Ano’s eyes kept darting between Norton and Dylan.
Ye Muo continued to advance slowly. The closer he got to his targets, the more cautious he became. He was soon past Ano, passing straight through him like a projection as he forged ahead.
Ano seemed genuinely stricken. He halted in his tracks.
Norton went on as well, sidestepping Ano without sparing him a single glance. His gaze remained fixed solely on Ye Muo.
Ano soon lagged behind.
The other Grantz also found Ano’s behaviour somewhat peculiar, yet they all followed suit.
Dylan glanced at Ano as he brought up the rear. “What’s wrong?”
Ano could only wordlessly stare at him.
Just as Dylan was about to speak, he noticed the other Grantz up ahead were all scrutinising him too.
They blocked his view as they murmured among themselves. “That’s Dylan, right?”
“Feels like it.”
Helene made a sound of agreement, “I would recognize him anywhere. It’s definitely him.”
Aria looked somewhat troubled. “…Is it really wise to state that so bluntly in front of the person in question?”
“The other one’s even more obvious, no? How many times have we seen–” Big Brother’s back.
Bert interrupted Adrian before he could finish that sentence. He put Adrian in a chokehold and covered his mouth, hissing, “I’m willing to forgive you– the folly of youth, yadda yadda…but Norton may not be so forgiving.”
Adrian fell silent.
Bert’s expression subconsciously hardened as he continued watching Ye Muo up ahead.
The other Grantz also grew sombre. The atmosphere suddenly became unsettling.
Dylan frowned. What on earth was wrong with these guys? He shoulder-checked Adrian aside and forced his way through.
First, he glanced at Ye Muo and confirmed the child was crouched behind a rock and currently unharmed. Then, with a hint of confusion, he followed Ye Muo’s line of sight.
Dylan froze in place. He remembered.
The Grantz seldom gathered together once they reached adulthood. However, there were occasions where they’d converge in insect-infested areas to vent their surplus strength and rampant bloodlust, hoping for some respite from that ever-pervasive sense of restlessness.
Even Grantz’s own forces would deliberately give any solitary Grantz a wide berth.
Ano seemed to have composed himself. He returned to the forefront of the group, stopping right behind Ye Muo. He crouched low, his hand coming to rest on the rock over the child’s head in a protective gesture.
He prayed with all his heart for Xavier to stay back. For his worst fears to not be confirmed.
He spoke, his gaze fixed on the two figures with their backs turned in the distance, “I haven’t seen their faces yet. We can’t be sure.”
No one responded. Even Ano himself was already certain despite his verbal protests.
The two figures ahead remained unchanged, just as before.
But Ano knew Big Brother and Dylan had already sensed their little tagalong. The reason they didn’t react in any way was because there was no need to. Nothing could harm a Grantz, after all.
But Ye Muo continued to slowly close the distance between them. He circled around to higher ground, intending to launch an attack from above.
Ano had no need to conceal himself like Ye Muo. He went straight to the edge of the cliff and craned his neck to peer down at the figures below. Dylan and Norton, despite using hoverboards, kept their altitude low.
Ano’s current vantage point confirmed what he already knew.
Shattering the last glimmer of hope lingering in his heart.
He stared down at the duo. Norton and Dylan looked much the same as they do now, but he noticed Norton’s hair was slightly longer. And he knew Norton wouldn’t cut it short again for several years…until that incident.
Ano’s heart lurched, his mind spinning. Why did it have to be the Grantz from this period in time? The young lions back then were nowhere near as steadfast as they were now.
Even his ever-reliable big brother–
No. Ano couldn’t be certain this Norton would hold back.
Still, he made for a better target than the ill-tempered Dylan.
…Ano swiftly dismissed the thought.
Despite his composed demeanour, Big Brother had always been the most dangerous of them all.
While Ano’s mind raced in disarray, a familiar figure came into sight.
Ano’s eyes widened. It was Ye Muo, who had chosen this moment to strike.
Leaping down like a nimble cat, Ye Muo hurled his dagger in midair before launching several rounds of single target micro-missiles without hesitation.
He then selected the individual closest to him as his primary target.
That being Dylan.
The missiles had already ground to a stop in midair, intercepted by psychic power before Ye Muo even reached him. The dagger, though, was faster, detonating upon impact.
Smoke instantly blasted sky-high as chain explosions of nearby missiles ensued.
Ye Muo had rehearsed this assassination multiple times in advance. His part wasn’t over yet. He needed to kill them– at least one of them.
The sensors he was equipped with were connected directly to his ocular implants. Two human forms were detected within the billowing smoke, meaning the targets had survived the blast unscathed without even activating their barrier devices.
Ye Muo’s grip on his short sword tightened as he adjusted his trajectory in midair. Enhanced by his gear, his speed was blistering.
