All-Class Anti-Mage - Chapter 36 - Silver Blade

Pascal was cautious, observing several times to confirm he wasn’t being followed before he slowly approached one of the assassins tracking him. He believed that following was an art, while tracking in a crowd lacked any technical finesse. Assassination was also an art, but in a crowd, it was quite simple!

As he disguised himself as a passerby and got closer to the first assassin, the assassin was still focused on the other assassin and Yang Zhen. Gently, Pascal drove his dagger into the assassin’s back, piercing directly through the heart. As he withdrew the dagger, he quickly sealed the wound.

The assassin fell silently to the ground, and people in the crowd began to disperse, pointing and whispering at his corpse. When they realized he hadn’t just fainted but was dead, Pascal had already dealt with the last assassin tracking Yang Zhen.

This wasn’t Pascal’s first time doing such a thing. If it weren’t for his exceptional assassination skills, would the white-robed bishop Malte have recruited him? Sometimes Pascal felt frustrated; as an eighth-tier reaper, he had to pretend to be a sixth-tier slayer in front of the seventh-tier grand sage Malte.

No one wanted a follower whose power level exceeded their own, but Pascal believed Yang Zhen didn’t care about that because the young man had a saint-tier power backing him! He had endured for many years, waiting for this moment. As long as he became one of Yang Zhen’s followers, with a saint-tier powerhouse supporting him, he would no longer have to live in obscurity!

However! A roadblock appeared before him!

The last assassin tracking Yang Zhen was actually more powerful than he was. Pascal sensed from the other’s movements and breathing that this was a ninth-tier reaper! Under normal circumstances, he would definitely retreat; it was incredibly difficult to assassinate an opponent who was one level above him.

But today he absolutely wouldn’t give up. If he missed this chance, Pascal didn’t know if he would ever have another opportunity to prove himself to Yang Zhen in the future. Besides, as a saint-tier powerhouse, he was surely taking note of his actions; if he didn’t show off now, when would he?

Determined, Pascal held his breath and calmly approached the fellow assassin. He quietly extended his dagger again. This backstab was already an extraordinary display of his skills, but killing a highly alert ninth-tier reaper was still a daunting task.

The dagger didn’t strike the heart. The assassin suddenly twisted his body and turned to look at Pascal. “It’s you!”

Pascal felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his mind going blank. By the time he regained his senses, barely a single breath had passed, and the seriously wounded assassin had vanished. A wave of terror filled Pascal’s heart: “He… he knows me, but I don’t know him…”

“Someone’s been killed!”

After the assassination failed and he was discovered, Pascal immediately dashed into the crowd, disappearing from sight. This was the advantage of conducting an assassination in a crowd; once you slipped into the sea of faces, it was difficult to catch the culprit.

Yang Zhen suddenly turned around. He noticed nothing amiss amid the panicked crowd. Furrowing his brow, the unease that had been lingering in his heart finally dissipated. This proved that someone had indeed been tailing him. But where had they gone? How could they just vanish?

“What’s wrong?” Roland asked, her delicate features filled with concern.

“Nothing,” Yang Zhen shook his head, unwilling to pass on his anxiety to Roland.

As Pascal ran, he felt joy bubbling inside him: the saint-tier power had definitely seen what he did. As long as they informed Yang Zhen, he would surely gain the young man’s recognition. Yes, if he secretly helped him out a few more times, he would have the capital to pledge allegiance!

Little did this fool realize that there was no saint-tier power at all; Yang Zhen had no idea what was happening!

…

The wounded assassin staggered through the street, leaving a trail of blood that caused people to scatter in fear. Arriving at a specific location, he signaled, and two people immediately appeared to aid him.

Then, several suddenly appearing figures in green clothing quickly cleaned up the bloody trail, vanishing back into the crowd. The street remained pristine, as if nothing had ever happened.

“I saw Pascal; he’s the one who stabbed me,” the injured assassin knelt on the ground, gathering his courage to look up at the figure in the red robe.

“Well done; now go get some good rest to heal,” the red-robed bishop Karl slowly turned, his face full of compassion and kindness toward his subordinate. The assassin nodded in gratitude and was helped out of the shabby room.

“Pascal, originally known as Night Wolf, was an eighth-tier reaper of the Assassin Guild. Twenty-three years ago, he killed his teacher, Wanyu, and then concealed his identity to become the follower of the white-robed bishop Malte of the Prague Temple. Malte is a confidant of the red-robed bishop Curis of the Holy City. So, you’re saying… Curis wants to claim this credit for himself?”

Karl muttered to himself as he pieced together this information, slamming his palm on the table. “Curis, you’re such a fool. I threw out a bait to find out if there’s a saint-tier power backing Yang Zhen, and it ended up in your hands. Now I have to deal with this bait myself! I’ll remember this debt!”

For Yang Zhen, could this be considered a delightful misunderstanding? If he had actually faced a ninth-tier reaper’s assassination attempt, which saint-tier power would have stepped in to help? A fourth-tier against a ninth-tier-it’s obvious what the outcome would be, all cards laid bare! Nevertheless, for Yang Zhen, the alert had not been lifted.

