Chapter 376: Chase

Noah flew through the night sky, only to find himself falling into danger once again.

’What the hell is wrong with my luck?!’

He cursed inwardly.

He had barely managed to escape Tharlyssa’s grasp, yet the woman was already chasing him again like a madwoman.

’What have I ever done to deserve this?!’

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Noah urged his ice sword higher into the sky, hoping to put more distance between them.

Unfortunately, his pursuer had no intention of letting him go.

Countless blood-red blades streaked through the air behind him, pursuing him relentlessly.

As Noah dodged one attack after another, he began to piece together a few things about his opponent.

First, she was clearly enjoying this little game of cat and mouse far too much.

Second, she definitely had a few screws loose in her head.

And third, she seemed to specialize in long-range combat rather than close-quarters fighting.

That last point was good news. If he could maintain his distance, he might have a chance of escaping her.

However, Noah wasn’t foolish enough to assume that she was physically weak just because she preferred fighting from a distance.

Quite the opposite. Judging from the pressure she exerted and the speed of her movements, Tharlyssa was physically far stronger than him.

’Seriously, why do I always end up dealing with monsters like her?’

Whoosh!

A blood-red blade grazed his cheek.

A thin cut appeared on his skin, and a trickle of blood slid down his face.

Noah barely had time to react before another blade swept past his shoulder. He tilted his body, narrowly avoiding it, then twisted sideways to evade two more attacks.

His heart pounded.

The relentless barrage was becoming increasingly dangerous. Every time he dodged one blade, another seemed to appear in its place.

He couldn’t keep this up forever.

CRUSH!

A sharp impact reverberated beneath his feet.

"Huh?"

Noah glanced down. One of the blood-red spears had struck the ice sword he was riding, leaving a deep crack across its surface.

"Dammit!"

He immediately channeled mana into the damaged section, filling the crack with fresh ice and reinforcing the sword’s structure.

Then another wave of blood-red spears descended upon him.

This time, their target wasn’t Noah. It was his sword.

CRACK!

CRACK!

The ice blade trembled beneath the repeated impacts. More fractures spread across its surface, branching outward like a spiderweb.

Noah gritted his teeth, desperately maneuvering through the air to avoid the incoming attacks.

But it was becoming increasingly difficult.

’That damn woman is deliberately targeting my sword!’

Before he could change direction, a massive blood-red lance tore through the air. It was faster and considerably larger than the previous attacks.

Noah’s eyes widened. He tried to evade it, but the lance struck his ice sword before he could react.

CRAAAAACK!!

The sword shattered.

Thousands of ice fragments scattered through the air as the force of the impact carried the remaining blade forward. One of the sharp fragments sliced across Noah’s chest, tearing through his chest plate and leaving a long, bloody gash along the right side of his torso.

"ARGHHHH!!"

Agonizing pain exploded through his body.

With his support destroyed, Noah was thrown into the air. His body spun uncontrollably as blood seeped from his wound, and gravity mercilessly pulled him downward.

Noah forced himself to remain conscious.

He reached for his storage ring and pulled out a healing potion, uncorking it with trembling fingers before gulping down its contents.

Warmth spread through his body. The bleeding gradually slowed as the wound began to close, the torn flesh knitting itself together under the potion’s effects.

It wasn’t enough to restore him completely, but it was better than nothing.

Unfortunately, he had barely finished drinking when a familiar figure rose from below.

Tharlyssa was flying toward him.

Her crimson eyes gleamed with delight.

’You’ve got to be kidding me...’

Noah clicked his tongue and immediately channeled mana into his palm.

A glacier-blue magic circle materialized before his outstretched hand, its intricate runes spinning rapidly as the temperature around him plummeted.

[Ice Blizzard]

It was a Two-Star Magic Spell. The magic circle flashed.

A violent snowstorm erupted from its center, surging toward Tharlyssa with terrifying force. Razor-sharp ice particles spun within the blizzard, while freezing winds twisted into a raging vortex that threatened to swallow everything in its path.

For a brief moment, the surrounding sky disappeared behind a wall of swirling snow and ice.

Tharlyssa merely chuckled.

She extended her hand.

Blood-red mana surged from her palm, spreading outward before condensing into a massive shield of blood. Its surface rippled like liquid before hardening into a dense, crimson barrier.

BOOOOM!!

The blizzard crashed against the shield.

Freezing winds howled as ice particles battered the barrier from every direction. The impact sent violent currents swirling through the air, and the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

Yet Tharlyssa remained completely unfazed.

She didn’t even bother to retreat. Eventually, the blizzard subsided.

The blood shield dissolved into droplets of crimson mana, revealing Tharlyssa standing behind it without a single visible injury.

Well, almost. Few tiny droplets of blood clung to her cheek.

She blinked. Then, with a curious smile, she raised her index finger and gently touched one of the droplets.

Her crimson eyes focused on the blood coating her fingertip.

"Oh?"

She brought her finger to her tongue and licked it.

The instant the blood touched her taste buds, her entire body went still.

Her eyes widened.

A faint blush spread across her pale cheeks, and her lips parted in astonishment.

"...!"

For several seconds, she remained motionless, as though she had forgotten everything around her.

"Hehehe..."

A strange laugh escaped her throat.

"This... this is so delicious!"

Her voice trembled with excitement.

"So sweet! I’ve never tasted blood like this before!"

Her cheeks grew even redder as she licked her lips, savoring the lingering taste.

The expression on her face gradually twisted into something far more unsettling than before.

It was no longer mere curiosity or infatuation. It was hunger.

Her blazing crimson eyes slowly lifted toward Noah, who had already summoned another ice sword and was desperately trying to put more distance between them.

A wider smile spread across her face.

"So that’s why..."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "No wonder I felt so attracted to you, baby. Your blood is simply too delicious!"

She giggled, pressing a hand against her flushed cheek.

"I thought you were just beautiful, but to think you would taste this good, too!"

Her gaze followed Noah’s fleeing figure, growing more feverish with every passing second.

"Ahhh... this changes everything."

She had initially considered killing him after satisfying her curiosity.

But now? There was no way she would waste something so precious.

"I’ll capture you instead!"

Her tongue swept across her lips. "Hehehe... Don’t worry, baby. I won’t kill you."

Her expression grew increasingly deranged as blood-red mana erupted around her body.

"Not when I can keep you all to myself!"

BOOM!

Tharlyssa shot forward, accelerating through the sky at an even greater speed.

Her previous playfulness had vanished, replaced by an overwhelming hunger that burned in her crimson eyes.

Noah, who had no idea what had just happened, felt a chill run down his spine. ’Why do I suddenly feel like things are about to get much, much worse?’

He glanced over his shoulder.

Tharlyssa was approaching.

And judging from the terrifying expression on her face, she was even more determined to catch him than before.

Meanwhile this time Noah decided to fight back, since running away from her seems nearly impossible.

So he channel the mana.