159 Chapter 159: Teachers and Students (2/2)

After all, I was the prime target. The one in possession of the Holy Spring at the moment. As long as they took me out and grabbed the Holy Spring, their mission would be achieved. I suspected that wasn't the only reason why the Dark Church had ordered my assassination, though. They probably held a grudge against me ever since I nuked the three-thousand strong monster army the other time.

Not that I cared. What bothered me was the fucking Dark Church sending assassins after me and disturbing my quiet life. I just wanted to rise through the ranks of my school and get into a prestigious university, eventually becoming a well-known mage like my dad. They had to screw my life over and make things so much more complicated and deadly.

At least it wasn't some great family from above hiring assassins to kill me just to ”teach me my place” or some bullshit reason like that. They actually had a genuine reason to kill me because I was a danger to their plans, and not because of some ”he's trash who's getting too close to our daughter, therefore he must die!”

”Kisama!” he shouted as he slashed at me, but I parried his blade with both my swords. He pushed me back with sheer strength, but I stood my ground for a few seconds before kneeing him in the crotch. He yelped as he doubled over, and I took the chance to decapitate him. He managed to block Mo Ye, but Gan Jiang sailed over from the opposite side and sliced through his neck, causing his head to fly off in a fountain of blood.

I then stepped in to hack at the assassin who was currently occupying Alicia's attentions. He whirled around to parry my swords, only for Alicia to swiftly shoot him in the back. He cried out and staggered forward as Alicia's rounds opened up bloody craters in his back, and I seized the opportunity to finish him off with a stab.

Craig and the others were still holding out against the trio of assassins, but just barely. I exchanged a glance with Alicia, and we went to support them. To our far right, Dong Fang Yue Chu managed to blast an assassin away and off the bridge with a torrent of flames, but he had been bloodied. Harrison was holding his own, beautifully deflecting his opponent's attacks with his bare hands.

The young lieutenant, Yang Bai, was still holding his own against an assassin, his saber clashing against his opponent's katana numerous times. Neither of them was getting an advantage, and I was relieved that the soldier was occupying the attention of that senior assassin. His movements were sheer blurs, making it difficult even for me to follow his attacks. Yang Bai's speed and reflexes matched the senior assassin's, with holy lights flashing from his saber to pierce the swiftly evading killer. I doubted I would have lasted that long against Rei's senior disciple.

Kaboom!

Theodore smashed his hammer onto the ground, discharging a massive blast of electricity that electrocuted his two opponents and sending them crashing onto the ground in spasms. He then lumbered over to one of them and mercilessly pulverized the guy by slamming the full weight of his hammer against the assassin several times. With his bloody work done, he then moved on to the second fallen assassin to repeat his grim task.

”Brother Fan, watch out!”

Zhang Hou Zi managed to conjure a wind barrier to protect Bu Fan from the blade of an assassin. Bu Fan nodded his thanks, and then electrocuted the other guy with chained lightning, the web of electricity wrapping around the stunned assassin and flooding his body with destructive currents. Between the two of them, they took him out.

Alicia and I reached Craig and the others, but the trio of assassins tormenting them immediately withdrew. Below, the assassin who Dong Fang Yue Chu had blasted off the bridge was crawling into the river bank, coughing and spluttering from the foul water. His katana cleaved a pursuing Cyclops Rat in half, and he dragged himself ashore and jogged away, presumably to meet up with his comrades.

Boom!

Behind all of us, an explosion erupted as a glowing Rei's katana crashed against Teacher Fielding's reinforced arms. Knocking Rei's katana aside, Teacher Fielding punched the bald assassin in the solar plexus, but he managed to parry it with his elbow. The crunching blow sent him skidding several meters back, knocking cars off their wheels and sending at least one plummeting into the river below.

”…oh…looks like time is up.”

Despite having failed his mission, Rei didn't seem all that disappointed. He sheathed his katana, but Teacher Fielding wisely didn't charge at him. The guy was being relaxed for a reason. He cocked his head toward the shelter. His surviving disciples gathered behind him, having also followed their master's example and disengaging from combat. None of us pursued. We were far too exhausted and drained to continue a pointless battle.

Besides, we could see a group of soldiers exiting the shelter and heading in our direction.

”Looks like your reinforcements have arrived. Ah…I really wanted to fight a bit longer. Looks like you've gotten stronger again, Fielding. I thought you were supposed to be retired from the military.”

Teacher Fielding's scowl deepened, but he remained silent.

”Hmm…I hate to admit it, but it appears that you're the better teacher.” Rei glanced at his fallen disciples in dismay, but made no move to recover their bodies. ”Well, no surprises there. I was always better at killing than I was at mentoring.”

With a shrug, he turned and waved in an almost friendly manner. His disciples were all melting away in the shadows, and at the same time Harvey chose to finally show up, crawling from underneath the wreckage of a car.

Rei grinned, but his smile was directed more at Teacher Fielding than anyone else.

”I hope we'll meet again shortly, Fielding.”

Then he was gone, as if he had never appeared to begin with.

Teacher Fielding clenched his fists, his teeth gnashing in fury.

”I certainly hope we won't…but if we do, I'll definitely kill you next time, you bald bastard.”