95: Outing, Ambush (Part 2)

Just as Haruki and the others stood waiting for the "rats" to show up so they could give them a brutal lesson, a group of nearly a hundred people was creeping cautiously down a narrow path some distance away, inching toward their location, terrified of making even the slightest noise.

Leading the group was a burly man dressed in black trousers and a white sleeveless shirt. His muscular arms bulged with tension, and a scar ran across half his face. On his back, he carried a massive, crudely made broadsword that radiated menace. He looked like a walking nightmare.

Flanking him were two sly-looking men, their faces full of flattery as they whispered to the leader.

The hundred or so people following behind were dressed in mismatched, rough-spun clothes and armed with a variety of weapons. Their wild, unruly appearances made it clear—they were local mountain bandits. And from the look of things, that burly man was their chief.

"You two sure about this? There really are that many beautiful women up ahead?" the bandit leader asked as he crept forward with his men, glancing at the two shifty men beside him.

"Absolutely, Chief. We saw them with our own eyes. We wouldn't dare lie to you," one of them replied.

"Good. Move faster, but keep quiet," the leader ordered his crew.

"They're coming," Gin said after a while, alerting the others.

Aside from some initial irritation at being disturbed, the women had been calmly resting in place. It was clear they didn't consider their enemies worth worrying about.

At Gin's warning, they slowly got to their feet, all eyes turning toward the approaching bandits.

As for Haruki, he had figured out the situation from the moment he heard the rustling but had no intention of intervening. These bandits were a good warm-up for the girls. Strength alone didn't make a warrior—without bathing in blood, one couldn't truly become strong.

"Haha! Those two weren't lying. I've never seen so many beauties in my life! Surround them!" a coarse voice boomed from the woods just as the women stood.

Suddenly, a horde of bandits burst out from the underbrush, quickly forming a ring that encircled Haruki and the girls.

The bandit leader stood in front, laughing wildly, gripping his massive, intimidating blade. He hadn't noticed that the two men who had led him here had vanished without a trace. But with his mind already clouded by lust, he didn't even care. The thought never crossed his mind—why would women like Gin be in a place like this without the means to protect themselves?

"Haha! Be good, ladies, and come back with us to the mountain. Let's have some fun. Men, go! Kill the men if you have to, but take the women alive. Once I've had my turn, you can all get a taste too!"

As he gave the order, the faces of the previously impassive women darkened instantly.

The bandit chief didn't realize that with those words, he had sealed his own grim fate.

...

"Charge!"

The bandits, crazed at the thought of getting their hands on the women, rushed forward. One of them shouted, and they all stormed toward the girls with bloodshot eyes.

Most of these men had once been ordinary people, driven to banditry by the harsh rule of The Empire. But since becoming outlaws, they had embraced a life without rules. Murder and robbery had become second nature, and they no longer resembled the men they used to be.

Life in the mountains had been carefree, but over the years, they had hardly seen any women. Even when some were kidnapped, they rarely lasted long—being ravaged to death in mere days by the horde of ravenous bandits.

Now, faced with so many stunning women—far beyond anything they had ever dreamed of—they were completely unhinged.

"Hmph! You're begging for death."

Furious to begin with, the women now had an outlet for their rage. Each picked a direction and charged without hesitation.

They might have understood that some of these men had been forced into this life, but that didn't matter now. After hearing the bandit chief's orders and seeing their actions, their fate had already been decided.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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