The Mind World And The Outcast Hero

The Art Of A True Assassin

After exiting the jet, the four assassins made their way towards the barrier. By this time, the sun had already begun to set and a cold chill was present in the air. There were damaged street signs, buildings, cars, and even broken bits of glass that crunched underneath their feet as they walked. In short, the area looked as if it was in the dawn of a zombie apocalypse.

A few seconds later, the assassins arrived at the foot of the barrier. However, this was when they noticed something strange. The barrier was oozing with a strange purple aura.

"Dang, this thing's huge!" Exclaimed Andrew as he reached out to touch it.

"Wait, don't touch it!" Quickly warned Isabella.

"Huh? Why?!"

Before responding, Isabella moved closer to inspect the barrier. Following this, she withdrew two Tessen Fans (Japanese War Fans) from her waist. The fans were black with the patterns of electrical dragons on either side. The edges were also quite sharp as if it was made from a collection of small knives.

"I can sense a strange aura emitting from the barrier!" Continued Isabella. "Hmmm... It seems the barrier was made by a powerful Poison Art user. If you touch it, there's a chance you'll be poisoned!"

"Can you break it?" Asked Nathan.

"Of course, Nathypoo! Stand back or you might just be blown away!"

Nathan and the others then quickly did as Isabella instructed. Soon after, she activated a powerful Wind Art.

"Wind Art: Puncture Slash!"

With a simple wave of her Tessen, a razor-like wind zoomed towards the barrier before splitting a small section of it open. This left Nathan, Sindy, and Andrew brimming with amazement. Isabella had easily managed to split open a powerful barrier that no one had been able to pass through for days.

"No way..! I'm a Wind Art user too and none of my attacks hold that much power..." Exclaimed Nathan.

"Let's hurry inside!" Smiled Isabella. "I didn't want the bandits to know that we're coming so I only destroyed a small section of the barrier so that they wouldn't notice. So if we don't hurry it will close up again!"

Following this, the four assassins quickly passed through the barrier. However, upon stepping through, the scenery had only gotten worse. Around half the buildings were on fire and a powerful scent of death had quickly caught the attention of their noses. There were also traces of blood that lined the streets which signified that people had been killed.

"Well, this is anything but pleasant to the eyes... I wonder what happened here," said Sindy quietly.

"There's only one way to find out. Let's keep going..." Prompted Nathan.

The four assassins then continued to walk through the lonely streets of the desolate town. By this time, the sun was almost in complete hiding, leaving the surrounding area bathed in darkness. Even the stars and moon had started to come out of hiding. It was very close to nighttime.

"Um, guys... What's that..?" Suddenly noticed Andrew.

Everyone then quickly came to a stop before turning their attention to where Andrew was pointing. This was when they noticed something horrifying. They had stumbled upon a four-meter-tall mountain of human corpses. The bandits had slaughtered many innocent people before stockpiling them atop one another. The bodies ranged from children to the elderly to even newborn babies. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

"What the hell is this..?" Cursed Nathan in disbelief. "Who would do such a thing?!"

"This is horrible... What do these people gain from slaughtering so many innocent people!?" Added Sindy angrily.

With a look of disgust on her face, Isabella stooped to take a closer look at the bodies. This was when she noticed that the bodies were all covered in bite and claw marks. The deaths of these people were not carried out by humans.

"Hmm... I think these people were killed by Demon Beasts!" Exclaimed Isabella innocently.

"Demon Beasts..? What makes you think that?" Asked Nathan.

"Well, the bodies of all these people are covered in bite and claw marks! There are no signs that signify that humans did this."

"But that doesn't explain why the bodies are stockpiled... Demon Beasts aren't capable of doing something like that, right?" Asked Sindy.

"Wait, do you think this has something to do with the Beast King?! Maybe he's here!" Added Nathan.

"I think that might be a possibility, Nathypoo! I think it comes down to whether or not the Beast King is still here!"

Upon hearing Isabella's words, Andrew, Nathan, and Sindy felt a deep desire to find the Beast King. If he was still present in the area then they could finally let him suffer the consequences of his actions.

"We need to hurry and find him then!" Proclaimed Nathan.

