36 We win

The duel had become a face-off between two masters, and the ones most excited were the factions on both sides.

Sora, holding a peculiar short bow, stepped out of the village gates. She stood alone in the clearing, her presence cold and aloof, yet exuding an oppressive aura that dared no one to meet her gaze directly.

She wasn't entirely alone, though. Villagers continued to emerge from the gates behind her, dragging the injured back to safety. Not far from her, a middle-aged hunter clad in animal pelts followed closely, carrying two quivers brimming with arrows.

"Little Divine Healer! Our sharpshooter! Show these bandits they've messed with the wrong people!"

"Sora, we believe in you! With you here, we're not afraid!"

The villagers cheered her on, their voices scattered but filled with determination. Yet Sora seemed oblivious to their shouts, her gaze fixed solely on her opponent. The hunter beside her hurriedly acknowledged their encouragement with waves and polite replies, easing the mounting tension.

On the bandits' side, a wiry, sharp-eyed man dismounted from his horse. He was a deserter from the military, notorious for his archery skills, and the bandits had nicknamed him Scorpion Arrow. He carried a massive bow almost as tall as he was and strutted forward with a casual arrogance.

"Give them a little taste of pain first, then bring their leader back to me," the bandit chief barked. Scorpion Arrow nodded, flashing a confident grin and even acknowledging the cheers of his comrades.

"Capture that girl alive, and I'll pay ten taels of silver!" one bandit shouted.

"Leave her skin intact, and I'll pay one tael!" sneered another.

The old village chief, watching from above, looked worriedly at the young archer and her companion. He whispered to a few nimble youths, instructing them to stay ready to intervene if things went wrong.

Scorpion Arrow stopped fifty paces from Sora. Despite his bravado, he wasn't reckless. His experience told him never to underestimate an opponent, no matter how inexperienced they seemed. As was his habit, he started with psychological warfare, attempting to unsettle his opponent.

He eyed Sora from head to toe with exaggerated disdain, his lips curling into a sneer."Hey, little girl, did you put that bow together backward? Hahaha! Do you even know how to use it?"

His laughter boomed as he noted something curious—Sora appeared to be consulting the hunter behind her about shooting techniques.

"Come here, girl, let me teach you a thing or two. You'll owe me a big thank-you when you get it right!" he taunted, his tone dripping with mockery. From her posture to the way she held her bow, everything about her screamed"novice" to him.

"Why don't you take off that mask and let us see your face? Or is it a big blotchy mess under there? Hahaha! Don't be shy—shoot an arrow over here. See if you can even scratch me!"

Scorpion Arrow took a few more steps forward, feigning nonchalance, while his sharp eyes scanned the surroundings for potential traps. His suspicions grew. Maybe their real sharpshooter is hiding behind the village wall, waiting for the right moment to strike. But the distance was too great—no one could possibly make that shot.

He smirked and decided to bait them further, advancing step by step and continuing his taunts."Straighten your left arm! Yes, just like that. Now pull your right hand to your chest—oh wait, is your chest too big? Must be inconvenient, huh? Hahaha!"

The bandits erupted in raucous laughter, some rolling on the ground, others shouting even cruder remarks. One even turned to urinate toward the village as an ultimate display of disrespect.

Sora ignored all of it. She inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and released.

The arrow tore through the air with a piercing whistle. Before Scorpion Arrow could react, his instincts screamed danger."No!" he shouted, tilting his head just in time. The arrow missed his skull by a hair's breadth, leaving a sharp sting on his cheek as it passed.

His face twisted in fury. He quickly drew his massive bow, pulling it taut—but before he could release, there was a loud snap. His bowstring had been severed.

"What?!" His eyes darted to his chest, where a white-feathered arrow quivered, vibrating faintly. How? His thoughts raced. I didn't even feel the impact. Was the arrow shot so fast that I couldn't see it?

He stumbled backward, stunned, his mind flashing with realizations. She wasn't consulting the hunter earlier—she was preparing for a chained-arrow technique!

"Years of hunting geese, and now I've been pecked by one," he muttered bitterly before collapsing into darkness.

The laughter of the bandits died abruptly, as though choked. They stared in disbelief at Scorpion Arrow's lifeless body."Our sharpshooter… dead? At the hands of a mere girl? A novice?"

But Sora didn't stop. With machine-like precision, she fired arrow after arrow. Each shot found its mark: a head, a neck, a heart. Bandits fell one by one, their morale shattered.

The closest ones scrambled to flee, trampling their comrades in their haste, but none escaped her relentless arrows. The others, farther back, could see only the chaos—a phantom death mowing down their ranks.

"Run! Boss Jin is dead!" a panicked cry finally broke through the chaos.

The bandits scattered in all directions, a disorganized stampede.

Behind them, Boss Jin, the bandit leader, clutched his throat, where an arrow had lodged itself with ghostly precision. Blood bubbled from the wound, turning his dying words into pink foam. Was I her target all along? Or was it a lucky shot? If it was deliberate… The thought chilled him to the bone.

Before he could answer his own question, his body slumped lifelessly from his horse.

Even the middle-aged hunter standing closest to Sora remained frozen in place, as if unable to process what had just transpired. It wasn't until the final arrow was loosed, leaving no one left standing on the battlefield, that the scene fully settled into an eerie stillness. The dozens of riderless horses wandered aimlessly across the open ground, their reins dragging in the dirt.

On the stockade walls, a few stunned young villagers finally snapped out of their daze. Their voices erupted in triumphant roars that shattered the silence:

"We won! Hahaha, we won! Sora is incredible!"

That cry seemed to ignite a spark within the entire village. Cheers spread like wildfire, shaking the air with their ferocity. Villagers waved their arms wildly, shouting Sora's name over and over, their voices filled with awe and elation, as though they were celebrating a legendary victory destined to be remembered for generations.