Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Twin Tiger Continent Style Hospitality

"Mistress!"

The female Silence quickly dropped to one knee and clasped her fist in salute, ignoring the arrow stuck on her forearm. The dark outfit had become darker from the blood seeping from the wound.

"Why are you wounded? Who did this to you?" Illumca dropped the vegetable she was rinsing and came to her.

Her subordinate wrote on her slate with a speed that would shame any minstrel, and handed it to Illumca, who read it with considerable speed.

"Intruders about the size of a platoon are entering the forest. They are well armed, but they bore no banner. At least one of them is suspected to be an Unrestrained Candidate. Our men are holding them back, but we cannot do it for long."

"To deliberately come to the forest with such numbers at the dead of night. This one would guess that they are not looking to take a peaceful night's walk," the raven-haired Lihua began. "This one shall take care of this matter," she breathed out. Icy wisp fluttered from her lips.

"No," Connie, who had been chopping a rare fruit with red flesh called Therrim on a chopping board, spoke matter-of-factly. "I'll take care of it."

"Connie?"

Connie patted the round body of Chen, who had been acting as the tray-bearer and said. "Protect Akula, Chen."

The Poison Slime bounced twice as a sign of acknowledgment and enlarged itself, forming a dome around Akula's unconscious body.

The blonde-haired girl wiped the wet cleaver in her hand with a clean white cloth, seeing her reflection on its surface. "Today is supposed to be a joyful day when I welcome a Named Disciple. It is only right that I personally welcome these uninvited guests and make them pay for their rudeness."

She lightly tossed the cleaver to the wooden table, where it stuck on one end of its blade.

"Illumca, fire a signal into the air and call back all the Silence. After that, protect Akula. An enlightenment is a very sensitive time. A disturbance will be catastrophic."

Connie clasped her hands behind her back and leaped into the thicket. "Come with me, Lihua. Let's greet these rude guests with the traditional Twin Tiger Continent style hospitality."

A thin smile of understanding sneaked onto her lips. "At once, mistress."

Arryn and five members of the Silence that were fighting the men led by the Vorzennian spies and had managed to take down fourteen men. However, it cost them the life of two of their own. When they saw the bright red spark in the sky, they immediately stopped attacking and retreated with great speed.

"Chase after them!" Brett bellowed.

The rest of the men followed his orders and ran after the retreating men in black.

"Did you see their ears?" The female Summoner spoke. On her heels were the blessing of the Wind Elemental, the Fleetfoot Spell. A spell that allowed her to run at the same pace as her lover.

"Yeah. They're Dark Elves. Looks like the Duchess have some things to hide. But they're no match for us! Just you wait, Thea. Once we take her down. I will bring you back to my country and I will shower you with jewels."

John turned his head and made a sickened expression. Ugh, how can he say that with a straight face?

"Wait, slow down," John raised his arm with a wary tone.

"Why? They are getting away!" Thea asked.

"My Detect Skill senses two presences moving towards us."

One their men, a mercenary in a fur coat talked to a man beside him. "Buddy, I can see your breath."

"Y-yeah, I suddenly felt a bit cold."

Just as he said that, two figures descended from above.

One was an inimitable beauty with a radiant skin that looked like snow, her descent was elegant, as if she was gliding. The other one was a figure radiating an air of arrogance, she descended onto the ground with both hands clasped behind her back, making no noise when her feet touched the ground.

Seeing the robe with creepy centipede images coiling around it, the two Unrestrained Candidate knew who she was.

"Look, men! Our target came to her slaughter by herself!!" Brett guffawed haughtily. He could sense threat coming from the blindfolded woman, but not from the girl in Centipede Robe. Either she was far stronger than him, or that she was not as powerful as the rumor suggested.

And he'd wager on the latter, as he believed that no one could be that strong after only a few months.

"Gentlemen, tonight the forest is off limit to uninvited guests. Please do uninvite yourself from here, otherwise…" Lihua paused, coquettishly covering her lips with her sleeve. "…we would have to do away with you."

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The incongruity of her action and words caused the weaker men in their group to shudder.

John answered with a sneer. "Hah! Who are you kidding?! You should the one begging for mercy instead. In case you haven't noticed, your lives are in our hands. Or are you counting on those knife-ears that tried to stop us back at the entrance? They can't even touch us!"

"Stop bantering with the target, John. Let's just kill them!"

Annoyed by the nonchalance of the two women before them, the female Summoner standing behind Brett called upon the Wind Elemental serving her and launched five sharp Wind Blades at her. A sturdy pillar of ice appeared from the ground and deflected them, before breaking apart into small ice crystals.

"Wha-?"

Connie, undisturbed by the other side's probing, stretched her shoulders lightly before regarding the enemies with an annoyed look.

"Step back, Lihua. These are my toys to play with. Just take care of those trying to run away."

She put on Crimson Serpentbane and cracked her neck.

"As you wish, Mistress," Lihua dipped her body in acknowledgement.

"You want to face all of us alone?"

"Yes. Otherwise, there'd be nothing left of you."

Brett's face went red from the humiliation. Despite his current status, he was still a proud protector of Vorzenny. "You will regret overestimating yourself!! All vanguards, attack!!"

At his order, mercenaries wielding swords and spears charged forward. Brett was about to join them also, but John stopped him. "No, let our men probe her ability."

Connie ran up to the front-most spearman, who made a powerful thrust aiming at her stomach, kicked it down, then ran up the shaft before kicking his head so hard he spun twice in the air.

