Just like how Kieran's True Berserker Class possessed the Blood Mania ability, which was considered an innate skill granted by the power of Argexes' Blood, Altair's Shadow Dancer Class had an innate skill known as the Lightless Shroud.
This ability was derived from the Nightly Gloom that saturated his body. As it was another SS Rank Skill by default, the Lightless Shroud was a skill that, even at Lv.1, created some remarkable effects.
The blanket of darkness that followed behind Altair was merely one of the effects of the Lightless Shroud.
Aside from creating a scene of overflowing darkness, many players noticed that only Altair's eyes, which glimmered with the blackest night of the abyss remained, visible.
Though white in color, Altair's hair couldn't reflect light, thereby removing its presence entirely.
"Deathless Cloak: Night Embers," Altair spoke.
The activation of this particular ability was synonymous with Kieran activating his Vampiric Blood Encrustation. However, in exchange for a weaker increase in his attributes, Altair gained another advantage.
"Huh?!" A few players exclaimed in abject horror.
The one thing in common with all these players was that they possessed an ocular skill capable of increasing the effects of their vision, yet Altair still appeared undetectable.
Sure, they understood that Assassins were experienced in Stealth, Vanish, and Conceal, but all three of these skills possessed a fatal flaw—each one of them was weakened in the presence of light.
Yet, despite this widely known weakness, they could not pierce the unassailable veil of darkness produced by their opponent.
"Are you telling me that another strange asshole has appeared? It's bad enough that we have to deal with something like Aatrox, now we have to fight a Thief we can't even sense?"
"Wait… hold on! I think I remember their face. Though there are some subtle differences, their features haven't changed all that much. I think it's that damned Thief from Aatrox's most-viewed stream!"
Due to the actions of Aatrox and Altair going against hundreds of players without suffering a loss, the recording of that stream continued to garner incredible rapport with viewers that sought awe-inspiring actions.
"You're right! His presence is too similar. But wait… did he have such an ability back then? If not, are these available to all Assassins at Lv.50 and above?"
Several of the thousands of players began to question whether Altair possessed these abilities. However, there was no one to confirm when Altair obtained these abilities or what they even were.
Meanwhile, Zephyr remained a few meters away from the ongoing conflict, eyeing Kieran with a strange gaze. 'That's pretty interesting. To think my chosen successor would have ties to the Fiend of Demise's successor. Though… I must say, Scar has outdone himself. This child wields the power well.'
Despite being so close, there wasn't a single player that could perceive Zephyr. At least, there shouldn't be. As Zephyr analyzed Kieran from his current location, he noticed that the boy's gaze momentarily flickered in his direction before quickly shifting back.
In the fraction of a second of doing so, Zephyr picked up on something that made his eyes narrow. 'Not just the Blood Fiend, but even the Mystic Mistress? I wonder… what could this mean?'
Since the beginning of the Mythical Heroes, there had never been a case where Agatha approached one of the successors. Hence, Zephyr felt this unprecedented change was quite alarming. What prompted her to approach this boy?
The situation begged the question, but Zephyr decided he would curb his curiosity until this matter was concluded. After all… 'It's a conflict between several individuals bearing that sealed weakness. How odd.'
Once Altair wielded the Night Embers, he slid his arms behind his back, withdrawing two daggers of a pure-black and almost polished gem-like luster. Others may not be privy to the items in Altair's hand, but as soon as Kieran saw them, his eyes could not help but widen.
Compared to the weapons in Altair's hands, the danger of the incoming attacks felt insignificant.
As for why Kieran reacted so strongly, it was due to the identity of those weapons. These weapons were known as the Eternal Nightfall Bayonets. Although they were genuine Epic Weapons, the real reason Kieran was so shocked was their Item Level.
The Item Level of the Eternal Nightfall Bayonets was a staggering 250!
"Let the shade of the night descend upon many," Altair said.
All of a sudden, the daggers in his hand sapped power from the Lightless Shroud, their edges becoming deathly and partly intangible. Once this happened, Altair disappeared with a light step, his actions no different from a light stroll.
'Eye of Darkness: Shadow Illuminator!'
While walking through the Lightless Shroud, all of the enemies caught within its range suddenly became apparent to Altair.
"Night Surge…"
Then, Altair held his two bayonets in a strange position before suddenly leaning forward, rushing forth at breakneck speeds. Once in range, Altair tossed his weapons into the air. However, rather than speeding up, their motion began to slow.
"Illusionary Night Waltz."
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
A kind of deathly wind followed Altair's every move as he shifted back and forth through the darkness, appearing as if he were dancing around his enemy. After each movement, Altair would release his weapons once more and reappear a step away an instant later.
