Assassination Attempt [2]

Craig's broken body trembled violently against the scorched earth.

His vision was a blur of crimson and smoke, his internal organs feeling as though they were being torn apart by the ongoing collision between his Sword Runner Ascension and the undigested 2nd-Tier core.

Yet, even as cold sweat and dark blood soaked into the ash beneath his cheek, his mind remained sharply, sovereignly alert.

He could hear every breath, every footstep, and the distinct, terrible whistle of steel being drawn from its sheath.

"Slice off his head," the Sword Sage leader had ordered.

Before the words could even fully fade into the humid air, one of the four ghost-masked Sword Runners broke formation.

He moved like a shadow across the clearing, his boots whispering over the dirt as he closed the distance in a fraction of a second.

High above his bone-white mask, his curved katana gleamed with a deadly, thin layer of concentrated aura.