Chapter 830: Candle Of Life

The four assassins slipped inside the palace, gliding through the shadows as they searched for the Queen’s chamber, carefully checking every room along the way.

"Where is her chamber? Why can’t we find it?" one of them muttered in frustration, his voice low. The danger of guards patrolling nearby pressed heavily on their nerves.

"Over there... look at that door, its size and magnificence," another whispered, pointing ahead. "That must be the Queen’s chamber. No one else would have such a grand room."

"That’s definitely it. The Queen must be inside," the leader said with a grim nod, his expression hard.

They approached the ornate door cautiously, moving swiftly but silently, careful not to draw attention.

Reaching the door, one of them pulled out a magical artifact from his pouch—a device designed to unlock any door without an enchantment.

He poured Mana into it, and a sharp click echoed faintly through the still hallway.

"It’s open, Boss!" he whispered excitedly, grinning as he tucked the device away.

"Proceed as usual. No wasted movements—strike at the heart, throat, and belly," the leader ordered coldly, preparing himself.

"Understood, Boss!" the others responded in unison, their expressions stern.

’Why do I feel so uneasy about this...?’ the leader thought nervously, sweat forming on his brow.

"Move!" he commanded at last.

The assassins rushed inside the chamber—only to be struck down instantly, their bodies stiffening as soon as they crossed the threshold.

Their limbs weakened, muscles losing strength rapidly as sharp pain surged through their bodies. One by one, they collapsed to the floor, unable to move.

"W-What’s happening to us...?!" the leader gasped, his voice breaking as his body grew heavier, like stone weighing him down.

"Welcome... dear intruders. We’ve been expecting you for quite some time." Sylvia’s chilling voice rang out, her lips curled into a murderous grin.

The assassins’ eyes widened in horror, their spines crawling with dread at the sound of her devilish chuckle.

Helpless, their gazes turned upward—and there, at the center of the bed, sat a young man with a calm smile, while a beautiful woman with black-and-white hair rested gracefully on his lap.

Furthermore, the young man was surrounded by gorgeous women on both sides. Among them was Queen Mireya herself, the proud ruler of the Elven Kingdom, leaning her head gently against his chest.

"W-What did you do to us...?!" the leader rasped, his voice barely audible as he struggled to speak.

"Don’t worry. You won’t die from this. I simply used my poison to paralyze your bodies. That’s all. Or do you still not understand?" Emma said coldly, her crimson eyes glaring down at them with disgust and hatred.

’Who the hell are these people?! And what are they doing inside the Queen’s chamber?!’ the assassin leader screamed inwardly, his heart sinking in primal fear unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The mission... it was an utter failure. Instead of completing their task, they had become captives. A cruel twist of fate.

Mireya then rose from the bed and walked toward them gracefully, her every step exuding authority. Her eyes burned with disdain as she looked down at the helpless assassins.

"Tell us who sent you here, and I might consider sparing your lives. But your answer had better please me... or else—you already know the consequences," Mireya said, a cold grin forming on her lips.

"Hmph! Do what you want, but we’ll never open our mouths. You cannot make us talk. We don’t sell out our clients."

The leader gritted his teeth, forcing strength into his voice, and flashed a defiant grin despite his body trembling.

Sylvia stepped forward, her sharp eyes narrowing as she pointed to the daggers scattered on the floor.

"Look at their weapons. They belong to the Green Viper Organization—a notorious syndicate in the Lawless City. They specialize in assassinations," Sylvia declared, her tone grim.

"It’s pointless to interrogate them, Sister Mireya. They won’t reveal anything—not even under torture. They’ve been trained for this. If pushed too far, they’ll simply kill themselves."

Her expression hardened. "These assassins have endured hellish training. They’ve suffered so much that pain and torture mean nothing to them. They’ll die before they ever speak."

Her voice turned colder. "The only way to learn anything would be to attack their headquarters and force their leader to talk. These men are worthless to us."

"I see..." Mireya sighed softly, shaking her head in mild amusement. A dry chuckle escaped her lips. "So, someone really placed a bounty on my head? How ridiculous! Do they honestly believe I could be killed by trash like this?"

