Chapter Thirty-Three: Alley Battle
Someone’s attacking me!
I quickly ducked behind a stone sculpture, curling my body a bit, crouching low while straining my ears to listen carefully for any sounds.
Aside from the wind and snow, I didn’t hear anything unusual.
This opponent was clearly skilled at stealth; that arrow had seemed to materialize out of thin air, and it was definitely aimed straight for my head… Were they trying to k*ll me?
Why?
I had only just arrived in Winter City for a day. Had I offended someone?
…Wait, the target is Peilo.
Three years ago, she was mistakenly killed, and now I’m back in this body—maybe someone was worried that their secrets would be exposed. At the very least, that guy named Edward would probably flip out if he found out I had returned.
Who on Earth is he?
Thoughts swirled in my mind as my eyes darted around the square, scanning for any signs of my enemy lurking in the shadows cast by the buildings.
The houses, pointed and scaled like dragon fins, looked eerily quiet under the night sky. Narrow alleys snaked between them, dim street lamps flickering next to pitch-black depths where nothing was visible.
This opponent had some trick up their sleeve to remain undetected; my usually sharp senses were suddenly out of order. I couldn’t tell how many were out there or where they were, so I dared not move a muscle.
The tension hung in the air for what felt like ages, and just when I thought my adversary had given up and slipped away, a whoosh filled the air again.
My heart skipped a beat; I quickly ducked my head as a crossbow bolt whizzed by, disappearing into the shadows behind me.
Still no sign of them!
That bolt had come from somewhere on my upper right; the enemy had to be lurking nearby. Instead of staying here and becoming a target, it was better to take the initiative and charge in!
Decision made, I darted out from behind the sculpture, zigzagging quickly while dodging another bolt, and dashed into the alley.
The enemy must be close.
Pressing my back against the wall, I sheltered beneath an eave and closed my eyes to listen intently.
Ignoring the howling wind—
“Crack.”
I heard the faint sound of a crossbow being readied from the roof of a nearby short building.
Ha! Found you.
Boom—
Ice spikes erupted from beneath my feet, and after bouncing twice off the ground, I leapt up into the air, tracing an ice-blue arc as I landed on the roof.
Then I spotted a ghostly figure clad in leather armor.
Nowhere left to hide!
The figure hadn’t expected me to find them; they froze for a second, then hastily aimed their crossbow at me and pulled the trigger.
I hopped sideways just in time to dodge the bolt. At the same moment, a blue glow flashed in my hand as five sharp ice spikes flew toward the enemy.
The figure reacted quickly, rolling out of the way just as the ice spikes shot past, striking the ground with a satisfying ping.
The figure scrambled to their feet, spun around, and jumped to the opposite rooftop, running away without looking back.
Thinking you can escape? Not a chance!
I dashed forward, sprinting toward the edge of the roof, leaping into the air again while firing off more ice spikes.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh—
The figure heard me coming and tried to dodge, but they were too hasty this time and got clipped by one of the ice spikes, hitting their upper arm and causing them to stumble.
“Ugh!”
They grimaced, clutching their arm while staggering to the rooftop’s edge, not hesitating to jump off.
I can’t let them get away!
As I landed smoothly, I raced to the spot they had jumped from, peeking over the edge.
A gust of wind met me, making me squint, and then I saw a face obscured by a strange mask.
That face was only a stone’s throw away from me, and the hollow eye sockets of the mask glowed ominously as they stared right at me.
My heart raced suddenly.
In the next instant, the figure raised an arm.
Crack crack crack—
With a series of metallic clashes, a glimmering flail swung towards me.
I quickly tilted my head back, narrowly avoiding the strike, and stepped back a couple of paces.
Sweat started to bead on my forehead.
A flail! What a sneaky weapon!?
What the heck!?
This short building was at least seven or eight meters tall, and I was sure there hadn’t been anywhere to stand; how had this figure jumped down and ambushed me so effectively?
As I pondered their tricks, the masked figure scaled the building again, moving with the grace of a bird taking flight.
Were they just feigning weakness? What a despicable trickster.
