Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Crushing Slaughter "..." Gazing at the two battered corpses in front of him, then at the innocent-looking Hidden Dragon lying on the ground nearby, Sunan couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Through the connection with his magical pet, he had a rough idea of what had happened. The two assassins, upon climbing over the courtyard wall, were immediately discovered by the Hidden Dragon sleeping in the yard. Initially, it only observed out of curiosity, but when the two approached the corridor and drew their weapons, it deemed them enemies and attacked fiercely, resulting in their swift demise. "... Remember to leave one alive next time." Sunan patted the Hidden Dragon’s head and refocused his attention on the two corpses. Judging by the muscle density and bone strength of the bodies, both were formal Knights, and at least at the Senior Knight level. To send two high-level Knight assassins at once, and have the motive to do so, the mastermind behind this was obvious. "Since they sent people to me, they probably did the same to my brother." Sunan looked towards the direction of the main building, his perception spreading outward. Sure enough, he faintly heard the sounds of commotion. Narrowing his eyes, he cast a Shield Skill on himself. A layer of azure radiance appeared on his body, and he dashed out of the courtyard towards the main building as swift as the wind. Behind him, the Hidden Dragon let out a roar, leapt into the air, and disappeared into the night. ... In the courtyard in front of the main building, the sound of clashing metal was incessant. Led by Brad, over a dozen Knights and an equal number of Black Panthers were besieging a tall and burly middle-aged man. Despite the numbers advantage, Brad and his men were at a disadvantage. In the moonlight, a faintly glowing layer could be seen flickering on the middle-aged man’s body. The weapons of the surrounding Knights struck that layer, not only failing to penetrate but even causing pain to their hands from the shock. By contrast, the middle-aged man could send a Knight flying with a casual blow. Among them, only Brad could barely hold back the enemy’s assault with his shield. Relying on their numerical advantage, they could barely hold their ground against their opponent. Not far away, Kei and an assassin wielding a Black Sword were locked in an intense battle, with Kei apparently at a disadvantage. Were it not for the fearless assault of the Black Panthers hampering the assassin, the situation would likely be worse. Sunan arrived at the courtyard to witness this scene. "Two Grand Knight-level assassins, quite the spectacle indeed." With a single sweep of his eyes, Sunan quickly assessed the strength of the assassins, secretly puzzled in his heart. Owen only had one Grand Knight under him; where did he hire two Grand Knight-level assassins from? In this day and age, a Grand Knight could enjoy prestigious status in any territory and would never stoop to being a mere assassin. But now wasn’t the time to ponder this. Sunan’s gaze sharpened as he spoke in a deep tone: "Retreat!" As soon as his words fell, Brad and the others immediately abandoned their opponents and retreated quickly. The middle-aged Knight was taken aback by this, frowning as he assessed Sunan. He clearly sensed that, from the moment this young man appeared, the dozen or so Knights besieging him visibly showed joy, their morale soaring. It was evident that this newcomer’s strength was not to be underestimated, instilling great confidence in them. For someone who could command such respect and obedience, including that from a Peak Knight, this young man’s status in Black Stone City could not be low. In an instant, the middle-aged Knight associated him with the rumored Wizard, Sunan! Looking again at the young face of the other party, he became more convinced. "A Wizard, huh..." The middle-aged Knight squinted, a trace of seriousness in his expression. Others might think Wizards were just charlatans, but he had come across some secret intelligence revealing that true Wizards were mysterious and powerful individuals. As for whether the Sunan before him was a real Wizard? The two senior Knights sent to assassinate Sunan might answer that. Seeing Sunan here while the two remained unaccounted for, it was easy to guess their fate. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 Undoubtedly, he was a formidable adversary! The middle-aged Knight took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his sword, staring at the indifferent-faced Sunan as if facing a great enemy. However, in the next second, he was suddenly struck as if hit by a rapidly speeding carriage, his whole body launched like a cannonball, smashing into the stone wall dozens of meters away. Boom! Rubble sprayed everywhere, dust billowing up! The surrounding Knights watching were all taken aback with wide eyes, full of shock. What just happened? How did that guy just suddenly get sent flying? Only Kei and the Black Sword Knight had a vague sense of what transpired. At the moment the middle-aged Knight was sent flying, they distinctly saw a slight distortion in the air, outlining the silhouette of a giant beast. It was evidently this giant beast that had launched the attack on the middle-aged Knight. The Black Sword Knight’s expression was one of extreme astonishment. What sort of creature was that? It could even become invisible?! Before he could comprehend it, a shrill scream suddenly erupted from the swirling dust, followed by a figure bursting out like a whirlwind, it was the middle-aged Knight. But his current state was utterly miserable. One arm dangled limply by his side, bent at an unnatural angle, with a row of arc-shaped bloody holes on his chest and abdomen, as if left by some beast’s bite. His entire body was drenched in blood, utterly wretched. "Damn creature!" The middle-aged Knight roared with a contorted face, then, sensing something, he suddenly swung his sword back. Yet, the strike hit nothing. The next second, a massive figure revealed itself from another direction, its front claws extending sharp hooked nails that pierced through the middle-aged Knight’s body. Then it leaped high, brutally pinning the middle-aged Knight beneath it, opening its bloodthirsty maw, and with a few fierce bites, tore his body into pieces. The blood-soaked scene sent chills down one’s spine. Brad and the others involuntarily gulped, gazing in awe at the giant beast. Even though it had grown over twice in size, they recognized it as the Giant Lizard Sunan brought back from the Black-scaled Lizardmen. They just didn’t understand why it had become so massive and capable of vanishing mysteriously? This terrifying combat prowess, effortlessly crushing a Grand Knight, had increased tenfold at least! Kei and the Black Sword Knight, unaware of when they’d stopped, were both staring at the Hidden Dragon in shock. Kei, aside from his surprise, also showed some delight. The Black Sword Knight, however, was purely astounded beyond belief. The assassination mission they deemed foolproof had gone awry from the start. The intelligence made no mention of the target having numerous Knights and Knight-level creatures guarding him. Especially those strange Black Panthers; they couldn’t sense these creatures at all, leading to them being detected before even making a move. If it were just that, they could still finish the task with some extra effort. But what was the deal with this fearsome giant beast?! The intelligence failed to mention such a powerful and terrifying creature in Black Stone City!