Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

In his last life, Ceaser received numerous missions where he had to remain hidden and reach his target in silence. And considering the amount of soldiers present around the vicinity, Alex has adopted the same method, of not announcing his presence by mindlessly killing whoever came in front of him.

Thankfully, he was spared from the super senses of the soldiers, given they couldn't use Soul Energy around the residence. However, because of that he has to slowly walk around a lot to find the target.

All the Soul Energy users were around the perimeter and watch towers, since inside the compound there were detection runes to detect any magical movements.

'Being paranoid or is this for something else?' To disable the possible intruders from using SE, they have disarmed themselves as well. And Alex had a feeling that it was not just because of paranoia.

'Shit....' He barely stopped himself from appearing from the corner of the gallery, as he spotted an obstacle.

'I have to kill him...'

A single guard stood at the end of the corridor, leaning lazily on his spear. Alex crept closer, his movements smooth and careful. In one quick motion, he grabbed the guard and silenced him with a sharp strike, lowering the body gently to the ground.

Further ahead, another soldier turned a corner, walking without a care. Alex pressed himself against the wall, waiting for the right moment. As the soldier passed, Alex stepped out, swiftly taking him down without a sound, dragging him into the shadows.

Thanks to his training with Edric for the Moon Dance, he can now regulate his breathing and heart rate to not get noticed by the guards even when he is standing right beside them.

A few more minutes of struggle before Alex finally reached the place, he desired to be.

It was a sliding door, in the middle of the center gallery. There were four soldiers stationed on either side of the door, and they looked strong enough to not get down without a decent fight.

'Lets see...' Alex couldn't use Quick Silver since his range wasn't that far to reach. Tempest Dart, without proper build-up, wouldn't kill all four soldiers, even though they are standing in perfect alignment. The problem was the gaps between their heads.

Then only one possible route he could utilize.

Drawing his sword, Alex took a deep breath.

With a slight shift of his weight, he stepped forward, his body moving in a low, graceful arc. Each step was like a whisper, blending into the faint hum of the compound's silence.

In one seamless motion, Alex unsheathed his blade. The silvery edge glinted faintly under the dim light before it vanished into the sweep of his attack. His movements were so smooth, so controlled, that the soldiers didn't have time to react.

The blade sliced through the air, tracing a perfect crescent as it passed through the necks of all four guards. Their heads fell silently to the ground, their bodies following with a soft thud. Alex had already shifted out of the arc, standing still as the faint metallic tang of blood filled the air.

The perfect use of Moon Dance—silent and graceful.

'No time to feel proud.' Alex clenched his fist and approached the sliding door. He didn't hasten his steps and slowly slid the door—only to hear,

"Come on in, now. I know you are there."

Alex frowned as he saw the back of a man sitting in seiza.

He looked nonchalant and expected his arrival.

Alex exchanged his blade for a dagger as he approached the old man, "Then you could have lessen the security and called me in, directly."

Alex suggested as he carefully, while monitoring his surroundings, entered the room.

"I desired to see your performance. You truly are magnificent."

"Or maybe your soldiers are just too weak." Alex mocked as he finally stood before the old man and saw his face.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Bald head, tanned skin, several moles on his face, sunken and pale featureless eyes. His appearance and aura were quite horrifying.

"The Cursed One—you have damaged the blessing I bestowed upon you." The older one said, urging Alex to scoff,

"What blessing? You just placed a lid over astronomical power, so naturally, it will break."

Raze's brows were slowly elevated, as he asked, "What do you know about the Cursed Mark of yours?"

Alex rolled his eyes, "If I had known, why would I have come to meet an old man?"

Raze's aura flickered, his muscles twitched as a nasty grin etched on his face, "So you aren't aware of what resides within you, huh? Nice."

Suddenly, the figure of the old man disappeared, and just in the nick of time, Alex ducked his head,

**SWISH**

Alex barely dodged the first strike, the sharp steel claws grazing past his ear and slamming into the sliding door behind him, splintering it to pieces. He twisted his body, stepping back to create space as Raze lunged forward again, his speed unnatural for someone his age.

Alex blocked the next strike with his forearm, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his arm. Raze's grin widened as he followed up with a spinning kick aimed at Alex's ribs. It connected hard, making Alex stagger back with a grunt.

"Old, but quick," Alex muttered, wiping the corner of his mouth as he steadied himself. He tightened his grip on his dagger and adjusted his stance.

Raze came at him again, claws swiping in a flurry of strikes. Alex ducked, weaved, and sidestepped, his movements fluid and precise. He let Raze overextend, and the moment an opening appeared, Alex spun on his heel and slashed upward with his dagger.

The blade caught Raze across the chest, tearing through his shirt and drawing a deep, clean cut. The old man hissed, but his grin didn't falter. He leaped back, only to find his eyes widened.

Alex switched to a blade, faster than one can blink, and charged in with Quick Silver,

**SQUELCH**

The older one barely had the time to tilt his body, yet his shoulder was sliced, and blood began to dye his hakama.

"I-Impossible! Using Soul Energy in this room is impossible!"

Alex paused, his lips stretching in a face-splitting grin, as he told the old man, "Shocked? Now despair."

Activating his Sixth Step, Alex delivered quick consecutive slashes, running in an unpredictable pattern, leaving no room for the old man to retaliate.

The slashes continued and only intensified as Alex destroyed the older one, only stopping when he knew that the Raze could no longer move.

"Agh..." Raze vomited blood as he dropped to his knees and said, "So....you have unlocked your potential...the strength of the curse...you can use it..."

Alex didn't know what he was saying. Alex was just utilizing the sword arts he leaned back in his previous life—in a world where there was no Soul Energy.

As such, he had no problem fighting without SE here.

"Now old man, tell me, what were you doing here? And why did you suddenly attack me?"

Alex sat down before the older one, placing his head on his hand and further resting it on his thigh. Your adventure continues at empire

Raze also sat down...looking completely and utterly defeated as he stared at the floor.

"I failed...to fulfill the duty...to gain their favor...to attain immortality." Raze was muttering things that made Alex frown, as he asked again,

"Can you tell me what the fuck this is all about? What is this Curse Mark and how can I remove the Seal?"

Raze scoffed, "Since my time is drawing close, I guess I might as well tell you..."

Raising his face to look at Alex, Raze said, "I was...supposed to kill you...today...and gain 'their' favor. The one who bears the curse of Greed and endless hunger. The one who cannot be killed...you...you are that cursed one."

Alex gritted his teeth, "Okay, I know I am the Cursed One. Now tell me, who told you to kill me and who are they who was supposed to provide you immortality?"

For once Alex thought that the man was being fooled by someone who held animosity against Alex—possibly the Vampire Duke who invaded Grimland a few days ago.

After all, there was no being in this world who could bless another with immortality, regardless of their race. That's why, Alex knew that the old man was getting fooled here.

However, when the old man opened his mouth and uttered the name of the being, Alex was shocked beyond belief,

"Solaris."

"..!!!" Alex knows that name! He has read that name in the novel.

'One of the seven deities that rule over the upper world...made contact with Raze? And because of me? Why...?'

--------**-------

A/N:- I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter. Well, the mysteries regarding Alex would be slowly unraveling, however, we would all know about his origin before the tournament.

Thanks for reading and drop a comment.

.