Aftermath

"Alright, Linié, stop chasing them, go help Lupa."

Lowell's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the sounds of fighting in the night and reached Linié's ears.

Linié's pursuit stopped abruptly, her deep blue pupils remaining completely still.

She didn't ask why, nor did she hesitate at all, as if she had received just an ordinary instruction.

She immediately turned around, wielding her magic battle axe, and silently joined Lupa and Isa's battle, forming a two-on-one attack.

Isa's pressure has increased sharply again.

Faced with Lupa's wild and fiery marksmanship and Linié's precise, Imitation, and ever-changing combat skills, even he felt overwhelmed and could only focus all his attention on defense, finding it difficult to find an opening to counterattack. His movements gradually slowed down, and his previous advantage was ultimately temporary. Assassins who rely on bursts of speed are far less physically capable than endurance warriors like Lupa and Linié.

On the other side, blood continued to gush from Hawk-Eye's back, staining his clothes a dark red.

His face remained expressionless, as if the horrific wound wasn't on his own body. He simply held Elsa and used "Swift Wind Step" to its fullest extent. His figure flashed through the woods a few times, and he was already far away from the bloody battlefield.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the intense exercise aggravated my wounds, bringing waves of tearing pain.

Hawk-Eye gritted his teeth, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Elsa, held in his arms, looked at his profile—a face contorted with pain yet focused on escaping—and suddenly scoffed, her tone carrying her usual mix of mockery and a barely perceptible, complex emotion:

"What, my dear 'lover,' are you so concerned about your older sister? You're willing to take a blow from an axe to save her?"

Hawk-Eye spat out a sound through gritted teeth, replying irritably, "Go to hell, don't talk to me, it hurts. 'Swift Wind Step' isn't supposed to carry anyone, don't you know? It doubles the burden... Ouch... It's cracking, it's cracking!"

Elsa chuckled softly, but a faint magical power quietly gathered at her fingertips. She manipulated the finer, more resilient transparent threads she had prepared on her body, deftly threading them through Hawk-Eye's armpits and shoulder blades, attempting to apply emergency pressure to stop the bleeding from the gruesome wound on his back. The threads tightened around his flesh, causing a sharper stinging pain, but the rate of blood flow noticeably slowed.

"Oh, really? Then I'm truly honored," Elsa's voice still held a teasing tone. "You saved my life so you can get more pocket money later and go find those gentle and lovely girls?"

"Go to hell." Hawk-Eye almost stumbled from a stitch. "If I had the chance, I really wouldn't want to like pink-haired girls again... Damn it, that pink-haired girl's axe really hurt..." His complaints were filled with the lingering fear of surviving a disaster and real physical pain.

Elsa's hands moved swiftly, the silk threads weaving and bandaging like the most skillful embroidery needle, her tone still flippant. "Hehe... Is that so? Now you know how good your older sister is? How about saying 'darling' to me? Maybe if I'm happy, I'll give you more money for the next mission? Of course... if you can escape alive."

"Thanks!" Hawk-Eye winced in pain. "Shut up, it hurts like hell... Get out of here... I'm definitely going to complain to the captain about that idiot Isa..."

Just then, a clear, melodious, yet somewhat innocent and curious girl's voice suddenly rang out from the shadows of the woods to their side. The voice bore a subtle resemblance to Elsa's, but was even more crisp and clear.

"Oh, is this the guy who doesn't like to talk? But I love to talk, what should I do?"

The sound appeared without warning, as if it had always been there.

"Let's be quiet for a while... no, wait!"

Hawk-Eye's hair stood on end, and without thinking, he abruptly stopped! The strong inertia caused Elsa to sway in his arms, aggravating his wounds and making him grimace again.

He suddenly realized what was happening, and shouted sharply, his gaze sweeping towards the source of the voice like that of a hawk, "Who is it?!"

Under the moonlight, Solitär emerged slowly from the shadow of an ancient tree. A harmless, sweet smile graced her face, and her pale green eyes shone with the pure light of a researcher in the night. She clapped her hands gently.

"Hello, hello, my name is Solitär. Don't worry, I just want to ask you a few questions. I'm the gentle and cute girl you mentioned, I..."

Elsa, nestled in Hawk-Eye's arms, instantly turned cold and wary. Suppressing her injuries, she subtly flicked her fingertips, sending several nearly transparent threads, like venomous snakes, silently shooting towards Solitär, attempting to bind her.

"Is that so, little sister..." Elsa's voice was cold, "But the stench of death on you is rather strong..."

However, when the silk threads reached within a foot of Solitär, they were easily blocked by a honeycomb-shaped transparent Defensive Magic barrier that suddenly lit up, making it impossible for them to advance any further.

Solitär wore a slightly troubled and aggrieved expression, twirling a strand of blue-green hair with her fingers. "Heh... How annoying! Solitär has been obedient and hasn't killed anyone for a long time... What exactly is this stench of corpses you're talking about? Why can't I wash it off?"

She tilted her head, her gaze darting back and forth between Hawk-Eye and Elsa, filled with curiosity. "Lowell said you had a chance to kill me? Hmm, indeed. Even now that you've made your move, I can hardly sense any magical fluctuations from you. That's quite an impressive ability to conceal your powers. Is it your equipment or your talent? But in a direct confrontation... I don't think you have much of a chance. But... could you let Solitär study these?"

She paused, her gaze lingering on the two of them embracing closely, her tone becoming more excited. "Also, are you two lovers? You seem very intimate. Staying together through this crisis, is it out of a sense of responsibility, or some deeper emotional bond? Could you elaborate?"

"Ha!?"

Hawk-Eye and Elsa blurted it out almost simultaneously, their tone filled with a sense of absurdity.

"Who's in a relationship with this guy!" Hawk-Eye roared in disgust, as if something had been defiled.

Elsa scoffed, her face pale from blood loss, yet she stubbornly retorted, "Yes, indeed~ If it weren't for the mission requiring a disguise, I wouldn't even consider such a rude and unromantic man..."

"Really?" Solitär blinked, seemingly unsurprised by the answer, but her research interest deepened.

At the same time, several magic circles quietly lit up around her, and a chilling aura filled the air.

"Killing Magic..."