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As we were dining, another group entered the restaurant. The four leaders concealed their faces with white hooded cloaks, followed by several warriors in black. Although they tried to hide their power, I could still sense the heavy aura of slaughter emanating from them, a force that only comes after countless lives have been taken.

"The first four people, two of them are not a threat; they seem to be a young couple. The other two are quite skilled—one is a mage, whose power rivals that of the old man Wellington who follows Catherine, meaning they are at least an Eighth-Level Mage. The other moves lightly and clearly possesses martial arts, but there's no fluctuation of battle aura. This one... hmm, seems like a half-elf like Evangeline, wearing a longsword instead of a bow, indicating they are a half-elf magic swordsman. As for the ones following, they all possess the strength of Sword Heroes. I wonder who they are."

I was speculating about their identities, and the surrounding people were also discussing. However, unlike me, they couldn't identify the first four individuals but knew the identities of the Sword Heroes behind them.

"See those? They're Sky Blade Warriors. Can you believe they came all the way to the Star Shattering Abyss?"

"Sky Blade Warriors? From one of the Seven Sword Saints, the 'Sky Splitting Blade Saint'? Weren't they always active in the south? Could it be they've come here for the ruins exploration mission?"

"Definitely. You didn't see how many mercenaries and adventurers rushed into the desert earlier. Those four must be some big shots from the south, which is why the Sky Blade Warriors are protecting them."

"I wonder what our Emperor is thinking. If the ruins are so important, why not excavate them himself? Instead, he's making it public knowledge, as if everyone is flocking here."

"Hehe, that's our Emperor's strategy. Let others lead the charge, then swoop in. No one can match us, the Mercenary Empire, in the desert. It's easier to take from others than to find it ourselves."

My original plan to become famous through being a mercenary had lost its value under the pursuit of the three major guilds. So, I was hesitating whether to spend time on this ruins mission. But now, the rumors had piqued my interest. What could be so significant about these ruins?

I visited the Mercenary Guild specifically to accept this unrestricted mission. The staff seemed accustomed to people taking on this task and were only slightly surprised by my solo appearance and mercenary rank before swiftly processing everything. From the guild's mission description, I learned it was a newly discovered ruin, filled with magical beasts and traps. It was speculated to contain valuable magical materials and information. However, if that were all, it wouldn't explain the influx of people. There must be more to it.

After leaving the guild, I took Jin Luosha around the market, buying her a few trinkets she liked, before returning to the inn. However, just as I stepped through the door and the light dimmed from bright to gray, twelve blades suddenly appeared, all aimed at Jin Luosha in my arms.

The timing was perfect, the ambush well-concealed, and the power formidable. The only issue was that I had been waiting for the Assassins Guild's attack.

"'Holy Ice Thorns Halo'—full activation—"

"'Platinum Mirror Magic Armor'—full activation—"

Chapter 50: Inquiring About the Lost Ruins

The renowned "Holy Ice Thorns Halo" has been studied extensively since its inception. Whether warriors, mages, or clerics, all sought to harness its power. Among the Twelve Sages, the "Stellar Sage," who mastered spatial spells, and the "Temporal Sage," who mastered time spells, believed that the "Holy Ice Thorns Halo" was not merely an ice or curse-based ability but a combination of spatial and temporal powers. "Holy Ice" directly freezes time, slowing down all existence, including thoughts. "Thorns" use spatial inversion to deflect attacks indiscriminately. Thus, "Holy Ice" cannot be blocked by any magic or battle aura, and "Thorns" do not need to wait for damage to retaliate. In essence, this power approaches divine abilities, allowing it to directly threaten the world's strongest martial art, the "Emperor Martial Overlord Art."

The moment the "Holy Ice Thorns Halo" activated, the twelve daggers attacking me slowed down by half. Everyone could see the bizarre speed change as if it were a miracle. Even the invisible magic spells hidden behind the attack were slowed, revealing their trajectories. The assassins, however, remained oblivious due to their halved reaction speeds. Soon, they realized something was amiss when their target doubled in speed, moving fluidly through their attacks without any of them reacting in time. All they saw was a blur of blades.

With a wave, I killed the twelve assassins and continued into the inn's hall, swiftly dispatching the four black-clothed individuals who had cast the spells. These four were not mages but warriors wielding magical artifacts. Regardless of their professions, they met the same fate. Two managed to cast minor spells, but their lack of power was insufficient to breach my defense and was instead reflected back by my "Platinum Mirror Magic Armor."

The killing did not stop there. I dashed out of the inn and leaped into the restaurant across the street. Outside, people heard screams and the sound of shattering dishes as nine corpses holding steel magic crossbows were thrown out, their blood splattering on the street. These were the second wave of attackers, prepared to ambush me as I retreated. However, I broke through the first wave and, sensing their positions from the leaked killing intent and revealed weapons, killed them before they could fire a single arrow. Exiting the restaurant, I held Jin Luosha and scanned the entire street, noticing several powerful figures rapidly retreating, likely the Assassins Guild's reinforcements.