He closed in on the nearest target in the blink of an eye, his glistening blade aimed squarely at his chest, its tip a hair away from his uniform.
Any observer would conclude at this point that this was a successful assassination.
When a predator closed in on its prey, its claws poised to take their life, anyone would assume that victory was guaranteed and a succulent feast imminent.
Yet the instant before Ye Muo’s blade was about to pierce Dylan, he was repelled by a kick to the abdomen. Dylan’s counterattack sent him flying to the side at an even greater velocity than his initial descent.
Ye Muo slammed into the rock wall, kicking up a cloud of dust as he landed. He immediately ignored the pain and the metallic taste in his mouth, rolling to his feet with his dagger still firmly in hand.
Dylan hadn’t even used his full strength or any psychic power for that matter.
Ye Muo sensed that he might have already been incapacitated had Dylan applied even slightly more force.
There was an insurmountable chasm between their capabilities. Even if a fuzzy cub clamped down on an adult lion’s vital artery, who would believe the cub could prevail?
Even a lion playing around carelessly could prove fatal to a cub.
Beside him, Norton remained motionless.
Dylan steered the hoverboard forward slightly. “I detest being interrupted.”
Alas, there were always pesky rats scurrying around. The Grantz had grown accustomed to facing all manner of assassination attempts. They were the foundation of Grantz, which meant eliminating even one of them could deal a crippling blow to the nation. Thus, despite the Grantz family’s formidable strength being common knowledge, assassination attempts continued to be ordered and carried out.
Bert had protected them in their youth, withdrawing that protection as they grew older. They had even come to regard fending off such threats as a form of amusement.
At least this attempt showed a modicum of ingenuity.
However, even though he was somewhat interested in the assailant’s next move, Dylan grew impatient amidst the smoke and dust.
The smoke had dispersed somewhat, but visibility in the area was still poor.
Ye Muo slowly circled to the side. Dylan watched him with a slight frown. He hesitated to draw his sword right away. This assassin was far too small in stature.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Ye Muo vanished again into the haze.
He instinctively pulled back but quickly reined in his urge to flee. After cautiously circling halfway around his target, he closed in for a second attempt. This mission wasn’t over yet. He still had work to do.
Dylan clicked his tongue. He wasn’t the type to show mercy a second time. Just as he moved to finish the job, he paused, glancing in a certain direction.
Warships were closing in on their location. Dylan knew there was a fleet positioned over there, but he hadn’t paid it much heed. He’d assumed they’d withdraw, which was typically what happened after a failed assassination. The remaining forces would retreat immediately to minimise losses.
Coming out to meet them head-on like this was exceedingly rare.
He inclined his head. “Big Brother.”
Dylan headed towards the approaching fleet at Norton’s nod. He preferred a fair fight to chasing rats.
The concealed Ye Muo instantly shifted focus, locking onto Norton.
Only after Dylan had ventured out a distance did Norton stir, slowly drawing his blade.
Ye Muo’s instincts immediately started screaming at him to get out of here, but turning his back to Norton felt equally perilous.
Besides, he couldn’t leave. This was his mission. Any inclination to flee or even passive resistance would incur punishment.
This internal turmoil only compelled Ye Muo into swift action. He attempted to disrupt Norton’s movements, charging recklessly instead of taking a step back to choose a more favourable angle.
Norton’s hoverboard remained low, as if baiting him to attack.
Gripping his short sword, Ye Muo leapt over the rock he was taking shelter behind and lunged at Norton. The man calmly shifted his weapon to the side to precisely meet Ye Muo’s sword.
Ye Muo felt his sword-wielding arm go numb the moment their blades clashed, right down to the bone.
The tips of his toes scraped Norton’s hoverboard as he attempted to pivot back into the smoke.
Norton made his move then, his pace unhurried, almost nonchalant.
Yet only Ye Muo, locked in Norton’s sights, felt that suffocating pressure.
Norton leapt off his hoverboard in pursuit. Ye Muo could feel the winds stirred up by Norton’s movement as the man closed in from behind.
There was barely any distance to cover. Ye Muo spun on his heel the moment he landed, desperate not to present his back to Norton.
Yet Norton’s blade arrived a split second later. Ye Muo attempted to parry with his short sword, but the force behind the swing was too great. His sword simply could not withstand such abuse and shattered into several pieces at the point of impact.
There was no chance of victory, not even in the slightest. Ye Muo understood this all too well as he continued to instinctively clutch the broken hilt.
Norton hadn’t even employed any psychic power nor had he used his full strength. The only reason this battle hadn’t ended yet was because he wasn’t taking it seriously. He was idly using this opportunity to pass the time, like a big cat lazily batting a ball around.
Ye Muo retreated in a panic. Blindly, without regard for where he went.
