984 Assassination Theory
John ignored the Prime Shadow’s comment and looked all about, assessing the place he had been taken to. Surprise appeared on his face as he saw the mountain-sized skeletons dotting the landscape. Some were a few miles away, others seemingly hundreds of miles away, appearing like mountain ranges on the horizon.
The skeletons were humanoid in shape, with two legs and a long, slender body. However, the four arms and body tail jutting from each skeleton indicated that they were not human at all.
Although most of the skeletons were shattered and parts destroyed, enough were intact to notice that they were all of the same race. Three holes on the sharp skulls indicated that the creatures had three eyes when they were alive, and two sharp fans protruded from wide, open maws, adding to the ferocious look.
Some of the skeletons were sliced cleanly in half, as if a sword has cut through them in one stroke. Others were shattered into pieces, like a mountain-sized hammer had slammed down onto them. The land beneath the skeletons rose and fell unevenly as far as the eye could see, as if the land had been broken apart by an ancient battle.
A murderous aura lingered in the air, making the place feel quite dangerous. There was some vegetation visible, but all the vegetation he could see was red in color, as if the murderous aura had stained the color of everything around it. Even the land was an off-red color, like blood had coated every inch of it and then dried, settling in permanently.
“What is this place?” John asked with cautioned awe.
“An ancient battlefield,” the Prime Shadow said, “one my master fought on.”
“Your master fought here? Against these creatures?”
The Prime Shadow nodded.
“Before that Asura arrived, a horde of Demons were sent to this world as a vanguard,” the Prime Shadow said. “The Demons that invaded this world were the Three-Eyed Titan Demons.My master, along with some allies, fought them here, and slew them after a brutal battle. This place is now a dangerous zone of death that almost none dare to enter, as the corpses of the demons became sustenance for powerful creatures in the years after the battle. Those creatures, or their offspring, dominate this land, so none dare to enter.”
The Prime Shadow smiled, shifting his smiling gaze from the skeletons to John.
“So, this is the perfect place to practice an ultimate assassination art without any spying eyes watching.”
“Perfect place, huh?” John rolled his eyes. “Other than the creatures that can most likely kill me without much effort at all.”
“Gahahaha,” the Prime Shadow laughed heartily, “I hope the creatures do come here. Their corpses are quite valuable afterall, so I can not only teach you the assassination art, but make some good money on the side. It’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned.”
“Is that so,” John said slowly, eyes scanning the horizon for these “creatures,” but saw nothing moving at all in this graveyard of titans.
“Now, let’s get to it,” the Prime Shadow said after surveying the area and finding no immediate danger. “As I said before, my master created two ultimate assassination arts, each utilizing the opposite theories of assassination.”
“Theories of assassination?” John asked curiously.
“There are many theories and ideas when it comes to assassination, but my master only considered two to be important,” the Prime Shadow said. “There’s the theory that assassination must be undetectable, stealthy, and precise. It’s what most people think of when they think of assassins. Showing up undetected, landing a precise and silent lethal attack, then leaving undetected.”
John nodded his head, as it was what he thought of as well when he thought of assassins.
“While this is the true assassin way, that does not mean there are not other ways,” the Prime Shadow continued, then gave John a questioning glance. “What is the most important thing of all when it comes to assassination?”
“Killing the target?” John answered after a moment of thought.
“Exactly,” the Prime Shadow nodded, satisfied with John’s answer. “And while the first method of assassination allows one to kill the target and leave undetected, that method is not always suitable.”
“Why’s that?” John asked curiously. Although he could think of a few reasons, he wanted to hear the Prime Shadow’s thoughts on the matter.
“There could be a hundred reasons why a stealthy assassination is not possible,” the Prime Shadow said. “For example, if the target is fully alert, divine sense spread out, and other measures for detection taken as well, stealthily sneaking towards the target can be impossible. Another reason could be location. If one finds themselves in a chaotic, dangerous place, carefully navigating through that location without being detected may be impossible. If the assassin runs into danger, they would need to use their Qi to defend themselves, at which point their presence would be revealed. Another reason could be if the target is in a group, slipping stealthily past everyone’s guard could be too difficult. There are countless situations where a stealthy and careful assassination cannot be performed. The first assassination art my master created employed this method, which would not be suitable for you given your areas of talent.”
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“So, if stealth cannot work in a situation, what could?” The Prime Shadow asked John.
“Brute force?” John answered after thinking it over.
“Exactly,” the Prime Shadow exclaimed, satisfied with John’s answer again.
“Where calm and precise cannot work, brute force can shine,” the Prime Shadow said, then pointed at John, tapping him on the chest with a finger. “And when it comes to brute force, you are a heaven-defying prodigy. As I said, I could think of no better successor for this assassination art. If you manage to master this art, the mere mention of your name will instill crippling fear into all your enemies.”
The Prime Shadow took a step back, then surveyed the area once more briefly.
“Use that draconic Transformation you used earlier,” the Prime Shadow said, to which John frowned.
“Why?” he asked. “Are we going to fight or something?”
“Gahaha, fight? No,” the Prime Shadow said with much amusement. “But I’m about to demonstrate the assassination art to you. And although I won’t hit you with it, just being close to me when I use it will kill you if you do not protect yourself fully.”