"Aww, Nathypoo! Don't be too hasty! The bandits are still an issue. If you blindly go looking for the Beast King then you'll put yourself in danger."

Immediately, Nathan calmed himself down. He was still eager to find the Beast King but he knew Isabella was right. Rushing ahead blindly would only get him killed.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away..."

"Wait, what is this..?" Suddenly asked Andrew.

Everyone then turned to see Andrew inspecting a dead body. Following this, Isabella rushed to his side to see what he had found. This was when she noticed something quite frightening that left a look of concern on her face.

"What is it, Izzy?" Asked Nathan.

Isabella then slowly stepped aside to allow Nathan and Sindy to see what Andrew had found. As they stepped forward, they noticed the bodies of two men wearing red clothing. To make things stranger, on their shirts were the letters "C.H.O".

"C.H.O..? What's that?" Asked Sindy.

"They're from another hero agency like ours. A very good one by that..." Replied Isabella.

"Another agency..?"

"Yes, you should already know that there are other hero agencies just like AA. C.H.O stands for Central Heroic Agency. They're one of the best hero agencies in the Mind World."

"Then does that mean they were killed while on a mission..?" Queried Nathan.

"Yes, they must have been sent here ahead of us... It must have taken someone quite strong to kill these two..."

"Damn it! Why the hell does this type of thing always happen..? We're never in time to save anyone!" 

"This is just the reality of the Mind World, Nathypoo. We're always fighting for whatever we believe is right. It's the cursed reality that we have to face every day—"

Suddenly, Isabella cut her argument short as if something was wrong. This immediately placed Nathan and the others on guard.

"What is it..?" Asked Sindy as she slowly brushed her fingertips across the hilt of her knives.

"Be quiet!" Ordered Isabella.

"Why? Did you sense someone?"

"Yes, but I also don't want to hear your voice."

Sindy restrained herself from creating an unnecessary fight. Despite how Isabella made her feel, she had to focus on the incoming danger.

"We're surrounded..." Mumbled Isabella.

Suddenly, the assassins heard footsteps coming towards them. They then drew their weapons, ready for battle. They were ready to take action as soon as they were confronted.

However, to their surprise, over two dozen masked figures walked out from the shadows. Some were on the rooves of buildings while others remained on the ground. Each of them was armed with dangerous weapons ranging from; guns, swords, and some even holding grenades. The assassins were surrounded.

"Ooh, I guess you all found us quicker than I anticipated!" Chuckled Isabella with delight.

"Surrender your weapons now or die!" Shouted one of the bandits.

The assassins then closed in on one another to guard each other's back.

"What do we do now?" Asked Nathan.

"Don't worry, these weaklings can't touch my Nathypoo while I'm here!"

"Stop calling him that!" Complained Sindy.

"Not the time to be fighting, you two! I don't want to get skewered over Nate!" Argued Andrew.

"Come on boys, take me to your leader. I need to speak with him!" Offered Isabella appealingly.

"No way! We'll deal with you ourselves!" Replied another bandit.

"Wait, isn't that girl-" Said another bandit.

"No, we can't fight her! We've got to run!"

"Stand your ground and fight! We aren't running!"

Since the bandits refused to listen, Isabella got her Tessens in hand, ready to force them into submission. However, before she could do this, she sensed another powerful presence approaching them.

The crowd of bandits then soon parted as if a king was now in their presence. A few seconds later, an intimidating figure stepped into view with two bodyguards by his side. He stood around six and a half feet tall with a well-built body. He was shirtless and had strange dark-grey skin tattooed with golden markings. His eyes were also a bright gold that weirdly complemented his tattoos. He almost looked as if he wasn't human. If the assassins didn't know better, they would have mistaken him for a god of war.

"Youuu!!!" Suddenly squealed Isabella happily.

"I see we meet again, Isabella Ross!" Boomed the figure in a guttural voice.

"Do you know these guys, Izzy?" Inquired Nathan.

"Yesss! I'm so happy to meet him again!"

"Then what should we do? I don't see the Beast King among them!"

"That must mean he's not here! For now, you and the others deal with his team of henchmen! I'll take care of the boss and his bodyguards!"

