Rn raised his arms up, preparing for a fight.


    He scanned the two beggars who attacked him out of the blue. Based on their engagements just now, he can tell that they are not your run-of-the-mill fighters. They are pros who are trained to fight, like Karim, the first ck Hand agent he had encountered five years ago in Find.


    "ck Hand demands it, you say?" Rn repeated the words of the ck Hand operatives. "Then that means you two are working for that infamous international syndicate…"


    Rn paused, contemting for a second. How did those two find him here? Did someone follow him here? No, he had been keeping an eye out around him whenever he went for a trip to the safe house. Then that means they have snuck past his senses. They are truly seasoned pros. In that case, the safehouse location ispromised. He has to inform them to evacuate the safehouse immediately. But he knew he couldn''t, not at this moment. He has to kill the two ck Hand operatives standing in the way.


    "He''s the one with the Emperor, brother. It must have been him who killed Karim in Find."


    "Karim died to this guy? He must''ve not taken him seriously in a fight. Well, he deserves it if that was the case."


    "But be careful brother…this guy has a reputation in the Ruthenian Army, the man called ''The Reaper''."


    "Then killing this guy is worth the while. Okay then…"


    The ck Hand agent who is armed with a crowbar stomped his feet forward, dashing towards Rn with his crowbar raised over his head.


    Rn braced and looked straight at the crowbar agent. One could see the intention of any person from the eye. By doing so, he''ll know what his enemy is going to do.


    The ck Hand operative brought down his crowbar, attempting to smash Rn''s head. Rn nimbly sidestepped and the crowbar hit nothing but air.


    Now, the opportunity opened. The ck Hand armed with a crowbar is wide open due to the momentum pushing his body forward. It''ll be easy for him to punch him in the face.


    Rn threw a punch and just as his fist was about tond in the man''s face, Rn stopped midway and pulled his arm back.


    "What the…" Rn was stunned, the crowbar agent had already regained control and swung the crowbar up. If he hadn''t stopped his fist there, his arm would have been broken.


    The crowbar agent continued swinging his crowbar wildly, pushing Rn to the corner.


    Rn cursed inwardly, he can''t afford to get cornered by the two assants with weapons. So he sprang into action by nting his body to the left and turned around to reposition himself in the center of the alley.


    The crowbar agent pursued. Rn performed a spinning kick.


    The crowbar agent who saw the attack slowed abruptly and ducked, while the knife agent behind him flipped over the crowbar agent''s back and swung his knife downward, gashing Rn''s cheek.


    Rn winced in pain but the wince turned into a groan as the kicknded on his sr plexus, sending him rolling down the ground.


    "Brother…is this what he got? Come on, he is the feared Reaper, I am expecting more from him," the knife agent sneered, ridiculing Rn. "I''m very disappointed."


    "You''re right brother…maybe he earned that title for killing hundreds of conscripts with no formal training. This must be his first encounter with an enemy who knows how to fight," the crowbar agent sniggered.


    "Well Karim was a real fighter…maybe it was really luck," the agent smiled deridingly, shing the de of his knife with Rn''s blood trickling in it.


    "Do you guys always bber in the middle of the fight?" Rn stood up, his eyes twitching from the pain pulsating in his stomach. "You have been talking nonsense ever since and it''s getting irritating. So why don''t we end this?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The ck Hand agents looked at one another and broke out inughter.


    "Brother…do you believe this guy? He is still not realizing it."


    "But brother he is right, we should end this and get our reward from the shepherdne—I mean shepherd."


    The crowbar agent sighed as he reluctantly epted his brother''s words.


    He attacked again with the same predictable strikes. Rn had to give it to him, he was strong and fast. But he is going to show him the sliver of his talent here. Rn swayed aside from the first blow, ducked the second, and parried the third with his arm. He spun inside the crowbar agent''s guard and hammered his elbow against the side of his head. The crowbar agent''s sight swirled and he went down on one knee with a grunt of pain.


    Rn didn''t give him a moment to still the ringing in his head as he proceeded to cave his face with a knee strike. The crowbar agent fell to the ground, and his vision ckened.


    It all happened quickly and the knife agent was too stunned to speak or move.


    "You…what did you just do?!" the knife agent yelled hysterically as his mind tried to process the scene in front of him.


    "I knocked your brother down if you are wondering. He''s been too feisty that I had to knock him out," Rn said with a neutral expression.


    "I''ll kill you!" The knife agent dashed forward and threw two small knives at Rn.


    Rn stamped his feet to the butt part of the crowbar, sending it spinning up in the air and catching it. He swiped the crowbar, batting the knives away.


    The two then engaged in closebat. The knife agent attacked with his two knives in a series of blisteringly fast cuts that went high and low, a mixture of sweeping shes, lighting thrusts, and overhead cuts. Rn parried them all, his crowbar in constant motion as it deflected the knife agent''s des and delivered stinging, bruising ripostes to his arms and legs.


    Rn feinted right and hooked his crowbar around the knife agent''s legs, putting him on his back. He stamped his feet into the knife agent''s belly, doubling him up and leaving him gasping for air.


    Rn could''ve killed the two on the spot, but since they are working under the direct order of one of the shepherds, they hold valuable intel that they can use to find the real mastermind of their attack on him and possibly their ns of ruining the crown ceremony tomorrow.


    "Stand down," Rn ordered. "If you value your life then I suggest that you don''t move."


    "I would rather die than take sor from you," said the knife agent, trying to get up.


    "Is that so? Then," Rn swept his feet powerfully, striking the man''s face. The knife agent cked out and drifted to sleep.


    Momentster, Rn could hear footsteps sounding from behind.


    "Sir Rn…what happened here—" the man Rn talked with earlier gasped as he saw two men lying unconscious on the floor.


    "You…the safehouse''s location has beenpromised. Contact your main headquarters and prepare for evacuation. And also, we''ll take these two with us. These bastards are working from the ck Hand and are nning something tomorrow."


    "Understood, Sir Rn. We''ll contact the main headquarters," the man dashed off and went back to the safe house to inform his crew.


    Rn on the other hand gazed up into the night sky and watched the stars twinkling above. "Ahh…Your Majesty, tomorrow will be a very long day."