“Why can’t you eat?” the girl asked, somewhat puzzled.
Anwen replied, “This place has clearly been attacked, and it was recent. It’s a good opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, there are too many natives in this stone fortress, and they are too strong. If we two go in, we might not come out alive. I can’t understand who attacked them. If it were people from the Empire, they would have probably become food for the natives, wouldn’t they?”
Bai Kongzhao didn’t answer; she only stared at a group of natives walking out of the stone fortress. Suddenly, she leaped down from the treetop, crouched low, and followed them like a cat. Anwen couldn’t stop her, so he had no choice but to follow, to avoid leaving her alone.
The girl silently approached the group of natives, then suddenly leaped and pounced on the last native warrior!
Anwen was shocked by her reckless attack. Just as he prepared to intervene, the native warrior, once Bai Kongzhao clung to his back, collapsed without any resistance, falling to the ground and not moving again.
Even more astonishing, the entire process was almost silent, with only the faint sound of clothing rustling. The other native warriors in front remained oblivious.
Once the first native warrior fell, the girl leaped again, pouncing on another. Just like before, the moment she touched the native, he collapsed, incapacitated. She moved like a wild leopard, taking down one after another, leaving Anwen astonished.
The two four-armed warriors at the front finally sensed something amiss, as it had suddenly become too quiet behind them. They turned around simultaneously, and one of them saw the girl leaping towards him. Before he could react, the girl grabbed his head.
He, too, fell to the ground, but unlike the others, he managed to flail his four arms and kick with his legs. However, the girl held his head tightly, refusing to let go. Strangely, despite his efforts, he couldn’t land a blow on her.
The other four-armed warrior drew a knife and shouted, ready to attack. But a flash of red light swept by, and her head was severed, flying high into the air.
The decapitated head of the four-armed woman, now in the air, saw Anwen and its eyes lit up. It then spat a cloud of white mist.
Anwen was startled; he hadn’t expected that even just a head could still attack. Knowing the power of the white mist, he quickly swung his long sword, creating a circle of sword light that enveloped and burned away the white mist.
Anwen finally relaxed, holding his two-meter-long sword at an angle, striking a dashing pose. But then he felt something was wrong—his long sword disappeared, replaced by the slender sword given to him by the girl. Anwen, tall and handsome, holding such a tiny sword, looked somewhat effeminate.
The girl then got up from the four-armed warrior’s body. There were no visible wounds on the warrior, and his eyes were blank, though his limbs still moved instinctively. Anwen could tell the warrior was dead, but his powerful life force kept his body moving by instinct.
The girl glanced at the four-armed woman’s corpse and said to Anwen, “Thank you.”
Anwen, surprised by her gratitude, replied, “What’s there to thank? We are friends, and friends should help each other, right?”
“Friends?” The girl shook her head. “Many people have said they are my friends, but they all wanted to harm me later.”
“I’m different from them!”
“How are you different?”
Anwen couldn’t find the words. He wanted to say that as the young lord of the Demon Kin, he always kept his word and wouldn’t betray her. Moreover, he valued the few friends he had. And anyone recognized by him would be no ordinary person.
These profound truths would take a while to explain, but the girl, naive and unaware of social hierarchies, had no sense of his status.
She had invited Anwen to join her in entering the vortex, completely unaware that it was guarded by the mighty Flame of Eternal Burn, the Demon Kin’s leader, and that the three races guarding the passage were led by the Demon Kin.
To the girl, the world beyond the vortex held great opportunities, and she wanted to share them with Anwen, so she proposed they enter together.
It sounded ridiculous, but Anwen was moved. This meant she trusted him, regardless of his identity.
Over the years, Anwen had many followers, and he often couldn’t tell if they were there for him or for his title. Before, he didn’t care as long as they were loyal.
The girl was the first to completely disregard his identity.
So Anwen wanted to maintain this pure relationship, not explaining the complexities. He selfishly hoped she would never understand the significance of his title.
But now, he needed to explain. After some thought, he said, “I’m just different from those people you’ve known.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Anwen raised his head, slightly uneasy, not noticing the girl seemed lost in thought about someone.
He put away the slender sword and examined the native corpses, curious about how she killed them.
The four-armed native’s skull and neck had several small, round holes—clearly fatal. Anwen used a short knife to dissect the corpse, examining the structure and trying to see her method.
The girl watched silently.
Anwen’s hands were deft, and the short knife peeled away the flesh, revealing the secrets of the four-armed body.
The more he saw, the more amazed he was. The girl had left deep, precise holes in the four-armed man’s skull and neck, one piercing through the cervical vertebrae.
The four-armed race’s vertebrae were covered in bone spurs, some external, some embedded in flesh. These spurs protected the spine, and the girl’s hole passed precisely between two spurs, severing the nerve.
Anwen tapped the vertebra, hearing a metallic sound. A strong strike left only a shallow mark, far from breaking the thick, hard bone. The bone was incredibly tough, even stronger than the Demon Kin’s iron.
Examining further, Anwen noticed small holes at the tips of some spurs. Intrigued, he broke one open, finding a drop of milky liquid inside.
Upon seeing it, Anwen felt a chill. This was a deadly poison, even for a Demon Kin.
Sweating, he realized that if he had tackled these natives unarmed, he might have been injured by the toxic spurs. But how did the girl know to avoid them?
Anwen turned to ask, “What did you use to kill him?”
Unexpectedly, the girl showed her hands.
“Uh, okay.” Anwen continued his examination, unwilling to associate her delicate hands with lethal weapons.
The holes in the four-armed man’s skull were deep, and the bones showed cracks. The girl’s finger must have caused significant damage, enough to cause dizziness and break the warrior’s resistance.
This explained why the four-armed warrior’s struggles were so disorganized.
Checking the other corpses, Anwen found similar patterns: a single, fatal blow to the neck. The girl’s method was precise, cutting off their control and killing them silently. Only the four-armed male warrior posed a challenge.
How did she know their anatomy so well? It was her first time in the vortex. Was it natural talent?
Finding nothing special on the bodies, the girl picked up the four-armed warrior’s sword, compared it to her own, and dropped it.
Anwen sighed. The sword was of high quality, comparable to a seventh-rank weapon outside the vortex. Even a common four-armed warrior’s weapon was a treasure here. Yet, his storage space was limited, unable to carry much, even valuable white fruit wine.
After clearing the hunting party, the girl looked back at the stone fortress. Anwen warned, “We can’t handle it!”
“There are good things inside.”
“I know, but there are too many enemies.”
“We can kill them bit by bit.”
“Too dangerous, especially the four-armed women’s white mist. If hit, it’s very troublesome.”
The girl said, “I’m not afraid.”
Anwen smiled bitterly, “I am.”
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