Now up on the roof, the masked figure didn’t strike immediately but instead carefully observed me, their flail swirling in readiness, as if searching for the perfect moment to attack. The atmosphere was charged.
I gazed at my enemy, who was now prepared to strike, my expression grim.
This was clearly no ordinary assassin. They were smart, experienced, and had a keen intuition; otherwise, I would have knocked them down in our first clash.
But so what? No matter how skilled they are, first things first: freeze them!
I raised my right hand to unleash ice mist, but suddenly I heard a whoosh behind me.
What the?
Another enemy?!
Startled, I didn’t even bother to turn around; I redirected my raised hand to the back, and ice mist burst forth as I jumped to the side.
There was no movement behind me—no second enemy appeared. At that moment, the masked figure sprang into action.
They darted forward with uncanny agility, moving as quietly as a whisper through the snow, with no footprints left behind.
Their flail lifted high.
…Do they think they can catch me off guard?!
I immediately planned to dodge sideways, but just as I took a step, a fierce wind whipped up, sending my skirts billowing.
Snow flew high, splattering over me and my face; my eyes instinctively shut, stalling my evasive action for a split second.
I was utterly taken aback.
This person can use the wind to disrupt my movements!
What kind of sorcery is this?!
That shock vanished in an instant as the flail shone coldly, descending with a piercing wail.
Crack crack crack—
Boom—
In a split second, a massive ice block shot up beneath my feet, forming a semi-circular ice wall that encased me. The flail struck the wall, sending shards flying and saving me from a deadly blow.
Gah!
After dodging two close calls, a flicker of annoyance welled up in me. I furrowed my brow, a hint of ice blue flashing in my eyes.
In the next moment, the ice mist exploded outward.
This time, I held nothing back. The mist engulfed a radius of over ten meters, plunging the temperature into the frigid depths.
Now let’s see where you can hide!
My figure darted out of the ice wall’s protective range, summoning an ice spike into my hand, ready to launch an attack, only to find the masked figure gracefully retreating, using the air currents generated by the mist to avoid my range.
After sailing a few meters away, they took to the ground.
Another attempt to escape, or are you just toying with me?
This time, I was wiser; I didn’t rush forward like before to peer down, merely letting the blue light at my feet surge as I leapt again.
My petite frame soared into the air, spotting the masked figure landing firmly on the street, giving me a perfect view of their fleeing back.
So they really are trying to run!
What are you afraid of? Come at me head-on!
In a hurry, I turned in mid-air, jumping several times until I landed on the ground, spotting the masked figure just about to turn into an alley.
I picked up my pace, teeth gritted.
This alley was narrower; it was the perfect opportunity for an attack.
As I closed in on the alley’s entrance, a fierce wind blew once more from behind, pulling me off balance and causing me to stumble forward.
The flail shot out from the alley’s mouth.
d*mn it, you only know how to play dirty while being slippery like an eel.
If I didn’t consider the innocent residents nearby, you wouldn’t have made it this far!
Daring to ambush me!
I quickly raised an ice wall to block the attack, then steadied myself as I gripped the ice spike and lunged at the masked figure.
Crack crack crack—
Suddenly, the masked figure’s flail snapped together, transforming into a sharp blade, and instead of dodging, they charged straight at my ice spike aimed for my head.
Want to trade blows? Who do you think you are…
I swiftly pivoted my ice spike, deflecting the blade’s attack.
With my other fist clenched, I struck at the masked figure’s gut.
Boom—
They doubled over, sent flying from the force, rolling clumsily across the ground, landing face down, motionless.
“Whew—, whew—”
After all that chase, I was a bit out of breath. Wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, I stepped toward the masked figure.
“You’re a hunter, right? Why are you attacking me?”
The figure lay completely still.
I frowned.
Did they pass out? Is it really that easy to knock them out?
“Hey, you—”
Just as I was about to say more, a thunderous explosion erupted beneath the masked figure.
Boom—
A cloud of light gray smoke burst forth, enveloping me in its midst.
“Cough cough—”
An acrid odor rushed into my nostrils, instantly stinging my eyes, the tears began to flow uncontrollably, and my entire face felt like it was on fire.
What the heck is this!!
