Timeless Assassin

Leo never saw Karl's betrayal coming.

His acting had been too perfect and his killing intent buried too deep, as even in those final seconds, Leo never once suspected that Karl was after his life.

'The cult sends its regards…'

That was what Karl had mouthed as he let go, and Leo couldn't help but laugh at the irony while the wind screamed past his ears and the world above began to fade away.

It was the Cult of Ascension that had thrown him into this damned world to begin with, and now, it was a cult member who had finished the job by dropping him to his death.

'Trust no one.'

'You should have known better.'

'Trust no one.'

Voices from the depths of his subconscious whispered to him again and again, as Leo closed his eyes and accepted what was to come.

'Mother... Brother... Forgive me.'

'It seems like I won't be able to see you again. It seems like I won't be able to free you from the shackles of the cult. It seems like... in the end, I wasn't as good as I thought I was….. and am hence dying a fool's death.'

A small tear formed at the corner of his eye, glinting faintly as it floated upward, drifting toward the pale twilight while the black abyss below stretched endlessly to receive him.

He fell for what felt like an eternity.

Two minutes non-stop at the minimum, before suddenly hitting the surface of an ancient river, as—

*SPLASH*

A massive cannonball shot up.

The impact was violent, unforgiving, as if the river itself had opened its jaws and snapped every bone in his body, as although the water broke his fall, it also broke several bones in his body alongside it.

His back arched from the shock, his ribs cracked, one leg twisted at an unnatural angle and his arms went limp, completely useless.

His consciousness dimmed instantly, and yet he didn't black out, as instead, his robust body ensured that he felt every second of it.

Every second of the grueling pain that made him wish he was dead on impact.

'Why am I still alive?' He wondered, as he sank deeper.

His thoughts— once sharp and fast— now drifted slowly, like leaves on still water, as for a moment, he accepted his fate.

'So this is it… huh?'

'The great Boss… dying at the bottom of some godforsaken river where no one will ever find him?'

'Is this how my journey ends?'

It was a bitter thought.

Not one born from logic or clarity, but from the mind-numbing pain that swallowed him whole, while his lungs begged for air and his limbs screamed to move.

But despite his survival instincts screaming at him to move! To swim! To save his own life!

Leo simply couldn't…..

The pain had taken everything, including his courage to fight back.

He just stared upward through the murky black, watching the surface ripple far above, the dim light bending and breaking as he continued to sink.

And for a fleeting moment—

He truly considered it….

He wondered if he should just let go?

Let go and just let the water take him.

Let the ache in his chest fade into silence.

Let the thoughts in his head go quiet.

As he really did not think it would be too bad.

Letting go would mean peace forever—

No more struggle.

No more betrayal.

No more running.

No more pain.

Just peace.

The kind of peace he hadn't known in years.

The kind he hadn't tasted since the Cult shattered his family.

Since the day he first became someone else.

His eyes softened.

His heartbeat slowed.

'Mother… brother… I'm sorry.'

He felt his body relax.

Felt the edges of himself blur into the cold.

Felt the sweet pull of nothingness inviting him deeper.

And yet—

Somewhere within him, something stirred.

Not a scream.

Not a shout.

Just a whisper.

'Not yet.'

It was quiet.

But it was his.

'You still have things to do.'

His fingers twitched.

'You still haven't saved them.'

His chest tightened.

'You still haven't become the best version of yourself.'

And in that moment, as the last bubbles of air slipped past his lips and drifted upward—

Leo decided.

He would live.

No matter how broken he was.

No matter how many people wanted him dead.

No matter how dark the abyss became.

He would live.

Not because he wanted to.

But because he had to.

[Monarch's Indifference] kicked in like ice in his veins.

The panic vanished.

The urge to thrash subsided, as he realized that thrashing and struggling was only going to take him down instead of up.

As instead he held still.

Not limp.

Not surrendered.

But waiting.

As gradually, almost imperceptibly, his broken body began to float upward, inches at first, then feet, as slowly but surely he approached the surface.

'I need to hold on…. I can't die yet…. I can't die here!' he thought to himself, as his breath burned.

For those last few painful seconds when he was still approaching the surface, he could feel the pain at its maximum.

His lungs burned.

His mind burned.

Everything hurt.

But he didn't stop.

And then—

*Gasp*

He broke the surface.

Air hit him like a blade, cutting straight down his throat, as he coughed and sputtered, dragging in breath after breath, each one harder than the last.

However, he didn't celebrate…. Not yet.

As he knew that getting to the surface was only half the battle, while the real struggle was getting to the shore.

"Survive! Trust no-one!"

"Survive!"

"Trust No… n… no one!"

Leo muttered like a mantra, as stroke after stroke, he pushed past the unbelievable pain and somehow moved his limbs to carry him with the current towards the shore.

With every inch gained, the pain screaming across his joints worsened even more, however, he did not give up.

Deciding firmly that he wanted to live, he kept moving, kept trying to make it to the shore, as despite reaching a point where he was so numb in the head that he no longer felt his body at all, he still kept moving.

'Come on. Just get to the edge. Just… move.'

He didn't see where he was going.

Didn't care.

As he simply kept moving single mindedly, until he felt a stone scrape beneath his fingertips.

He clawed forward, ignoring the blood, the pain, the exhaustion.

And finally, his body slumped onto the dark shore, half in water, half on land, as the last of his strength gave way.

*Thud*

He collapsed.

Face to the side.

Hands curled in dirt.

Eyes barely open.

But alive.

And that, for now, was enough, as he slowly blacked out, the pain and exhaustion finally pulling him into a deep slumber.

He had no idea as to where he was, or as to how safe it was for him to rest where he currently slept, however, he had no choice but to lay there, as his passive skill [Faster Regeneration] kicked in to save his life.