"You're also a target—designated by the employer."
Hit's voice was cold as ever, his crimson eyes staring straight at Minister Ornest.
"If that's the case," he continued, his tone flat and final, "then you should die."
Hearing that, Ornest sneered mockingly and suddenly raised a hand to his head. With a snap, he crushed the gem embedded in his forehead.
"Hahaha! Let's see how you handle this!" Ornest laughed wildly.
"This gem is my Teigu, Erestone! And do you know what it does? It destroys the opponent's Teigu when shattered!"
He pointed triumphantly at Hit. "Now that you can't use your Teigu anymore, I want to see how you plan to kill me!"
Ornest's smug grin stretched wide across his face. Without a Teigu, even the most powerful warrior would lose at least seventy percent of their strength.
This was his trump card.
A secret weapon he'd never used before—not because it was useless, but because it had a seven-day cooldown. In his mind, no one had ever been worth wasting it on.
Until now.
He stared at Hit, eagerly waiting to see the panic on his face.
But it never came.
Hit didn't even blink.
"…You…"
Ornest's confidence cracked. He opened his mouth to speak, but before another word could leave his lips—
A sharp pain tore through his chest.
His eyes went wide.
His vision blurred.
Then everything went black.
Hit stood still, expressionless, his arm extended from a successful heart punch.
He looked down at Ornest's corpse.
"No Teigu," he muttered. "No problem."
With that, he picked up the body and returned to where Chi Tong and Tazmi waited.
The two were stunned as they saw him land, casually tossing Ornest's lifeless form onto the ground in front of them.
Though they had anticipated this outcome, seeing it actually happen still left them speechless.
The final and most difficult target of their Night Raid mission—Minister Ornest—was dead.
Just like that.
Ornest had been a slippery figure for years, always surrounded by layers of protection and political power. Killing him had seemed impossible.
If it were them trying to do it, it would've taken an enormous effort—and they still might have failed.
But for Hit?
It hadn't even taken a minute.
They noticed the shattered gem embedded in Ornest's forehead and immediately understood what had happened.
He had used his Teigu. If they had been the ones facing him, things could have ended very differently. That Teigu's effect—disabling opposing Teigu—was dangerous.
Chi Tong swallowed hard. "He used his Emperor Tool… but it didn't matter."
Tazmi nodded, frowning. "That's because… Hit doesn't even have one."
Realization dawned on them.
Ornest died thinking his Teigu had robbed Hit of his weapon.
But Hit had no Teigu to begin with. That made the entire effect completely null.
A bitter irony. Ornest's final, desperate move had been meaningless.
"Do you still need me to help kill anyone else?" Hit asked in his usual deadpan voice.
Chi Tong quickly shook her head. "No, no—thank you for your help. We can take care of the rest from here."
After all, the biggest threats—the Emperor and Ornest—were gone.
The remaining loyalists and corrupt nobles were nothing in comparison.
If they couldn't handle them, then they didn't deserve to be called the Night Raid.
"Alright," Hit said, giving a small nod. "Then my mission is complete."
He turned slightly, opening a glowing portal behind him. "I hope you'll leave me a five-star review."
And with that, he stepped into the portal and vanished.
A moment later, a system notification rang out.
> Ding! Congratulations to Hit for completing the mission. Points awarded: 600,000!
> Ding! Five-star rating received! You've earned a chance to draw a lottery!
Gabe immediately messaged in the system chat.
@Hit – Senior Hit, congratulations! You got a five-star rating!
@Gabe – Thanks, Hit replied simply.
Califla chimed in. "Hmph, even if I had gone, I would've earned a five-star review too! But Senior Hit totally deserved it."
Champa perked up. "Hey, since you got a lottery chance, hurry up and draw it. Maybe you'll get something amazing!"
As Universe 6's strongest killer and their secret weapon, Hit was now the linchpin of Champa's strategy to defeat the fighters from Universe 7.
Until now, Champa had been a little anxious.
Several fighters from Universe 7 had already completed missions and gained power-ups.
But Hit had just finished his assignment—and now it was time to see what he could draw.
"If you're worried about your luck, you can let me draw for you," Champa offered, sounding more hopeful than helpful.
@Champa – No thanks. I'll do it myself, Hit responded coolly.
> Ding! Lottery draw complete! You received: Move Upgrade Card!
Champa's face twisted in disappointment. "A Move Upgrade Card? Bah. That only upgrades a single ability. Would've been better if it boosted your overall strength…"
But Gabe's eyes lit up.
"Wait! Mr. Champa, that's perfect for Senior Hit!"
"If he uses that card to upgrade his Flash Time Skill, won't his strength increase anyway?"
Champa scratched his chin, thinking it over. "Well… you've got a point."
"For anyone else, upgrading a move might not mean much. But for Hit—whose entire assassination style revolves around time manipulation—this could be even better than a direct strength boost."
Hit silently nodded in agreement.
Flash Time—the core of his arsenal—was both unique and difficult to improve.
He had trained for years, refining it to the edge of perfection. And yet, for a long time, it had remained stagnant at 0.1 seconds.
A sliver of time that most couldn't even perceive—yet in Hit's hands, it was more than enough to kill a man and vanish.
He had used that 0.1 seconds to kill the Emperor of the Empire.
In that blink of an eye, he pierced the throne's armor, eliminated the ruler, and returned to Chi Tong and Tazmi—all before anyone could react.
For others, even imagining that feat was absurd.
But for Hit… it was reality.
Even so, he had long desired to take that skill to the next level.
And now, he could.
He activated the Move Upgrade Card.
His entire body glowed briefly as the system interface confirmed the boost.
> Flash Time Technique upgraded!
> Time-skip interval: 0.1 seconds → 0.2 seconds
Hit raised an eyebrow, pleased.
It might not sound like much, but an increase of even 0.1 seconds was a massive leap for someone operating at his level.
He tested it immediately.
The world seemed to freeze around him as he activated the new Flash Time.
His body blurred forward—and suddenly reappeared in his original spot, a small rock from the cliff now clutched in his hand.
That tiny test run confirmed it.
His movements had doubled in duration within the Flash Time window. And with his precision and power, that extra moment was more than enough to execute any high-risk elimination.
For a moment, Hit allowed himself a rare smirk.
He hadn't just grown stronger—he had evolved.
With this improvement, his reputation as the ultimate assassin in Universe 6 would only grow deeper.
Even Champa, watching through the system feed, was finally satisfied.
"With this," the god muttered, "we might actually have a real shot at taking down those Universe 7 bastards."
Hit deactivated the time skill and closed the interface.
Mission complete.
Power upgraded.
Target eliminated.
All in a day's work.
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