In this fashion, the Health of his first victim bottomed out in three seconds.
…
As Kieran watched Altair display the signs of the Grim Reaper he knew him to be, Kieran returned his attention back to the battle at hand. He was forced to relinquish his grasp of Vielens to dodge the attack from the Seven Antumbra Agents.
'Three assassin-types, one swordsman-type, two fighter-types, and finally one archer-type. What a squad,' Kieran thought. Though they were all presumably of a different attack, Kieran gathered they all prioritized AGI based on their earlier movements.
Not even a stellar execution of strong Techniques could produce such an effect without decent attributes to back it up.
As he stood amidst his enemies, Kieran lifted his arm and opened his hand. Within two seconds, a Tensile Blood Swath shot out from his palm, enveloping Crimson Ashrune's hilt.
"I guess Soulless' claims were true. You all perceive me as some kind of weakened wolf, unable to defend itself from the threat of livestock. Perhaps that logic would apply to a normal person. Though… it doesn't apply to someone willing to go to my lengths," Kieran voiced.
A second later, he yanked his arms, reining in Crimson Ashrune.
"Xis, intercept," one of the assassin-type Antumbra said. Based on their demeanor, the possibility of them being the leader of this small group was high.
The swordsman, Xis, received the order and acted upon it. Unlike most swordsmen in Zenith Online, who opted to use longswords for their higher attack power and greater reach, Xis preferred katanas.
As Xis moved forward, his objective surprisingly wasn't to approach Kieran. While the three assassin-types moved in on Kieran at once, Xis focused on the Tensile Blood Swath that retrieved Kieran's weapon.
"Sword Force: Severing Blade!"
Uttering those words, Xis drew his sword quickly, a compact arc of sharp Sword Force billowing toward the ribbon of blood appearing soon after. As the attack met with the Tensile Blood Swath, Kieran's attention was momentarily grasped.
'Hoh? Attempting to disarm me? These guys are textbook killers,' Kieran thought.
If looks could manifest in the environment, Kieran's current expression—though somewhat amused—would undoubtedly lower the ambient temperature by a few degrees.
Unsurprisingly, Kieran's Tensile Blood Swath held up against Xis' attack, but to Kieran's astonishment, it did not do so entirely. The sharp attack left a nick in the ribbon, which meant there was now an evident weakness for them to exploit.
Though Xis' Sword Force paled compared to Ezra's, it was clear that Xis possessed another strange class, at least some upgraded form of the Swordsman Class.
Less than a second after Xis created this weakness in the Tensile Blood Swath, a frightening arrow that produced a deafening ring blitzed through the air, hitting the fracture in the ribbon with ridiculous precision.
Though the Seven Antumbra Agents were only considered individual High Rankers, when their teamwork was executed in its highest form, not even Titled Rankers like Soulless could walk away unscathed.
However, such an outcome was to be expected when an individual like Soulless was directly responsible for overseeing their training.
Bang!
The Tensile Blood Swath was severed by this arrow, which similarly fractured after destroying the ability. It was an act of mutual destruction as the durability of Kieran's ability was shocking.
With the ribbon now severed, Crimson Ashrune dropped to the ground, creating a miniature tremor. In fact, it was enough to astonish some people. How did he wield such a ridiculously heavy weapon with unmatched effortlessness?
"Mission accomplished, Xion," Xis remarked, sheathing his blade at his waist.
Xion, the leader of the Seven Antumbra Agents, gave a brief nod before lifting and dropping his pinky and thumb together. Xion, alongside the other two assassin-types, executed Soundless Bursts, converging before Kieran from three different angles.
"One should know when they're outmatched, rather than delude themselves into believing their condition will suffice," Xion said.
This comment gained a small chuckle from Kieran, but nothing else.
As it stood, Kieran felt these seven individuals had truly overestimated themselves. Sure, their tacit understanding of one another's actions was commendable, but... using one's eyes to perceive a situation wasn't also the best decision.
If Kieran was being honest, he wasn't in a precarious position at all. The only reason he acted the way he did was to gain a clear understanding of the enemies' techniques and style, patiently biding time to strike at the most blissful moment.
Following Xion's comment, Kieran completed his analysis.
Before the daggers of the three assassins could reach him, Kieran's body suddenly flickered, stepping past all of them with ease. After that, he glanced over his shoulder with a whimsical smirk.
By the time he landed, his hand was already situated around Crimson Ashrune's hilt. "All that to stop me from reclaiming my blade. Yet, you've still failed. And now… you will understand that my Executioner isn't the only menace on the battlefield. Perhaps… he isn't what you should fear at all."
〈System: Your passive «Ruthless Valor» has been activated.〉
