The assassins tensed, their bodies aching but their minds racing.


    "It''s that you keep trying," Lyerin said, letting out augh that echoed through the trees like a haunting melody. "Despite everything—despite your utterck of hope, your ring weaknesses, your predictable strategies—you keep going. It''s endearing, in a way. Like watching children y at being warriors."


    Miriam''s eyes darted to Donovan, then to Mikhail, and finally to Theran. They all caught her gaze, understanding flickering in their expressions. The Younger Woman, clutching her side, gave a barely perceptible nod.


    Lyerin continued his speech, his hands gesturing theatrically as if addressing an invisible audience. "You see, that''s what separates me from you. I don''t fight because I have to. I don''t fight because I''m desperate or because I fear death. No, I fight because I enjoy it. I revel in it. And that, my dear little Borgias assassins, is what makes me unstoppable."


    The assassins'' silent exchange grew more intense. Their breaths quickened as they prepared themselves, drawing on reserves of strength and mana they hadn''t even known they still possessed.


    Lyerin spun around, his arms outstretched as if inviting the heavens themselves to apud him. "You''ve given me quite the show tonight. Really, you should be proud. Few have ever managed to keep my attention for this long. And yet, here you are, battered and broken, yet still alive. How very..." He paused, his grin widening. "...persistent."


    Donovan''s lips moved, a whisper barely audible to anyone but hisrades. "Now."


    The moment the word left his mouth, the assassins sprang into action. The air around them seemed to shimmer as they unleashed a coordinated burst of mana, their auras ring to life like dying stars reigniting for one final ze of glory.


    Miriam moved first, her hands weaving intricate sigils in the air as she summoned tendrils of eldritch energy that crackled with malevolent power. Theran followed, his blood magic erupting in a violent arc that surged toward Lyerin like a crimson tidal wave. Donovan and Mikhail struck from opposite sides, their des glinting in the pale moonlight as they aimed for Lyerin''s blind spots. The Younger Woman, her movements fluid despite her injuries, hurled a series of enchanted daggers that glowed with an ominous blue light.


    The forest was consumed by a cacophony of sound—crackling energy, the hiss of magic slicing through the air, the roar of Theran''s blood wave. For a brief, electrifying moment, it seemed as though theirbined efforts might actually seed.


    But then, as the chaos reached its crescendo, it was abruptly silenced.


    Lyerin didn''t move. He didn''t flinch, didn''t dodge, didn''t so much as blink. The attacks halted inches from his body, suspended in the air as though caught by some invisible force.


    His grin widened, and he slowly opened one eye, the violet orb glowing with an unsettling light. He tilted his head, regarding them with a mixture of amusement and mild annoyance.


    "Really?" he said, his voice calm butced with mockery. "That''s the best you''ve got?"


    The assassins froze, their hearts sinking as they realized the futility of their efforts. Their attacks hung in the air for a moment longer before dissipating into nothingness, leaving behind only the crushing weight of their failure.


    Lyerin let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he stepped toward them. "You''re bold, I''ll give you that," he said. "But boldness without strength is just stupidity."


    He stopped a few paces away, his hands resting casually at his sides. "Well, then," he said, his grin returning. "Shall we continue?"


    The forest grew unnaturally silent as Lyerin''s violet eyes zeroed in on the scarred man. His gaze, sharper than any de, pierced through the exhausted figure as though peeling back everyyer of his soul. The scarred man, despite his battered state, straightened his back and met Lyerin''s eyes with defiance, his jaw tightening in preparation for whatever torment would follow.


    Lyerin''s face twisted into a frown—a rare and terrible sight. "You," he said, his voice carrying a chill that sank deep into the marrow of the scarred man''s bones. The single word rang out like a hammer striking an anvil, and even the other assassins flinched at the weight of it. "You''ve been holding back."


    The scarred man''s lips parted, his voice rasping with exhaustion, but he could barely form words before Lyerin interrupted, his tone rising with venomous disdain. "Don''t even bother with excuses," Lyerin spat, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. His boots ground against the dirt, each step echoing like a death knell. "I can see it. I feel it. You''re not giving me everything. And you know what, my dear boring little insect? That''s a sin far worse than failure." Experience more tales on empire


    The scarred man remained silent, though his fists clenched at his sides. His entire body trembled from exertion, from fury, and from the growing weight of his despair.


    Lyerin stopped a mere breath away from him, his tall frame looming like a shadow of death itself. He leaned in slightly, his grin devoid of any humor, reced by a chilling intensity. "You are not fun," he hissed, his words dripping with disappointment. "You think I don''t notice? You think I can''t see it in your eyes, in your movements? You''re holding back because you don''t value this little game of ours. Because you''re afraid. And that—" he paused, his grin returning, wider, more deranged—"is uneptable."


    The scarred man said nothing, his chest heaving as he tried to summon any ounce of strength he could find. Lyerin''s eyes glittered with a sadistic glee, and he took a step back, spreading his arms as though addressing an audience only he could see. "Ah, but fear not," he dered, his voice rising with theatrical ir. "I am nothing if not merciful. And so, my little insect, I''ll help you understand what it means to truly put your life on the line."


    With a snap of his fingers, the bugs appeared. They skittered out of the shadows, their grotesque forms gleaming in the faint light. Their bodies, ck and shiny like polished obsidian, moved with an unnatural fluidity. Their mandibles clicked together in a symphony of hunger that sent chills down the spines of everyone present.