Timeless AssassinC491: Aftermath
Chapter 491: Aftermath
(Planet Vorthas, The Following Morning)
Anger simmered beneath the pale morning sky as the people of the Cult gathered once more in the Sunsteps Market, their voices rising in restless waves.
The shock from the previous night still lingered in their eyes, their expressions tight with fear and frustration, all of it looking for somewhere to land.
Accusations flew freely as the crowd began blaming the Cult's defenders for their failure to stop the attack.
Their pride had been wounded, their confidence shaken, and Dupravel Nuna's name became the rallying point for both rage and demand.
The people wanted justice, they wanted strength, and most of all, they wanted answers.
"He burned down nine buildings and killed twenty-six guards while escaping…. He came, he killed, he escaped, while our security forces tried searching for stars in broad daylight…. *Spit*," one man spat, veins bulging on his neck as he shouted atop a merchant's stall, riling up the crowd.
"Is this the competence level of our security forces? Are these the people in-charge of protecting our Elder and our Dragon? These idiots can't even face a single enemy on home turf!"
Cries of "Find him!" and "Bring us his head!" echoed through the square, as every citizen, warrior or common, now had a single name seared into their mind like a curse whispered in the dark : Black Serpents Guildmaster Dupravel Nuna.
Spittle flew, not just in words, but literally, as the names of the district captains responsible for organizing the security of the event were read aloud in an official statement broadcast from the news towers, prompting many to hurl insults, fruit, and even stones at the projection.
"He made fools out of our finest."
"Our defense system's a joke!"
"Where were the Elite guards? The best tactical units we have at our disposal?"
Each accusation was louder than the last, all aimed at the Cult's internal security force, whose members now walked with their heads hung low, no longer protectors but symbols of shame, forced to endure the humiliation of failure in full public view.
And yet, amidst this fiery outrage, two names still emerged with fragments of hope and pride attached to them.
"The Dragon did not run."
"The Dragon fought. And lived."
It was a sentiment whispered with awe, one that gained traction as more people began to recognize the almost impossible feat of a young Dragon holding off a Monarch and surviving the encounter.
"And the Twelfth Elder… he risked his life to help, didn't he? That was him… firing [Wind Shots] from the side, wasn't it?"
"Aye. He's the only reason Veyr could hold that wretched Serpent off…. A true leader."
Applause, faint but growing, began to ripple through the crowd, as a strange cocktail of resentment and reverence began to mix.
The commoners were furious at the Cult's incompetence, which was only matched by a fervent gratitude toward those few who had not crumbled in the face of a nightmare.
Dupravel had left them with blood, fear, and broken pride.
But Veyr and the Twelfth Elder had at least salvaged something from the wreckage.
—————–
(Meanwhile, inside the Vorthas Hospital)
The infirmary buzzed with hushed praise and reverent whispers, as attendants moved around Valterri with cautious urgency, tending to the deep stab wound in his palm.
They used healing magic to slowly purge the residual poison that was beginning to rot the veins around the wound, doing their best to complete the process as painlessly as possible.
To everyone around him, he was a hero….hailed as the man who stood between the Dragon and death, the one whose timely action gave Veyr just enough breathing room to survive the ambush.
But Valterri did not feel like a hero.
Not even close.
Lying on the cot with bandages wrapped around his hand and his breathing shallow, all he could think about was how quickly he had fallen, how useless he had been after taking a single hit.
It didn't matter that the wound had been laced with poison, or that he'd acted on instinct to shield Veyr.
In his mind, he had failed to protect the Dragon beyond the opening moment, and that single truth gnawed at him more deeply than the pain.
'I need to get stronger… much stronger,' he thought, staring at the ceiling as the world outside continued to label him a savior, while all he felt inside was inadequate.
—————–
(Elsewhere, Veyr)
Veyr sat alone in the Twelfth Elders manor, his back resting against the ornate dragonhide chair reserved for the reigning Dragon, yet for the first time since his appointment, the weight of that seat truly began to sink in.
The attack had passed, his wounds were superficial at best, and the crowd outside now chanted his name with newfound reverence, calling him brave, resilient, even worthy, yet none of it brought him peace.
He had yearned for this spotlight once, longed for the approval of the masses and the respect of the Elders, but now that it was his, now that he had tasted what being the Dragon actually meant, all he could feel was a strange sort of emptiness clawing at the edge of his thoughts.
Between the endless meetings, the exhausting training, the staged public appearances, and now this assassination attempt in broad daylight, it finally became clear that the position he once thought of as the pinnacle of pride was little more than a gilded cage wrapped in ceremonial garb.
The only silver lining to it all was the people's affection, the cheers that drowned his doubt and made his suffering feel slightly less meaningless, but even that, he knew, would fade the moment he failed to meet their expectations.
Being a Dragon was a thankless job.
And the deeper he sank down that rabbit hole, the more he realized that perhaps, the better choice that day would have been to surrender and intentionally lose the bout, letting Leo carry the burden, spotlight, politics, and all the hidden knives that came with it.
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Timeless AssassinC492: Last Hope
Chapter 492: Last Hope
(First Elder's POV, Planet Tithia)
Even on Tithia, much like every other Cult-controlled planet, the outrage surrounding the attack on the Dragon was immense.
The public pressure to execute Dupravel's son, Darnell, was steadily mounting, and although the First Elder had initially managed to resist the calls for a public execution, more and more of his local union leaders and political backers began demanding action at any cost.
"Please try to understand, Union Leader Tor, we cannot immediately launch an operation to capture righteous faction planets.
The Dragon's army hasn't coalitioned properly yet.
They need time to band together, form units, study battlefield strategy, and undergo six weeks of basic training before they are ready for deployment.
We also need to arm and equip them, and prepare new spaceships for an offensive.
These decisions cannot be taken on impulse.
There is no doubt we will soon launch a decisive response against the righteous faction for daring to attack our hero, but it cannot happen tomorrow.
I won't gamble with the lives of our people just to appease public outrage," the First Elder reasoned over the call, while from the other side, the increasingly angry union leader demanded immediate retaliation from the Cult's leadership.
By now, this mounting pressure was no longer a problem unique to him.
All the Elders across every planet were facing the same struggle, each doing their best to contain the public's backlash.
"Yes, yes… I am in contact with the Twelfth Elder. I have already sent him my best hunting and tracking unit.
Rest assured, we will capture the rat Dupravel Nuna within the next forty-eight hours…"
"No, we will not kill his son. The boy has committed no crimes against the Cult.
We are not barbarians, Union Leader.
We do not slaughter innocents simply because we can or feel like it," the First Elder said, as he pinched his nose in dismay.
From the other side, the union leader began arguing that association by bloodline was itself a crime, citing how the righteous faction had been hunting the Timeless Assassin's lineage for years now and therefore the Cult could apply the same logic to them.
But the First Elder refused to buy into that rhetoric.
