Chapter 58: Hunted (Part 2)

Why am I running? In a dazed state, Asa suddenly asked himself this question.

It was as if a thunderbolt had cracked the dark sky above his head, bringing light and clarity to his otherwise confused mind. Only then did he realize that his thoughts had slowly returned. Although he still felt disoriented, as if he had drunk ten liters of strong fruit liquor and had then been hit on the back of the head with a big hammer, this was only a daze. It was a far cry from the complete mental void he had felt earlier.

His magical power and fighting spirit were indeed gradually recovering, but this sudden clarity had nothing to do with that. Asa could sense that the chaotic power in his mind, which had been disordered and swollen, was slowly weakening and dissipating into the brain's blocked channels. His mind was starting to regain space for thought.

With a bit of clarity, he immediately realized something. Running was merely a natural reaction that had been instilled in his mind, but it might not be the best course of action. In fact, it could very well be the worst one. Running alone through the rainstorm on deserted streets in this dark city seemed like the easiest way to get caught.

The sound of the rain was deafening, but Asa quickly picked up the sound of footsteps coming towards him. Thanks to his meditation technique, he hadn't lost his mind entirely, and now that his thoughts were returning, his unusually sharp senses, honed through meditation, immediately detected the anomaly. The sound was heavy and swift, with the clank of metal striking the ground, cutting through the rainstorm and gradually getting closer.

He could sense the presence, but his mind was still hazy. Although it was much better than before, it was still like moving from a solid mass of glue to a somewhat more fluid one. His magical power and fighting spirit had recovered a little bit, but that little bit was still far too weak. Not to mention the Temple Knight—even an apprentice holy warrior would be more combat-capable than him.

The footsteps of the female knight had reached the corner behind him. Perhaps just a turn, and the gleaming white armor of the temple knight would come into view.

Talice was running, the rain was pouring down so heavily that she had to shield her eyes with one hand while continuing to move.

She had not encountered any other church guards or priests along the way. The royal city was large, and the weather was so terrible that even shouting loudly wouldn't carry more than a hundred meters. After catching a glimpse from miles away, she didn't dare to waste any time gathering her companions and went straight after him. The others were likely still searching in the wind and rain, and she was the one who had chased the furthest. A high-ranking priest had bestowed on her the spells of Eagle Eye, Dark Vision, and even the advanced Hawk's Insight. If there were a large group of people, it would only hinder her senses. Based on what she saw at the cathedral earlier, the person she was after had been stumbling and seemed to have suffered a significant injury. This was the perfect opportunity.

As she turned the corner, Talice suddenly slowed her pace.

It was a small alleyway between the towering buildings, now pitch black and still, with only the sound of the rain hitting the ground, walls, and rooftops creating a monotonous, booming noise.

Talice slowed down because she thought she heard a sound, one almost imperceptible against the roar of the rain.

It wasn't footsteps. The street was paved with smooth arc-shaped stones, and even such heavy rain didn't create puddles. Only countless raindrops hitting the ground made a sound. Unless it was steel boots like hers, there would be no distinct sound. What Talice heard wasn't footsteps but the sound of the rain.

The surroundings were filled with the sound of rain hitting the stone road and rooftops, but there was a spot not far in the darkness, an area where the rain didn't strike the ground, and it was rapidly moving towards her.

It couldn't be an animal. No animals in the royal city would be out in this storm. Even if it were, the light from the gleaming armor would make them avoid it. This was undoubtedly a person hiding in the darkness, and it seemed like someone who wanted to ambush her.

And for someone to dare to ambush her in this situation, it was obvious who it must be.

"Go to hell." Talice hissed, spun around, and her sword, glowing with white magic and fighting energy, broke through the rain and stabbed forward. Even before the sword reached its target, the force and pressure from it had pushed the rain aside.

Clang!

The person who had been approaching from behind blocked her strike, took a step back, and quietly said, "Wait, stop."

"Who are you?" Talice asked loudly. Although she still couldn't clearly see this person's face, she could tell that he was not the target she had been pursuing. Not only were there differences in their build and clothing, but the sword that had blocked her strike also felt different. From the feel of the two swords clashing, she could tell that this person was also a skilled swordsman.

"It's me," the person answered in a low voice. A faint glow of fighting energy lit up, revealing a sickly, pale face.

"It's you? What are you doing here?" Talice recognized him. It was General Oren from the Alrasia Kingdom's Knights.

"Of course, I heard the bells from the cathedral and came to help," General Oren coughed a few times. Soaked in the rain, his already pale face looked even more haggard. Even his fighting energy had taken on a sickly yellow hue, matching his face.

"Just you? What are you sneaking around for?" Talice asked sternly.

General Oren responded nonchalantly, "In a situation like this, when hunting a skilled assassin, it's best to remain hidden. Otherwise, someone like you, with your holy white magic shining all over, might drive away the very person we're trying to catch."

"Hmph. I don't have time to talk nonsense with you." Talice turned to leave but then remembered something and turned back to ask General Oren, "How did you know I'm after an assassin? I should be the one who's chased the furthest. You haven't met any other searchers, have you?"

