Chapter 72 -The art of pacing.

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Illfa's footsteps echoed softly on the cobblestone path. She walked through the main gate of an ancient wooden-architectured mountain village. The afternoon air felt biting cold against the skin. The smell of firewood smoke mixed thickly with the metallic scent of blood from her white robe. The sky above glowed brightly in reddish orange as the sun slowly descended behind the mountain peaks. The yellow light of paper lanterns began to ignite, illuminating the narrow village streets.

Illfa stopped her steps. Her eyes stared straight ahead. At the end of the cobblestone street, dozens of Husa Clan citizens stood blocking the way. They were not young soldiers. They were elders and middle-aged men wearing worn-out leather armor and carrying ancient weapons. Rusted swords, wooden shields, axes, and long spears were gripped tightly in their hands.

The dozens of old men stood upright. Their hardened faces stared straight at Illfa.

"There are..." Illfa muttered quietly. She tilted her head slightly, looking at the formation. "Why are they..."

Illfa stopped her sentence. Her legs hesitated to step any further.

Across the street, the Husa Clan citizens glared sharply at the red-haired woman in front of them. Their hands gripped their weapon hilts even tighter. The white robe, now covered in stains and dark blood spots, was enough to tell them who the figure was.

"That's..." said a muscular merchant. The veins on his arms bulged as he held his axe.

"Just one person," said another merchant.

"She is strong," an elder in the front row said with a deep voice. "Very strong."

"She hasn't moved since earlier."

"She's just watching us. What is her goal, is she the monster Yang Fei mentioned?" whispered another citizen, cold sweat trailing down his temples.

Illfa stood frozen in place.

What should I do, Illfa thought hesitantly. Should I return to the palace and report to Vival that the villagers are still here. Wait, maybe Uni is hiding here with them.

But why are they lined up so neatly. They already knew of my arrival. How did they know.

Illfa shook her head quickly, throwing away all those thoughts. No, don't panic, don't panic. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold air. Act according to the mission. Act according to the mission.

The muscular merchant narrowed his eyes. "She's shaking her head and talking to herself."

"Could she have an invisible partner?" asked one of the citizens with a wary tone.

"What should we do now? Attack her? Right now?"

"Don't," a spear-wielding old man cut into the argument. "Stay here. If she advances and attacks, we fight back."

"No, I think if she moves forward, we should attack immediately," argued the muscular merchant.

At the end of the street, Illfa exhaled slowly. She sheathed her sword back into its scabbard on her waist, then began to step forward again. She walked casually and slowly. Her eyes stared straight at the crowd of armed citizens without blinking.

"She's coming toward us!"

"Prepare to attack!"

"No!" snapped the spear-wielding old man. He spread his arms, stopping the other citizens from stepping forward. "I will speak with her."

"Are you crazy!"

"Look at your age! Let me do it!"

Several protests were heard, triggering a brief argument in the front row.

Dug!

The old man slammed the butt of his spear onto the cobblestone ground with great force. The loud sound instantly silenced the crowd.

"If I die," the old man said, looking into the eyes of the citizens. "That is your signal."

"Bu—"

"That is your signal," the old man cut in firmly. He took a deep breath, easing the tension in his chest. "Make sure some of you stay alive to write about my death."

The old man turned his body and walked casually toward Illfa.

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The old man's footsteps softly clashed with Illfa's footsteps.

Illfa watched the old man approach. He's coming alone. He wants to talk, it seems. Okay. Breathe, Illfa, breathe. Act according to the mission. According to the mission. Illfa steadied her breathing rhythm and kept walking to meet the old man.

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They both stopped their steps simultaneously.

Now they stood facing each other, separated by only a distance of two meters.

The old man slowly bowed his upper body, offering a greeting. "Warm greetings, mysterious girl."

Illfa reciprocated by bowing her body slightly, performing a similar gesture without uttering a single word.

The old man straightened his body, then placed his right palm on his chest. "My name is Faal Ci."

"Nina," Illfa lied with a flat tone of voice.

Faal's eyes lowered to look at Illfa's robe, noticing the fresh blood stains seeping into the white fabric. He then looked back into Illfa's eyes.