If push came to shove, he would eventually give up Darnell, but for now, at least, he preferred to take the moral high road and present himself as a responsible leader.
"Yes, I'll take everything you said here today into consideration…" he said at last, before abruptly ending the call and letting out a deep, weary sigh.
The calls for blood were growing louder with each passing hour, and if he failed to deliver some form of retaliation to appease the masses, it would only make him appear weak and ineffectual as a leader.
'Looks like I might need to deploy Veyr to war sooner than expected…' the First Elder thought, as he began mentally outlining the framework for Veyr's first deployment, one that would most likely involve capturing fresh territory to reassert the Cult's dominance.
————
(Meanwhile, Underground Sewers, Dupravel's POV)
The scent of rust, mold, and decay filled his nostrils as Dupravel pressed his back against the cold stone wall, his breath shallow and eyes sharp, watching a squad of Cult guards rush past the grated tunnel above him, their boots slamming with rhythmic urgency as they shouted instructions to fan out and comb every street corner.
"Search for him thoroughly! Leave no stone unturned!"
"The bastard is a master in hiding, so be careful—"
Their voices faded slowly, swallowed by the endless maze of the underground, as Dupravel allowed himself a moment to breathe, the silence pressing in around him like a second skin.
'I cannot trust the plan Mauriss had orchestrated to get me off this planet…' he thought bitterly, his jaw clenching as he looked down at his shaking hand, still bloodstained from the night before.
'Which means I'm stuck here until I find my own way out.'
But even as that thought formed, a darker, quieter question followed in its wake.
'Do I even want to go back?'
Because what waited for him outside this sewer, back inside the righteous faction, was nothing more than betrayal, disappointment, and possibly death.
He had failed his mission, failed to kill the Dragon, and in doing so, placed himself at odds with Mauriss, the very God who had masterminded this operation.
Which meant, regardless of how this ended, his life back at the righteous faction had already come to a quiet close.
'I have nothing left on that side,' he admitted to himself, as the idea began to take form, slow and treacherous.
If possible, he wanted to start again.
Not as a spy. Not as an assassin. But as a man trying to carve out something real—for himself and for Darnell.
'The Cult only has a single Monarch warrior under them. If I join them, I could offer them real strength. I could bring value to their army, enough value to maybe negotiate terms for my son… to give him a life here that isn't bound in chains and watched from behind bars.'
He knew they would never trust him with freedom.
They would most likely leash him like a beast, use him like a tool, a war dog to unleash whenever blood was needed.
But if that leash could buy Darnell a life outside his prison, maybe… just maybe, it would be worth it.
Still, surrendering wasn't going to be easy.
With the Dragon still alive, and the Cult's commoners thirsting for his blood, he deeply doubted that they would simply let him walk in with his hands raised, and expect clemency.
'There are only two ways this works,' he reasoned, 'either I make them an offer so valuable they cannot refuse it….something that guarantees an audience with Soron himself…
Or… I find Leo Skyshard.'
It was an absurd idea, yet one he couldn't shake.
He did not know Leo personally and had only watched him from afar, but something about the boy's eyes when they met back at the Black Serpent headquarters told him that he wasn't one to act rashly.
"If there's anyone inside the Cult, I have even half a shot at talking to, without them trying to kill me, it's that boy…." Dupravel muttered, as he felt as though Leo might be his last hope at a normal life.
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Timeless AssassinC493: Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 493: Unexpected Visitor
(Meanwhile, At the Skyshard Mansion, Leo's POV)
With the immediate aftermath of the attack demanding the Twelfth Elder's undivided attention, Leo and Veyr were granted an unplanned day of rest from training.
No ships were permitted to enter or exit the planet, and even internal hovercraft movement was banned, all to prevent Dupravel from slipping through the cracks and escaping unnoticed.
————
"A massive manhunt is currently underway across the entirety of Planet Vorthas, as Cult forces continue their desperate search for the fugitive Dupravel Nuna, the man responsible for last night's cowardly assault on the Dragon," the anchor declared, his voice urgent, echoing from the television screen into the quiet living room.
"In a statement released just moments ago, the Cult's internal security office confirmed that a reward of one million MP will be granted to any individual who provides credible information that directly leads to Dupravel's arrest."
The screen flickered between footage of scorched buildings, blurred images of Dupravel's profile, and a series of checkpoints being erected at major intersections throughout the city.
——————-
Unlike the rest of the city, inside the Skyshard family's living room, the atmosphere was far less tense.
Elena sat perched on the couch with a knitted shawl around her shoulders, while Jacob leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, brow furrowed.
Amanda sat cross-legged on the carpet, arms folded, eyes fixed on the screen, and Alia sat right beside her.
*YAWN*
Leo let out a lazy yawn, his eyes half-lidded, as he glanced toward the flashing images on the TV, feeling completely unimpressed.
"They won't catch Dupravel in a million years, unless Charles or Soron personally step in," he muttered, reaching for a bowl of fruit on the side table and casually tossing a grape into his mouth.
"One of the Cult's biggest flaws is its lack of high-level leadership. No Monarchs, no Demi-Gods… aside from Charles, the entire chain of command collapses once Soron's occupied. And that's the Cult's biggest weakness"
Alia turned to him, blinking. "A million MP reward though… that's gotta stir up a lot of interest. I mean, some people might start hunting just for the cash, right?"
Leo shrugged, not even glancing her way. "Sure, they'll search. But it won't matter. At Dupravel's level, commoners can't even scratch the surface of his trail, let alone follow it."
He leaned back further, arms stretching behind his head.
"Hell, if I wanted to disappear into this city, with the sewers, slums, and abandoned tunnels beneath every district, I could live here for years without anyone even knowing I was still breathing."
His voice was calm, quiet, and without a trace of concern, as though the entire affair was more of an inconvenient blip than a historic act of war.
*Knock*
*Knock*
Suddenly, a knock on the door grabbed Leo's attention, as he groggily stood up and began walking towards the door, half expecting a house patrol soldier to be the one knocking.
However, to his absolute shock, when he eventually did open the door, it wasn't a soldier standing on the other side, but rather Dupravel Nuna in the flesh!
*BLOCK*
Almost instantly, Leo lunged at Dupravel with a barehanded strike, but the Black Serpents Guildmaster blocked it effortlessly, his arms moving with the calm precision of a seasoned warrior.
"I come in peace! I swear! I'm not here to hurt you or your family… I come in peace!" Dupravel said quickly, his voice laced with urgency and desperation.
By now, both Jacob and Alia had already retrieved their weapons, standing on guard behind Leo, their eyes fixed on the intruder, waiting for a single nod to attack.
On one hand, Leo didn't believe a single word coming out of the Black Serpent Guild Masters mouth, but on the other, he could sense that Dupravel wasn't leaking any killing intent whatsoever.
His aura remained calm and neutral.
There was no trace of hostility in his eyes, no flare of black around his body, nor any of the tell-tale signs that would usually accompany a lie or hidden motive.
