The Red Cloaked Assassin attacked fast and hard, catching Dustin by surprise from behind. Dustin was still busy helping Cinna and couldn’t defend himself.
When the assassin’s blade came, Dustin quickly activated his energy armor, creating a protective shield.
“Clang!”
The Red Cloaked Assassin’s blade hit Dustin’s energy armor, creating a faint ripple. The immense recoil sent the assassin’s weapon flying, making him stagger backward.
“How is this possible?”
The Red Cloaked Assassin’s eyes widened in shock. His full-force surprise attack should have at least gravely wounded Dustin.
Yet, Dustin sat unscathed, while the assassin was pushed back. He was surprised that Dustin’s strength might be even greater than his.
“Pfft!”
Suddenly, as Dustin was still healing, he spat out black blood. His face turned ashen. The poison from earlier was potent. Even with his robust body, Dustin couldn’t resist it.
The primary reason was the extensive energy consumption in treating Cinna. It left him unable to suppress the toxins invading his organs.
In addition to that, the Red Cloaked Assassin’s surprise attack prompted Dustin to defend himself forcefully. As a result, he got hurt and ended up coughing blood.
“Haha… It looks like you’re almost finished!”
The Red Cloaked Assassin mocked, thinking he had dealt a significant blow to Dustin.
“This strike will be the end of you!”
The Red Cloaked Assassin reached for his flying blade. He closed the gap and swung it at Dustin.
“Your Highness!” the heavily wounded Rodrigo roared. With a powerful kick, he used his body as a weapon and crashed into the Red Cloaked Assassin’s back.
With a grunt, the assassin was sent flying several meters. He landed in a sorry state with his sword dropped to the ground.
As for Rodrigo, the forceful collision caused him to spit blood and fly backward. Already suffering from severe injuries, he lay on the ground, unable to move.
He was left incapacitated.
“Damn! You’re asking for death!” the Red Cloaked Assassin cursed.
He stood up and glared at Rodrigo.
“Since you enjoy playing the hero, I’ll take you out first!”
With a sudden leap, the Red Cloaked Assassin raised his palm and aimed a fierce strike at Rodrigo’s head. Unable to move, Rodrigo could only raise his arms in a feeble attempt to block.
A loud bang echoed. Rodrigo’s arms fractured instantly. He was thrown like a ragdoll, crashing into a wall and coughing up blood incessantly.
“Run, Your Highness! Run!” Rodrigo shouted hoarsely despite his condition.
“Run? Where to?”
The Red Cloaked Assassin turned to glance at Dustin. His eyes were filled with murderous intent. He had almost forgotten that Rodrigo was just a minor character. Killing him held no significance. Dustin was the key figure.
To avoid complications, he had to be dealt with swiftly.
“Dustin! Prepare to die!”
Once again, the assassin leaped into the air, delivering a full-force palm strike toward the back of Dustin’s head. It was a vital attack. Even if Dustin had his energy armor on, it wouldn’t withstand this blow.
“Whoosh!”
The strike distorted the air.
Just as the Red Cloaked Assassin was about to succeed, Dustin, who had been healing Cinna, seemed to sense something. He abruptly turned around and struck out with his palm.
“Bang!”