At a meeting around a large table, a tense atmosphere brewed at the recent set of events.
"So not even a pairing system can make the Voidreaper even hesitate." One woman heaved a sigh. "We need to increase the number of people huddling up. The more people stick together, the harder it becomes to assassinate."
This time, the Martial Senior assassins didn't find it nearly as easy to clap back. The actions of the Voidreaper had shocked them all. They didn't expect that he would blatantly jump into actual combat.
Not only did he do that, but he also crushed one of them with an incredible dominance that was deeply intimidating. Yet when they thought about having to bunch up together like pathetic weaklings, more than they already had, a deep sense of unwillingness rose in them.
Was there truly no other way to avoid becoming a victim of the Voidreaper?
Actually, there was.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to announce to all of you that I will be leaving the Dangan Assassin's Guild..." One Martial Senior announced to the entire room, surprising them.
A Martial Senior leaving an assassin organization was not a matter relevant. Assassination organizations frequently fought over Martial Artists, especially Martial Seniors, and the announcement of leave was an opportunity for the others to swoop up and claim the prize.
"...And also the Shadow Isles forever."
The last part turned the atmosphere grave. The Shadow Isles had already bled a lot of assassins to emigration due to the initial wave of terror that the Voidreaper had caused.
The ones that were in the room at the moment were the ones that had resisted and had remained in the Shadow Isles despite that. The fact that some of them were beginning to throw in the towel was not a good sign for the assassination industry.
"Now now..." One man coaxed them. "Let us think this true, Senior Srira, perhaps you haven't given this all the due consideration it needs. It may be best to-"
"Sorry, but I also intended to leave." Another Martial Senior remarked, interrupting the man. "The Shadow Isles has been one of the best regions that I have worked from and in. However, the Voidreaper is not a threat that I can ignore, nor a threat I can protect myself from. It is true that we have learned more information about the Voidreaper, but what we have learned only scares me. It may sound pathetic to all of you human officials, but I didn't reach the Senior Realm by picking fights I can't win."
His voice was decisive and firm.
Unfortunately, his reasons were irrefutable. It was true that they had learned more about the Voidreaper based on the fact that the assassin had engaged in head-on fights. It was also true that they had gained more reason to fear him.
One of the prevailing presumptions was that as long as they could find the Voidreaper, their Martial Seniors could crush the assassin with numbers. However, the sheer dominance and speed at which Senior Jeanno was defeated indicated that this assumption was not necessarily true.
It significantly constrained their potential solutions. The only real solution was heaping up all Martial Seniors together, but even then, how could they the assassination?
The Voidreaper could simply take them down one at a time even if they were heaped and simply retreat if they tried tracking him. That was why it wasn't really feasible to deal with him this way.
Unless they could figure out a way to defend the Martial Seniors from the man's assassination, there wasn't really a viable game plan at hand.
"Wait, we can hire an external third party that specializes in anti-assassination measures." One official stated.
"And embarrass ourselves as assassins by relying on anti-assassination security groups?" One Martial Senior snorted. "No thanks. On top of that, if that measure was enough, then we wouldn't be in such a tough place at all."
"It's also not viable financially," Another official sighed. "These security groups usually cater to the wealthiest class. It's going to eat away at our profits making the very business of assassination unprofitable. We might as well pack up if we decide to rely on this measure."
"At the end of the day, there is only one truly alluring escape to this predicament." One Martial Senior remarked. "Leaving. Those that have left this region are still in contact and are perfectly fine. The Voidreaper has not pursued them. I don't want to die, so I too will be leaving."
This sentiment made its way across the Martial Seniors on the table. Not many were able to resist it this time.
"You're all pathetic!" One Martial Senior declared. "Are you all so eager to throw away your pride as Martial Artists? Hm?"
The man drew attention as stood up, chastising his fellow peers. "I will resist the Voidreaper and overcome this tribulation!"
He radiated confidence and power, giving the human executives of the various assassination organizations some hope.
Two other Martial Seniors also nodded in approval. "We too will stay. The rest of you losers can leave."
The others simply shook their heads before getting up and leaving the room. "Good luck."
Many chairs were left vacated as they followed through in a mass exodus. The various human executives and leaders of the assassination organizations could only heave deep sighs.
This was a calamity. It was a catastrophe for the assassination industry that they had collectively developed. Decades of progress had been undone as their greatest foundation grew undone.
"Shame..." Lady Crina murmured as regret seemed to beset her. "Perhaps we could have done more."
One human executive shook his head. "No, my lady, we have done everything we can, for the most part. What matters is what we do from here on."
A wave of agreement spread across the various leaders. Although the emigration of assassins was a huge setback, it wasn't as though the world was over. There were still a lot of assassins left in absolute numbers.