"You're an extremely wanted man, Guildmaster… and you also tried to kill my cousin just yesterday. Is there any reason I should even consider hearing you out?" Leo asked, his voice sharp, eyes narrowed, body tense but still.
He didn't trust the man, not even slightly, but he did trust his ability to read aura. And so far, Dupravel wasn't lying.
"I came to you because I believe you might be the last person inside the Cult who's still capable of judging me fairly," Dupravel said, his tone steady but raw.
"I've been betrayed by the righteous faction. Mauriss the Deceiver used me, set me up, and left me to rot. If you turn me away now, I'll have no choice but to carve a bloody path off this planet. But that's not what I want. I'd rather negotiate a deal, one that benefits both you and the Cult."
He paused, letting the silence settle before continuing.
"All I ask is that you listen to my story for just a few minutes. Give me a fair chance to explain my side. I promise on my honor, I won't waste your time."
Leo kept watching his aura, searching for even the faintest flicker of deceit, but it remained clean. No darkness, no spike in emotion. Just quiet conviction.
Finally, Leo lowered his fists and exhaled sharply.
*Sigh*
"I'm not letting you into my house. Th–that's never going to happen.
You're not allowed anywhere near my family. If you want to talk, we can talk here, on the porch, and that too after my family leaves the house entirely."
Dupravel scoffed under his breath, mildly offended.
"If I wanted to cause harm, all of you would already be dead, boy. I walked in unarmed for a reason. I'm not here to fight," he said, spreading his arms and turning slightly to show that he carried no weapons, no belt, no hidden blades.
"But fine, have it your way. Let's talk on the porch." He said, as he folded his arms and sat down on the floor, waiting for Leo to finally be ready.
ADDED LORE – So if any of you were wondering how Dupravel found Leo's home address, then this is what he did:
He kidnapped soldiers one after another, tortured them for information, until he finally found out where he lived.
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Timeless AssassinC494: Outrageous Proposal
Chapter 494: Outrageous Proposal
(A few minutes later, The Skyshard Mansion)
Leo sat on the porch swing, while Dupravel settled on the floor in front of him, the two locked in an unbroken stare, caught in a strangely awkward arrangement that felt both tense and absurdly casual at the same time.
"So… why exactly can't you go back to the righteous faction?" Leo asked, his curiosity piqued as he wondered just how badly Dupravel had burned the bridges that once supported him on that side.
"It's suicidal to return without having fulfilled my mission. If I go back now, Mauriss will have my head," Dupravel replied plainly, as Leo raised an eyebrow, his suspicion deepening with every word.
"And the Serpents?"
"They're gone. The Universal Government seized our treasure and wiped Twin Fang Planet off the map for daring to resist. Those thugs don't play games." Dupravel spoke without a flicker of emotion, yet the aura dancing faintly red around his frame betrayed the depth of what he truly felt inside.
"I see…" Leo muttered, taken aback by the sheer scale of destruction, for he had lived on Twin Fang Planet for a few months and knew firsthand just how formidable that place once was.
"Mauriss spared me. He had me extracted from Twin Fang before its fall, likely because he wanted to use me as a pawn to eliminate the Dragon. But he played me like a fool. He sealed my Monarch-level strength to help me slip into Cult territory without alerting Soron, then handed me a vial, claiming it would restore my full power. But that was a lie."
Dupravel's voice remained steady, but Leo could sense the undercurrent of resentment behind every word, as the man laid bare the full extent of his betrayal.
"I see…" Leo mused, his fingers brushing his chin as pieces began falling into place. He recalled watching Dupravel fight and wondering why the man moved with such dulled power, but the sealed strength now explained it all.
"So you realized you'd been betrayed, and over the last twenty-four hours, you've decided that since they screwed you over, you're going to return the favor by switching sides and seeking sanctuary with the Cult?" Leo asked, as Dupravel nodded slowly in response.
"I only agreed to serve Mauriss because he promised to help me recover my son from the Cult's grip, but that hope is gone now. The only path I see left to live a real life with my son is by joining the Cult instead," Dupravel confessed, his tone bitter, as he scoffed at the irony of his own words.
*Scoff*
"You must think I'm a fool for loving my son this much. But you won't understand what it's like to be a father until you become one," he added with a self-deprecating shake of his head, while Leo's lips curled into a faint smile.
He didn't think less of Dupravel for caring about his family. If anything, it made him respect the man even more. Because deep down, Leo knew that had the roles been reversed, he would have done the exact same thing.
"Alright. Let's say I do believe your story, and that you genuinely want to join the Cult. But given your recent actions, I'll be honest—negotiating terms for your surrender will be next to impossible unless you present something outrageous."
He leaned forward, his tone flat and practical.
"So let's not waste time. What's in it for me? What's in it for the Cult? And just how far are you willing to go to start over?"
Dupravel inhaled deeply, his fingers briefly interlocked before he finally spoke again.
"I've thought this through, and the only way I see to protect my life is to bind it to yours. Even if I'm the most wanted criminal on this planet, surely the Cult won't risk killing me if doing so also kills the Shadow Dragon."
He paused, but before he could continue, Leo shot him down.
"No, no, no, no. Absolutely not. That is never going to happen—"
Dupravel raised his hand calmly, cutting him off with a gesture for patience.
"Listen to me, boy. I haven't finished speaking."
Leo exhaled and leaned back again, motioning for him to go on.
"I'm willing to sign a Master-Slave contract with you, binding myself to you for a full twenty years. My only conditions are that I be allowed to spend at least thirty days a year with my son, and that he be raised in the Cult as a free man."
Dupravel's voice hardened, no longer pleading, but resolute.
"In return, I will become the Cult's war-dog. Send me wherever you please, throw me into any mission or battlefield. But if I somehow survive those twenty years, I want to walk away a free man."
Leo's eyes widened, taken aback by both the audacity and the sincerity of the proposal.
"There's no need to actually include a clause tying my life to yours in the contract.
But you must agree to claim there is one.
That lie will ensure they don't deploy me recklessly into suicide missions they wouldn't dare assign to you and is the only safeguard I have against being disposed of the moment I surrender."
He sat upright now, his tone sharpened by clarity.
"In theory, I will be your personal guard, your servant, your slave. But in practice, I expect to be treated with the respect due to a warrior of my caliber. I will fight for you. I will protect you with my life. But don't expect me to clean your boots, wipe your ass, or run errands like a lowly manservant."
Dupravel's voice quieted as he reached the end.
"If you wish, I'll even teach you every secret I've ever learned as an expert assassin. I might not be as good as Soron, but I'm no weakling either."
And with that, he locked eyes with Leo one more time.
"So what do you say, Leo Skyshard? Do you find the terms of my surrender acceptable?"
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Timeless AssassinC495 495: Decision
"So what do you say, Leo Skyshard? Do you find the terms of my surrender acceptable?" Dupravel asked, his eyes steady with expectation, but Leo found himself at a complete loss for how to respond.
