Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 163: Assassination on Strong Hammer Military Base (II)

Chapter 163: Assassination on Strong Hammer Military Base (II)

The duo did not run but simply jogged as, during their journey, Vlad imparted Amara with some Force Skills useful for assassins and taught her skills and traits that would help her with her mission. Although Vlad had never followed the assassin’s path, with the help of the A.I. Chip, he could impart the knowledge as if he were a sage.

Vlad easily followed tracks using the help of the A.I. Chip, and after a few hours, they saw a horde on a mountain path. It contained over two hundred demons, most demonic beasts with a single demon at the Champion Realm.

Such a horde would have been no problem for the duo, and Vlad could have easily destroyed all of them with a single use of his Infernal Comet Runic Set, but that was not the goal of this trip. Both of them were looking at the demons from the cover of a small mountain.

Vlad’s gaze swept over the horde, his mind calculating their strength with the aid of the A.I. Chip. He turned to Amara, his voice low but firm. "Your task is clear: utilize the Force Skills and abilities I’ve taught you to infiltrate the demonic horde. Maintain constant movement. Only use your Runic Set as a last resort to escape if discovered."

Amara’s face contorted with frustration at the thought of her Runic Set’s limitations. Without it, she would have to rely solely on her own skills to evade the perception of hundreds of demons, each equipped with night vision and a keen sense of smell.

The frown lasted less than a second as the focus returned to the Royal Guard’s eyes. She took a deep breath, using the assassin breathing techniques Vlad taught her, and her Force began to circulate her figure, slowly turning from a bright white to a black that seemed to fuse with her dark leather armor.

Vlad’s eyes narrowed, and he couldn’t help but nod as he saw the dexterity the young woman displayed. While the armor helped her immensely, it was her own abilities and skills she relied on now, not the ones from a Bloodline Ability, Gift, or Runic Set.

Without wasting a moment, Amara’s focus sharpened to a laser point, her Force fully concealing her figure. In a flash, she darted towards the horde. Some of the demonic beasts reacted with aggression, sensing an intruder, but their confusion grew as they searched in vain for the source of the disturbance.

The Royal Guard managed to get into the demonic pack, constantly moving around them, keeping out of their direct line of sight while advancing through them. Amara was doing a great job and managed to stand three minutes and fifteen seconds among the hundreds of demonic beasts when she suddenly grazed one of them while trying to get out of the line of sight of another.

The demonic beast that was touched immediately reacted, its senses heightened. A flash of shock appeared in its sight as it detected a presence and soon saw a blurry figure.

"ROAR!" Although the demonic beast did not know what it was, it knew it was not a demon, which was all it needed to roar with all its strength, alerting the rest of the horde.

Amara’s eyes widened as she heard that roar, and the next second, she felt tension all over her body, since hundreds of ferocious eyes focused on her. Her assassin skills were great, but she lacked defenses and brute power and was currently in the middle of the horde, so if all of them attacked, she would have a very hard time getting out.

"BOOM!" However, just as the demonic horde was ready to lunge toward the woman, a burst of Force and demonic flames echoed in the distance, distracting them.

Amara did not lose that chance. She activated her Runic Set, covered her figure in shadows, and moved silently out of the horde before the demonic beasts could detect her presence again.

Vlad saw how Amara escaped from inside the demonic horde, calming his Force and Infernal Comet Runic Set before hiding his aura and flashing away. The demonic beasts marched toward the area he was previously in, and soon, the Demonic Champion followed, but he was far away, and eventually, they gave up on their search.

Vlad soon located Amara nearly one thousand meters away from the horde. The woman had managed to run to this place in less than ten seconds despite the harsh mountain terrain, proving just how impressive her speed can be when pushed to the limit. However, by the fact she was breathing rough, it was clear she could not keep that speed for an extended period.

"You have ten minutes to rest," Vlad said in a sharp and cold voice as he stared at the Royal Guard.

Amara was still trying to regulate her breath, and her body ached due to the sudden burst of Force. Still, as she saw the cold and sharp gaze of the Xaos King, she only nodded before adopting a meditative position and trying to recover as fast as possible.

After ten minutes, Vlad firmly stamped the ground, raising Amara from her meditation. Without delay, they both flashed back to the horde. The Royal Guard once more flashed into the demonic horde.

Vlad looked from a distance, hiding his aura and only making his power explode once Amara’s cover was broken. The Royal Guard lasted four minutes and ten seconds the second time before being caught in the line of sight of a demonic beast and forced to run under Vlad’s cover.

The duo carried on like that the entire night, and they left only when the sunlight started to appear. Vlad was not worried that the demonic horde could be a problem as the whole Inkmetal City had been evacuated, so he left them alive to be of use for more training the next night.

It took less than an hour for the duo to return to the Silent Wind Military Base, and the Royal Guard immediately headed to her quarters. She desperately needed some rest since her body was already breaking into utter exhaustion.

---

Vlad was also tired. He slept, but only for a few hours, as he still had a lot to do. As soon as he woke up, he took out his communicator gem and immediately contacted Chief Councilor Aloz.

Before Vlad could even say a word, the old man’s voice emerged from the gem, "My King, I assume you are asking about the soldiers. I have interrogated all 19 soldiers and gone through their records. They are certainly top-notch warriors with strong minds and wills."

Vlad couldn’t help but smile at the efficiency of the old man. "Good, then I leave you to your task."

"Yes, my King." Once more, Aloz’s voice emerged from the communication gem before the connection was cut off.

Vlad allowed his mind and body to rest for a few moments on the ground of the rune laboratory before sharpness appeared in his eyes. He then sent a message through the communicator gem, summoning the 19 soldiers that the Royal Guard had proposed for the devil bloodline.

All 19 soldiers had been alert the entire time, so the moment they were summoned, they immediately flashed toward the Xaos Tower, going to the underground level as soon as the access to the staircase appeared.

Vlad’s eyes immediately narrowed as he saw the men and women entering the underground level. He felt the radiation from their energy pools and the strength emanating from their bodies. These were clearly people who had not taken shortcuts, focusing the Origin Force gained into their bodies and Sea of Consciousness, concentrating on their foundation rather than short-term benefits.

A sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as the power of the A.I. Chip emanated from his soul, flooding the bodies of the 19 as he needed to analyze them to learn the best possible bloodline for each.

All 19 had been present during the fight at the Silent Wind Military Base and knew the young man’s monstrous strength and how all those around him grew immensely powerful. As soon as they felt his eyes focusing on them, they all grew tense. The next second, they felt every single secret in their bodies and spirits revealed, making their awe and admiration toward the Xaos King grow even stronger.

Vlad did not pay too much attention to the expressions of the group. It was not that he did not appreciate devotion, but there were so many plans and schemes in his mind right now that every minute of his day was scheduled, and he could not delay things.

Without further delay, Vlad signaled for the twelve men to accompany him into the rune laboratory while the women waited outside. Thanks to his training and increased proficiency, he was able to inscribe all twelve Mortal Tier bloodline matrices in less than seven hours.