The Hunter Falls into Her Own Trap (Part 1)
Julian D’Aurelius’s body suddenly stiffened.
The relaxed smile that had lingered on his face vanished in an instant.
His golden eyes widened ever so slightly, and his expression changed dramatically, as though an invisible force had swept away every ounce of strength from his body.
He staggered backward.
One step.
Then another.
His movements became increasingly unstable, as if his legs no longer belonged to him.
Finally—
Thud!
His body crashed heavily onto the cold ground beside the quiet reservoir.
Dust drifted into the air.
The evening breeze swept across the lakeside, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and wild grass.
Julian lay motionless for a brief moment before his body twitched ever so slightly, perfectly resembling the symptoms of someone whose nervous system had been overwhelmed by a deadly poison.
The Queen watched the scene with narrowed eyes.
For the briefest instant, she believed her poison had finally taken effect.
Her butterfly knife had never been the true killing move.
The real weapon had always been the nearly invisible toxin hidden inside it.
The moment the blade struck the ground, the concealed mechanism activated automatically.
A faint, colorless poisonous mist spread silently through the air.
Anyone standing within its range would unknowingly inhale it.
Ten seconds later...
Their body would begin to fail.
It was an assassination technique she had perfected after countless missions.
Simple.
Silent.
Impossible to notice.
Yet...
Just as satisfaction began appearing in her beautiful blue eyes—
A familiar voice echoed inside her mind once again.
[Ha... I knew you’d react exactly like this once you thought the poison worked on my body.]
[I’ll play dead for a just for moment. When you lower your guard and come closer... I’ll give you a surprise you’ll never forget.]
The Queen’s pupils contracted.
Again.
That strange voice.
This time she was absolutely certain.
The voice belonged to the shameless man lying on the ground.
But...
His lips hadn’t moved.
Not even slightly.
A chill quietly crept down her spine.
What kind of martial technique was this?
Or...
Was she hallucinating?
She quickly dismissed that possibility.
No.
Her mind had always been exceptionally disciplined.
There was no way she’d suddenly begin hearing things.
The only explanation was...
Somehow...
She was hearing this man’s thoughts.
The realization sounded absurd even to herself.
Yet it perfectly matched everything happening before her eyes.
The Queen silently stared at Julian.
Her beautiful face remained calm, but countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
He’s pretending.
He isn’t poisoned at all.
This shameless man is baiting me.
A faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of her lips.
"If you’re acting..."
"...then I’ll act with you."
Her fingers moved almost imperceptibly.
Two butterfly knives silently slipped into her sleeves before resting comfortably in her palms.
She lowered her aura.
Her footsteps became softer.
Slower.
She deliberately approached him while pretending her guard had fallen.
One meter...
Two steps...
Another half-step...
The distance between them continued shrinking.
Julian remained lying on the ground, his breathing uneven as though he were barely conscious.
The Queen’s gaze never left him.
Closer...
Just a little closer...
When only about a meter separated them—
Her eyes suddenly flashed with killing intent.
Without warning—
Whoosh!
Both butterfly knives shot forward like silver streaks of lightning.
Their targets...
Julian’s heart.
Her movements were unimaginably fast.
Every assassination she’d ever completed had relied on this single moment.
Explosive speed.
Absolute precision.
Once she entered this distance...
Very few people in the Gold Realm had ever escaped alive.
She was completely confident.
A man lying on the ground has no chance of avoiding this.
The ten-billion-Euro bounty...
...is mine.
Yet...
Just before the blades could pierce forward—
Julian moved first.
The thumb resting naturally against the engraved black wing ring on his finger pressed lightly against its hidden mechanism.
The Chaos Mirage Mist silently activated.
No light appeared.
No sound echoed.
No visible smoke emerged.
Only an invisible, odorless wave quietly spread through the surrounding air.
The Queen never noticed it.
One moment she intended to leap forward...
The next—
Her balance completely vanished.
Instead of lunging toward Julian—
Her body suddenly leaned backward.
"Wha—?"
Her beautiful face changed immediately.
Her instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong.
She tried correcting her posture.
Instead...
Her body leaned even farther backward.
It felt as though someone had stolen control away from her.
"No..."
"What is happening?"
Shock rippled across her usually composed expression.
She tried forcing herself forward.
Her body stubbornly moved the opposite direction.
She wanted to take another step.
Instead...
She nearly fell onto her back.
For the first time in many years—
The legendary assassin felt genuine panic.
Every movement contradicted her intentions.
It wasn’t simply clumsiness.
It was as though her entire body had begun obeying someone else’s commands instead of her own.
She attempted to steady herself.
Instead, she stumbled farther away.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Impossible...
What kind of poison is this?
As one of the world’s greatest poison experts, her first instinct was obvious.
She had been poisoned.
But...
When?
How?
She hadn’t smelled anything.
She hadn’t touched anything unusual.
She hadn’t even gotten close enough for him to counterattack.
Yet somehow...
She had already fallen into his trap.
The sensation became increasingly bizarre.
The world itself seemed upside down.
Even Julian...
The man who had been lying before her only moments ago...
Now appeared strangely inverted in her vision.
His head seemed lower than his feet.
The horizon tilted unnaturally.
Everything felt wrong.
The Queen clenched her jaw.
Only one previous experience resembled this sensation.
Being extremely drunk.
Except...
She hadn’t consumed a single drop of alcohol today.
Her heartbeat grew heavier.
No...
This isn’t dizziness...
My senses aren’t broken...
My body’s responses have completely reversed.
A cold realization spread through her chest.
For the first time since becoming the second-ranked assassin on the Dark Web...
She had absolutely no idea what kind of technique her opponent had used.