On one hand, the offer was dangerously tempting, almost too good to pass up.
Gaining a slave like Dupravel could be a game-changer, not just for his own personal growth, but also for the security and stability it could bring to his immediate future.
However, the political fallout of such a decision couldn't be ignored. Presenting this arrangement to the Elders Council and the general public would be an uphill battle at best.
Accepting Dupravel instead of executing him might easily be twisted as a sign of weakness, or worse, as an act of sympathy towards the righteous faction.
And with the current tension in the Cult's internal structure, the optics of such a decision mattered more than ever.
The deal, while undeniably valuable, came with enough surrounding filth and complications to rival its worth, but that was life in a nutshell.
In life… nothing ever came for free.
"So give me some clarity on this… are you still a Monarch or not? And who exactly would you be subservient to, me personally, or the Cult?" Leo asked, narrowing his gaze, trying to untangle the potential chaos ahead, as Dupravel frowned, clearly expecting that line of questioning.
"Yes, I'm still a Monarch, but my strength is currently restricted to the Transcendent Realm.
I don't know how to restore myself to my peak, but I'm confident that a method exists, and Soron likely knows what it is."
Dupravel paused before answering the second part of the question, his voice level and candid.
"As for subservience, I would be loyal to you, not to the Cult.
But since you're a pawn of the Cult yourself, I don't see much of a difference between the two," he added casually, as Leo chuckled faintly at the sharp edge hidden in that honesty.
"Interesting…" he muttered, rubbing his chin, as his thoughts began racing at full speed.
Taking Dupravel in would definitely make his life harder in many ways.
The chances of him being deployed to the front lines with a volatile Monarch as his slave would be incrementally higher than if he did not have Dupravel under his fold.
After all, the Cult would never risk unleashing Dupravel onto the battlefield without attaching a leash strong enough to yank him back, meaning his master.
And yet, there was another angle to consider.
Having Dupravel under his command might grant him the leverage he desperately needed to defy the Elders Council.
If used sparingly, it could act as a stabilizing force, a shield of sorts, against the Cult's more reckless or self-serving demands.
Afterall, with a Monarch-level slave by his side, any threat of rebellion would carry real weight, enough to make even the Elders Council pause.
If the two of them ever went rogue, it would cost the Cult dearly to rein them in, which made for the perfect leverage to refuse dangerous missions.
'This is a difficult decision, no matter how I think about it… there are just as many pros as there are cons to accepting this deal,' Leo thought, his mind churning with conflicting calculations as he continued to wrestle with the choice.
"I need a moment to think…." Leo said, as he stood up from the porch swing, his arms folding behind his back as he slowly began pacing the narrow stretch of space that circled the front of the mansion.
His footsteps were slow, measured, almost silent against the stone-tiled floor, as though he was subconsciously trying to stretch the moment just a little longer to buy himself more time to think.
Dupravel remained seated, watching him without speaking, as though understanding that any interruption might shatter the fragile silence Leo was trying to navigate.
The wind was light, brushing past Leo's face as he walked toward the far corner of the porch, where the open sky stretched wide before him.
His eyes lingered on that endless blue canvas for a long moment, breathing in the quiet, as if hoping that the answer would simply descend from above.
When suddenly he recalled Luke, and how his brother had some very suspicious gaps in his memory.
'It might be nothing…. But on the off chance there is something dark ongoing with my brother, I might need Dupravel's expertise and strength to make it right—' Leo thought, as in the end, it was that singular point that swayed him to accept the deal.
*Sigh*
Leo let out a deep breath, one that seemed to empty every conflicted thought pressing against his ribs, as he turned away from the railing and walked slowly back toward the porch swing.
His hands were still clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable, but there was a certain clarity in his gaze now, a sharpened stillness that hadn't been there before.
He stopped just short of sitting, choosing instead to remain half-standing as he faced Dupravel directly.
"I accept," he said at last, the words falling out slowly, like stone being set in place. "But only under the exact terms you proposed. No last-minute additions, no subtle alterations, and no hidden agendas."
Dupravel gave a silent nod, his expression betraying neither triumph nor relief, as if he too knew that this was only the beginning of a far more complicated arrangement.
Leo continued, his voice steady.
"Thirty days a year with your son. He'll be raised within the Cult, as a free man, so long as he abides by its rules. In return, you will serve me, personally, for twenty years.
No theatrics. No rebellion. No under-the-table communications with outsiders."
He paused for a moment, studying the man before him.
"You'll be presented as my personal guard and war-dog. The Cult will be told that your life is bound to mine, even though it won't be. That lie is the only thing protecting you, so I suggest you act like it's the truth."
Dupravel remained silent, his dark black eyes unwavering, the faintest flicker of understanding passing across them.
"I won't treat you like a servant. But I won't treat you like an equal either. You may be a Monarch, Dupravel, but you're here because you failed. Because you were betrayed. Because you had nowhere else to go.
You will fight for me. You will bleed for me.
And when necessary, you will protect me with your life."
Another pause.
"But until then, you live. And if, somehow, you survive the full twenty years… and survive them by faithfully completing your duty to me as my slave, then sure, you will have earned your freedom"
Dupravel bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the gravity of what had just been said.
"I accept," he murmured, his voice low and calm.
"Good," Leo replied, finally sitting down once more on the porch swing, his eyes drifting up again toward the sky, where the wind had just begun to pick up.
The clouds were shifting slowly, peeling apart like layers of silk above him, and somewhere in the distance, unseen but inevitable, the future was already stirring, already rewriting itself, one consequence at a time.
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Timeless AssassinC496: Signing The Contract
Chapter 496: Signing The Contract
Once the terms of his surrender were set, Dupravel reached into his inner coat pocket and retrieved a tightly sealed scroll made of spirit-forged parchment, its edges glowing with faint silver light.
He gently unrolled it across the porch table, where the mana in the air instantly responded, forming a soft hum around the document.
"This is an item I prepared long ago, in case I ever needed to bind myself to someone with no room for betrayal," Dupravel explained quietly, his fingers brushing the surface with a tinge of regret.
It was clear from his actions that this was a contingency plan to save his life that he had made years ago.
A sort of last resort, if he had no other way out.
*SHUA*
Next, from his spatial storage ring, he summoned a feathered quill, shaped from the spine of a phoenix beast, and placed it beside a small glass vial of transparent ink.
"In-case you don't know, let me explain how this soul-binding technique works.
The moment the two of us drip our blood into the ink blot, the three elements of the spirit contract will start working together, and the soul contract will be written out automatically.
The wordings on the soul contract will be written according to the spirit of our verbal agreement, which will leave no room for loophole exploitation through clever contract wording." Dupravel explained, as he bit his own thumb and was the first to drip his blood into the ink blot, which immediately changed color from transparent to red.
Leo followed afterwards, doing the same.
*SHUA*
*SCRIBBLE*
As his blood settled, the Soul Binding Technique began to react, weaving faint red glyphs in the air above the parchment.
