The air grew heavy with determination, the kind born from desperation and defiance. Despite the crushing weight of their exhaustion, Donovan, Theran, Miriam, Mikhail, and the Younger Woman refused to give up. Their breaths came in ragged gasps, their limbs trembled under the strain, but their eyes burned with an unyielding fire.


    Lyerin, standing tall and unbothered, regarded them with a mixture of amusement and anticipation. His sharp features caught the faint light of the moon, casting shadows that only enhanced his predatory aura. He cocked his head, his grin widening as he sped his hands behind his back. "Oh, so we''re doing this again?" he asked, his tone dripping with mockery. "By all means, entertain me."


    And they did.


    Donovan was the first to move, his de of mana igniting in a sh of brilliant blue. Heunched himself forward, his feet pounding against the ground, each step filled with purpose. The de hummed as he swung it, the energy crackling like thunder. Whizz. Snap. sh.


    Lyerin sidestepped the attack with a movement so fluid it was almost poetic. His dark eyes glinted with amusement as he raised a single finger to deflect the de. The force of the deflection sent Donovan stumbling backward, but before he could fall, Theran took his ce.


    Theran roared as he summoned his blood spears, the crimson weapons materializing in a blur of violent energy. He hurled them with devastating force, each one whistling through the air with a sound like a breaking storm. Hiss. Crack. Thud.


    But Lyerin moved faster. His form seemed to blur, bing almost intangible as he weaved between the spears. One spear grazed his coat, tearing through the fabric, but it didn''t even slow him down.


    "Close," Lyerin mused, ncing at the damaged coat. "But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."


    Miriam and Mikhail didn''t wait for their turn. They struck in unison, theirbined mana forming a massive orb of eldritch energy that shimmered with shifting colors. The orb pulsated with power, its surface alive with writhing tendrils of pure magic. With a shout, they hurled it toward Lyerin.


    The orb traveled with a deafening boom, the ground beneath it splitting and cracking as it passed. The sheer magnitude of the attack lit up the dark forest like a second sun, casting long shadows that danced eerily across the terrain.


    For a moment, it seemed as though they had seeded. The orb engulfed Lyerin, swallowing him whole in a storm of light and sound. Boom. Crackle. Roar.


    But as the light faded, the figure of Lyerin emerged,pletely unharmed. Hisughter was loud and unabashed, echoing through the forest like a symphony of mockery. "Now that," he said, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve, "was a decent attempt. I''ll even admit I felt a slight tingle."


    The assassins didn''t falter. They couldn''t afford to. The Younger Woman stepped forward, her hands trembling but steady as she summoned a storm of glowing needles. Each needle was infused with her remaining mana, their edges glinting like shards of ss. She unleashed them with a scream, her voice cracking under the weight of her desperation.


    Zap. Ping. Whoosh.


    The needles rained down on Lyerin in a deadly cascade, their trajectory unpredictable and chaotic. For the first time, Lyerin frowned, his expression betraying a flicker of annoyance. He raised his hands, conjuring a barrier of shimmering darkness that absorbed the needles one by one.


    "Interesting," he muttered, his tone contemtive. "A little unrefined, but interesting."


    Before the barrier could fully dissipate, Donovan attacked again, his de cutting through the air in a desperate arc. Theran followed, his blood spears striking from the opposite direction. Miriam and Mikhailunched a series of smaller orbs, each one aimed with deadly precision.


    It was a relentless assault, a symphony of violence and mana, each attack seamlessly following thest. Crash. sh. Boom. Hiss.


    But Lyerin was relentless, too. He moved through their attacks like a phantom, hisughter ringing out with every missed strike. He blocked, parried, and dodged with an elegance that was almost infuriating.


    "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted, his voice rising above the cacophony of battle. "I expected more from the so-called Borgias assassins." Read exclusive chapters at empire


    Thement struck a nerve, and their attacks grew more ferocious. Donovan roared as he poured thest of his mana into his de, the weapon glowing so brightly it almost hurt to look at. He swung it with everything he had, the force of the attack splitting the ground beneath him.


    Thoom. Crack. Splinter.


    The de connected—or so it seemed. But as the dust settled, it became clear that Lyerin had caught the de with his bare hand. He held it effortlessly, the glow of the weapon reflecting in his dark eyes.


    "Impressive," he said, his voice low and almost gentle. "But still…" He tightened his grip, and the de shattered into a thousand fragments. Shatter. Clink. Tinkle.


    "...not good enough."


    Donovan fell to his knees, thest of his strength leaving him. The others weren''t far behind, their bodies trembling, their breaths shallow.


    Lyerin stood amidst them, unscathed and unbothered. He looked down at them with a mixture of amusement and pity, his grin widening as he sped his hands behind his back. "You''ve got heart, I''ll give you that," he said, his tone almost kind. "But heart won''t save you. Not from me."


    He stepped back, hisughter rising once more. It was a sound that filled the forest, drowning out the rustling leaves and distant calls of night creatures. It was a sound that spoke of victory, of domination, of absolute power.


    "Come now," he said, his voice carrying an edge of mockery. "Surely you have more tricks up your sleeves. Or is this where the Borgias assassins finally meet their end?"


    The assassins exchanged weary nces, their bodies broken but their spirits unyielding. They had failed again, but they weren''t done yet. Not while they could still breathe.