The Martial Unity

Rui walked down the crowded path in a rural district of a bustling town. His attire was…strange, to say the least. He wore things he never had before. A dark Martial Art attire, with a cape-like dark robe over it.

A hood extended over his head, covering his mask-adorned head. He looked like he was trying to cosplay as darkness itself. It was very embarrassing, but Master Reina insisted that it was just right.

Today, he was not Rui Quarrier.

Today, he was the one who had come to kill Rui Quarrier.

Today, he was the Voidreaper.

The assassin that hunted other assassins.

He set himself into that mindset as he took on more silent and darker body language. Yet no power, not even the slightest ounce of threat, could be felt like him. Amongst Martial Artists, that was perhaps a sign of weakness, but amongst assassins, it was the reverse.

It was a sign of power.

Assassins were not showmen; they did not flex their power or lethality in broad daylight to inform everyone around them of their threat.

They did not draw attention.

Despite his get-up, not a single person in the bustling flea market so much as turned a head towards him.

He was invisible.

He had activated Greater Phantomind Void to throw any and everybody off his trail.

Eventually, he stopped, having arrived at a certain inconspicuous shed.

Most would never deign to pay it attention.

That was precisely why his contractors had chosen this as a place to conduct the briefing.

When he extended his senses inside, he found that Riemannian Echo was still reluctantly able to sense through it. Their security measures were not the absolute best that he had ever seen, although they were still extremely good.

That gave him even more clues as to who he was dealing with. He quickly made a few adjustments to the evaluations of the probabilities of the identities of his employer.

CLACK

He opened the little rattling door, crouching his way to fit in through the narrow door as he entered the little shed, taking a row of stairs down, arriving at a more pristine area.

A door was the only way forward.

Yet, it was guarded.

"Name and verification," A masked Martial Master coldly demanded from him.

A single thought flashed through Rui's mind at that moment.

'My deductions were accurate. It is somebody native to the Kandrian Empire. There would be no need to mask a Martial Master if they were not native. The fact that this is even being conducted in such a location is also evidence.'

Rui simply stared at the Master for a second, before reaching in to his robes, pulling out a little token, handing it to the Master. "Voidreaper."

His voice was distorted.

A little trick Master Reina taught him.

The Master's eyes drifted to meet his as he sized Rui up for several seconds.

He didn't seem to be taken aback that he was unable to sense the Voidreaper's appearance.

"You may enter," The Master nodded after verifying the token.

This was a token that had been provided to Area Crina, which Master Reina had returned to bring back to Rui so that he could provide it as proof of identity.

Inside was a large, well-ventilated, and well-lit room filled with luxurious and ostentatious couches and furniture.

It was not something one would expect to see in the flea market that occupied the entire district.

Yet that didn't draw his attention nearly as much as the various figures seated across the couches.

A lean Martial Artist with a curved blade sheathed at his side.

A man whose face was covered with an extravagant gas mask.

A woman with a voluptuous body with scarce clothing that left little to the imagination.

A burly gargantuan man whose hands were larger than Rui's torso.

A woman with green skin that did not even hide its poisonous nature.

Several more, each with their own eccentric traits.

These were the ones who were chosen to kill him.

All of them reacted with alarm when he dispelled Greater Phantomind Void, appearing out of nowhere in their senses as he entered the room, quietly taking a seat on the couch.

Yet he wasn't unaware of the powerful stares boring holes into his body.

They weren't pleased.

After all, Rui had made a silent declaration, conveying a message that they were all too familiar with.

I could kill you whenever, wherever, however.

It was a blow to their pride.

"You must be the notorious Voidreaper, eh?" One of the more chatty assassins stared at him with a poisonous smile.

His words were equally veiled, hiding the spite beneath.

"I've heard things like you're really strong. And that…" His eyes narrowed.

The air grew electric.

"…And that you kill assassins like us for a living."

The others exhibited various reactions; some didn't do so much as twitch, while some watched on with interest.

The man with the gas mask stared holes into Rui while the scantly-clothed woman featured a seductive smile, licking her lips.

SHIIIING

Rui opened his eyes at the noise of a blade being unsheathed, turning to the lean man who was slowly drawing his blade.

"I'm sure the others will agree," his voice was sharp.

"Assassination is already such a dangerous and risky business," His tone grew dangerous.

"Almost all of us are doomed to die miserable deaths long before we reach the end of our lifespans."

The atmosphere grew taut.

"It's already so hard being an assassin…" He remarked. "We can't have a bastard like you running around making it even harder, can we?"

The atmosphere grew perilous.

"Any last words?"

Rui's eyes shifted to meet his.

Four words escaped his mouth.

"Come at your peril."

A grin appeared on the man's voice.

"Heh, so he speaks, well, for his last words, those weren't too ba-"

CLACK

The door opened as a well-attired businesswoman accompanied by four high-grade Martial Seniors walked in, accompanied by a staff of assistants.

All of them were masked.

"Welcome to Kandria, assassins of the Underworld," She calmly replied. "I am speaking to you on behalf of your employers; you may address me as M. I will be briefing you on the specifications of our commission, after which you can decide whether you wish to sign the contract or not."