Leo leaned forward, reading the terms as they appeared one by one, each line etched by the contract itself in response to their verbal agreement.
——–
SOUL BINDING AGREEMENT
Between Leo Skyshard (Master) and Dupravel Nuna (Slave)
1. Service Term: Dupravel Nuna shall serve Leo Skyshard for a total duration of twenty years, effective immediately upon the completion of this ritual.
Furthermore he will only be freed from his service should he faithfully carry out his duty as a slave for the entire duration of the contract.
2. Obedience Clause: Dupravel Nuna shall obey all commands issued by Leo Skyshard, so long as they do not involve the following:
*Directly ordering Dupravel to kill himself.
*Commanding Dupravel to harm or kill his son.
*Forcing Dupravel to extend the duration of this contract beyond twenty years.
*Forcing Dupravel to perform menial duties befitting a manservant.
3. Custodial Clause: Dupravel shall be allowed thirty full days per year to spend with his son, with said son permitted to live freely within Cult territory under basic compliance with Cult laws.
4. Public Narrative Clause: Leo Skyshard shall publicly claim that Dupravel's life is bound to his own, and this lie shall not be refuted under any circumstance, for the safety and political protection it provides, unless the other party already knows it to be false.
5. Combat Service Clause: Dupravel shall serve as Leo's personal guard, operative, and war-dog, deployed to battlefields, missions, or investigations solely at Leo's discretion.
6. Knowledge Transfer Clause: Dupravel shall share all assassin techniques, combat insights, and tactical knowledge accumulated throughout his life with Leo Skyshard over the span of his service.
7. Slave Service Clause: Dupravel shall not harbour any thoughts of betraying his master, nor shall he go against his master's wishes, or act against his best interest under any circumstances.
8. Truth Clause : Dupravel Nuna may not lie to or mislead Leo Skyshard under any circumstances, regarding any detail.
9. Breach Consequence Clause: Should either party willfully break even a single clause of this contract, their souls shall burn to ash instantly and irreversibly, leaving behind no vessel for revival, resurrection, or reincarnation.
—
When the final clause etched itself into the parchment, the silver glow around it darkened to crimson.
"Now if you press a bloody thumb to the contract paper, it will take hold," Dupravel said, as he pressed out a few more drops of blood and impressioned them on the paper.
The parchment sizzled on contact, accepting the offering as the glyphs flared brighter.
Leo didn't hesitate, since he found the terms of the contract acceptable, he too did the same and let his blood fall on the other side, directly above his name.
The moment the second impression touched the parchment, the ritual activated.
A sharp gust of wind spiraled around them as red chains of soul-energy emerged from the contract, wrapping around their wrists before sinking inside, binding their souls together with an invisible thread that pulsed once… then vanished.
Leo's pupils dilated slightly. He could feel it.
A tether.
Not physical, not emotional, but something intangible.
If Dupravel so much as entertained the thought of betraying him, that thread would tighten, burn, and drag him to ruin.
Conversely, if he too broke any clause of the agreement, the same would happen to his own.
"It's done." Leo said, his voice calm and cold.
Dupravel lowered his head, not in submission, but in acknowledgement.
"Yes. From this moment onward, I am your servant."
And though neither of them smiled, both understood that something irreversible had just occurred.
There was no backing out of it now.
———–
(Meanwhile The Twelfth Elder)
*CRASH*
The Twelfth Elder slammed his fist against the wooden desk, causing several data slates to flicker as a dozen police commanders flinched in silence.
"I want Dupravel Nuna found within the next twenty-four hours!" he barked, his voice slicing through the room like a serrated blade. "I don't care how many sectors you have to sweep, how many drones you need to launch, or how many walls you need to tear down…. You must find him!"
One of the junior commandants stepped forward, uncertain. "We've already placed restrictions on interplanetary and intraplanetary travel, Elder. Dupravel couldn't have left Vorthas—"
"Then where the hell is he hiding?" the Elder snapped, rising to his feet, his white robes swirling behind him.
"You think he just vanished into thin air? That he turned to smoke?"
He turned, walking over to the wall-to-wall window behind him, overlooking the bustling capital of Vorthas, where massive banners bearing the Cult insignia had begun to appear across every common house building.
The nationality wave was on the rise amongst the masses after yesterday's attack and so was his reputation.
He was now the man who had stood tall during the Cult's eleventh hour and faced off bravely against Dupravel the killer.
Currently, the narrative of his bravery was spreading like wildfire, and for the first time in his life, he could feel momentum rising behind his name…. not just in Vorthas, but across all Cult territories.
If he played his cards right, if he rode the wave while the public still roared his name, he could secure planetary seats in not one, but at least half a dozen additional systems during the next election cycle.
This moment could be the turning point, the defining arc of his political career.
But that was only if he delivered Dupravel's head.
"If we don't capture him before the news cycle shifts, everything we gained will evaporate. The masses are simple…. they cheer today, forget tomorrow. I need a public execution, not a ghost story."
He turned back to the room, his gaze sharp and suffocating.
"Send the elite trackers. Authorize bounty hunters, local informants, hell even the army, I don't care who finds him first. Just make sure they know what's at stake. The one who brings me Dupravel's location gets full rank elevation and five million MP personally from me as a reward."
The room fell into stunned silence.
"Five million?" one of the senior officers repeated under his breath.
"I want him found," the Elder growled. "Alive or dead. But preferably alive. The cameras work better when the villain is still breathing."
He didn't wait for a response. His orders had already turned into a storm. Officers scrambled out of the room, their earpieces lighting up with commands, dispatches, and deployment orders.
The Twelfth Elder stepped back to his desk, watching a broadcast of himself being replayed on Vorthas Channel One.
His voice, his image…. righteous, unwavering, beloved.
But it would mean nothing without a closing chapter.
He needed Dupravel.
And he was ready to burn the underworld to ash to get him.
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Timeless AssassinC497: A difficult conversation
Chapter 497: A difficult conversation
(Vorthas, Central District, Streets Near Sector 3)
"Umm, excuse me? Can you redirect me to where the Twelfth Elder lives?" Leo asked, his voice low but clear as he stopped a passing middle-aged man by the side of the street.
The man blinked, startled at first, before his eyes widened in shock as he took in Leo's face.
"Lord Shadow Dragon!" he exclaimed, practically stumbling as he bowed at the waist, eyes shimmering with pride. "It would be my honor to show you the way!"
Before Leo could reply or object, the man spun on his heel and gestured eagerly. "Please, this way! It's a bit of a walk, but I'll take you directly. It's not every day I get to help such an important figure."
Leo gave a faint, tired nod and followed in silence, his hands tucked loosely in his robe pockets as the two of them merged into the flow of foot traffic.
The streets of Vorthas were alive, filled with angry chatter and banners of the Cult hanging high from the windows above, rippling lightly in the breeze.
