The entire battlefield was soon covered in dense white steam, making it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead.

Explosions continued to echo throughout the dome as fire, water, and wind collided one after another.

The two Master-rank bodyguards were slowly being pushed back.

They had to protect the Viscount’s daughter while also trying to take back the artifact from No. 89, forcing them to fight defensively.

At the same time, Asher’s vessel and No. 110 continued slaughtering the remaining Diamond-rank guards one after another.

With every guard that fell, the advantage of the assassins became greater and greater.

Just after five minutes since the battle had begun, all of the Diamond-rank guards had been killed.

After the last Diamond-rank guard fell, No. 110 looked at Asher’s vessel and said, "Newbie, you are quite good at killing. With skills like these, you’ll survive for a long time in the future."

Asher’s vessel simply nodded and didn’t say anything.

Then No. 110 turned his gaze toward the battle between the two Master-rank guards and No. 89 and No. 98 before saying, "Now let’s join them and finish this mission."

The last two Master-rank guards were already quite tired after fighting No. 89 and No. 98 for five minutes.

However, No. 89 and No. 98 were also exhausted after going all out from the very beginning. They only had a limited amount of time before reinforcements could arrive, so they couldn’t afford to hold back or drag the battle out any longer.

No. 110 was just about to move toward the battle between No. 89, No. 98, and the two Master-rank guards when everyone suddenly stopped for a brief moment.

They had all sensed a disturbance in the surrounding space.

The next instant, No. 110 sensed another spatial fluctuation right behind him.

Without even stopping to think, his body reacted purely on instinct.

His entire body instantly transformed into fire.

A blade silently passed through the spot where his head had been just a fraction of a second earlier. Since his body had already transformed into flames, the attack passed harmlessly through him without causing any damage.

After dodging the blade, No. 110 instantly retreated from his previous position and moved toward No. 89 and No. 98, who had also stopped fighting the two Master-rank guards after sensing the disturbance in space.

Once he reached them, No. 110 transformed back into his human form.

All three of them stared at the spot where No. 110 had been standing just moments ago with grave expressions.

The two Master-rank bodyguards were also looking in the same direction, their expressions equally solemn.

When No. 110 looked back at his previous position, he saw two men standing there.

Both of them wore masks that completely covered their faces, and mana blades extended from their hands.

One of them was the person who had just tried to kill him.

The other stood with his mana blade stained with fresh blood.

Only then did No. 110 notice No. 186.

Unlike him, No. 186 hadn’t been able to react in time.

His head had already been severed from his body.

His headless corpse lay on the ground, while his head had rolled several meters away, leaving a trail of blood across the floor.

Everyone present believed that No. 186 had simply failed to react in time.

After all, no one knew his true identity.

To everyone else, he was just another assassin who had been caught off guard by a sudden ambush.

But in reality, everything had happened exactly as Asher had planned.

For his plan to succeed, every assassin present had to die.

That included his own vessel.

A single vessel was insignificant compared to what he would gain if the plan succeeded.

No one present suspected anything.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the two masked men.

Both sides looked at them with grave expressions.

The assassins tightened their grip on their weapons, while the two Master-rank bodyguards also raised their guard.

Neither side knew who the two newcomers were.

Both sides looked at them with grave expressions, their guards raised to the highest level.

Although they didn’t know who these two newcomers were or which side they belonged to, there was one thing they were certain of.

Both of them were Spatial Element Masters.

The disturbance in space they had sensed earlier, along with the way they had appeared without anyone noticing, had already revealed their identities.

For a brief moment, no one made a move.

The battlefield, which had been filled with explosions just moments ago, fell into complete silence as everyone cautiously watched the two Spatial Masters, waiting to see what they would do next.

Then, one of the masked figures suddenly vanished.

The next instant, he appeared right in front of No. 110 and slashed at him with the mana blade extending from his hand.

No. 110 looked at the masked man who had suddenly appeared before him and then at the mana blade rushing toward him.

A mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Attacking with a mana blade?" he said disdainfully. "Even after knowing that ordinary physical attacks can’t harm a Master, you’re still trying something like this?"

Without any hesitation, No. 110 transformed his entire body into fire once again.

However, this time, something was different.

Just before the mana blade reached him, a strange black fog suddenly enveloped its entire length.

No. 110’s expression changed slightly.

Everyone else also stared at the black fog, unable to understand what it was.

The next moment, the mana blade wrapped in the black fog struck the mass of fire that No. 110 had transformed into.

Just like before, the blade passed through the flames without any resistance.

But unlike before, something had changed.

The portion of the fire that came into contact with the black fog didn’t remain fire.

It simply vanished.

It instantly reverted into ordinary mana that no longer contained No. 110’s will, dispersing into the surroundings as if it had never been under his control in the first place.

Everyone present was stunned by what they had just witnessed.

The attack had clearly passed through No. 110’s elemental body just like before, yet something had gone terribly wrong.

The next moment, the mass of fire that was No. 110 instantly reverted back into his human form as the mana blade had already passed completely through him.

There wasn’t a single wound on his body.

Not even a scratch.

But as soon as he returned to his human form, he suddenly fell to one knee and violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Blood continued to drip from the corner of his mouth as he looked at the masked man with eyes filled with confusion and dread.

He hadn’t suffered any physical injury.

Yet he could clearly feel it.

A crack had appeared on his mana core.

To a cultivator, an injury to the mana core was far more fatal than almost any physical wound.

That single strike had severely damaged his mana core, forcing him out of his elemental form and leaving him in a state where he could barely continue fighting.

His entire body trembled as disbelief filled his eyes.

"H-How...?"

Before he could even finish speaking, the masked man appeared before him once again.

His mana blade flashed through the air.

A moment later, No. 110’s head separated cleanly from his body.

His headless corpse collapsed onto the ground as his severed head rolled across the floor, coming to a stop.

Everyone’s gaze fell upon the mana blade covered in the strange black fog before shifting to the lifeless body of No. 110.

The same question appeared in everyone’s mind.

What was that black fog?

No one had ever seen such an ability before.

Before anyone could ask anything, both masked figures suddenly vanished once again.

A ripple spread through the surrounding space.

The next instant, one of them appeared in front of No. 89, while the other materialized before No. 98.

Unlike No. 110, neither of them dared to transform into their elemental state.

After witnessing what had happened to No. 110, they knew that doing so would only make them easier targets.

Instead, both of them immediately raised the daggers in their hands.

Clang!

The mana blade collided with No. 89’s dagger, while another sharp clash echoed as No. 98 blocked the second masked figure’s attack.

Sparks flew as the four figures separated.

No. 89 narrowed his eyes as he looked at the black fog covering the mana blade.

Although the black fog had touched his dagger, nothing had happened to it.

"So it only affects elemental bodies..." he muttered inwardly.

The two masked figures didn’t reply.

As soon as their first attacks were blocked, they disappeared once again.

Spatial ripples spread through the surrounding space.

No. 89’s expression changed.

The next instant, both masked figures appeared beside No. 98.

One stood directly in front of him, while the other appeared right behind him.

A pincer attack.

No. 98’s pupils contracted.