Pandora’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the silence, carrying a strange coldness that traveled directly to the ears of the survivor on the second floor.
Beneath that calm exterior, however, her heart was anything but composed.
To be honest, she was terrified.
Whether it was caution or a simple love for her own life, she had no intention of putting herself in danger again. The recent explosion from the second-rank Live Iron Golem had put her under immense pressure. It was a different kind of suppression, one that came purely from “quality,” not quantity.
If it weren't for her combat instincts, honed to an extraordinary degree at the brink of life and death, if it weren't for Elsa completing her perfectly timed “reforging” and assassination at the most critical moment, the one lying on the floor now would probably be her.
She wasn't asking this question to provoke, nor out of arrogance. It was a trap. A bluff to see if she could get more useful information. If he really had another trick up his sleeve and was about to use it, she would, in that instant, have Elsa revert to her greatsword form and hurl that invincible weapon with all her strength.
With Elsa's sharpness and autonomy, she didn't believe the man could survive such an ambush!
After all, even now, she felt like she was in a fight she didn't understand. She didn't even know who he was, what he looked like, or what his name was. And she certainly didn't understand why this son of a bitch had tried to kill her right from the start.
Couldn't they have just talked things out?
………………
Second-floor monitoring room.
Dulles sat slumped on the messy floor. He listened to the voice from downstairs, as calm as if she were asking about the weather, and his whole body trembled.
His lips quivered, but he couldn't get a single word out.
Just listen. Was that something a human could say?
This pce was just an “Orchard”! Theoretically, as a demon-hunting apprentice with two years of experience, he was the same rank as these “Fruits.” But his experience, his authority as a Warden, made him an overwhelmingly dominant figure to these wet-behind-the-ears kids. Not to mention, he held partial control over all the “Live Iron Golems” in this base!
And the result?
For the girl downstairs, all of it… posed no threat at all?!
The Golems he recalled were sliced up like vegetables. The “bck bear” from the Forbidden Forest, which he had used to weaken her, was a complete mystery. He sealed the base, released over fifty “Live Iron Golems,” and even used a berserking method, but in front of her, it was all like a ridiculous farce.
Finally, he had even used the ultimate trump card of the Warden Base, one he had no authority to use—a second-rank Agile Live Iron Golem!
And the result?
It was blown to bits!
By a “Fruit”!
Was this something a human could do?!
And she was asking if he had any other tricks? Wasn't a second-rank trick enough? Did she want to see a third-rank?! Impossible! A third-rank Live Iron Golem was something even the high-and-mighty “demon hunters” themselves fought over. How could one be wasted in this remote “Orchard”?
Dulles was speechless. He felt his once-proud cognitive system as a demon-hunting apprentice being, at this moment, completely and ruthlessly… shattered.
The next moment, a faint, dull thud of an object nding reached his ears. Something had been thrown up, but it was very light, perhaps just a part of a zombie’s limb.
But… what was she going to do?
Dulles immediately tensed up. He stared fixedly at one of the shattered holes. He saw that terrifyingly tough and sharp greatsword in the hands of the girl downstairs, held in a throwing posture.
“Don’t… don’t come any closer!” Dulles’s voice trembled violently with fear. He was practically screaming. “I’m the Warden here! I have insurance measures from the Demon Hunter Academy! If you kill me, you’ll die too!”
His words carried clearly to Pandora’s ears.
This made her hesitate for a moment, her hand tightening on Elsa’s hilt. The sword remained in her hand, not thrown.
Pandora’s expression grew solemn. A Warden? The Demon Hunter Academy?
Just as she’d thought. There was an organization behind all this. She just didn't know if their killing intent toward her was connected to that bizarre transformation and the mysterious organization's ultimate goal.
Pandora’s thoughts raced. Considering the situation cautiously, she didn't make a move, but she maintained her throwing posture. She let him continue.
“Who are you?” Her voice was ft, devoid of emotion. “Have you and I ever had any grudge between us?”
Although she was intensely curious about these new terms, “Warden” and “Demon Hunter Academy,” what she was most curious about, right now, was still his baffling motive.
Why… did he want to kill her?
Hearing Pandora’s calm question, Dulless’s spirit, on the verge of colpse, seemed to have grabbed a lifeline. She hadn’t attacked immediately. She had asked a question. This meant she wasn't a pure, killing-crazed madman. She could be reasoned with. At least… for now.
“You are very strong,” Dulles took a deep breath, fighting through the pain from his severed arm and leg, trying to make his voice sound less shaky, even taking on a hint of a superior’s, condescending tone. “But there are many rules in this world that you don't yet know, and truths hidden beneath the surface.”
He chose his words carefully, trying to regain a sliver of initiative in the conversation.
“And I know all of them. I can tell you everything.”
He changed his tone, making it urgent and enticing. “But, you must help me with something. I need to complete a ritual, a ritual that… requires a death.”
He finally said his true purpose, each word spoken with immense difficulty, as if it had drained all his strength.
“As long as you can help me… kill someone in the area below. Anyone will do. If you can help me, I can tell you everything you want to know.”
Pandora ignored his enticing promise.
Her clear eyes instantly captured the most crucial piece of information in his words.