"I heard the Twelfth Elder's residence has tighter security than the Ixtal vault," the man said as they turned onto a narrower street, clearly trying to make conversation. "And rightly so. With that bastard Dupravel still lurking somewhere out there, we can't afford to let our guard down!"
He spat on the ground, disgusted, before glancing sideways at Leo. "The attack yesterday… unforgivable, wasn't it? All those brave officers, slaughtered like pigs. The Dragon attacked on our home planet before our very eyes….. And for what? One man's madness?"
Leo didn't answer. He just stared straight ahead, jaw clenched as his boots struck the stone path in rhythm with the man's rambling.
Every word was a reminder of the knife he was about to twist into the Elder's plans.
Every sentence spoken in faith was a weight added to the guilt he carried.
Because not only had he decided to not turn in Dupravel to the authorities… he had also allied with him as his master.
Leo could already imagine the Twelfth Elder's expression. The twitch in his eye. The clenched jaw. The storm he'd barely suppressed the last time they met, when Leo had spat on the Dragon title and walked away from the responsibility he was meant to claim.
And now, he was about to deliver an even worse piece of news.
The irony was almost poetic.
This time, Leo wasn't coming to make empty promises.
This time… he had already committed the crime, and was coming to ask for an apology.
"I don't know what the Elder will do when he hears this…" Leo muttered under his breath, his gaze falling to the ground for a moment.
"But it's too late to change anything now."
He had already made his bed.
And now he had to sleep in it.
"Here, Lord Shadow Dragon, that building at the end of this street is the Elder's residence—" the middle-aged man said, pointing toward a high-walled estate layered with metal barricades, fortified gates, and Cult banners hanging from every arch.
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly at the overwhelming display of security, which felt more like a public theater performance than actual protection.
"Thank you for helping me, kind sir…" he replied, offering a half-smile before making his way toward the front gate.
The moment he approached, one of the perimeter guards stepped forward and raised a hand.
"Halt. State your—" the man began, only to freeze mid-sentence as he got a proper look at Leo's face. His posture straightened immediately, then dropped into a deep bow.
"My apologies, Lord Shadow Dragon. Please, this way—"
Another guard had already tapped his communicator, speaking hastily into the earpiece to announce Leo's arrival.
Leo exhaled, slow and tired, as he crossed the barricade and was escorted inside.
'Buffoons,' he thought to himself. 'What if I wasn't me? What if I was Dupravel pretending to be me using a simple [Shapeshift] skill? Would they still roll out the red carpet?'
He said nothing aloud, of course.
It wasn't the time to pick a fight with the Cult's security forces, no matter how laughably incompetent they were.
Still, the ease with which he'd passed through all those layers of defense left a sour taste in his mouth.
If Vorthas really was on high alert, then this display was nothing but a farce.
He followed the guards in silence, winding through long, polished hallways and waiting rooms too extravagant for their purpose, until they stopped before a set of double doors.
"Please wait here, sir. The Twelfth Elder is being informed of your arrival," one of the guards said before stepping inside, leaving Leo to pass the time by inspecting the shine on his shoes.
A few minutes later, an assistant stepped out and gave a respectful nod.
"The Twelfth Elder will see you now, Lord Shadow Dragon."
Leo walked in slowly, head slightly lowered, already dreading the conversation ahead.
"Skyshard, if you're here to talk about training, don't waste my time," the Twelfth Elder said sharply the moment Leo stepped through the door. "I've already arranged a hovercraft to take you and Veyr to the training facility tomorrow morning. So if that's all, save it. I'm dealing with more pressing matters right now."
Leo blinked, mildly caught off guard, before glancing around the room, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the sight of nearly a dozen uniformed officials crammed into the Elder's office.
Local police captains, elite unit commanders, special division heads. All seated. All tense.
"Err… no, I'm not here about that," Leo said cautiously. "I'm actually here to talk about Dupravel—"
The moment the name left his lips, the temperature in the room seemed to suddenly drop by a couple degrees.
All conversation ceased.
Every head in the room turned toward him.
"I know his current location…. He has relayed through me the terms of his surrender….." Leo said, as he saw the expression on the face of the Twelfth Elder turn from one of extreme excitement to mild surprise.
"Surrender? What surrender? Bastard killed my sworn brother Noah in cold blood.
The only mercy he's going to receive in the Cult is the mercy of death!" The Elder retorted, as Leo clicked his tongue in disagreement.
"Yeah…. About that…"
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Timeless AssassinC498: The Art Of Spinning A Story
Chapter 498: The Art Of Spinning A Story
"Yeah, about that…" Leo began, reading the room and immediately recognizing that the unfiltered truth was not going to be accepted well here.
Hence, for the sake of his own survival, he came to the conclusion that a 'Boss' level performance was necessary to fool the crowd.
"You cannot kill Dupravel, Twelfth Elder, because if he dies, so do I."
He led with that, letting the words linger long enough to stir confusion across the faces watching him.
"That dastardly Black Serpents Guildmaster… he—he showed up to my front door just a few hours ago."
Leo shook his head and paused, as if reliving the trauma, then widened his eyes and continued, voice low and shaken.
"Imagine my shock. I was just sitting with my family in the living room, completely unarmed, sharing a quiet moment, when that monster… that criminal… was suddenly standing there on my porch, looking like death himself."
He took a stumbling step forward, pretending to lose balance, then dramatically collapsed to one knee.
"He was there. Ready to kill. I saw it in his eyes. I felt it in my bones."
"BAM!" Leo suddenly shouted, making several men flinch as he slammed his hand on the floor.
"I fell to my knees and begged for mercy… I said, 'Oh sir Dupravel, please, please don't kill my mother and my old man father. Spare me. I'll do anything you wish.'"
Leo placed a hand over his chest and let out a pained groan, like the memory itself hurt to recount. His voice cracked with emotion.
"I thought he wouldn't accept. I thought it was over. That surely, he was going to kill me.
But then—shockingly—he stopped…. seemingly lost in thought for a while, after which he pulled out a blank master-slave contract and told me to start writing the terms of my surrender."
Leo paused, letting his eyes drift across the room, meeting every gaze with carefully crafted vulnerability.
"He demanded that I find his son Darnell… that I help the boy live a free life inside the Cult. And in return, he would enslave me for twenty years."
Leo's shoulders trembled. "I didn't want to be anyone's slave. Gods, who would? But I had no choice. I had to protect my family."
"So with trembling hands, I picked up the pen and began writing out the contract terms, word for word, as he dictated them…"
Leo's voice shifted slightly, tone now colored with disbelief.
"That's when I noticed it— something shocking! Something almost unbelievable…." Leo said gulping, as he built anticipation.
"Dupravel, though glancing into the paper directly, seemed like he couldn't read what I was actually writing….. he kept asking me why I was writing so slow, but couldn't actually gauge how much was written"
Leo revealed, as he straightened his back and smiled.
"I'd written the first two clauses: one, about Darnell's freedom… and two, about our lives being pegged to one another. And while he stood beside me, pretending to glance through the paper, I realized he wasn't reading a word."
