The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 130: The Beginning of Turmoil (5)

Five assassins from the Assassin Guild rushed at Martin, bounding off the floor, walls, and ceiling.

They closed the distance almost instantly and thrust their aura-infused daggers toward Martin’s vital points, each blade wrapped in a different hue.

But just before the attacks connected, Martin casually flicked his left index finger.

In that instant, gravity, amplified by Omni Distortion, crushed down on the assassins.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The assassins let out screams as they were slammed into the floor.

Though stunned, none of them were dead.

“No need to worry about dying. I have plans for you all, so killing you myself isn’t on the agenda,” Martin said calmly.

His relaxed demeanor only fueled the assassins’ rage.

Whoosh!

Two assassins who had remained outside Martin’s immediate range hurled ropes from both directions, aiming to bind him.

The aura-infused ropes moved like snakes, twisting toward him, but Martin stretched out both hands and effortlessly caught them.

The two assassins, caught off guard by his reaction, quickly regained their composure. Each, far bulkier than the others, tried to destabilize Martin by pulling him off balance.

But Martin didn’t budge, as immovable as a boulder.

“Did you really think this was enough to hold me down? Even your leader couldn’t manage that,” Martin remarked, tugging on the ropes.

The assassins lost their footing and crashed to the ground in a clumsy heap.

The Dark King, frowning, asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be lacking in physical strength, young master?”

“Since when? Shouldn’t the head of the Assassin Guild be better at keeping up with current intel?” Martin responded with a smirk.

“There are few on the continent who can gauge your power accurately. No one could predict the absurd speed of your growth.”

“Well, His Majesty and two of the three dukes have figured it out.”

“…They’re exceptions,” the Dark King muttered, shaking his head.

Seeing this, Martin chuckled.

‘Even I’m surprised by how fast I’ve grown.’

He had applied and consumed dragon blood whenever the opportunity arose.

In addition, he had strengthened his physical abilities through the breathing techniques of Rothar Martial Art, and he had been receiving swordsmanship instruction from Arelia, the first head of the family.

As a result, his physical prowess had improved rapidly and was now nearly at his peak level from before his regression.

It was no wonder the Dark King hadn’t anticipated this level of power.

“Though there are still plenty of assassins left… This place isn’t ideal for a proper fight. Engaging a spatial ability user in such close quarters is practically suicide.”

Crack!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Dark King summoned dozens of shadowy tendrils, shattering the ceiling.

The shadows continued to surge, breaking through the roof itself.

The Dark King and his assassins took the opportunity to leap upward, with some shouting as they ascended.

“Martin Adalbert has appeared!”

“Martin Adalbert is on Gourmet Street!”

With a smile, the Dark King looked down at Martin.

“Soon, the underworld rats and the Second Prince’s knights will flood in. Rather than overextending yourself, I suggest you withdraw.”

“Did you forget already? Unless Marquis Royce or his knight commander steps in, I’m not going anywhere,” Martin replied.

“Even at the 8-circle level, you’re overconfident, young master. You’ll only realize your mistake when it’s too late.”

“It’s like I said before—you’re not enough to stop me.”

With that, Martin activated his spatial detection.

Information flooded his mind, revealing not only the building but also the surrounding area.

He sensed the knights of the Second Prince’s faction and underworld enforcers closing in.

However, there was no sign of any true threats among them.

Perhaps they had left the area or deemed this incident insignificant—either way, it made Martin’s task easier.

‘So many fools with no sense of strategy. Do they really think they can beat me with sheer numbers?’

Martin felt both amused and disappointed by the oncoming forces.

With that thought, he gathered his power.

Mana surged from the mana cores in his abdomen and head, spreading outward and causing the air around him to tremble.

Kukoooom!

A powerful whirlwind formed instantly, collapsing the building around him.

At the center of the storm, Martin floated into the air, surveying the enemies approaching him.

“Guess I should thank you later.”

Annoyed as he was by the Dark King’s behavior, he had to admit that summoning the enemy for him was useful.

After all, he had two objectives from the start.

The first was to extract the truth from the Dark King, and the second was to undermine the Second Prince’s faction and damage their reputation.

If he wiped out the Second Prince’s knights and underworld forces here, it would ruin the image they had built after their recent victory in the initial skirmishes.

“Consider yourself lucky, Dark King. If you hadn’t known the truth, or at least possessed formidable abilities, I would have killed you already.”

This was the last time he would show mercy.

Murmuring to himself, Martin infused the whirlwind with flames.

Fwoooosh!

The fiery tornado began to consume Gourmet Street.

‘I’ll make sure they’re compensated for the damages later.’

And that was all it meant to him.

Whether it was facing the Assassin Guild’s assassins, the Second Prince’s knights, or underworld enforcers, none of it felt particularly significant.

Thus, the battle began anew.

The result unfolded just as expected.

—

Over half of Gourmet Street’s prominent shops lay in smoldering ruins, and over a hundred corpses were strewn across the area.

The survivors, including the Dark King, weren’t in great shape either.

“…You’ve truly become a monster, young master,” the Dark King muttered.

“‘Monster’ might be an overstatement for me. There are real monsters out there.”

“Of course, the power of those at the 9-circle level and above is beyond terrifying. But you’ve far surpassed the typical 8-circle warrior.”

He hadn’t assassinated anyone beyond the 8-circle level, but he had faced off against many of them.

Though he had mostly failed, he had managed to kill two 8-circle powerhouses, earning him the title of the Dark King.

