156: Chapter 156 Assassins

Krister was stunned upon hearing this. After reacting, he hurriedly looked around, trying to find the location of the assassin.

But he didn't have Nie Ning's Malice Perception, and his Spiritual Power wasn't as high as a Second Ring Wizard's, so he couldn't find the Corruptor who was quite far away from him.

Nie Ning's gaze swept over the houses below, eventually pinpointing the assassin's location.

Compared to other Corruptors, this one was clearly much easier to find.

Because other Corruptors would more or less affect their surroundings, much like the Human-Faced Balloon's mist, which would interfere with the direction of Malice Perception.

The stronger the power, the more this was the case.

If the current Human-Faced Balloon were determined to hide, Nie Ning would find it difficult to accurately locate it within the mist without a Mental Link.

This Corruptor, however, was different.

Perhaps due to its killing methods, this assassin's aura was condensed rather than diffusing into the surroundings.

In this situation, the opponent's position was as conspicuous as a light in the dark night.

"Don't run around; just wait here, lest your teacher has to hold a funeral for you."

With that, Ice Wings unfurled behind Nie Ning as he quickly dove toward the Corruptor's location.

Krister stared blankly at Nie Ning's departing back, wondering when he would be able to soar through the world as freely and unrestrainedly as Nie Ning.

...

In a pitch-black alleyway.

A young woman was walking through it.

Perhaps sensing something behind her, the woman unconsciously quickened her pace.

Behind the woman, a dark figure slowly emerged from the ground, accompanied by bursts of eerie laughter.

Hearing the sound, the woman suddenly looked back; the dark figure was standing there quietly.

As the light at the end of the alley flickered, the woman felt as if the other party had moved closer to her.

"Ah! Help!"

Terrified, the woman turned and ran in a panic, letting out a piercing scream to attract the attention of nearby passersby.

Suddenly, the dark shadow vanished, reappearing right behind the woman.

As the dark shadow raised the short blade in its hand, the woman turned and saw this, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground in fear.

Just then, a blinding flash of light dispelled the shadows in the alley.

The dark shadow seemed provoked and crashed into a nearby stone pillar—more accurately, into the shadow behind the pillar.

Once the light faded, the dark shadow had disappeared, replaced by a young man holding a staff.

"Go back and rest early; it's not suitable to be out alone so late."

Nie Ning stepped forward to help the woman up, speaking with a gentlemanly smile.

The woman dazed for a moment, then her face reddened slightly. "Um, could you tell me your name?"

Nie Ning smiled. "Meeting is fate. I'm Krister. If you're free, you can come find me at the tower in the west of the city."

After saying that, Nie Ning walked toward the other end of the alley.

Leaving the woman to stare at Nie Ning's back like an infatuated fangirl, lost in fantasies of a beautiful future for the two of them.

...

Nie Ning shuttled through the city, tracking the assassin.

But the assassin was more troublesome than expected.

Its depth couldn't be gauged in terms of raw power, but it was top-tier when it came to running away.

Every time Nie Ning was about to strike, the assassin would always escape into the shadows; both its reaction speed and abilities were excellent.

Seeing that chasing like this was useless, Nie Ning rose into the air, his gaze locking onto the assassin's position.

However, the assassin was very fast; using a Shadow Stealth Technique, it shifted positions several times in the blink of an eye.

Although the distances weren't far, it was very troublesome for Nie Ning.

Furthermore, being in the city with buildings everywhere, the assassin could use the shadows to escape as long as there was a place that could hold a shadow.

Nie Ning's expression was grave. "It seems high-level assassins are indeed hard to fool. I underestimated them a bit."

The higher the level of the Corruptor, the harder it is to judge their abilities and actions.

The most important point is that Corruptors develop a corresponding instinct for judging danger.

Upon realizing they can't win, they will shift targets to attack the weak first, focusing on enhancing their own strength.

Although it seemed like a common instinct, in the hands of an assassin, it became a sharp weapon.

It would be fine with other Corruptors; as long as Nie Ning could catch up with his own speed, it wouldn't be an issue. But encountering a Corruptor capable of Shadow Shuttle was quite a headache.

If he kept chasing like this, he would surely be counter-killed due to mana exhaustion before the Corruptor was slain.

Thinking of this, Nie Ning released the Jerky Bear Head to pursue the assassin, preventing it from taking the opportunity to slaughter ordinary people.

He himself quickly found Krister and asked if there were any deserted areas nearby.

After learning there was a Villa District under development in the city, Nie Ning had Krister lie in wait there first and handed his Wizard's Staff to him.

Next, Nie Ning returned to the area where the assassin was and began tracking it through the city using Malice Perception.

After several attempts, Nie Ning also figured out the assassin's Shadow Shuttle patterns and the distances it could travel.

Coordinating with the Jerky Bear Head, the man and the soul worked together to corner the assassin, eventually forcing it into the Villa District.

Since the assassin's kill mechanism prioritizes weaker individuals, and Krister was the weakest in this area, he naturally became the assassin's primary target.

...

At this moment, Krister stood on the roof of a building, looking around with a vigilant and slightly panicked expression, as if fearing the assassin might suddenly appear.

Just as he was complaining in his heart about Nie Ning using him as bait, he suddenly saw Nie Ning flying rapidly in his direction.

Knowing the assassin was nearby, Krister immediately became alert.

Just then, a dark shadow slowly emerged from the shadow beneath his feet.

Krister's expression stiffened; he knew the assassin was right behind him and remembered Nie Ning's instructions.

Without any hesitation, Krister activated the staff in his hand.

With the boost of Light-attribute energy, the gem at the tip of the staff burst with a light even more dazzling than when it was in Nie Ning's hands.

Within the area illuminated by the light, the assassin seemed provoked; not only did its movements slow down, but it also instinctively reached out to block the intense glare.

At that moment, Krister suddenly felt his body become weightless, and then he was rapidly pulled into the air.

Mana surged in Nie Ning's palm, condensing into a massive Elemental Sphere two meters in diameter.

There were no shadows around the assassin, making it impossible for it to evade Nie Ning's attack.

As the Elemental Sphere condensed into a Light Spear, it pierced toward the assassin like a javelin.

Just when Nie Ning thought he was about to succeed, the assassin suddenly raised its hand holding a Corrosive Short Sword and met the incoming Light Spear.

To Nie Ning's astonishment, the moment the Light Spear touched the short sword, the Elemental Power at its tip was actually corroded, slowly crumbling away like ash!

...