216 Chapter 216: Massacre (1/2)
At first, nobody knew what the red lights were about. More than a few of them watched dumbly as the red lights lanced through them. A guy watched as the light shone on his arm, while a girl fearfully cowered as the light shone upon her shoulder.
Then the guy's left arm fell off, as if cut and cauterized by a laser. The girl's body fell apart, the left side beyond her shoulder coming off cleanly.
”My…my arm!”
”AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
The guy cried out in shock while the girl shrieked. Elsewhere, similar incidents were happening all over the place. Shun Yin glanced around, but surprisingly enough his area was clear. Other than the light that seemed to be aiming straight for Charles, there weren't any other crimson lasers in his vicinity. After checking to see if the stunned and spluttering Charles was all right, he hopped off the stage to check on the others.
”Shun Yin!”
As expected, Glen was all right as well, having moved on reflex to move away from the red lights. Shun Yin nodded as he caught up with his friend.
”What's going on?”
”How should I know?!” Glen snapped. Then he composed himself. ”All of a sudden these red lights came down from the sky and started cutting people up! Are they some sort of attack spell?!”
”They must be,” Shun Yin replied as he glanced up. The fog was still around, but it was no longer firing red lasers. However, it seemed to be thickening, settling around the school courtyard and obscuring vision.
”How can you be so calm?” Glen demanded, staring at him. ”We're under attack right now, and you're still as cool as a cucumber…”
Almost all his life, Shun Yin had always wanted to be a hero…an ally of justice. So it wasn't surprising that he was constantly envisioning a scenario such as this. Even so, the death and injuries occurring throughout Vermillion High had him aghast. However, he understood that this was the moment he needed to stay calm, or he would never be able to save anybody.
”We need to bring the wounded to the infirmary. Let's hurry…”
A scream cut off his instructions. Both Shun Yin and Glen spun around and caught sight of dark shapes moving through the fog. Surviving students, both wounded and unscathed, were being cut down and cleaved apart by Assassins in black, taking advantage of the shock and confusion to move through the fog unseen and launch surprise attacks.
”Help me!”
”Ugh!”
One of the students' heads flew off as the Assassin decapitated him, while a girl gurgled as another Assassin slit her throat. Shun Yin froze for just a second, and then he sprang into action, drawing his sword and launching a blast of flames at the callous killers.
However, a dark shadow surged between them and intercepted his flames. Shun Yin watched, stunned, as his fire burned away the shadow, but the darkness was replaced by gray fog. Now he could no longer see the rest of his schoolmates except for Glen.
”What…what's going on?! Who are those people?! Why are they slaughtering the students of Vermillion High?”
Glen's usually composed voice was breaking, his eyes wide after he saw the bloody carnage in front of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and began casting lightning spells to wreath his hands in deadly electricity.
”Those shadows…” Shun Yin found something familiar about them…as if he had seen those shadows somewhere before, and just recently too. He was sure he knew the caster. Even as the name came to mind, a chuckle cut across his thoughts.
”Still as impressive as ever, I see. I knew you would be able to escape the Crimson Rain spell, but I never imagined you would still have the composure to counterattack against my men.”
Both Shun Yin and Glen turned around to regard the man in a salaryman suit, his usual short black hair slick with gel and his eyes crimson. He spread out both hands to give off a seemingly helpless manner.
”The both of you are really talented kids. I can see why the Grand Master admires you.”
”Ying Bu Si,” Shun Yin hissed silently. Glen glanced at him in surprise.
”You know this guy?”
”Yeah. We've met. I almost killed him, but he escaped.”
”That's an exaggeration, you know.” Ying Bu Si looked as if he was hurt. ”You were never able to kill me. I always had the ability to escape, but I just wanted to talk to you a little bit more.”
”There's nothing for us to talk about.” Shun Yin closed his eyes momentarily and listened. The screams and shrieks were still faint, but they were dwindling. The students were being slaughtered systemically and inevitably. ”You must have brought your Assassins from the Assassins Guild.”
”They are not 'my' Assassins, but you are correct. We have been employed en masse to ensure the destruction of your school…and of the Porter clan.”
”What are you guys talking about?” Glen demanded, at a complete loss. ”What do you mean, destruction of our school and the Porter clan? Why…?”
”I don't know the details, but it seems that someone employed the Assassins Guild to exterminate your entire clan…and since Vermillion High is an affiliate under the Porter family, they must be included within the list of targets.”
”What? Why?!” Glen gaped at Shun Yin after the explanation, but he turned to glare at Ying Bu Si. ”Who hired you? Why do they want the Porter clan destroyed?!”
”I can't tell you right now…clients' privacy and all that. We have to protect their interests and we're bound by the contract. However, if you join us and become an Assassin, then of course we can share the details with you. How about it?”
Ying Bu Si raised a hand invitingly.
”You're asking us to join the Assassins Guild?” Glen asked incredulously.
”Of course,” Ying Bu Si replied good-naturedly. ”The Grand Master has his sights on you both. Especially you, Huang Shun Yin. Your potential has impressed him, and he wishes for you to be among our ranks. You have the potential to be the next Grand Master…and he's hoping to raise you as his successor.”
”No.”
”Aw…a straight and immediate rejection again. You're really hurting us, you know?” Ying Bu Si shook his head. ”All that strength, power and talent, and you're going to let it go to waste? You might possibly be the most powerful Assassin alive if you allow us to train you.”
”I will only ever have one master.”
”That old man from the Miyamoto dojo?” Ying Bu Si scowled. ”I'll admit, he's probably the one person I don't want to fight, besides the Grand Master himself. Well…if he's the one teaching you, then I guess I can't complain if you choose to learn under him instead of becoming an Assassin. Our beliefs are much too incompatible.”
Shaking his head, he sighed.
”I really don't want to do this, but…”
He never got to finish his sentence. Shun Yin dashed forward, slashing his sword at him. Ying Bu Si dodged him, but Shun Yin changed the direction of his sword almost immediately and sliced upward, forcing the Umbra Assassin to raise a hand to parry it. Once again, the same shadows billowed outward from the damaged arm, but Ying Bu Si showed no sign of pain.
”Hey! How rude! I was still talking, you know?”
Shun Yin couldn't care less. Instead, he pressured Ying Bu Si with his sword.
”Call off the attack. Now.”
”I don't have the authority to do so.”
With a grin, Ying Bu Si completed his casting and launched several shadowy appendages at Shun Yin. For a moment, the fire mage could see an impression of a gigantic shadowy spider towering behind the Umbra Assassin, its monstrous visage glaring at him with clacking mandibles. Eight spiky shadows lashed out, piercing the ground and obliterating concrete.