Chapter 48: The Greatest Thief in History, Section 3

The mocking voice still rang in their ears. Even after escaping from the Blood-Eyed Governor’s residence, the poor Moorish officer couldn’t understand why the usually irritable Blood-Eyed Governor hadn’t reacted upon hearing that voice—instead, he showed a look of surprise.

His strong curiosity made the Moorish officer want to stay a little longer, but unfortunately, it turned out that in this empire, the Blood-Eyed Governor wasn’t the only one who favored violence. That casually speaking visitor seemed to belong to the same category as well.

So, the poor Moorish officer still couldn’t avoid being flung out of the room. The only difference was that he didn’t land face-first but with his entire body. Like a lump of mud, he splattered against the wall across the room with a thud, leaving a distinct human-shaped mark on it as he slid down.

“Tch…” The door closed.

At the same time, an extremely cold murderous intent suddenly erupted, sweeping through the entire room like a storm. Hei Ba and Monkey felt suffocated instantly, their clothes pressed tightly to their skin by that murderous aura. Hei Ba could still cope, but Monkey shuddered involuntarily.

Just then, the Blood-Eyed Governor, who had been standing in front of them, let out a light snort and slammed the table hard. With a loud crash, he leaped into the air like a lion. Before he even reached them, a blade flashed out of nowhere, cutting through the air and heading straight for Hei Ba and Monkey’s necks.

So fast!

A faint smile appeared on Hei Ba’s lips. After all this time, it seemed the Blood-Eyed Governor’s skills hadn’t declined. An attack this sharp—probably even he couldn’t match it. But…

Such a grand move was rather childish.

Did the Blood-Eyed Governor think of him as a novice? Such an aerial attack only worked when one had absolute superiority over the opponent. Otherwise…

Hei Ba gently sidestepped, just in time to avoid the slashing blade. With his right hand, he pulled Monkey in front of him.

“Ow! Head, save me!”

Monkey was terrified, no longer as calm as before. While trying to shrink back, he quickly pulled out a dagger and met the blade head-on. With a crisp “ding,” the exquisite dagger flew into the air.

At that moment, the Blood-Eyed Governor, who should have been in front of them, had disappeared.

It was like a true ghost. The figure with blood-red eyes that had leaped high suddenly twisted and vanished without a trace from the sight of the black-haired man and the monkey. Before the monkey’s dagger could even hit the ground, a cold murderous intent erupted suddenly from behind the two of them. It was like a razor-sharp spike that pierced straight into their hearts in an instant.

“Hmm, this isn’t bad!” The black-haired man was surprised and then chuckled lightly. He shifted his toes slightly; his body remained motionless, yet he left his original position in an instant. Immediately afterward, he stretched out his right hand and grasped into the void.

“Tch!” With a soft sound, an unremarkable gray blade suddenly appeared in his right hand. The blade was filled with coldness, but it couldn’t even scratch a hair on the black-haired man’s body. Then, behind the blade, a shadow gradually took shape.

Palms, arms, body—the shadow became clearer as it twisted. When it finally stabilized, wasn’t it Blood-Eyes? The former assassin showed no sign of surprise, as if it were only natural to be caught by the black-haired man. Upon seeing himself revealed, he immediately took action without hesitation.

Abandon it!

Abandon what?

The knife!!

For an assassin who fights entirely on his own strength, his weapon is his only reliable companion. If he abandons even that, it only means he is close to death. Everyone, including the black-haired man, understood this well.

What about Blood-Eyes? Did he understand? If he did, would he still give up his weapon?

No one knew. But Blood-Eyes answered with his actions. The moment he revealed himself, he discarded his knife, stepped back, pressed his body tightly against the wall behind him, and then vanished from the sight of the black-haired man and the monkey. The wall remained smooth as if Blood-Eyes had never existed.

“Heh, coming again?” The black-haired man became interested. With a flick of his toes, he appeared in front of the wall. He moved his left hand slightly and threw a fierce punch.

“Bang!” A loud thud echoed. A hole the size of a washbasin appeared on the metal wall. The surrounding metal sank in as if struck by a heavy hammer, revealing the black-haired man’s terrifying strength. Yet Blood-Eyes still didn’t reappear, and even the murderous intent from earlier had vanished.