Those past experiences left him with no doubts about Martin’s abilities.

“At your current rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if you reached the 9-circle level soon.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but it doesn’t change anything. You have one job to do,” Martin said.

The Dark King sighed deeply.

Then, with a subtle nod to his subordinates, he signaled his assassins. They immediately turned on the Second Prince’s knights and underworld operatives who were gathered around.

“Wh-What is this… Aghh!”

“Are you betraying us, Dark King?!”

“Betrayal? What a strange accusation. We of the Assassin Guild never agreed to cooperate with you in the first place,” the Dark King replied indifferently, watching the knights’ desperate expressions.

Meanwhile, the assassins carried out his command swiftly, leaving only lifeless bodies scattered on the ground.

“Gather the wounded and move to the safe house. I’ll issue further instructions later on what needs to be done.”

“Yes, sir!”

Following the Dark King’s orders, the assassins lifted their injured comrades and quickly departed.

Now, only Martin and the Dark King remained in the ruins of Gourmet Street.

“Well, no one’s around to listen now. So, care to tell me the truth about Doom?” Martin asked.

“I was planning to. The one who brought Doom to me was indeed a member of the Klaus family, just as you suspected. However, they kept their identity hidden, so I can’t tell you exactly who it was.”

“You’re… not lying, it seems. But why did they ask you to work on Doom instead of the Medicine King?”

“According to them, Duke Klaus entrusted the same research project to the top figures of the underworld, including the Medicine King. I wasn’t the only one involved in researching Doom, so it wasn’t considered a breach.”

Werner von Klaus, despite being a grand mage at the 10-circle level, didn’t overestimate his own abilities. Therefore, he recruited others to help explore the many potential uses of Doom.

After hearing the explanation, Martin asked, “And what did they offer you in return?”

“I tried to decline, given the risk… but the reward was substantial, even enough to surprise someone like me, who considers himself quite wealthy.”

“As big as the reward was, I doubt you accepted just for the money.”

“If I’d refused, they would’ve killed me on the spot. The one who came to me had more than enough power to do so.”

Martin didn’t doubt him.

A 7-circle warrior was strong enough to be among the top 100 in the Altaria Empire.

But members of the Three Great Families, like the Ferdinand or Klaus families, boasted warriors who could easily kill someone like the Dark King, so it was understandable that he’d tread carefully.

“I see. I suppose I’ll have to investigate Doom through the other underworld factions in the North. You’ll cooperate, won’t you?”

“…You’re asking me to go against the Klaus family? I’d sooner die,” the Dark King muttered.

“Then would you prefer that I kill you here?” Martin asked with a smile.

The Dark King fell silent.

Werner von Klaus was indeed a terrifying figure, but Martin standing before him also possessed more than enough strength to kill him.

“You’re smart enough to know this, Dark King. Do you really think the Klaus family has the capacity to worry about the underworld right now? Although they defeated the First Prince’s faction in the initial battle, they’ve only won a single skirmish. The Ferdinand family’s forces remain intact, and they’re the real threat to the Klaus family.”

“…Fair point.”

“Besides, the only reason the Klaus family could extend their reach into the northern underworld was because the Adalbert family was temporarily weakened. Now that the Adalbert family has regained nearly its full strength, how could the Klaus family, far removed geographically, maintain influence here? So what will it be? Will I need to destroy every safe house of the Assassin Guild before you come around?”

The Dark King sighed again.

He knew all too well that Martin had the power to carry out his threats.

“This is a first for me, extending my hand to someone who’s shown hostility. I’ve made this offer because I value your skills, but I won’t be offering a third chance. From my standpoint, eliminating a competent enemy early is the best strategy.”

“Fine, young master. I’ll cooperate in gathering information on Doom.”

“That’s a start, but there’s one more task I need you to handle first.”

“…In exchange for handling that, along with the Doom matter, will you release me?”

“You don’t plan to work for the Adalbert family, I take it?”

“That’s right. I have obligations of my own.”

“Not exactly the answer I wanted, but I’ll accept it for now. However, even if I do release you, I expect you not to turn against me.”

“I understand.”

The Dark King replied, his tone weary.

Martin smiled inwardly as he observed him.

‘Like I’d ever let him go.’

A skilled asset was best kept close and used effectively.

One mishandling of an asset had been enough. This time, he would bait the hook carefully and reel him in at the right moment.

The Dark King asked, “So, what’s the job?”

“Go to this place, rescue the people there, and bring back proof,” Martin replied, handing over a note from his pocket.

Curious, the Dark King examined the note, which contained an address.

“A prison?”

“You could call it that. Someone like you should understand what’s going on immediately.”

“Understood. After I handle this, I’ll start gathering intel on Doom.”

“Great. I’ll leave it to you.”

Just then, Martin sensed an overpowering presence approaching.

It could only be Nicholas von Royce.

“Well, looks like he’s finally here.”

He was willing to fight but knew it wasn’t the right time.

Nicholas was an opponent who needed to be defeated publicly, with everyone watching.

For now, Martin was content to savor the irritation he’d surely caused Nicholas.

And there was still one last way to mess with him.

Watching his reaction would be entertaining enough.

“Until next time,” Martin said.

“Indeed,” the Dark King replied.

With that, Martin vanished into the spatial realm, while the Dark King disappeared into the shadows.

“Martin Adalbert!”

Moments later, Nicholas’s furious shout echoed through the ruins of Gourmet Street, reverberating in the empty air.

But despite its volume, it was hollow.