Blainey imagined what would happen if he searched this cabinet without knowing better. The other party could launch a surprise attack under cover of the clothes, and if that failed, they could jump out the window...
This was undoubtedly the best hiding place in the entire room!
Realizing this, Blainey did not hesitate in the slightest. Without warning, he drew his sword...
The clear ring of blade scraping against scabbard echoed through the room...
Almost instantly, the silver-white blade plunged into the wooden cabinet like a knife through butter. Then, with a horizontal sweep, the sealed cabinet was cut open!
Wood chips and scraps of cloth scattered through the air, yet the expected scene of blood gushing everywhere did not appear...
Blainey frowned slightly, unable to hide his surprise. Had his judgment been wrong? Had the target simply carelessly left these things behind in the room?
Andre, standing nearby, was startled by his companion suddenly drawing his sword. Just as he was about to mock Blainey for misjudging the situation, a shortsword suddenly extended from the dark shadow of the narrow gap between the bookshelf and the wall, slashing toward Andre's neck!
It was Lynn who had made the move!
The moment Andre and Blainey discovered the coins and manuscript on the table, Lynn understood that he would not be able to escape this time.
The narrow gap where he hid had no cover at all. He had relied solely on shadows and visual misdirection to conceal himself.
It was an extremely dangerous place, but the two had arrived far too quickly. Having just crossed over, Lynn's mind was in complete chaos. He had no time to find a more suitable hiding spot, let alone make any preparations. He had not even had time to pick up the parchment scroll that had fallen to the floor.
Once the two discovered that no one was hiding in the cabinet and began searching the room carefully, they would soon find him.
So Lynn attacked without hesitation!
Considering lethality, Lynn did not use the improved Blade of Ice that he had only just begun to master. Within three steps, a shortsword was far more reliable than the "magic" he could wield!
He chose the exact instant Andre relaxed after seeing the flying wood chips!
Yet this seemingly certain strike missed. The moment Lynn attacked, a powerful sense of danger surged through Andre's heart.
Before joining the Witch Hunter Squad, Andre had been a renowned mercenary who had spent years walking the line between life and death. He was more familiar than anyone with that bone-deep feeling!
His sharp instincts saved him again. The instant the shortsword came slashing down, Andre desperately twisted his body, avoiding the fate of being separated from his head.
But Lynn's ambush had come too fast. Although Andre reacted at once and tried to evade, he could not avoid it completely. The sharp shortsword sliced across his neck, leaving a deep bloody gash!
Bright red blood continuously poured from the wound. Andre was both shocked and enraged. The pain in his neck warned him that he had nearly died!
"Bastard!" Andre roared in fury, swinging his blade down from above, intending to split Lynn in two.
The strike was swift and heavy. Lynn nearly failed to react, but his body naturally moved to parry. As blade and sword collided, a teeth-grating screech echoed repeatedly through the room.
Before this, Lynn had never drawn a sword to cut someone down. Fortunately, Carl's body had been well trained, and its muscle memory remained.
Carl had relied on these excellent sword skills to intimidate the ill-intentioned neighbors in the Slums!
But this time, his opponent was not some poorly trained bandit. He was a ruthless witch hunter who had taken the Divine Grace Potion and possessed abilities far beyond those of ordinary people...
Andre's swordsmanship had no real system to it, but every strike was vicious. After only three exchanges, Lynn's sword hand throbbed with pain, and he could barely hold onto the shortsword.
"Die!" Andre howled, knocking the shortsword aside with a sweep of his longsword. His left hand shot forward, thick fingers clamping tightly around Lynn's throat.
Lynn's face reddened as Andre choked him, and his consciousness quickly began to blur.
[Warning. The agreed target is under severe threat to life. In accordance with Article 37 of the Federal Intelligent Management Act, the nearest law enforcement personnel will be contacted automatically...]
The alert ringing in his mind pulled Lynn's consciousness back from the abyss of oblivion, and a sliver of hope for survival rose within him.
[Warning... no signal... warning... unable to connect to the network... please proceed to the nearest high point as soon as possible, search for a satellite signal, and promptly call the Federal Emergency Call...]
Fuck!
Lynn cursed inwardly, only then remembering that he had already crossed over. He could not even be sure that he was still in the same universe.
Damn it, I should have saved the money for buying a new ship and used it to upgrade this piece of junk's intelligence... Where am I supposed to find a satellite signal now?
Even if he could, was he supposed to have Federal police officers fly a spaceship over here to rescue him?
But Lynn had no time for regret. The hand around his throat tightened bit by bit, like the grim reaper claiming his life.
[Warning... no signal. Initiating emergency protocol. Analyzing maximum survival probability. Based on the user agreement, neural network connection will be established automatically...]
The alerts in his mind became more and more urgent, but Lynn could no longer hear them. He only felt as if his brain had exploded, as though his soul had left his body and was observing the world in a strange state.
Lynn's scattered Mental Power spread outward like ripples, and his perception of the elements became increasingly clear...
"Brown hair, black eyes. Looks like we found the right person." Seeing Andre easily subdue the target, Blainey released the hilt of his sword and gave Lynn a careful look.
"You're quite capable, little rat. Since you're so good at hiding, why don't I chop off one hand and one leg..." Andre said with a savage grin.
He did not know if it was an illusion, but he vaguely felt that he was having trouble breathing, while his anger kept mounting.
If he had not suddenly remembered that a living person was worth more than a dead one, Andre would have killed Lynn immediately.
Blainey was not surprised by his companion's cruel suggestion. He merely reminded him casually, "One hand is enough. Otherwise, figure out how to carry him back yourself. And make it quick—don't let him bleed to death on the way!"
Andre, with his back to Blainey, had no time to respond. His face had turned bluish-purple, and the longsword in his left hand crashed heavily to the ground. His already ragged breathing grew ever more frantic. He was like a fish stranded on shore, his heart and lungs seeming ready to burst.
Ten years ago, when Andre had been swallowed by a massive whirlpool in the Sea of Mists, he had experienced this suffocating feeling of near-death. Breathing had been nothing but a luxury. Had he not been lucky enough, he might have long since been buried beneath the sea.
But he was not in the deep sea now, and Lynn's earlier attack clearly had not cut his windpipe...
Andre sucked in huge breaths, but his condition did not improve in the slightest. Instead, it grew worse and worse, his gray eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
What kind of witchcraft was this? Andre immediately realized that the Wizard Apprentice before him was responsible, but the intense suffocation made him miss his chance to counterattack. The hand gripping Lynn's neck grew steadily weaker.
At the same time, Lynn, who had been hanging his head, suddenly moved. His tightly shut eyes snapped open. At that instant, the oxygen around them was drained away, and a shortsword stabbed upward straight into Andre's throat!
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