Chapter 1703 Confrontation
Rui walked down the crowded path in a rural district of a bustling town. His attire was...strange, to say the least. He wore things he never had before. A dark Martial Art attire, with a cape-like dark robe over it. A hood extended over his head, covering his mask-adorned head. He looked like he was trying to cosplay as darkness itself. It was very embarrassing, but Master Reina insisted that it was just right.
Today, he was not Rui Quarrier.
Today, he was the one who had come to kill Rui Quarrier.
Today, he was the Voidreaper. The assassin that hunted other assassins. He set himself into that mindset as he took on more silent and darker body language. Yet no power, not even the slightest ounce of threat, could be felt like him. Amongst Martial Artists, that was perhaps a sign of weakness, but amongst assassins, it was the reverse. It was a sign of power.
Assassins were not showmen; they did not flex their power or lethality in broad daylight to inform everyone around them of their threat.
They did not draw attention.
Despite his get-up, not a single person in the bustling flea market so much as turned a head towards him.
He was invisible.
He had activated Greater Phantomind Void to throw any and everybody off his trail.
Eventually, he stopped, having arrived at a certain inconspicuous shed.
Most would never deign to pay it attention.
That was precisely why his contractors had chosen this as a place to conduct the briefing. When he extended his senses inside, he found that Riemannian Echo was still reluctantly able to sense through it. Their security measures were not the absolute best that he had ever seen, although they were still extremely good.
That gave him even more clues as to who he was dealing with. He quickly made a few adjustments to the evaluations of the probabilities of the identities of his employer.
CLACK
He opened the little rattling door, crouching his way to fit in through the narrow door as he entered the little shed, taking a row of stairs down, arriving at a more pristine area.
A door was the only way forward.
Yet, it was guarded.
"Name and verification," A masked Martial Master coldly demanded from him.
A single thought flashed through Rui's mind at that moment.
'My deductions were accurate. It is somebody native to the Kandrian Empire. There would be no need to mask a Martial Master if they were not native. The fact that this is even being conducted in such a location is also evidence.'
Rui simply stared at the Master for a second, before reaching in to his robes, pulling out a little token, handing it to the Master. "Voidreaper."
"I've heard things like you're really strong. And that..." His eyes narrowed.
The air grew electric.
"...And that you kill assassins like us for a living."
The others exhibited various reactions; some didn't do so much as twitch, while some watched on with interest.
The man with the gas mask stared holes into Rui while the scantly-clothed woman featured a seductive smile, licking her lips.
SHIIIING
Rui opened his eyes at the noise of a blade being unsheathed, turning to the lean man who was slowly drawing his blade.
"I'm sure the others will agree," his voice was sharp.
"Assassination is already such a dangerous and risky business," His tone grew dangerous.
"Almost all of us are doomed to die miserable deaths long before we reach the end of our lifespans."
The atmosphere grew taut.
"It's already so hard being an assassin..." He remarked. "We can't have a bastard like you running around making it even harder, can we?"
The atmosphere grew perilous.
"Any last words?" Rui's eyes shifted to meet his.
Four words escaped his mouth.
"Come at your peril."
A grin appeared on the man's voice.
"Heh, so he speaks, well, for his last words, those weren't too ba-"
CLACK
The door opened as a well-attired businesswoman accompanied by four high-grade Martial Seniors walked in, accompanied by a staff of assistants.
All of them were masked.
"Welcome to Kandria, assassins of the Underworld," She calmly replied. "I am speaking to you on behalf of your employers; you may address me as M. I will be briefing you on the specifications of our commission, after which you can decide whether you wish to sign the contract or not."