"At first, I couldn't believe it. I thought, no, surely not. Surely Dupravel Nuna couldn't be illiterate….. he was a guildmaster afterall? And was often buried in paperwork.
But then, as I recalled those reports… the ones that said Dupravel had gone feral inside a Time-Stilled World, that his mind had been shattered upon return….. something began to click."
"I couldn't be sure, but I theorized that maybe the part of his brain responsible for literacy had been damaged while he was in there…."
Leo exhaled, hands lifting theatrically.
"So I made a decision to test my theory, and began altering the contract, as from clause three onwards, I reversed our names wherever they were mentioned."
"I changed the master from Dupravel to myself. Switched the slave from me to him. Changed the clause that said I would serve him for twenty years, to him serving me for twenty years instead."
He took a deep breath, then let his voice drop to a hush for impact.
"And in the end, as both our blood hit the parchment, the soul chains ignited… and now, Dupravel Nuna, Monarch of the Black Serpents, is bound to me. As my personal slave."
Leo wiped a fake tear from his cheek, shaking his head as if still overwhelmed by the events.
"Of course… there's a downside. Our lives are still tied. If he dies, I die too. There's no undoing that part."
"But the upside?" Leo gestured broadly. "He's subservient. Entirely and absolutely. Bound by the soul laws. Can't defy a single command."
"And that means the Cult now has a Monarch-tier war asset, fully loyal, entirely obedient, and available for deployment."
"Difficult missions, near-suicidal objectives, elite operations we once couldn't attempt due to a lack of manpower… well, now we can."
Leo clapped his hands once, softly, and forced a small smile.
"I may have suffered greatly… but in the end, I believe I've secured a strategic victory for the Cult."
He looked around the room, heart pounding beneath the surface, silently praying that his performance had been convincing enough to sell the lie, but unfortunately for him, while the police captains seemed moved by his bullshit, the Twelfth Elder was not.
"So what you're telling me in essence, Skyshard, is that we cannot kill Dupravel anymore, the MURDERER OF MY SWORN BROTHER, because killing him would kill you too?" The Twelfth Elder asked, as Leo clapped his hands and shook his head from side to side.
"Of-course we can….. to appease the wrath of the general public, a mock execution can always be performed.
One where the death of Dupravel is but an illusion, but it makes the commoners feel like we have won!
As for actually killing him…..
Our bond ends in 20 years.
So after it expires, feel free to exact your revenge.
But till then, I think it's best that we use him as the asset he is, and deploy him strategically to the Cult's advantage—" Leo said, as at this moment, he saw the eyes of the Twelfth Elder change, as finally, he too seemed to get onboard with the idea.
Mauriss The Deceiver who?
Take a bow! Leo lying piece of shit Skyshard!
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Timeless AssassinC499: Applause
Chapter 499: Applause
"Well, since your life is tied to him, we have no other choice but to let him live for now…" the Twelfth Elder finally said, his voice gravelly as he cleared his throat and adjusted his posture. "After all, even if it's to kill Dupravel, we surely can't sacrifice the Shadow Dragon."
A collective murmur of agreement rippled through the room, with each police captain nodding along, as if the decision had always been this obvious.
"You've performed most admirably under duress, Skyshard. It's no small feat to fool a criminal like Dupravel. I'll make sure you're rewarded properly for this…" the Elder added, his tone shifting so smoothly it was almost comical.
Just moments ago, the man had been one sentence away from ordering Leo's execution, but now he was smiling faintly, already envisioning the grand spectacle of a fake public execution, one that would restore faith in the Cult leadership, pacify the masses, and elevate his personal status to the moon all at once.
*Cheers*
*Claps*
The captains in the room began applauding, some even rising from their chairs as they clapped Leo on the back and offered congratulatory nods, eyes shining with relief.
Because in more ways than one, Leo was their savior as well.
The pressure to capture Dupravel had been crushing.
The media circus, the public unrest, the fear of losing face and officer lives in the process of hunting a Monarch-tier threat was enough to break lesser men.
But now, all of that had been swept off the table.
The criminal had been "caught," the narrative was in place, and not a single officer had to risk their life to make it happen.
Sure, none of them were going to get a slice of that massive reward, but compared to what could've happened, this outcome was not bad at all.
"This news is not to leave this room. Do you all understand?" the Twelfth Elder barked suddenly, his voice sharp and authoritative once more. "You heard nothing here today. Not a word. Because if even a whisper of the truth leaks out, and someone, in a moment of outrage, tries to kill Dupravel, then the Shadow Dragon may die alongside him!"
His warning struck home instantly. Each security head nodded solemnly, some even placing a hand over their heart as they swore to keep the secret buried.
Leo stood there quietly, letting the applause wash over him, offering slight bows and half-smiles as the captains praised him like he'd saved the damn planet.
In truth, he'd just lied through his teeth and enslaved one of the deadliest men alive for his own personal gains, but in the Cult's eyes, he was now a hero.
And for now, that was all that mattered.
"Wait in the lobby for a moment, Skyshard," the Twelfth Elder said as he turned back to his desk. "I'll inform the other Elders of Dupravel's… apprehension."
Leo nodded once and stepped out of the room, walking through the polished hallway as the door shut behind him.
He didn't say a word.
Because if there's one thing he knew, it was that every lie had a timer ticking beneath it. And his was already counting down
Sooner or later, the people of the Cult were bound to find out what truly happened here today…..
But perhaps, if it was delayed to a distant enough future, then the outrage surrounding the truth would not be as extreme.
—————
(A few hours later, Planet Tithia, The First Elder's Chambers)
The First Elder's brows furrowed as he finished reading the memo on his data slate, then scrolled back up and read it again. Slowly. Line by line. Just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
Dupravel Nuna…
Apprehended.
Alive.
And apparently enslaved by Leo Skyshard.
He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples as he reread the final paragraph one more time, blinking in silence.
"What in the actual hell…?"
It was hard to say whether he wanted to applaud the Twelfth Elder for resolving the biggest security threat of the century without a single casualty… or slap him for the exact same reason.
Because buried underneath all the celebration, behind all the grandstanding and fake execution planning, there was one very glaring issue—
Dupravel was not subservient to the Cult.
He was subservient to Leo.
'Not ideal,' the First Elder thought, clicking his tongue as he set the data slate down.
Leo had already been moving with more freedom than any Dragon Candidate ever should, being openly backed by Charles and never being held accountable for anything.
And now, with Dupravel, an actual Monarch-tier asset, bound to him through a soul contract, he was sure to become even more independent.
'With Dupravel under his leash, his political weight increases.…'
'Although he's not strong enough right now, in five or seven years' time, when he inevitably becomes a peak Transcendent himself, the boy would be far gone from our control.'
The First Elder's fingers tapped idly against the wooden armrest of his chair.
For now, Skyshard was still manageable. Contained. Predictable, to some extent.
