Chapter 481

Chapter 481: Cold Glints Under the Moon

Night fell over the besieged town.

Jenna leaned against the cold wall, tiptoeing silently through the dark alleyways, constantly approaching according to the sounds from the street beside her.

One, two, three, four.

There were four of them; two were fleeing hunters from the Huntbow faction. They were heading north, with one heavy-footed pursuer, likely the leader.

As the light from the fire at the end of the alley grew brighter, Jenna held her breath and slowly drew her blade.

Suddenly, several mercenaries armed with spears and halberds ran past. She narrowed her eyes and then leaped out.

The longsword cut through the air, slicing off two heads in one stroke, blood spurting like pillars.

She did not stop; she leapt over the still-standing bodies and thrust her longsword directly at the towering figure.

Sizzle—

The longsword sliced through the steel armor, piercing deep, making the mercenary leader feel an icy chill in his waist. Enraged, he turned around, his halberd sweeping in a fierce arc.

But Jenna skillfully dodged, leaving the sweep empty.

“It’s you?”

The mercenary leader quickly recognized this former girl.

Jenna did not waste words; she knew her time was limited. If reinforcements came, she would have to flee again just as last time.

Silently, she swung her longsword once more.

This time, however, it wasn’t as smooth. The mercenary captain, though of average Sequence rank, had ample experience. He feigned a minor injury to create an opening, then punched Jenna in the abdomen.

The searing pain in her stomach caused Jenna to spit blood, her organs burning, but she did not give up. Seizing the moment, she struck down the remaining mercenary to prevent him from raising an alarm.

She gripped the longsword tightly again. Power surged within her core, flowing through her body and the blade. A faint icy blue glow appeared in her eyes.

“Huh, I underestimated you before,” the mercenary captain said, locking his abdominal muscles to prevent blood loss, his face twisted with malice.

“Lingfrost.”

Jenna mentally chanted, white frost gradually covering the blade, bringing a cool sensation to her wounds, which weren’t healing but were temporarily stopped from bleeding.

She stepped heavily on the ground, launching herself like an arrow. As the mercenary captain prepared to sweep with his halberd, she dodged the swing in an astonishing manner and passed by him.

“How… How is this possible?”

The mercenary leader fell to his knees, stunned. His eyes gradually lost their luster. Until his last breath, he couldn’t understand why this girl had grown so rapidly in just a few days.

Jenna, having passed through the man, planted her sword in the ground and gasped for breath, her face pale. Such actions took a tremendous toll on her body, but she had gambled and won. This mercenary captain, despite some tricks, was ultimately slain.

After a few seconds of rest, Jenna stood up, picked up her sword, and turned to look at the mercenary leader lying in a pool of blood, his upper and lower body separated, frost lingering around his waist.

As a student of Emanas, with world-class teachers, they were well-versed and perhaps not particularly outstanding, but they had few weaknesses and often prepared desperate measures to handle emergencies.

These soft skills and hidden knowledge were beyond the reach of many ordinary people.

“Rest in peace.”

She froze the blood on her blade into ice shards and shook them off, then sheathed her sword and disappeared into the shadows at the corner of the street.

Her first kill, bloodstains soaking her deep brown cloak, walking alone on the deserted street, she breathed in the night air, feeling calm.

There was no panic or nausea as some might expect. Perhaps life itself favored struggle and slaughter.

She hoped her homeland, this nation, could become better and more normal.

But these people could not be reasoned with. Moreover, they must pay for their cruel acts.

Killing and intimidation became the simplest methods.

The girl walked down the increasingly dark street, looking up at the bright moon.

Inside a nearby house, a pair of young eyes watched her walk down the desolate street.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind.

“Search, catch the murderer who killed the leader,” shouted a group of voices, mingled with whispers.

“But that person killed our boss, can we fight them?”

“Huh, even if he killed the boss, he must be injured himself. If he truly wasn’t afraid of us, he would have killed all of us together. Now, hiding shows his weakness. Shouldn’t we finish him off now before he recovers and seeks revenge?”

The captain analyzed meticulously and urgently gathered everyone, dividing them into groups of thirty to forty to block the streets and search one by one.

Though the town had many alleys, there were only a few main exits. The group quickly moved toward the intersections.

Seeing this, Jenna swiftly maneuvered, preparing to break through the blockade.

Cries of a baby and the mother’s frantic soothing sounded from a house above.

Hearing the commotion, a group of mercenaries entered the narrow alley, searching left and right.

Jenna leaned against a pillar, recovering slowly.

It seemed another move was necessary, she thought.

The mercenaries didn’t notice Jenna; their attention was drawn to the crying baby. They approached the house, knocking and threatening to enter to search.

Terrified explanations came from inside, followed by the sound of breaking doors, men’s explanations, women’s cries, and the mercenaries’ laughter and threats.

A nimble figure darted back under the moonlight, a sudden cold glint shining from beneath the dark cloak, cutting down two standing mercenaries.

Jenna rushed into the house, striking down several people before they could react.

“It’s you.” The small captain was surprised to recognize this figure in the firelight, even with a covered face, the longsword and build reminded him of the girl he encountered in the village.

Jenna did not respond, but her movements grew faster.

“No! I surrender, don’t kill me, please—” Before he finished, the blade flashed, and he clutched his throat, falling to the ground and struggling briefly before ceasing movement.

Only the blood-stained girl and the young couple holding their child remained in the room.

“This…” The couple looked at the fallen mercenary in horror, retreating in fear.

Jenna threw a purse, saying, “Leave here quickly.”

“But, where can we go? Everywhere is like this now,” the man stuttered.

Jenna took a deep breath and retrieved the purse.

“I understand.”

Soon after, the moonlit street echoed with more clashing of swords and panicked retreats.

(The End)