Chapter 244: Dagger Techniques

The rain had not stopped. If anything, it fell harder now, drumming against the rooftops of Kaelthar like the urgent heartbeat of a city bracing for death. The streets were empty, the usual shadows retreated to their hovels, sensing the change in the air.

Adam walked at the front, his footsteps steady, leisurely. The rain plastered his purple hair to his forehead, ran in rivulets down his horns, dripped from his chin. He didn’t seem to notice.

Behind him, Ignis’s flames crackled, defiant against the downpour. She had given up trying to stay dry, her clothes clinging to her frame, her hair a wet, fiery mess. But her golden eyes were sharp, scanning the rooftops.

Lilith glided beside her, the rain seeming to avoid her silver-threaded gown, sliding off an invisible barrier. Her expression was serene, but her fingers moved constantly, threads stirring, weaving a web of awareness that extended far beyond the narrow street.

Isolde brought up the rear, her hood pulled low, her pale face hidden. But her senses were on high alert, the blood in her veins humming with readiness.

They turned a corner, and there it was.

The Assassin Guild headquarters rose from the gloom like a tombstone. It was plain, utilitarian, built to blend in with the surrounding structures. But now, every window blazed with torchlight. Shadows moved behind them, countless figures, waiting.

Adam stopped.

The rain continued to fall, washing the blood from his hands, diluting the crimson at his feet.

"So," he said, his voice carrying easily over the storm, "this is where you hide."

The doors swung open.

Elliot stepped out, Soulreaver gleaming in his grip. The blade’s dark light seemed to drink the rain, leaving empty air around it. His green eyes, bright with grief and fury, fixed on Adam.

Behind him, assassins poured into the street. Dozens, scores, nearly a hundred. Armed with swords, daggers, bows. Some carried wands, staves, artifacts that pulsed with contained power. They spread out, forming a semicircle around the guild’s entrance, blocking any retreat.

"You came." Elliot’s voice was flat, but there was a tremor beneath it. "I didn’t think you’d be so foolish."

Adam’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile.

"I came to kill you."

Elliot’s grip tightened on Soulreaver. The runes along the blade blazed with dark light.

"Then let’s not waste any more time."

The assassins surged forward.

Adam didn’t move. He simply raised his hand, dark energy gathering in his palm.

"[Tempest Sovereign]."

The vortex of cutting wind and lightning exploded from his hand, tearing through the first wave of assassins. Bodies flew, armor shattered, screams filled the air. But more came, pushing past the fallen, their eyes fixed on him.

Ignis met them with fire.

"[Solar Flare]!"

A wave of superheated light erupted from her palms, engulfing a cluster of assassins. They didn’t even have time to scream. Their bodies turned to ash, scattered by the rain.

Lilith’s threads shot outward, weaving a web of death across the street. Assassins fell in pieces, their weapons clattering uselessly against the stone.

Isolde called to the blood. It rose from the fallen, answering her summons, forming whips, blades, spears. She lashed out, each strike precise, efficient, ending lives without hesitation.

But the assassins kept coming.

They were trained, disciplined, willing to die for their guild. They threw themselves at Adam’s group with suicidal determination, and for every one that fell, two more took its place.

Adam’s internal voice was calm, almost clinical.

’They’re trying to overwhelm us with numbers. Wear us down. But they don’t understand. We’re not like them.’

His aura surged.

[Cataclysm Tempest].

The vortex of shadow and storm exploded outward, tearing through the assassins, consuming them. The guild’s facade cracked, stones crumbling, windows shattering.

Elliot watched from the doorway, his green eyes blazing. He raised Soulreaver, and the blade answered. Shadows coalesced around him, forming a barrier that pushed back against Adam’s attack.

"Enough."

He stepped forward, and the shadows came with him. They spread across the street, swallowing the light, swallowing the rain. The assassins who had been fighting fell back, retreating into the darkness, where they became one with the shadows.

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

’He’s merging with the darkness. I can’t track him.’

[Hunter’s Tri-Sense] pushed outward, but the shadows were thick, muffling, disorienting. He could feel the assassins, dozens of them, but they were everywhere, nowhere.

Then Elliot appeared.

Soulreaver swept toward Adam’s throat.

CLANG.

Adam’s scaled forearm met the blade, sparks flying. The legendary edge bit into his scales, drawing blood, but didn’t sever. He pushed back, and Elliot stumbled, caught off guard by the resistance.

"Tough scales for a lizard," Elliot sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

Adam’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. "Hoo. So you know my true form."

Elliot spat on the ground, the saliva mixing with the rain and blood pooling at their feet. "Of course. I’ve killed dragons before. And I’ll kill you just like I killed them."

He lunged.

The blade swept in a dazzling arc, forcing Adam back. Sparks flew as Adam’s claws deflected the edge, but the force behind each strike was immense. Soulreaver hummed with each impact, the shadows around them writhing in response.

Lilith’s threads stirred, reaching toward Elliot, ready to bind him—

"Lilith." Adam’s voice was sharp, commanding. "Don’t. I’ll handle him."

Lilith’s crimson eyes flickered with concern, but she nodded. Her threads retracted, coiling around her fingers as she turned back to the swarm of assassins. "As you wish."

Ignis’s flames blazed brighter, and she threw herself at the remaining operatives with renewed fury. Isolde’s blood whips lashed out, silent and deadly.

Adam’s attention returned to Elliot.

He reached into his belt and withdrew twin daggers, Leela’s cursed blades. The dark light along their edges had dimmed since her death, but the hunger within them still pulsed, eager for blood.

Elliot’s eyes widened for just a fraction of a second. "Those are—"

"It belongs to the woman I just killed," Adam finished, spinning the daggers in his grip. "She won’t be needing them anymore."

Elliot’s face contorted with rage. "You bastard."

He attacked.

Adam raised the daggers to block, but his movements were clumsy, the blades crossing too slow. Elliot’s Soulreaver slipped past his guard and slammed into his chest, sending him stumbling backward. The scales there cracked, blood welling from the shallow wound.

"Pathetic." Elliot’s voice was cold, mocking. "Those blades are too pure for a monster like you. You don’t deserve to wield them."

Adam straightened, ignoring the blood trickling down his chest. His crimson eyes gleamed.

"Pure? Those daggers have drunk more blood than you’ve ever spilled. There’s nothing pure about them."

Elliot’s lip curled. "Then why can’t you use them?"

Adam’s smile widened.

’System, purchase Dagger Mastery.’

[Skill Purchased: Dagger Mastery (Lv. 1)]

[Cost: 4 Skill Points]

[Remaining Skill Points: 18 → 14]

[Skill: Dagger Mastery (Lv. 1)]

[Grants basic proficiency with daggers and short blades. Improves grip, attack speed, and parrying capability. Unlocks basic dagger techniques.]

The knowledge flooded into Adam’s mind like water through a cracked dam.

He spun the daggers again.

This time, the motion was fluid. The blades traced arcs of silver and shadow, their weight now comfortable in his hands. The cursed light along their edges pulsed brighter, as if recognizing a new master.

Elliot’s eyes narrowed.

Adam lunged.

The daggers swept toward Elliot’s throat, his chest, his sides—each strike faster than the last. Elliot’s Soulreaver deflected, parried, blocked, but Adam pressed closer, relentless. The cursed blades found gaps in Elliot’s defense, drawing thin lines of blood across his arms, his shoulders.

Elliot stumbled back, hissing in pain.

"You... you learned just now?" His voice was incredulous, almost disbelieving.

Adam’s smile was cold.

"I learn fast."