"Assassin...... Why...... Who is ......?"

The man gasped and asked pointless questions.

The shadow didn't answer, just withdrew his sword blade into his hand.

From the moment of gloom to clearing, the sun shone dimly through the clouds.

As if evaporated by the heat, the shadow had disappeared without a trace.

All that was left was the stiff corpse of the man who had been here long ago, buried in leaves and dry earth, and appeared in the grass swaying in the breeze.

"I'm satisfied, there's no doubt about it, it's a great weapon indeed."

The richly dressed client walked around the room with a satisfied expression.

In the corner of the house, where the light does not shine, there is a "weapon" that deliberately hides the body in the dark.

"But I don't know when this terrible blade will be facing me, is it?"

Under the client's questioning, the usher, armed with a black robe, bowed his head and replied in a respectful posture.

"Don't think of us as an organization enslaved only by money, although we exchange blood for money, we also know what honor and loyalty are."

"Haha, don't think so negatively, I just want to praise your strongest blade, then please leave it to you in the future."

"There is no doubt about it, please trust us in the future."

"Have your men remove the paid cabinets." The client turned around and said.

The guide, who confirmed that the cabinet was full of money, turned his gaze to the black shadow standing in place.

"I've worked hard for you today, the strongest blade I forged with my own hands, it's time to reward you."

The guide looked proudly at his work and stomped the chains to the weapon's hands.

"Then go back to your room."

Walking through the long, complicated passages, Gray returned to his room.

Over the course of time, Gray has completed numerous assassination attempts, but even then, the room where he was taken captive has not changed at all.

When Gray sat down, the heralds hurriedly grabbed his feet.

Without the slightest resistance, Gray's unfocused eyes are at the mercy of others, reminiscent of a marionette with a broken string.

The guide slowly poured the drug into Gray's mouth as he muttered the words, as if to instill the information into his mind along with the medicine.

"My father abandoned me four times, and the secret of eternal life is buried in endless darkness."

"The flower on the other side knows where death comes from."

"So who are you?"

"I'm obsessed with the dead who have passed away four times."

"What is your duty?"

"I'm just a shadow, and it's my duty to obey orders."

"What do you want to do?"

"Obedience, eternal obedience."

Gray replied skilfully without pause.

The contented guide gently lifted his chin.

"Well done, it's about to burn incense, you can rest like this first."

With the sound of the iron door closing, Gray lowered his head. I don't want to expose my inner struggle to the guide, and I desperately endure the severe pain that swarms.

At this point, a pungent smell wafts from the vents.

“...... Call. ”

He took a long breath, the pain that tormented him all day, not being calmed or gone away by the medicine and burning incense.

On the contrary, the more drugs are injected, the more pain will be deepened.

The body, which has been trained for a long time, has been strengthened to be able to tolerate various levels of pain.

But with the high-intensity brainwashing and deliberate modification of memories for a long time, in addition to enduring the side effects of drugs, Gray's spirit has completely contradicted his physical body, and he has long been shattered.

The headaches that began to appear at some point have become more and more accustomed to him.

But this is the first time that the pain has been so unbearable.

He was almost unconscious, which led to a near-failure in his first mission.

Not being able to carry out orders is the worst possible situation for a shadow like him.

But he will never let the guide know his true situation.

Although everything is slowly eroding, there may still be a weak will to resist in the depths of consciousness.

"Uh......"

In order to endure the deepening pain, Gray slumped limply on the ground and buried his head in his arms.

In order to forget the pain, he tried to think about other things.

Hard, something seemed to come to his mind.

That is, the last appearance of the person he killed with his own hands during the time he was on the mission.

Whether it's a human or a demon...... Countless lives floated before his eyes.

He remembered the doubts and resentments, even the curses, left behind by those who had died.

Like the inscription engraved on the stone wall he leaned on, all the moments of death were already imprinted in his mind.

But none of this had any effect on him, nor did it evoke the last trace of emotion in his heart.

He often indifferently receives the memories of the dead, and the so-called mercy for the weapon is completely unnecessary.

His head was still in pain, and his body was already soaked in cold sweat.

"In this moment...... Don't ...... either. Forget...... The goddess is ...... with you"

At this time, I don't know whose voice came to my ears.

The sound of flickering and approaching is sometimes clear, sometimes low echoing in the ears.

"Remember...... Goddess...... Together ......"

"Goddess?"

Gray was taken aback.

Whenever I think of the word goddess, the extreme pain seems to break through the top of my head and explode.

To resist the heart-rending pain, blood oozed from the tips of Gray's fingers clutching the floor.

The more I tried to calm down, the more chaotic my mind became.

The guide and herald, sensing the strange sound, rushed into the room.

"What's going on?"

"It's like I've suddenly lost my mind, and I don't know why."

"Get the tranquilizer, quick!"

The guide hurriedly poured the potion into Gray's mouth.

After the onset of the drug's effects, Gray lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

"Will such an unstable state be able to accomplish tomorrow's mission? Or do you want to replace it with other shadows first? ”

"It's okay, at this point, you can last another day tomorrow, everything will go according to plan."

Looking at the work that fell to the floor, the guide spat angrily.

"Haven't you given in yet?"

The next morning, a group of black figures scurried in the shadows where the sun could not reach.

They were given the order to destroy all targets hiding there.

Most of these "prey" are very confident, confident that they will not be discovered if they hide here, and they are not even on guard at all.

The figures waited for their moment as they quietly narrowed the encirclement.

Gray was also in place, waiting for the signal to act.

It wasn't until the gesture was given that Gray lowered his breathing rate and assumed a charging stance.

But at this moment, the familiar and unfamiliar voice echoed in his ears again.

"Goddess...... Goddess...... Memories ......"

With a shrill voice, an unbearable pain struck his mind.

In order to endure the painful torment, he immediately stabbed his thigh with a sharp blade, but it was still useless.

The level of pain I feel now is completely different than before.

The flickering light in front of me spreads wantonly with the rapid beating of the heart, and the light that can be seen in front of me is becoming distorted and swaying back and forth in an exaggerated form.