She cast one last disdainful glance at the paralyzed assassins before turning to Sylvia.

"End them. We have no use for such useless things. I won’t allow vermin like these to live in my kingdom."

"Leave it to me, Sister Mireya," Sylvia said with a smile as she picked up the daggers that once belonged to the assassins.

She stared directly into their eyes, a wide grin spreading across her lips. Not an ounce of pity flickered in her gaze—why should there be? They were assassins, ready to die from the very moment they accepted their mission.

’Who could have issued a bounty on Sister Mireya’s head?’ Sylvia wondered briefly before dismissing the thought with a shake of her head.

It didn’t matter who it was. Whoever dared to target Mireya would pay the price in blood. Since they had thought of killing her, they had already signed their own death warrants.

The assassins were killers without conscience, men who would not hesitate to slay even a child. Sylvia, in turn, had no mercy for the likes of them. Their deaths were their own fault, the natural consequence of the lives they chose.

Looking down at them, she asked coldly, "Any last words before you die? Any change of heart? Will you tell us who sent you here?"

"Go to hell, bitch! We are assassins, and we never break our oath! Just kill us already!" the leader snarled, grinning wide even as he glared at Sylvia with disdain.

"Suit yourself. Since you chose death, I’ll grant it to you." Sylvia’s grin widened menacingly, sending a shiver down the assassins’ spines.

"I hope you’ll live more peacefully in your next life—and not as killers..." she whispered softly before swinging the daggers with deadly precision, ending their lives in an instant.

Four heads rolled across the floor, blood splattering as the chamber was painted red—the floor, the door, everything marked with the assassins’ lifeblood.

"To think someone would be bold enough to place a bounty on your head... I’m quite curious about who it might be." Yuan muttered with a faint smile, his tone carrying intrigue.

"Me too... I’d like to know as well," Sylvia added with a thin smile.

She then crouched to check the corpses, searching through their belongings. Aside from a few thousand gold coins, there was nothing of true value in their magic pouches.

Straightening, she turned to Xi Meili. "Sister Meili, burn their bodies and their blood. They’re worthless."

Xi Meili nodded silently. Flames burst from her hands and in an instant, the corpses and blood were consumed, leaving nothing but ashes. The display of her flames was so overwhelming it left Angela and Vrasha stunned.

"Such powerful fire... Incredible!" both Angela and Vrasha muttered in disbelief, almost dumbfounded by the sight.

"Hmph! That’s nothing compared to my flames. Mine are far more powerful than that ugly lizard’s!" Fang Xiaoyan snorted coldly, turning her head away in disdain.

"What did you just say, you fat, ugly bird?!" Xi Meili snapped, her furious glare locking onto Fang Xiaoyan, the insult cutting deep into her pride.

"Shut your damn mouth, or I’ll scale you alive and roast you with my fire!" Fang Xiaoyan’s anger boiled over, her fiery hair flaring like a torch.

"You shut up first! Unless you want me to pluck every feather off your body and turn them into a cloak for myself!" Xi Meili shot back, her voice dripping with venom.

Within seconds, the two were bickering like wild dogs, hurling insult after insult at one another without restraint.

Yuan and the others only shook their heads helplessly, faint smiles tugging at their lips—except for Angela and Vrasha, who were seeing this kind of argument for the first time.

Vrasha’s brows furrowed in confusion. ’Why is Xi Meili calling Fang Xiaoyan a ’bird’? She looks completely human...’

But then she felt it—the overwhelming pressure of Fang Xiaoyan’s bloodline pressing down on her.

’What is she?! Why does my body tremble in fear just sensing her?! I’ve never experienced anything like this before!!’ Vrasha screamed inwardly, disbelief swirling inside her heart.

—

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit office far away, Nyx sat at her desk, her cold eyes scanning through bounty posters marked with the highest prices.

Suddenly, her gaze flickered toward a row of four candles—their flames sputtering violently before extinguishing one by one.

Her expression froze instantly. She gripped the pen in her hand so tightly the nib snapped under the pressure, leaving a blot of ink on the register.

"My four elite assassins... killed?! How is that even possible?!" Nyx shot up from her chair, storming toward the altar to examine the candles more closely, her fury barely restrained.