Chapter 158: Enough warming up... let’s get serious
The moon hung high in the sky, alone in an empty sky, with no stars or clouds to accompany it. Its pale rays descended upon the dark city, bathing the deserted roads in a cold, distant glow.
The wind swept through the streets, blowing between the buildings with a murmur. It carried trash, dry dust, and dead leaves, lifting them into small whirlwinds that abruptly dissipated when they collided with the damp walls.
High above, on the rooftops, several shadows could be seen moving quickly. Their movements were so fast that they seemed to blur against the moonlight. However, not a single sound escaped them: there was no creaking of wood, no rustling of fabric, not even the whisper of a foot brushing against the tiles.
It was as if the shadows themselves were part of the wind, gliding over the city with unnatural stealth.
Jumping from roof to roof, Audrey controlled her breathing as she quickly scanned the different paths and routes she could take to get even further away from the killers.
The assassins behind them began to attack, throwing daggers aimed at their vital points or legs.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The daggers flew through the air, cutting through the air with speed. They passed by the assassins and advanced like lightning, letting out a slight whistle as they headed toward Martha and Audrey. Hearing that sharp noise, they both looked back.
Audrey wasted no time. She quickly climbed down from the roof through the narrow space between the houses, letting herself fall hard. Her body hit a basic stall on the street.
Crack!
The structure collapsed under the weight of her fall. A grimace of pain crossed her face, but without stopping, she stood up in the middle of the street, just as the assassins reached her.
Audrey, with no other choice, adopted a fighting stance. She put one hand behind her and, with the other wielding the rapier, stared intently at the assassins. Her expression was cold and indifferent.
The assassins did not wait any longer and launched their attack, determined not to give her a chance to escape or try any tricks.
With calculated movements, Audrey raised her rapier and blocked the first attacks, deflecting the daggers by just a few millimeters.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal echoed in the air, sparks flying every time the blade of her sword grazed the daggers, as Audrey skillfully fought her way through.
She retreated with agility, dodging and blocking relentlessly. The attacks gave her no time to breathe, but her feet moved swiftly, light as shadows. The rapier spun in her hands, responding to every threat.
Suddenly, she felt an icy wind brush the back of her neck: she ducked at just the right moment.
Swoosh!
The assassin’s dagger grazed her, close enough to cut off some of her hair. Audrey quickly sat up, twisting her body, and kicked the nearest assassin.
The impact on his stomach sent him reeling backward.
"Argh!" The man clutched his abdomen, and when he raised his head, all he could see was Audrey’s fist, enveloped in an aura.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Three direct blows struck his face. The crack of his nose breaking was accompanied by a spurt of blood. Before he could react, Audrey pierced his neck with her rapier. A crimson fountain spurted from the wound, bathing his beautiful face.
Without stopping, she took several steps back, dodging the counterattacks. With her free hand, she deflected the enemy’s arms, and with her rapier, she responded with precision to every opening she found.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal continued to echo through the streets. From above, with the eye of a hawk, Audrey could be seen surrounded by a group of assassins moving in unison.
She dodged nimbly, jumping between attacks, but now and then the daggers reached her skin, opening cuts that slowly stained her body with blood. Even so, Audrey’s expression did not change in the slightest: cold as ice, she remained steadfast.
A stronger collision forced her to block head-on. The force of the impact sent her flying back several meters, her feet dragging across the ground. Only then was she able to take a breath since the battle began. Her mana essence, however, was almost completely depleted. Amidst that pressure, she couldn’t help but let a thought arise.
She remembered Michel. He had taken out all the pirates by himself, without breaking a sweat.
"That guy is a monster..." she murmured, breathlessly.
Her face was covered in blood and sweat. She had multiple cuts all over her body, and her damp hair messily stuck to her face.
Audrey exhaled, inhaled, trying to control her breathing. Then she returned to her fighting stance, her eyes fixed on the remaining assassins.
There were five of them. The others had already fallen dead.
She tossed her jet-black hair back with a simple, elegant gesture full of arrogance.
"What are you waiting for, pigs? Attack," she said with a small smile that exuded contempt.
The third princess of the kingdom of Aragon, Audrey Augustus, stood before them, her body covered in blood and sweat.
However, under the cold glow of the moon, that image was not grotesque, but shockingly captivating. The silvery light bathed every curve of her silhouette, highlighting her wounded figure as if she were a sacred statue stained red.
Her beauty was not common: it was rare, exotic, a radiance impossible to ignore even in the midst of battle.
Audrey did not look like a woman on the battlefield; she looked like a queen destined to rule amid bloodshed.
...
Elsewhere in the city, Kael stood facing the brown-haired man. The two stared each other down, one with a coin sword and the other with a pair of daggers.
Their hair blew in the night breeze, while from afar came the echo of clashing metal. But they didn’t care.
But... at that moment, something unexpected happened: the brown-haired man dropped the daggers.
Cling!
The sharp sound of metal echoed throughout the place. Kael raised an eyebrow at this sudden action, but when he saw the man strike a martial arts stance, a small smile appeared on his lips.
"So you’re going to fight with martial arts." Kael decided to play along and stored his coin sword in the space rune ring and also adopted a martial arts pose.
"My name is Silas," the brown-haired man said, looking into Kael’s black eyes.
"Oh, how noble of you," Kael said indifferently.
"You should know the names of the people who will take your life." Silas, after saying that, lunged at Kael.
Moving in a zigzag pattern, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye. His fists, covered in a silver aura, glowed with every movement.
He launched a series of punches that fell like lightning, fast and fierce, but Kael blocked them with ease. His counterattack was immediate: a roundhouse kick that sliced through the air with devastating force.
Swoosh!
Silas leaned back, dodging the powerful kick that unleashed a sharp gust in its wake. He quickly regained his composure and, without losing momentum, lunged forward again, this time with a combo: a quick jab, followed by a one-two punch, and finished off with a knee straight to the stomach.
Kael dodged the combo, whose blows buzzed in his ears like whips of air, and intercepted the knee strike with the palm of his hand.
Clap!
A sharp, crisp sound echoed throughout the city. Kael took a step back and, without giving him a moment’s respite, launched himself again with a series of kicks that followed one another like relentless whips.
Silas, refusing to back down, responded with his own frenzy: a combo of punches, hooks, and knees that collided with the air, seeking to break through Kael’s defense.
However, Kael moved like a snake in a split second and launched a vertical kick at such speed that Silas could only watch as it struck his chin.
Silas’s eyes blurred for a second before returning to normal, only to receive a kick straight to his chest that sent him flying several meters backward.
"Cough... cough..." Silas gasped as he caught his breath, not expecting Kael to be so skilled in martial arts.
He advanced and closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and with a quick step, he threw a jab straight at Kael’s face, followed by a powerful right cross. His punches were straight, brutal, and designed to crush.
Kael twisted his torso, dodging by inches, and responded with a roundhouse kick aimed at Silas’s ribs.
The impact whistled through the air, but Silas lowered his elbow, blocking it.
Without pausing, Silas lunged with a low kick to Kael’s supporting leg, seeking to destabilize him. The blow resonated on the wood, but Kael jumped backward and counterattacked with a front kick that sent Silas reeling.
A trickle of blood ran from his lips. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, smiling slightly. Then he stretched his body with firm movements, flexing his muscles as if awakening every fiber of his being.
When he finished, he looked up and calmly fixed his gaze on Kael.
"Enough warming up... let’s get serious."