"The bells from St. Peter's Cathedral rang for the first time in decades at midnight. Naturally, that's a huge event. And then, in the past few days, three military ministers were assassinated. I didn't want to think like this, but it seems only that assassin could be behind it... Am I right?"

Talice snorted in response.

"Could it really be that Bishop Aescher was assassinated? How could that be..." General Oren seemed both surprised and enraged, but his sickly demeanor made his reaction seem odd, almost as if he were pretending. "With the powerful temple knights and so many elite guards, and Bishop Aescher's superb light magic, how could this happen?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Either help me find him or go back." Talice shouted at General Oren, turning to leave.

"Please wait... Talice." General Oren called after her, but it seemed that he swallowed some rainwater while speaking in his haste, and he started coughing violently.

"What is it?" Talice turned back.

General Oren stopped coughing and, weakly, asked, "Talice, why are you here alone? Didn't you bring any guards or anyone else? This assassin was able to kill Bishop Aescher, do you really think you can handle him alone?"

Talice fell silent for a moment. But her silence wasn't because she had nothing to say; it was because she didn't dare to speak. She feared that if she opened her mouth, her anger would get the better of her, and she would end up attacking the sickly man in front of her. But in the end, she held herself back. After all, he was still an ally. She took a deep breath and answered, "I found that the assassin must have fled nearby. I couldn't gather reinforcements in time. He seems to have been injured, although there's no visible wound. Perhaps he was hurt by Bishop Aescher's mental magic. If you catch this killer, Celeste will certainly thank you."

General Oren nodded, coughing a few times. "Celeste's thanks? I, a mere soldier, don't expect such things. But I'll do my best."

"That's good." Talice coldly replied and turned to leave.

"Wait, Talice, don't go." General Oren called out again. This time, Talice didn't lose control of her temper because these were the words she was hoping to hear. "Actually, I also found the assassin's trail and followed it here. I can even confirm he's... right here..."

Just as he was about to reveal something crucial, General Oren started coughing again, and his words were drowned out by a sudden thunder.

Talice quickly stepped closer and asked, "Where is he?"

General Oren coughed a few more times, gasping for breath. Weakly, he said, "He's hiding nearby, I'm sure of it..."

But as he spoke, his entire demeanor suddenly changed. The sickly look on his face twisted into something far more menacing, his eyes glaring sharply as he shouted, "Behind you, Talice!"

Talice turned around. But before she could focus on the place Oren had pointed to, she felt a sharp, chilling sensation on the side of her neck.

At the moment when she felt the strange chill, Talicee's body had already shot backward. The shadow emitting white light formed a beam of light in the pitch-black rainy night, and then she staggered and landed, retreating.

Talicee's face was filled with disbelief and fear. She could feel warm blood gushing from her slender neck, mixing with the cold rain. But colder than the rain was the chill in her heart. The faint yellow human figure followed closely behind her.

Although she had evaded most of it, the sword hadn't decapitated her, but it had severed almost a third of her neck. While it hadn't severed her spine, her windpipe and arteries had already been cut. Blood, full of the vitality of a young woman, surged outward, tracing bright red streaks across her fair, delicate neck before being washed away by the pouring rain.

"Lord Lancelote's personal disciple is indeed formidable. Even without any guard, you were still able to dodge my sneak attack. I thought one strike would be enough to sever your head," General Oren coughed lightly a few more times. His expression now appeared frail, and even the longsword in his hand, also glowing with a faint yellow light, seemed sickly and crooked. But this feeble sword sealed off all of Talice's movements, forcing her to pour all her energy into blocking.

Everyone knew that the White Magic skills of the Temple Knights were already quite formidable, and they might even have high-level magical items, so even though the injury was fatal, she couldn't afford to relax. At the very least, she couldn't allow her to use any healing magic or magical items.

"Why... so despicable..." Talice struggled to squeeze out these words from her throat, which was already a twisted mess. She could feel that these words were being forced out of her stomach, carried along by the blood flowing through her. Her strength and vitality were quickly draining from her throat, her body growing colder, and her consciousness becoming more and more blurry, leaving only tremendous anger and unwillingness in her heart.

Blood choked in her throat, and she coughed, finally unable to resist reaching out to touch her throat and use White Magic. But the sword, radiating faint yellow aura, immediately pierced her wrist, and then a kick sent her falling to the ground.

Her face pressed against the cold ground, the icy rain wildly washing over every inch of her skin. Even the blood flowing from her throat seemed to begin to turn cold. Everything felt cold—everything was cold and black, and her consciousness finally began to slip away.

One of General Oren's feet was on the knight's body, and the other was on her sword hand. The sword in his hand pinned her other hand. He looked down at the temple knight, who was gradually becoming a corpse, and lightly coughed a few times before saying, "Lady Talice, please rest assured and die. I will definitely kill that assassin and avenge you and Bishop Aescher."

But the female knight could no longer answer. Perhaps she couldn't even hear him. Her body had only a few remaining spasms in her limbs.

"I really admire you. You really know how to keep your composure." General Oren turned his head toward a pitch-black corner that not even the lightning could touch. He sighed and said, "The little eagle has already been slaughtered. Do you still want to pretend to be a stone wolf? Master Seiya has been waiting to take action, and you can't be this impatient."