His friend yelled in anger, and came at her with a broadsword held overhead. When he swung down, she side-stepped the broadsword by half a step and crushed his knee with a powerful kick at the joint. As he fell to the ground, the lucky mercenary felt two soft mounds behind his head. Then there was a powerful crack that echoed in his head. His vision blurred and he realized, for one brief instant, that he was suddenly looking straight behind him.

Another swordsman came swinging, she dodged while hooking his pivoting leg with her left foot, tripping him. Without losing a moment, she stabbed his heart with Crimson Serpentbane's claws, killing him.

Seeing that her weapon was occupied, three attackers declared their Skill.

"Quick Thrust!!!"

Just before their attack reached her, a large phantom centipede burst from the ground and bit their heads off before vanishing. Three headless bodies fell to the ground, their blood like a fountain, spraying everywhere. Connie then sunk the next man who charged at her using a Rush Skill with an overhead kick that crushed his throat, before swiping her claw at another spear-wielding warrior. The fatal attack ripped the lower jaw of the poor man, leaving an exposed tongue dangling before he died from shock.

Connie continued her onslaught, ripping the neck of a man who was trying to run with her claw, before continuing to the next victim, weaving and dodging with ease. Each time she moved her hand, blood would spurt, followed by a death scream. Each attack aiming at their vital spots, every touch meant death.

John, who had begun to become unnerved from the brutal scene unbecoming of a person named the Lady in White, ordered the archers of the group to fire their arrows.

"But our men are still there!" one archer complained.

"Fuck them!! Fire!!"

Tens of arrows whistled through the night sky. Connie closed her eyes felt for the vibration in the air, snatching the arrows that would have wounded her mid-flight.

"What?! H- how is that possible?!"

"That's enough warm-up then," she said as she crushed the arrows in her hand.

The impossible feat caused the enemies' morales to plummet. Brett, who could no longer see his men dying by the droves, dashed forward. "Double Might!!" his body glowed blue as his muscles swelled with power.

He swung his axe with both hands, aiming to decapitate her, but she dodged them by mere inches. "Mad Rush!!"

Brett swung the axe like a whirlwind, leaving a trail of destruction where he went, but it only managed to graze Connie's skin once.

"Not a bad swing. But is that all you have? I thought you are an Unrestrained Candidate!"

"Watch your left!" John yelled as Connie launched a quick thrust using the brief moment when Brett's attack stopped because he overexerted himself. The warning allowed him to react just in time to evade the attack.

"You use the same weapon as that guy from Vorzenny. But you are far below him."

Connie pivoted her wrist after the full thrust, then formed a claw. The sharp nails of Crimson Serpentbane tore through Brett's chest protector. The burly man jumped back and saw the state of his Steel Chestplate, four claw marks had torn the metal apart, rendering it useless. Blood seeped through the gash on his chest. A dull pain on his chest told him that it almost reached bone.Then he realized that his blood was sizzling.

Sensing danger, he roared angrily and discarded the now useless armor.

"Shit!!" he quickly used the edge of his axe to scrape off the flesh that had begun to swell uncomfortably. "Poison? Are you using poison?!!"

He could not believe it. The rumored selfless person who would provide her people with free medicines actually dared to use poison in a fight. And she hasn't used a sword once from the beginning. Was the information wrong?

"Release all your spells at my order!!" Brett heard John bellowed behind him and discarded all thoughts. As long as we kill her, it won't matter. "Thea, use your strongest Elemental Spell!!"

"NOW!!"

At John's order, all of the remaining men released Magic Spells and long-range Skill that they had. Brett too, used his own Skill simultaneously. All targeting her.

"Wind Blast!"

"Fireball!"

"Ground Dasher!!"

Connie shook her sleeves and brought her hand together. The moment her palms met in front of her chest, a bright light shone, blinding everyone.

The converging attacks met at one spot. The ground exploded, dirt and rocks flew high into the air.

"Hah. She was nothing! See how she crumbles so easily!!" Brett guffawed, seeing the heavily damaged state of the surroundings. "Not even an Unrestrained Candidates could survive that!"

John, the cautious one, did not join the revelry of his partner. He noticed there was no sign of movement from the other person that came with her. The one in blue and white did not even hide the mischievous smile that graced her lips.

Through the dust, a dim light could be seen. Then, a massive, skeletal hand swept through the air, clearing the dust in one fell swoop. The simple movement caused the leaves on the surrounding trees to shake.

Then they saw something that caused their jaw to drop.

The supposedly dead target was entirely unscathed, floating a meter above the ground, palms still in front of her chest. With the expression of a sage undisturbed by earthly matters, she looked down upon them. Her Centipede Robe billowing from the night wind.

Behind her was a giant skeletal torso with the sculpture of a crying woman on its chest. The majestic Dao Avatar raised two of its right fingers to the sky, like that of a mighty emperor with no equal, ready to sever the lifeline of the ones who challenged its birthright.

With the scattered fire from the earlier attacks and the light of the moon, the figure looked as if it did not belong to this world.

All the men under Brett felt their heart palpitating uncontrollably, their hearts trembling. They all instinctively knew, this was not someone normal men like them could hope to fight. It would be like a baby mouse trying to fight a poisonous snake.

"The Elemental…!" the Summoner hugged herself to stave off the icy grip of fear in her heart. "The Elemental is shivering in fear! How is this possible?"

"W-what in Sud-Ghazid are we looking at?!" One of the men managed to gather enough courage to curse.

"Demon! She is a vile Demon!!"

Connie's previously serene expression quickly turned nightmarish. Her lustrous cheeks cracked open and purple poisonous mist leaked past the gaps of her fangs.

"Pick up your weapons," she began, spreading her arms in in arrogance, daring the men before her to try their steel against her. "Struggle, and despair. For tonight, I shall paint this forest red with your blood."