The group was once again at the edge of the forest, staring down the rge wall. The moon shone brightly this night. Adeline took a moment to stare at the sky; it reminded her of the goddess's pin. It almost felt as if she was looking down at that very moment. Alfred interrupted her as he slithered next to her.

  “I will take the long way around just to make sure they do not see me.”

  “Remember, trust your instincts. If you feel they have found you out, exit.”

  “As you will.”

  Alfred slithered off into the distance as Bihse stepped forward on her silver wolf.

  “The sky is beautiful today, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. It would be a perfect day for a blood bath.”

  Bihse ughed as she patted Adeline’s shoulder. Her gaze then turned to the wall before them. “We just need to provoke them; if they bite, then we will have to go in blind.”

  “Is everything ready?”

  “Yes, I brought them just in case.” Bihse turned to a distant part of the forest where a group could be seen hiding. “Brother, you know what to do.”

  A troll emerged behind her who let out a small grunt. “Everything will go without fault, but I do not trust that human.”

  “Thank you for your worry but it is unfounded”

  Bihse pulled her wolf as she disappeared into the woods. Adeline waited for a moment as she adjusted her leather armor. Her bck wolf howled as she charged towards the wall. This time, no arrow was fired, which didn’t surprise Adeline. When she reached the previous area, she stared up to see rows of knights and soldiers. The usual suspects appeared, with Jack having a smirk on his face. A woman and another man followed close behind.

  “Oh wow, I didn’t know I was already this famous.”

  “Shut up, you wench! Today we will erase you from this world.” Jack cursed at Adeline, who looked unfazed.

  “I finally figured it out! This is bring your son to work day. That’s why this baby and his older brother are here.”

  Jack’s veins started to bulge as he looked at her with pure rage, but the man next to him pced his hand over his shoulder.

  “My name is Duke Lorenzo. What brings you to my doorstep?”

  “My name is Adeline, and this is not your doorstep or home. This is my territory, so kindly leave.”

  “Everything from the East to the West belongs to the empire.”

  “The goddess of life and nature didn’t get that memo. When I plunge my sword into your chest and you slowly die, you can meet her. Then you can have this conversation with her but I don’t think she will be all that thrilled.”

  “Such an insolent fool.”

  “The st person who called me that pissed his pants as I sucked the life out of his body. I have come to the conclusion that you guys are all talk, no bite.”

  Lorenzo looked unimpressed as the woman next to him stepped forward. She looked like a nun carrying a golden staff with some markings.

  “You foul soul, once you are purged, I shall pray to the god of justice to have mercy on you.”

  “I doubt your god will even accept such a morally corrupt bitch. Are you going to lecture me from all the way up there?”

  The woman’s face slightly contorted in anger as Jack had enough and seemingly jumped from the wall as Risin tried to stop him. Seeing that, knights and soldiers, together with the woman, started to slowly descend. Risin saw a devilish smile on Adeline’s face as she slowly retreated into the forest. He knew the trolls were not strong enough to stop Jack and a high level clerk plus fifty low-level knights, but his instincts told him otherwise. He turned to the wall and called for Harry, who had gained the title of sword master recently, and instructed him to join the pursuit with his group known as the hounds. It consisted of five elite knights and three low-level knights who were seasoned in hunting high-level targets.

  “Jack should handle that weak demon. I sensed nothing of note from her.”

  “With all due respect, Duke, the st time we underestimated her, she wiped out four hundred soldiers. I would rather err on the side of caution. Plus, she has Tymon, Chieftain, and the hydra.”

  “I did not sense them; she was alone. Also, we are not that weak.” Risin’s worry only deepened as the small army disappeared into the icy forest.

  Adeline purposefully ran slowly, making sure he could still see her. What she found truly amusing was the woman being carried on a knight’s back. She saw the trolls straight ahead and gave them the signal. Jack, the dy, and several knights passed, but the trolls appeared, blocking the rest. Jack clicked his tongue, but he did not stop; he was steadfast on killing Adeline, who seemingly disappeared. After a short moment, they saw her sitting on a rock. The knight pced the cleric down, and they walked carefully towards her. She had already unsheathed her greatsword, which was pnted on the ground.

  “ I have done a lot of things I am not proud of, but I am thankful for it. Through my sins, I can now deal with pests like you. I will bathe in your blood and savor every scream that comes out of your mouth.”

  “You monster have gotten really cocky, it is time I reminded you that this is the age of human kind. You are nothing but a relic of the past.”

  Adeline slowly stood up and picked up her greatsword. She stared at Jack, then the woman. She let out a small ugh, then stared at the moon one more time as her grip on her sword tightened. Jack unsheathed his sword, which had a golden handle and a curved bde; the spine was silver, but the bde itself was pitch bck.

  “I will enjoy watching you beg.”

  Jack snarled as the woman fell to her knees and started to chant. He started to glow in gold, then blue, and finally red. Jack started to ugh manically as he swiped her sword to the side, producing a strong wind. An eerie smile appeared on Adeline’s face as her blood-red mana poured from her body, covering her sword.

  “Do not disappoint me!”