Andrew was a little disappointed. He had intended to fight the strongest opponent but now he had ended up with the weakest ones instead. Andrew knew that he needed to fight powerful enemies if he were to get stronger. Due to this, he disliked Isabella's orders.

"Why do we have to deal with the small fry while you take on the big guys..?" He murmured.

"Andrew, do you know who these people are?" Asked Isabella.

"No..."

"They're an organization called The Scorpions. They're a small organization working underneath the Cliques to destroy the Real World."

"What does that have to do with anything..?"

"Me and big brother were ordered to assassinate these guys on our previous mission. Sadly, some of them got away. The ones you see here are those that managed to escape. The big guy who just showed up is their leader and his strongest bodyguards. This mission is supposed to be an SS-Classed mission, Andrew. Leave them to me or you'll be killed!"

"Ah, Isabella!" Suddenly interrupted the leader of the Scorpions. "Where's that annoying brother of yours? Rick was it? I wanted to pay him back for humiliating me in front of my men!"

Before responding, Isabella slowly placed her Tessen before her lips to hide her sadistic smile.

"Unfortunately, he's not here today! But I assure you that I'll be more than enough to slit that throat of yours, Scorpio!"

"Don and Ten, get beside me!" Quickly ordered Scorpio to his two bodyguards. It was evident that he was taking no chances with Isabella.

The area then became silent as if a western showdown was about to take place. The little sunlight that was left slowly crept away as if it was the timer to initiate a duel.

"Nathypoo, Sindy, Andrew, I need you three to kill the others. I won't be able to protect you while I fight!"

"Is it a must that we kill them..?" Asked Nathan.

"Mhmm! My mission was initially to assassinate every member of this organization. Sadly, my brother and I failed since they managed to escape. This is the perfect chance for me to redeem myself!"

Nathan didn't like that he had to kill his enemies but he wasn't about to back down. 

"We'll slaughter them!" He replied confidently.

"Sindy, please protect my Nathypoo while I'm away!"

"Of course..! You don't have to tell me that!"

Following this, Isabella dived towards Scorpio and his bodyguards at insane speeds. They could hardly believe how fast she was.

"Don, Ten, guard me!" Ordered Scorpio to his bodyguards.

"Sir! Steel Art: Metal Blockade!"

Immediately, Don and Ten got in front of Scorpio before activating a metallic barrier to defend themselves. They had activated the same Art Style which had resulted in the barrier being twice as strong.

However, this was far from enough to stop Isabella. She chuckled upon realizing their poor attempt to protect themselves as she activated an Art Style of her own.

"Lightning Art: Electro Cut!"

A powerful electrical current then quickly enveloped Isabella's tessens. This resulted in the barrier splitting like a piece of paper with a single slash.

Scorpio and his bodyguards had not expected Isabella to be so fast. There was no way that they could counter with another Art Style in time. They had to respond without the aid of their Arts.

Immediately, Don withdrew a giant metal hammer before swinging it violently towards Isabella. However, this was still far from enough to defeat the #4 assassin. 

Skillfully, Isabella maneuvered a backflip, dodging the attack with ease. She then countered with a powerful slash from her tessens, slitting Don's throat in an instant.

Blood splattered against Isabella's face as Don's body fell to the ground lifelessly. This was the power of a true assassin.

Scorpio was fueled with rage upon seeing this. He then clenched his teeth in rage before withdrawing both his metal hooks. He had to help his bodyguards fight if he wished to survive.

 Quickly, he swung his hooks towards Isabella, aiming to cut her in half. However, once again, Isabella was just too quick. She blocked the attack with the sharp end of her tessens which resulted in a showcase of fiery sparks.

 Following this, Isabella launched a powerful kick to the remaining bodyguard's head. This resulted in the tip of her heel slamming into Ten's eye socket, killing him on the spot.  

Scorpio then doubled over in a panic upon seeing this. He could hardly believe his eyes. Two of his most powerful bodyguards had been killed in the span of just five seconds. 

However, Isabella was relentless in driving fear into Scorpio's soul. With the edge of her heel coated in blood, she smiled innocently at Scorpio. She then flapped her tessen, splashing Don's blood in Scorpio's face. Finally, she then said her last words to him with an innocent smile:

"Now then, are you ready to join your dead comrades?"