But if things kept progressing like this, the day would soon come where they wouldn't be able to rein him in. Not without risking a full-blown confrontation. And that… was not a scenario the Cult was ready for.
The Twelfth Elder clearly hadn't thought that far ahead. Too busy celebrating his "victory." Too blinded by the theatrics of a fake execution and the sweet political capital it promised.
The First Elder sighed and leaned forward again, closing the memo.
It wasn't ideal.
Not even remotely.
But what could he do about it now?
The decision to spare Dupravel was already made by the Twelfth Elder.
The soul contract with Leo was already signed.
The other Elders would soon follow suit.
And once the narrative settled in the public's mind, there'd be no reversing it without sparking internal chaos.
So he exhaled, clicked his tongue once more, and pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
'One problem at a time, Mavern… Even you can't solve everything at once.'
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Timeless AssassinC500: First Mission
Chapter 500: First Mission
(One Month Later, Planet Vorthas, Secret Training Arena)
*Huff*
*Huff*
Leo breathed heavily, sweat trickling down his forehead as he focused on perfecting the final piece of the transformation.
He had currently shapeshifted into Charles, and visually, he now looked exactly like the Monarch, except for two key details: the habitual smoker's frown and the precise coloration of his body hair.
"You've nailed the transformation, Skyshard, but what you haven't mastered yet is the expression. Right now, you look like a tired mule rather than an honorable Commander," the Twelfth Elder remarked, watching critically as Leo grinned and let his exhausted body collapse to the floor.
Learning [Shapeshift] had proven to be a real challenge, especially when it came to mastering facial symmetry, but Leo had pushed through the hardest parts and was nearly there now.
Well… almost, since he still had to learn the final step, which involved altering his voice and hair color to fully match the person he was impersonating.
*Pant*
*Pant*
A few meters away, Veyr panted heavily as well, as he continued to struggle with restructuring his face.
Although he too had managed to achieve full body transformation, he remained one step behind Leo when it came to accurately mimicking facial features.
"To be honest, you're both performing most admirably. You're on track to master this skill in thirty-five days or less, when I had initially expected it to take at least a hundred days or more.
For reference, it took Noah a hundred and eleven days to master [Shapeshift], and he was already considered a genius…" the Twelfth Elder added, as Leo laughed while still rolling around in the dirt.
Apart from the obvious benefit that learning the skill brought, the training had also drastically improved Leo's bone and muscle mobility.
Compared to before he began training, his body now felt far more fluid and adaptable in every sense, since he had repeatedly begun to alter his bone and muscle structure.
"All right… *huff*… I'm ready to learn the last step. How do you change the damn hair color and voice?" Leo asked, wiping his brow as he turned his head.
But the Twelfth Elder only shook his head, looking unconvinced.
"No. First, you'll rest up and learn how to properly act like Charles. Only after that will I teach you the final step," he insisted, his tone brooking no argument.
Leo groaned and sat back down on his butt, still catching his breath.
"Also, there's some exciting news for both of you…" the Twelfth Elder began again, his face shifting from neutral to mischievous, as his eyes alternated between Leo and Veyr.
"The two of you have been assigned your first mission.
You're both going to be deployed to Planet Koral very soon," he announced, and both Leo and Veyr instinctively stiffened, their faces growing wary.
"Once you've mastered [Shapeshift], the two of you will be sent to Koral under the false identities of Lieutenant Aaron and Lieutenant Larry.
Your task will be to infiltrate the enemy camp's military forces.
The objective is to gather intel on their planetary defense systems, and determine the best way to disable them.
The Cult is planning a full-scale invasion of Koral in approximately four to six weeks.
And before that happens, it will be your job— as the Dragon and Shadow Dragon, to come up with a viable plan of attack.
Because when the time comes, it will be your Dragon's Army that leads the charge," the Twelfth Elder revealed, as Leo felt a tight knot form in his stomach.
"Don't worry, you'll receive a detailed mission briefing once you've fully mastered [Shapeshift] and are ready for deployment.
For now, just consider this a heads-up regarding what's expected of you in the next couple of weeks," the Twelfth Elder finished, then turned and calmly walked out of the training hall, leaving Leo and Veyr behind to process the gravity of what lay ahead.
"Fuck me… I can understand them deploying you, but why the hell are they sending me too?" Leo muttered in frustration, as a faint maroon aura began to coil around his body.
"Well, I'm glad they are. I wouldn't want to go undercover out there alone," Veyr replied, glancing at Leo with a cautious look on his face.
"Also… I think your deployment might have something to do with that masked shadow guard of yours.
You claim he's your slave and a Transcendent-tier warrior, but Valterri swears that he's got the aura of a Monarch…" Veyr continued, his eyes narrowing as he studied Leo's reaction closely.
"It's funny, isn't it? The Cult held a public execution for Dupravel Nuna just a few days ago… and then, suddenly, you appear with a new Monarch-tier slave. Especially strange considering no Monarch besides Charles has existed within the Cult in the last five hundred years."
Veyr's voice hardened slightly, the undertone in his words now clearly accusatory.
"Surely… your masked guard isn't Dupravel, right, cousin?" he asked at last.
Leo simply shrugged, offering no real answer.
"My slave was a Transcendent when I signed the contract with him," he said casually. And though his words weren't technically a lie, the way he said it made it sound as though Dupravel wasn't the guard in question, which was, of course, false.
In truth, Dupravel's peak strength had gradually returned to him over the past thirty days, without any special effort needed to restore it.
Whatever strength-restoration potion Mauriss the Deceiver had administered seemed to have worked far more slowly than anticipated… but in the end, it had indeed worked.
Dupravel had his powers back and was now a Monarch again, which raised quite a lot of eyebrows wherever he went.
"Well…. Either way, I guess we are soon going to be teammates.
I hope I can leave my back to you cousin, in case you know….. things go wrong." Veyr said as Leo nodded in agreement.
"You can. But try not to fuck up, it's not my style to slow down for slowpokes like you—" Leo teased, as Veyr chuckled heartily.
"Hahaha, just you wait…. In the next skill training, I'll surely be a couple steps ahead of you!" He retorted, as Leo simply rolled his eyes in response.
First of all…. Chapter 500. And we have hit this milestone in just 157 days. So yeah, let's fcking go!
Secondly. I will try cover tid-bits of what happened in the last one month, like Dupravel's execution, the cult releasing his son, him taking on a mask to be beside Leo and more, during active chapters.
Because I feel like it will drag the pacing too much if I show it chronologically and spend whole chapters describing it.
So keep an eye out for those bits.
Lastly, I want to take a moment and thank you all for your constant comments and support.
I don't respond to those thankyou for the chapter comments everyday, but I do read them, and they're the biggest reason behind my consistency.
This release rate, and this quality would not be possible without you guys supporting me via Golden Tickets, power stones, gifts and comments
And I'm genuinely thankful for it all.
So three cheers for you guys!
you're the best.
Contact - ToS