"From which clan do you hail, Nina."

"I don't have one," Illfa answered briefly.

"What is your purpose here?" Faal asked calmly.

Illfa fell silent. The afternoon breeze blew softly, sweeping her red hair. She did not answer the question.

Faal nodded slowly, accepting Illfa's silence. "Were you the one who killed our frontline troops. And our dragons, Miss."

Illfa looked up at the orange sky for a moment, then closed her eyes. She evened out her breathing. She then opened her eyes and looked straight at Faal.

"I did not..." Illfa said quietly.

"I..."

"I did not kill your troops at the border."

"Nor did I kill your dragons."

Faal's pupils dilated instantly. A sigh of relief escaped his nose, bringing a genuine sense of calm.

"But," Illfa continued her sentence. "That was my partner's doing."

Faal's pupils shrank sharply. His jaw muscles tightened.

"And..." Illfa took a shallow breath. "I killed everyone inside the palace."

Sst!

Faal dashed forward, closing the distance in a fraction of a second. An aura of pitch-black energy exploded, engulfing the tip of his spear, which shot straight, aiming for Illfa's neck.

Illfa reacted faster. She bent her waist downward, letting the spear tip pass, slicing the air right above her head. Wasting no time, Illfa twisted her body and unleashed a straight punch using her right fist, piercing through the opponent's defense, landing flawlessly on the base of the old man's neck.

Dug!

Faal's neck bones shattered instantly from the heavy impact. The old man's head snapped backward. His body stiffened in the air before tumbling down, crashing against the cobblestone ground.

Thud!

Seeing the event, the eyes of the citizens at the end of the street bulged wide. Thick veins instantly popped out on their necks and foreheads.

"Bastard!"

"Now!"

"Now!"

Cries of anger exploded in unison. The entire village force ran aggressively, charging forward toward Illfa. Their weapons were raised high into the air.

Illfa stood silently with a flat face, watching the incoming wave of humans. Her left hand smoothly drew her sword.

"Fir."

Sst!

Pitch-black fire instantly blazed, enveloping the blade of her sword. She lowered her posture, preparing to dash forward to cut through their ranks.

Ssst!

Illfa's ears caught the sound of a sharp whizzing tearing through the wind. She sensed an energy anomaly. Illfa looked up.

Dozens, no, hundreds of yellow light projectiles plummeted rapidly from the sky, aiming right at her position like a rain of bullets.

Illfa reacted extremely fast. She jumped backward five meters consecutively, evading the first barrage of light slashes. The light projectiles struck the cobblestone ground, creating small explosions. Illfa kept running in a circle, moving away from the explosion points. However, the light trajectories made a sharp turn in the air, chasing her movement path.

Illfa stopped her footsteps, then slashed at the approaching barrage of light using her fire sword with extremely fast hand movements.

Sst!

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One light projectile slipped through her defense, harshly grazing the side of her stomach.

Srak!

The fabric of her robe tore and burned, leaving an elongated wound on her skin. Illfa forced her leg muscles to press against the ground, then leaped extremely high onto the roof of the nearest wooden building, evading the remnants of the deadly projectiles.

The village citizen force stopped their steps simultaneously, processing the chaos descending from the sky. They looked upward and cheered in joy.

"Chief!" they shouted loudly.

Groaarr!

A deafening dragon roar echoed loudly from above, piercing through the afternoon clouds.

Illfa's pupils shrank sharply. Up there, she saw a flying troop convoy riding winged monsters and giant dragons, covering half of the twilight sky. It was Uni's convoy that had just returned from the capital.

However, the massive convoy did not reduce its speed. They kept flying, dashing past Illfa's position and the village roofs toward the outer territory.

"They are leaving?" Illfa muttered in confusion, watching the departure of the troops.

Sst!

Dug!

Three figures plummeted from the sky and landed hard, crashing onto the cobblestone ground right in front of the village crowd. Thick dust billowed around them.

The three people slowly stood upright from the cloud of dust. They had brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a pair of black horns on their heads. All three wore clean, uniform, and neat purple robes.

Illfa narrowed her eyes, glaring at the three new figures from the roof of the wooden building.

Special elite troops, Illfa muttered in her heart.