’s would be unable to defeat together, however, in front of Ben, he was no different than a powerless child.
“How? How are you so fast? How can you read my moves before I even make them?
You are just a washed up old man who was guarding our doors, how are you still so strong?” Hollard questioned, as he could not even keep up with Ben’s hand movements once it sped up beyond a point, as Ben began carving his body up like it was an origami contest.
Usually, Ben would not have been so ruthless with his attacks, however, Hollard had publicly humiliated his worth, and although he was a free man now, Ben did not wish to be mistaken as a weak man.
To maintain his image as a fearsome legend, Ben decided to go above and beyond in this one fight, as he deliberately made a show in front of the Virex Corps, to remind them that he was still the same old Ben Faulkner, capable of killing the Emperor if he chose to.
“I was never a washed up old man even when I was guarding your doors” Ben replied, as he landed a final large slash across abdomen, which caused all of his innards to spill outwards, as Hollard dropped to his knees.
“Before, I simply had no purpose to live…. No purpose to fight.
However, with my disciple alongside me, I finally have a reason to live again” Ben said, as he kicked Hollard square across his chin and dropped him flat to the floor.
“I’ll stop here. Lest you fools dare conspire and charge me of murder” Ben said, as he stared down the Virex Corps members with a murderous glare, warning them to not paint this incident as a murder, for they very well knew it was not.
“Of course we won’t-” The squad leader of the Virex Corps said as he walked up to the unconscious Hollard and stabbed three daggers into his brain, to end his suffering.
“Is what he said true? Were you truly not the leader of the Night Guild?” The squad leader asked, as Ben turned his back towards the Virex Corps members and began walking towards the tunnel’s exit.
“I owe you no answers… I’m a free man” Ben said, refusing to confirm or deny their speculations as he rejoined Leo and signaled for him to follow and keep up.
“Send my regards to the Emperor. Tell him to let me be and not paint me as a rebel and a fugitive.
Tell him that I know his schemes better than anyone else and that I know where to find him” Ben threatened, as before the Virex Corps leader could respond to this threat he dropped a bunch of smoke bombs near the exit and disappeared into the wind alongside Leo.
Although this incident was purely coincidental, the impact it had on the minds of the Virex Corps members was unbelievable.
Once Ben disappeared, there were a few who silently gulped a mouthful of saliva, while the leader of the squad felt his knees going weak, as he stumbled to the nearby tunnel wall for support.
“Ben Faulkner is terrifying! Not only did he see through the ambush of Hollard, he even escaped through the carnage unharmed and turned the ambush against Hollard.
However, not only did he turn the ambush against Hollard, but also saw through the Emperor’s schemes to paint him as a rebel and a fugitive and has now asked us to deliver a threat to the Emperor.
Nobody but the kingslayer can be this terrifying.
The rumors of him being old and weak are baseless.
He’s still as vicious as ever” The squad leader murmured, as his squad members nodded in agreement.
Recalling Ben’s fast hand movements as he toyed with Hollard, they felt their own hair stand up against their skin as they realized that not even the six of them could ever hope to take down one Ben Faulkner down alone.
As a master assassin, he was in a league of his own and it was only those who had witnessed him in action that could really understand just how brutally strong Ben Faulkner really was.
——-