The Martial Unity

The official of the Shadow Association claimed that there was a solution that could satisfy all the parties at hand. That was rather hard to believe for most listeners, given that the Voidreaper seemed to bear some sort of grudge against the Shadow Isles.

Yet the speaker appeared confident.

"The hierarchy of assassins in the Shadow Isles is dependent on the strength of the various assassins within the sector. Better assassins make better money, power, influence, and living. They also have greater prestige." The speaker explained. "You might be wondering why I'm explaining something that is so basic and well-known to all of you who are a part of the Shadow Isles and have been for quite some time."

They undoubtedly were. No one was sure where he was going with this.

"While all of you know this. Someone who isn't a part of the Shadow Isles may very well not know it." The man explained. "Someone like the Voidreaper."

The name mulled in the air like the calm before a storm. No one was sure what was coming.

"An assassin with their skills is an extremely powerful one. There is no doubt to anybody that the Voidreaper is a powerful assassin of perhaps the highest caliber within the Senior realm. There is no doubt about that." The representative of the Shadow Association continued. "Thus, we invite the Voidreaper to join us, and ascend the throne of the Shadow Association as the Assassin King!"

A ripple of shock spread through the audience. None of them expected that the Shadow Association would go down such a route and try and recruit the very assassin that had caused them such a headache, to begin with.

It was almost shameless on their part considering the suffering that the Voidreaper had put them through. 

Yet at the same time, it was completely grounded and highly practical. 

They were not in a position to fight back against the Voidreaper. They hadn't been in a position to fight the Voidreaper even when the Shadow Isles was in its prime. with dozens of Senior-level assassins.

What were they going to do against him now? They were much smaller and weaker and had only three Martial Seniors left.

Conflict against him was fundamentally a bad idea. Instead, they chose to woo him with incentives and have him join them. That was the idea that the various leaders within the association decided to bet all their chips on.

That was why they offered him a title as extravagant as the Assassin King!

It was a rather strong attempt to kiss his ass as well as they could. None of them actually gave a damn about the Martial Seniors that had fallen anymore. The past was the past.

These individuals were money-driven businessmen. They had come to the Shadow Isles because they smelled the potential for profit in the archipelago. With some help from the Crina Foundation, they managed to set up incredibly profitable organizations that sold assassinations or served as a broker between clientele and assassins.

They hated the Voidreaper for killing their profits, but once the realization that he could bring them even more profits set in, they were more than willing to forget their grudges as long as he joined them.

The Martial Seniors who were part of the security detail had grim and severe expressions on their face. They had been informed ahead of time and had even thrown a bit of a tantrum, but the decision was finalized.

They could either live with it or leave.

Or die.

Ultimately, they chose to stick around. Being the only Martial Senior assassins still remaining meant that they would be forgoing enormous benefits that came from being in demand if they chose to leave.

None of them wanted to leave just when it was the best time in the market to be a Martial Senior. The only downside was the Voidreaper hunting them, but even that would go as long as this plan went through, which is why they tolerated it.

"The position of Assassin King comes with many benefits and positives." The representative of the Shadow Association spoke with great confidence. "There are far too many to go into this speech but rest assured it comes with unrivaled status, privileges, benefits, wealth, authority, and opportunities. As the most powerful Senior-level assassin in the Derschek Region we invite the Voidreaper to join the Shadow Association and take on the mantle of Assassin King, a title given only to the strongest assassin in the Shadow Isles!"

Many become keenly aware in regards to what the representative is doing at the moment.

He was speaking directly to the Voidreaper. There was no contact between the Shadow Isles and the Voidreaper, thus they didn't have a way of reaching out to him. This was essentially a public address directly to the Voidreaper rather than the audience.

They were hoping that he was willing to put aside his continuous targeting of the assassination industry and ascend the throne to take over it that they had created just to please him.

To the many assassins, this actually had a solid plan of working. For if they were in the Voidreaper's stead, they would have accepted the offer in a heartbeat. There was no question to it.

"The Crina Foundation has also supported this initiative as one our greatest partners and allies, and has agreed to prioritize the Assassin King's interest in the search for the Silent Shadow." The representative continued. "Not only will the Assassin King reign over the Shadow Association but also over his peers."

The man gestured to the three Martial Seniors behind him. Just as he was about to continue, he heard a sound.

A noise that interrupted his flow.

A noise that came from behind him.

THUD

A wave of shock flashed over the audience before him as he turned around to see what all the commotion was about. His eyes widened in shock as he beheld the corpse of a Martial Senior, collapsed some distance behind him.

The many Martial Artists in the audience could sense it.

He was dead.

No one knew how.

But everyone knew who.

All hell broke loose as the Voidreaper struck again.