Seeing this, the monkey, though eager to act, had no choice but to step back and give the space between them to the black-haired man and Blood-Eyes.

In the silent room, the black-haired man slowly walked to the center. He looked around—everything was in disarray from their intense activity earlier. A window was wide open, allowing a gentle breeze to flow in, lightly moving the curtains.

Seeing this, the black-haired man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “Bloodpupil, you still haven’t lost your skills from when you were a killer. But if you think you can knock me out just by sneaking up, don’t you think that’s a bit ridiculous? After all, I’m still human. As long as I’ve existed, there must be proof of it.”

“What?” The monkey beside him widened his eyes, but no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find the “proof” the black-haired man was talking about.

But the black-haired man ignored the monkey’s reaction and began moving slowly, creeping along the edges of the room, still wearing that lazy smile. It seemed careless, yet every step was precise—his distance from the walls seemed to be measured exactly. When he reached a corner of the room, near Bloodpupil’s desk, he suddenly stopped, letting out a soft exclamation. His gaze fell on the top document in the pile on the desk.

“Hey, is this the document you received? Can I take a look?”

“Do whatever you want, if you can take it down to hell,” a voice suddenly interrupted the black-haired man. At the same time, the wall behind him split open like a curtain. Bloodpupil rushed through, still in mid-air, his right hand extending like a venomous snake toward the black-haired man’s neck. With such ferocity, it seemed certain death awaited him. Even the monkey beside him was caught off guard by this sudden change.

But just because he wasn’t prepared didn’t mean the black-haired man was. In the blink of an eye, he laughed heartily. His body remained slightly forward, but his right foot snapped upward like lightning, lifting him backward. Relying only on his left leg for support, he executed a whirlwind-like spin.

“I’ve been waiting for you! You little brat!!”

“What!?” Bloodpupil, still in mid-air, was shocked. But at such close range, and still in the midst of an attack, he had no time to react. The black-haired man’s foot struck first, and that whirlwind spin made the weak point Bloodpupil had targeted vanish instantly. In sheer panic, Bloodpupil had no chance to defend himself before being lifted into the air by the black-haired man’s kick.

“Bang!!” With a muffled sound, the poor Blood-Pupil crashed violently against the roof like a shell before tumbling down in disarray. The power of the Black-Haired man was immense, comparable to ancient monstrous beasts. Even Blood-Pupil, a highly skilled assassin, couldn’t withstand it. All his joints seemed to have been shattered by that single strike, and his muscles burned with excruciating pain!
Yet even so, the Black-Haired man showed no intention of stopping. Having achieved his goal in one move, he was merciless. Before pulling back his right foot, he used the momentum of his spin to lift himself up like a whirlwind, meeting Blood-Pupil as he fell. Without hesitation, he launched a series of combined attacks!
“No!! Wait, head!! I was wrong…” Blood-Pupil screamed in terror.
“It’s too late, you brat. It’s been a long time. I’ve been planning to teach you a lesson. Hahaha… You brought yourself here, saving me the trouble of looking for you.” The Black-Haired man laughed maniacally, his fists and feet moving nonstop. In the blink of an eye, hundreds more strikes landed, each one causing Blood-Pupil to cry out in pain. By the time he hit the ground, his face was swollen, and he seemed to have gained a whole circle in size.
It was only then that the Black-Haired man finally stopped. He stretched his limbs comfortably and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Hmm, moving around like this is indeed the best way to stay strong…”
“Exactly, especially when there’s someone foolish enough to serve as a punching bag—it’s absolutely delightful.” The Monkey nodded repeatedly, casting a challenging look at Blood-Pupil on the ground.
“What, why are you staring? If you’re not convinced, how about we have a fight too?”
“No! Wait until I recover!!” Blood-Pupil immediately chose to back down. He struggled to stand up, his muscles aching so much that his face twitched.
“Ouch. Head, you really went too far. After not seeing each other for so long, you give me such a ‘gift.’ I’ve been working hard to protect your property for you—this is really unfair. By the way, how did you find me? Stealth is my specialty; there shouldn’t be any flaws, right?”
“Yeah, head, how did you find him?” The Monkey also became curious and turned his gaze toward the Black-Haired man.
Faced with their curious looks, the Black-Haired man merely smiled mysteriously, nodded toward the window, and said one word:
“Wind…”