228 Chapter 228: Demise of the Porter Clan (1/2)

Long after Angelica had disappeared, Shun Yin continued to gape in the direction where she had gone, his jaw hanging wide open.

”What's that supposed to mean?” he demanded.

”You tell me,” Glen replied irritably, also just as baffled. ”She's your girlfriend.”

”No, she isn't. I haven't seen her in nine years, and we haven't kept in touch for so long.”

”Same difference.”

Shun Yin rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. It was true that, even after all these events, he continued to hold a good amount of affection for Angelica. He still didn't understand what her goal was, especially after that cryptic statement.

However, he finally understood why he and Glen were still alive.

So that's why…they didn't ambush us or lure us into a trap because they never intended to kill us in the first place!

Angelica had instructed the Assassins not to kill them. Shun Yin still wasn't sure what her relationship with the Assassins Guild was, whether she was their client and the one who hired them, but it was clear that she was the one giving them orders.

What was going on?

”…but if that's the case…”

Then it meant Angelica wanted to wipe out her own clan. She was the one who ordered the hit on the clan elders and leader, and judging from the flames that ravaged the Porter estate, she was the one who cast all those fire spells.

A chill ran down Shun Yin's spine. Why would Angelica want her own family dead?

”Ugh…standing around and thinking isn't going to help!”

Glen's frustrated voice snapped Shun Yin out of his thoughts and he shook his head. His friend was right. There was no point pondering over Angelica's motive for now. The most important thing at the present moment was to hurry and save whoever they could, and hopefully salvage what they could from the current situation.

Boom!

Both Shun Yin and Glen spun around when they heard the massive explosion. At another place in the estate, someone was still fighting. Even from this distance, Shun Yin could sense powerful flares of mana erupting. It was almost like seeing blinding sunlight in the middle of the night, occasionally puncturing the darkness with violent outbursts.

”This is…!”

Shun Yin recognized one of the powerful mana signatures. To his relief, it wasn't fading away and weakening like the others, but even so he had to hurry over there to support. The familiar figure was currently outnumbered.

”Mike?!” Glen exclaimed, having come to the same conclusion as Shun Yin and recognizing the mana signature of his cousin.

”We should hurry!”

”Gotcha!” Glen was drawing a deep breath and trying to gather his mana again. However, he looked a little pale, probably from the feedback he received after his White Tiger was obliterated by the Frenzor Assassin from earlier. Fortunately, it didn't have any lasting effects, but Glen wouldn't be able to summon his trump card for a while.

That didn't matter to him. Even without his Soul Beast, Glen was still a formidable mage. The two high school students might not be a match for the top Assassins of the Assassins Guild, but they were the brightest of their generations. As long as they joined hands with Michael Porter, they should be able to drive away the Assassins. Especially if Angelica had ordered them not to kill them, then they should have an advantage.

At least that was the plan, but even as Shun Yin and Glen raced toward the building, they were both forced to dodge when something was sent hurtling in their direction.

”!!!!”

”Whoa!?”

The two teenagers spun around and watched the object crash into a wall, demolishing the solid concrete and vanishing under debris. It took a moment before they realized that it was the charred body of an Assassin.

”Mike is really going wild in there,” Glen remarked with a shake of his head. He grinned. ”I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't need our help.”

”We should still go and assist him.”

”Yeah, not saying otherwise. But I won't be surprised if he's done by the time we reach him.”

The duo increased their pace and burst into the house, only to catch sight of Michael cutting down a Frenzor Assassin and incinerating the berserk killer. The huge man howled, his voice inhuman and bestial, but even with the combat drugs pumping through his system and a complete lack of pain, he was unable to withstand Michael's spells.

Shun Yin noticed that there were more Assassins around, but they were keeping their distance. No, they were actually trying to escape, but Michael had the hired killers trapped in a ring of raging fire.

However, upon witnessing the demise of the Frenzor Assassin, the nerve of several of them failed and they risked diving through the flames. Even as they were immolated and set ablaze, they didn't emit a single sound of agony. Instead, they merely extinguished the flames with their own mana, and despite suffering grievous burns, they ran.

”Don't let them escape!” Michael shouted, breaking the two recently arrived reinforcements out of their stupor. He was about to pursue them, but the Frenzor Assassin lunged at him. Miraculously, even though he had been burned into a crisp, his skin melting off his face and revealing singed bone underneath, which resembled the death mask he had on before it was incinerated. The material of his scorched synthetic skinsuit was clinging to burnt pieces of flesh, which was barely hanging onto to raw muscles and frayed nerves.

Honestly, it was incredible how the Frenzor Assassin was still alive despite the fatal injuries and devastating damage he had suffered.

”Tch!”

Michael clicked his tongue and dodged the berserk Assassin's grappling. Flipping over and doing a cartwheel, he kicked the bony jaw of the Frenzor Assassin, but the huge man didn't look as if he felt it. Then again, it might be because his skin and nerves had been burned off and he was no longer capable of making facial expressions.

While Michael was still occupied by his half-dead but impressively tenacious opponent, Shun Yin and Glen took off to pursue the fleeing Assassins. Unfortunately, they were forced to stop when confronted by the superheated flames of his ring of fire.

”Kuh…!”

”Hot!”

”Damn it! Sorry about that!”

Ducking under a vicious swipe from the Frenzor Assassin's still bulky arm, which demolished a wall, Michael threw out a hand and extinguished those flames. He then parried the berserker's massive fist with his sword, and found himself thrown back a few paces.

Shun Yin and Glen quickly chased after the Assassins, but they were long gone, having melted away into the shadows and disappeared. Despite being unable to locate them, the duo continued to run in the direction they saw the Assassins disappear in, the both of them splitting up in hopes of capturing at least one person for interrogation.