Four Stars Align

Just then, her fingertips touched the side of Black’s neck.

There was a ring of teeth marks with dried blood.

Kristine’s face turned deathly pale, and her voice trembled.

“Was this really a dream? Black, this mark…”

Black sighed inwardly but kept his expression neutral, saying with a helpless smile.

“After you fainted just now, you weren’t a very good sleeper.”

“You had a nightmare and even bit me.”

“But that was just a dream. Look, aren’t we perfectly fine in this room right now?”

His tone was calm, his gaze open.

Kristine looked at him, then at the familiar surroundings.

The doubts in her heart finally began to dissipate.

That’s right. If they were really in that dark, ruined city from the dream.

How could they be lying here, safe and sound, right now?

She let out a light sigh of relief, lay back down, and pressed her cheek against Black’s warm chest.

She wrapped her arms around him.

Her voice was soft and a little tired.

“Black, I think I’m still a little tired, and my head is a little dizzy.”

“Can I… just rest like this for a little while longer?”

Feeling the young woman in his arms, Black’s heart softened.

He gently held her and said in a low voice.

“Of course, you can.”

The moonlight flowed like water, quietly bathing the embracing pair, dispelling the shadows in the room.

Leaving only a tranquil peace.

By the time the banquet was drawing to a close.

Black and Kristine quietly blended into the crowd and returned to the grand hall.

After the banquet ended, Black had originally intended to go back with his cousins.

But they had a small group gathering with their own friends afterward, so they didn’t go with him.

He was already old. He could only give them a few warnings to be careful and then head back alone.

The Golden Feast was in full swing, and it wasn’t just the academy that was lively.

Servia’s commercial district was brightly lit, a scene of prosperity.

Golden ears of wheat, blazing bonfires, roaring crowds…

There were many festival activities on the streets, and the crowds were dense. Black was squeezed to the point where he had to find another way.

He turned into a quiet alley.

The night wind blew, carrying a chill.

This alley leading to the residential area was exceptionally dark.

As he walked, Black suddenly stopped and frowned.

He felt that something was not right.

A feeling of being watched, like a needle at his back, clung to him tightly.

Someone was following him.

‘Could it be those students again?’

Black felt a little helpless. It seemed like only those students would follow him.

It looked like he had to teach them a good lesson.

However, the moment he turned around.

[You have entered a state of Flow.]

His Flow state had activated on its own!

The world slowed down in his eyes, and his senses were magnified to the extreme.

At the same time, a deadly, sharp sound of something tearing through the air shattered the night’s tranquility!

Black’s expression changed drastically. His brain had no time to think; his body had already reacted on instinct!

He pushed off with his feet, his figure flashing to the side and back.

“Swish!”

A blurry black shadow grazed his chest!

The cold touch of metal came through the fabric of his suit.

“Thud!”

With a muffled sound.

A pitch-black iron arrow was deeply embedded in the ground where he had just been standing.

The hard stone pavement was easily pierced.

The fletching trembled from the immense kinetic energy, emitting a heart-pounding hum.

After landing, Black didn’t pause for a moment and immediately rolled.

He swiftly took cover behind the wall of a nearby abandoned building.

His back was pressed tightly against the wall, his heart pounded violently, and his breathing was rapid.

In that split second, Black had already figured out many things.

The arrow just now had a clear target and contained terrifying power.

It was aimed entirely at taking his life!

If he had reacted even a little slower, his head would have been blown through.

Judging from the residual spiritual power on the arrow, the attacker was at least a peak Top-Tier Archer.

It was even very likely that he had already stepped into the Over-Tier.

What made Black’s heart turn even colder was this.

He recognized it. The design and material of this arrow were identical to the one that had warned him last time!

It was an assassin sent by the old Pope Randolph!

And most likely the same person!

His heart was filled with confusion.

Just two days ago, hadn’t this archer shot an arrow with a note on it, warning him not to interfere?

At that time, Black had even guessed that the other party was wary of the Empress or the higher-ups of the Dragon-Slaying Guard and didn’t dare to attack him.

But now, not only had the other party attacked directly, but it was also an undisguised assassination!

This change in attitude was too fast, too strange!

Unless… something had happened that made Randolph re-evaluate the risks and rewards in a short period of time.

And decide that even at the risk of angering the Empress and the Dragon-Slaying Guard, he had to eliminate this hidden threat immediately!

What on earth could it be?

‘Divination Magic.’

A term instantly leaped into Black’s mind.

Divination Magic was a Dragon-Tier spell that could peek into a corner of the long river of fate.

Only powerhouses of Dragon-Tier and above had the ability to cast it.

And because of the special nature of their class, the Divination Magic cast by Priests was far more effective than that of other classes.

As a Dragon-Tier Priest, the old Pope Randolph was certainly proficient in this art.

He had probably, through Divination Magic, foreseen a certain “future” that was enough to threaten his plans.

That was why he had become so desperate, resorting to any means necessary!

Black forced down the churning in his chest.

He spread his perception outwards, trying to capture the attacker’s aura.

However, he found nothing.

The dark alley remained deathly silent.

Apart from the faint sound of the wind blowing through debris, there was no other movement.

As a ranged class, an archer’s ability to conceal their aura was second only to an assassin’s.

Moreover, the opponent’s strength was far greater than his.

Black had no idea from which dark corner the next arrow would be shot.

‘This is trouble…’

As Black’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat and he thought of a way to escape.

“Swish!”

Another sharp sound of something tearing through the air came!

This time, the arrow was aimed at the thick wall he was hiding behind.

The black arrow pierced through the brick and stone as easily as a hot knife through butter!

With unstoppable force, it stopped right in front of Black’s eyes!

The arrowhead was less than an inch from the tip of his nose.

Seeing this arrow, Black’s pupils suddenly constricted to the size of a pinprick.

A layer of blue light was attached to the body of the arrow.

“Four-Star Consecutive Shot!”

Black practically squeezed these words out from between his teeth.

He recognized it. This was the Top-Tier Oracle skill of the Archer class.

A total of four arrows.

Each arrow stronger and faster than the last!

This one that had pierced through the wall was just the first arrow.

The immense destructive power caused the wall to collapse with a boom.

With his cover gone.

Black was directly exposed.

There was no time to hesitate!

A light flashed in Black’s hand, and the heavy Overlord Spear was already in his grasp.

He knew that the second arrow would arrive in an instant.

Sure enough!

In the extreme vision of his Flow state, he barely managed to catch a blurry green streak of light, even fainter than before.

It was aimed at his chest from a tricky angle.