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St. Laurent Bay Villa District.
"Huff... huff..."
The sniper ran a distance of one kilometer, stopped behind a large tree, and leaned against it, panting.
His name was Mark, an old subordinate of Maynard's. Whenever they worked, Maynard would use his extraordinary ability to observe the target, and he would coordinate for the snipe.
Generally, enemies would be hit the moment they detected the attack. He hadn't expected an anomaly this time.
Maynard's ability involved using various insects and animals to scout the enemy's position, then reporting the precise coordinates to him, allowing him to take the shot.
Even in pitch-black darkness where he couldn't see his own hand, he could accurately lock onto the target's position via Maynard's coordinates and make the kill shot.
"'Having run this far, they probably won't chase me anymore, right?'"
"Rustle..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a shadow appeared in the dark woods before him, making Mark jolt. He immediately stood up, raising his rifle towards the front.
The bushes in the woods rustled, and a tall figure dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt emerged.
Mark stared at Bradley, who had appeared before him. His throat bobbed, sweat soaking his camouflage uniform.
"'Although I don't know how you got in front of me.'"
Mark shouldered his sniper rifle, aimed at Bradley, and said confidently.
"'But at this close range, you can't possibly dodge a bullet.'"
The moment he finished speaking, there was a flash—Bradley's body suddenly vanished. Mark frantically looked around in panic.
"Bang!"
Bradley suddenly appeared behind him, easily knocking him unconscious with a single hand chop. Mark's body fell with a thud.
"'Anger.'"
He looked down at the man's body. From this body, he sensed only very faint anger; the mind was entirely filled with fear.
"Thump!"
Bradley stepped on the man's neck, applied force with his foot, and with a series of crackling sounds, the mercenary died quietly in the dark woods.
A wisp of pale green smoke drifted up from Mark's corpse, snaking its way into his chest.
Bradley closed his eyes, seeming to feel something, then turned and sprinted wildly towards the villa.
"Drip... drop..."
From the dim sky, a raindrop suddenly fell onto the grass, followed by the continuous pitter-patter of rain hitting leaves and rooftops.
Illumi slowly drew the pistol tucked behind his waist and dropped it onto the ground with a thud. Based on the amount of aura overflowing from Maynard, it was clear a pistol wouldn't be enough to injure him.
Maynard 'saw' Illumi's action and grinned.
On the grass, the two stood five meters apart, facing each other.
"CRACK!"
A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, piercing the darkness.
"'Limb Bend.'"
Illumi began to move, stepping out with an alternating fast and slow rhythm, circling around Maynard.
"'A technique passed down through generations of the assassination family?'"
Maynard perceived Illumi's current movements through animal senses and raised an eyebrow.
"'Speaking of which, I've encountered similar opponents before.'"
"'Being able to make a living off your family's skills... I'm quite envious.'"
Illumi remained expressionless, hidden amongst countless afterimages, circling behind Maynard, his hand raised in a chop.
"'Shadow Step.'"
Becoming a black shadow, silently and swiftly closing in, he thrust his hand chop towards Maynard's kidney area.
"Smack!"
A crisp sound rang out. Illumi's expression showed surprise; Maynard's left hand had reached back and actually grabbed his wrist.
"'What!?'"
Illumi couldn't help but exclaim. Maynard swiftly turned, gripped Illumi's shoulder with his right hand, then lifted his body and slammed him to the ground with a back throw.
"BAM!"
A heavy thud echoed, splashing numerous water droplets on the damp grass.
"Cough..."
Illumi couldn't help but spray out a mouthful of blood mist.
Maynard seized the opportunity, bending his knees, about to mount Illumi.
"Schlick!"
The sound of flesh being pierced by a sharp object suddenly erupted. Maynard's expression froze; he immediately leaped back up, hopping backward seven steps before stopping.
He looked down at the base of his thigh; unexpectedly, there was now a bleeding hole there.
"'Just a brat, but his fighting methods are extremely vicious.'"
Maynard 'looked' towards Illumi, revealing a savage grin.
"'You were aiming for my crotch just now, weren't you.'"
"'If you had hit me, my happiness for the rest of my life would be over.'"
Illumi climbed up from the ground, holding up his index finger, which was covered in fresh blood. His fingertip was as sharp as a blade.
"'Someone like you wouldn't know happiness anyway.'"
Illumi gazed at the gap between the man's eyelids, which faintly showed white, and smiled faintly.
Because he's blind, Limb Bend was useless. And at the same time, because of his ability, Shadow Step was also useless.
"'A brat like you wouldn't understand the happiness of being a man.'"
Maynard's mouth split into a savage grin; his mouth was much wider than a normal person's.
"Swish!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Illumi rushed forward, hands together forming chops, transforming into a flurry of afterimages attacking Maynard.
"Swish swish swish..."
The sound of air being sliced continuously echoed.
Maynard constantly shifted his feet amidst Illumi's attacks, continuously dodging, appearing perfectly at ease.
"'The Zoldyck family's killing techniques, merely this much,' Maynard provoked Illumi."
"'Hm?'"
As his voice fell, Maynard suddenly frowned. A sharp glint flashed in Illumi's eyes; he retracted his hand chop, and his right index finger abruptly stabbed towards Maynard's right eyeball.
"Splurch!"
Fresh blood spurted out, splashing onto Illumi's face. Having succeeded in one strike, he quickly retreated.
"'Getting distracted during a fight is a major taboo.'"
Illumi held a bloody eyeball between his index finger and thumb, raising it before his eyes.
"'Anyway, you're blind, the eye is useless to you. I'll be merciful and dispose of it for you.'"
Illumi opened his fingers, held the eyeball in his palm, clenched his fist, crushing it with a squish, then flicked his right hand, tossing the crushed eyeball onto the grass.
"'Brat.'"
Maynard's right eye was tightly shut, blood slowly trickling from between the lids. Intense pain shot through his brain, his expression grim.
"'Just one eye. A gift for you.'"
"Heh heh..."
Illumi suddenly let out a soft chuckle, looking at Maynard with a smile.
"'Say... aren't you a little too unconcerned about your employer?'"
Hearing this, Maynard frowned. Before he could ask, Illumi gave a wide smile, suddenly spun around with a swish, and rushed into the villa.
"'I see. He never intended to fight me seriously; his only goal was to kill my employer?'"
Maynard 'saw' Illumi enter the villa but remained unmoved himself, instead revealing a sinister smile.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, a short figure rushed out from inside the villa, stopping on the grass outside.
Illumi looked towards the villa entrance, his face grim.
"Hisss..."
At this moment, dense hissing sounds came from within the villa.