With his Aspect, Sovereign of Blood, Severin could get a mental image of his internal organs and structure. So when he tried to stimulate it, he knew it wasn’t his body when he saw different channels that his body did not have.
And with the earlier unfamiliarity, an uncomfortable idea began to form in his mind.
’I... have been reincarnated into a body?’
This idea formed after all the analysis he had been doing, the biggest of all being the fact that he shouldn’t have survived the Sword God’s attack. And besides, after everything he had experienced on Earth, reincarnation or being reborn was surprisingly not something strange to understand.
Quickly, Severin got himself under control. And without physically moving a single part of his body, he mentally viewed his body, and what he saw shocked him.
’This body... it’s weak. All my years of hard work building the perfect muscles are all gone just like that?’
But he quickly dismissed that because, with discipline, he could get any body back into shape.
The most important thing came to his mind. ’I don’t know where I am and what type of danger I am in. Do I have any new memories...?’
He tried, but the only thing that came to his mind then was a name.
"Caelen Seradon!"
Before he could try anything else, one of the assassins said, "Enough. Let’s just finish our business here. I don’t know what happened earlier, but he fainted. Now he’s waking up."
Footsteps approached, and Severin could tell they surrounded him.
Another assassin said with disappointment, "I thought he would be a challenge even though I’ve heard of his... uselessness. To think he’s actually a member of the Seradon family."
"The very heir of a prestigious family. If only I were the one to have his opportunity."
Severin stiffened. Even though he knew it was the body he was inhabiting they were talking about, he couldn’t help but be annoyed since it was all directed at him. And since it didn’t look as if anything of importance would be added by the assassins, Severin decided to act.
Severin opened his eyes. His eyes were a rich red, like blood gems. He stared coldly at the three assassins, quickly taking them in.
The assassins were dressed in black, form-fitting clothes with masks covering their faces. The only weapons on them were plain daggers. From the look of them, there was nothing immediately eye-catching that could be used to identify them. From their build and voices, one could tell they were males.
A faint bloodlust clung to them.
A quick glance let him know his surroundings. He seemed to be in some crumbled building, the walls damp and the air cold, smelling of old dust and dried animal droppings.
"Look, he’s awake," one of them said.
"Let’s finish this quickly. I still have class after this." The one who said this was farthest away from Severin. He held a slightly blood-covered dagger.
The one directly in front of Severin nodded, and then he took something out of his hidden pocket. It was an aged, shrunken head, covered in strange writing that carried the aura of death.
Immediately he took it out, the already cold surroundings turned even colder. He sneered. "Be good now and swallow this."
Severin’s expression turned a little strange. And his hand rose subconsciously to touch his neck where a slight cut had stopped dripping blood. "I should swallow that... why?"
The three assassins exchanged glances. They all felt like something was different about the figure in front of them. As assassins who were quite good at their work, they immediately realized what was wrong.
Previously, Caelen had been begging them, promising to give them anything as long as they did not touch him. And he had practically screamed and collapsed when one assassin touched him with a dagger.
But now, everything about him was composed.
Their vigilance instantly heightened, and their spiritual senses spread, sweeping the surroundings for threats.
The assassin with the shrunken head narrowed his eyes, his dark eyes shining through the holes of his mask. "You are questioning us? Caelen, do you want to die?"
’Caelen, heh. So that’s the name of this body.’
Severin struggled to his feet, and by the time he straightened, the aura surrounding him had turned even more profound. His youthful face was cold, but his eyes held a strange warmth, as if there were a feverish light burning within.
"I’m assuming that you don’t want to kill me, because if you did, the body should be dead by now. So my question is, what exactly is that thing in your hand, and why do you want me to swallow it?"
The three assassins took some steps back. There was no denying it. Something was strange. Their "victim" was simply too calm, with no fear in him. He also did not match the profile of Caelen!
With a flick of their hands, those not holding daggers now held them. Their killing intent surged around them.
When Severin saw this, a smile curled around his lips. "This type of welcome into a new world is not bad. But it’s not very welcoming either. Tell me, is this world as dangerous as the one I came from?"
Only surprised eyes met his own.
The lead assassin, holding the shrunken head, suddenly relaxed. "So he was scared so much that he lost his mind and fell into madness. No wonder he showed no fear."
The assassin to the left nodded. "That’s why he’s sprouting nonsense."
But the assassin with the blood-coated dagger did not say anything. He even took several steps backward as if preparing to flee at any moment.
When Severin saw this, his eyes narrowed. But he didn’t go after him. How could a Rank C escape from a Rank A? Especially when the Rank A was him.
"I’m only asking because I don’t understand how all of this works. I hope you can answer some of my questions.
"Where am I? Who am I? Why do you want to hurt me? Who sent you?"
The moment he uttered those words, the surroundings fell into silence. The three assassins looked as if they couldn’t believe their ears. They would have laughed, but the seriousness on their victim’s face was too much.
And why did they suddenly feel so uneasy?
"You..." The one on the left struggled for something to say. Eventually, he settled on, "We’re wasting too much time. Let’s shove it into his mouth."
With that, their spiritual pressure rose quickly. It was filled with intense killing intent. The air around them turned cold and chilling as they radiated bloodlust.
When Severin saw this, the smile on his face grew even bigger. "So... negotiations have failed. Although I don’t like it myself, I always do it. Now, we are going to the part that I very much like."
Immediately after he said this, a profound killing intent rushed across his body, blowing his hair back. An invisible wind kicked to life around him, and the whole building turned cold and hot at the same time. Some of that bloodlust visibly manifested around him like blood-red tendrils of wind.
If the bloodlust that covered the assassins was like waves, what now came from Caelen was like a tornado.
The expressions of the three assassins fell. And they all made different choices.
The one directly in front of him fell into a sidelong roll. The one on the left turned to flee. But the one holding the blood-stained dagger was already running as soon as he stopped speaking.
Severin also made his choice. His body seemed to turn into blood-colored lightning as he flashed forward, crossing the distance between him and the blood-stained dagger assassin in an instant!
His speed was that fast, and all the assassins felt a dangerous chill run down their spines. If they weren’t planning to run earlier, they did now.
But Severin was already in front of the assassin he went after. His hand shot forward like a striking cobra and gripped the assassin by the neck, lifting him up.
"Are you ready to answer my questions now?" Severin pressed down on his throat.
The assassin fought frantically. His dagger slashed long, deep gashes into the hand holding his neck, but that hand was like chains binding his neck.
The other assassins didn’t stop running. But before they could make their escape, a terrifying pressure suddenly erupted behind them like a volcano rumbling to life. It swept through the room and enveloped the entire building like a bubble.
The two assassins instinctively froze as if taking a single step would mean their death.
Severin tilted his head sideways, and he blinked, his eyes showing an impressed expression. "You two can still move? Even the one I’m holding can still move. You guys have potential. A shame though."
His eyes glowed an even deeper shade of red, and then blood gushed out from his neck and hand like small fountains. The stench of blood was thick in the room, carrying the heavy smell of metal. It was the only smell anyone could perceive.
The blood, which seemed to have a life of its own, clung to the walls and ground and sealed the room in blood-red.