However, it wasn’t just Karl who was concerned about Yang Zhen. The president of the Sword Cultivators Guild, Steve, felt the same way. As soon as Kerry mentioned that a young man named “Sean” at the auction might be the terrifying figure from the Magical Beast Forest, he immediately dispatched his best agent to carry out an assassination.

Steve knew that confronting such an invulnerable individual would lead to a pyrrhic victory for the Sword Cultivators Guild in their upcoming challenge. Therefore, assassination was the only option! Unfortunately, he had no idea that his most capable agent had already fallen to Pascal, who was looking to switch allegiances, and had been dispatched like a vegetable!

“Dad… there’s bad news! I just found Uncle Wuying’s body in the street!” Kerry shouted as he burst through the door, panic written all over his face, with a visibly pale Katie trailing behind.

“Be quiet! Don’t let anyone hear you!” Steve looked at them with a disapproving expression, but he couldn’t bear to lecture his children in this moment.

“Considering this, Sean must be Yang Zhen, and he’s likely the terrifying figure we faced previously! What should we do?” Kerry’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“Dad, I have an idea. Since he’s so powerful, why don’t we try to recruit him?” Katie’s innocent face suddenly displayed an unsettling chill. “With my looks, I’m sure he’ll take a liking to me!”

“Are you suggesting you want to seduce him?” Even Kerry felt that Katie was being a bit narcissistic. Roland wasn’t any less attractive than Katie, and after today’s auction, the Mage Guild was gaining prominence. It was obvious to anyone who was smart enough who would be the better match.

“Have you forgotten? I have this!” Katie held up her staff, the crystal core of a light magical beast at its tip radiating a holy glow.

Steve and Kerry immediately realized what that meant. The crystal core came from a lovebird, a light magical beast. After being processed by Katie’s teacher, it had naturally generated an unlevel magic- the Great Love Incantation.

As long as the target was of the opposite sex and of comparable strength, even the pope would fall in love with the person casting this spell! Unlevel magic operates on the subconscious level as a form of mental seduction, and doesn’t cause any harm.

On the Firmament Continent, only a few rare unlevel magical beasts would generate this kind of magic upon death. The lovebird was an exceedingly gentle magical beast, and its unique ability made it a target for human hunters. Over the thousands of years, they had been driven to the brink of extinction.

Another significant advantage of unlevel magic is that it doesn’t require psychic nodes or a magic grid; it’s completely generated naturally through psychic will. Therefore, even the anti-mage wouldn’t be able to break it!

“But, given our current situation, how could Yang Zhen possibly come to the guild? Do we have to wait until the day of the challenge?” Kerry was puzzled by this question.

“No way! There will be too many people around then, and someone will definitely notice. It will also affect the outcome of the magic!” Katie firmly shook her head.

“I’ll go speak to the city lord for a way out. It’s all his fault that the guild has fallen to this state. If he refuses to help, then I’ll tell him that Abeku was killed by Yang Zhen… humph.” Steve sniffed coldly as he headed for the door.

Yang Zhen returned to the Mage Guild, greeting the old men he encountered with warmth, just like usual. The fact that the Theory of Rune Consciousness was entirely his creation was known only to the big three of the guild. So, the group of old men who viewed Yang Zhen as a junior were unaware that the happiness approaching them was brought by this young man.

Yang Zhen had never cared about fame or fortune, and returned to the Mage Tower with Roland. He found it strange that the girl had been unusually quiet since coming back from the auction. Had she been frightened by the twelfth-level forbidden incantation?

It didn’t take long for Yang Zhen to realize he was mistaken. When they faced each other in the Mage Tower, there was no trace of fear or anxiety on Roland’s face. Instead, it was flushed with a bashful pink, filled with soft, loving emotions. Roland took out a silver broken blade she had kept close to her heart and lowered it into Yang Zhen’s hands.

Yang Zhen was bewildered, several big question marks flashing in his mind. What did this silver broken blade mean? Although he wanted it, she had to say something! Unfortunately, Roland only lowered her head even further, nearly burying it in her chest without uttering a word.

“Haha… my dear daughter finally has the courage to take this step,” Roban said as he entered the Mage Tower with a hearty laugh, a look of satisfaction on his face. “This blade is called the silver blade; it’s a token of affection from our family’s daughters to their beloved.”

“I see!” Yang Zhen finally understood Roland’s expression. He simply hadn’t expected that a girl who usually appeared to be in full control would show such shyness when it came to emotions.

“Now you should understand why I didn’t teach you the elemental simulation theory. My understanding of this blade is too superficial, and passing it on to you would only mislead you. Only Lan’er can personally give you the silver blade and help you grasp your own understanding!”

Roban’s expression grew serious as he continued, “Accompanying the silver blade is our family’s biggest secret!”

“Do you know who my mother is?” Roban looked at Yang Zhen intently, his eyes filled with a mix of pride and helplessness that constantly alternated.

“You mentioned her before,” Yang Zhen replied softly. A few days ago, Roban talked about his mother but only said she was missing. It seemed he was now ready to share this secret in detail!

“My mother is the eleventh-tier shadow king-Wanyu!” Roban declared proudly.

“Wanyu, of the Assassin Guild’s six major branches!” Yang Zhen gasped in low astonishment. If what Roban said was true, then indeed, this was a shocking revelation! Everyone on the Firmament Continent knew that Wanyu was killed by one of her students, yet Roban claimed she was just missing!