Undercurrents Surge

The situation began to descend into chaos.

As the saying goes, one does not fear an opponent like a god, but rather a teammate like a pig.

To Rhode, the strength of these ambushers was not particularly impressive; even facing four at once, he was confident in his victory. However, Ben and his guards clearly lacked experience with sudden attacks. Faced with these black-clad figures lunging from the brush, their performance was not even as composed as Lize's. The two guards shouted and swung their longswords, becoming entangled with the attackers, which made it difficult for Rhode to intervene.

But for Rhode, this was hardly a difficult task.

Swish!

A pristine blade sliced through the night sky. Rhode's figure shifted, transforming into a blur to dodge an attacker's strike. He then flipped his longsword and slashed diagonally. Accompanied by a bloom of blood at the attacker's throat, the man's figure stiffened before he collapsed to the ground, falling silent forever.

As the enemy fell, Rhode had already pulled back. He extended his left hand, and a cyan card instantly materialized in his palm. The next moment, he gripped the card with a backhand motion.

"---!!!"

As the card shattered in Rhode's hand, a crisp, bright bird cry erupted. Shimmering with cyan light and enveloped in wind elemental energy, the Soul Bird soared into the night sky. It transformed into a brilliant streak of light, shooting forward. A howling gale followed in the wake of the Soul Bird, pouncing upon the group locked in combat.

Neither Ben nor the black-clad ambushers expected Rhode to strike at his own side without hesitation. When that line of cyan light streaked past them, almost everyone froze subconsciously. But before they could react, the violent storm followed the signal and rushed toward them, sweeping everyone into its vortex.

"Whoa!!"

"Ah!"

The four people locked in combat let out various screams, stumbling and scattering to both sides. At that moment, Rhode had already turned into a shadow, seizing the opening.

Although he could not compare to professional thieves, rangers, or scouts in terms of stealth techniques, he was more than enough to deal with this level of enemy. As for the others, they hadn't even figured out what had happened; they only knew a sudden gale had blown past, and then the three black-clad men they were fighting were lying on the ground, silent. Before the three of them could even confirm the situation, Rhode's figure appeared beside them.

"Don't waste time. Protect the carriage."

"Ah, yes!"

Hearing Rhode's reminder, Ben finally realized his task. He hurriedly raised his longsword and waved for his subordinates to turn and run toward the carriage. Just then, Rhode sensed the figure that had been lurking directly ahead finally make a move.

This was the best opportunity for Orland.

After sending his subordinates to entangle the others, Orland had been prepared to launch a surprise attack at any moment. He hadn't expected Rhode's strength to be so formidable—four level-ten swordsmen couldn't even block his attacks. Fortunately, they had served their purpose, and now was the perfect time for him to act!

Just as Rhode killed the three black-clad men, Orland lunged from the brush, charging toward the carriage. During the earlier skirmish, he had gauged the enemy's strength: aside from that young man's overwhelming power, the three guards were as incompetent as he had imagined. And although that Spirit Master looked decent, such a profession had nothing to do with combat and could be ignored. As long as he was fast enough, he could capture Miss Helen before the young man returned. Then, using her as a shield, he could easily succeed.

"Who goes there!"

As a thief on the verge of advancing, Orland's speed was undeniably fast. Among those present, only Lize reacted besides Rhode. As a Spirit Master, she subconsciously cast a Shield of Protection on herself and retreated. However, Orland clearly had no intention of attacking her; he brushed past Lize and dove into the carriage.

"Help!!!"

Soon, Helen's screams echoed from within.

When the battle began, Helen had already woken up. She didn't know what was happening, but Lize had warned her to lock the door and hide carefully. So, the young lady could only huddle in the corner, ears pricked, listening in terror to the sounds of weapons clashing, screams, and shouts outside. It all made the noble girl tremble. She had never experienced such a thing, leaving Helen completely distraught and unsure of what to do. Just then, a figure suddenly burst into the carriage, causing Helen to scream instinctively. Before she could react further, the intruder clamped a hand over her mouth, grabbed her, and bolted out the other side of the carriage.

But by this time, Rhode had already led the others to surround them.

"Don't come any closer!"

Orland held a dagger to Helen's throat with one hand while tightly gripping her waist with the other. He watched Rhode, who stood to his right, with wary eyes and shouted in a low voice. Helen was clearly stunned by this sudden turn of events; she stood there, stiff and unresponsive.

"Let the young lady go!!"

Seeing Helen held hostage, Ben and his two subordinates turned pale. They knew they had made a grave mistake—if they hadn't blindly rushed forward, how could the young lady have been captured? Now, the enemy's blade was at her throat; the slightest movement could cost her her life. What were they to do?

"Hmph."

Seeing everyone stop, Orland felt a slight sense of relief. According to his plan, he just needed to hold Helen hostage and retreat into the forest to shake these people off. But...

Damn it, why is this fat woman so heavy? How much does she weigh? Weren't those rich young ladies supposed to be slender, delicate, and light? Like that Spirit Master girl? How is this woman as heavy as a pig? I can't even drag her! Is she really the eldest daughter of the Keller Family?

After struggling to drag her a few times, Orland's heart sank again. He hadn't expected this woman to be so heavy. When he first heard the target was the eldest daughter of the Keller Family, he hadn't thought much of it, assuming she would be no different from the frail rich girls he saw daily. Now that he had actually grabbed her, he realized things were not as simple as he thought. In fact, from the moment he captured Helen and rushed out of the carriage, Orland had felt something was wrong—he wasn't holding a person; he was holding a rock!

"Help, help!! Ben!!! You bastard, what are you standing there for? Come save me!"

Helen seemed to have snapped out of it and began to scream for help, but her words were cut short by the blade pressed firmly against her throat.

"Shut up, you fat pig! Or I'll take your life!!"

The fierce warning hissed in her ear made Helen clamp her mouth shut. Her round face contorted into a half-crying, half-laughing expression, which looked rather comical.

"Res, respected sir!"

Seeing his mistress held hostage, Ben was extremely nervous. He approached Rhode and pleaded in a low voice.

"Ple, please help me rescue my mistress from this villain. Miss Helen is the only heir of the Keller Family. If she dies..."

There was no need to hear what he was going to say next, so Rhode had no intention of listening.

Just as Ben was racking his brains, begging desperately, he saw Rhode's right hand suddenly flick forward.

Orland didn't understand the meaning behind Rhode's action, but the next moment, a cyan radiance flashed before his eyes.

Oh no!

That thought barely crossed Orland's mind before he felt Helen's body, held in front of him, get struck by an invisible fist. She let out a cry and doubled over heavily.

"Ah---!"

Under Rhode's control, the Soul Bird struck Helen squarely. While the blow wasn't fatal, it was certainly not light. A pampered young lady like Helen had never suffered such pain; in her agony, she even forgot the blade at her throat and instinctively doubled over.

Orland was stunned by this movement. After all, he hadn't intended to kill the young lady—his orders were to take her alive. But the young man's unconventional tactics caught Orland off guard. He hadn't expected the youth to strike so ruthlessly, seemingly unconcerned about whether he killed the woman. Faced with Helen's instinctive movement that put her own neck toward the blade, Orland could only subconsciously pull the dagger away, grit his teeth, and swing the hilt down toward Helen.

But he did not succeed in his goal.

A faint, golden barrier emerged from the void, forcefully blocking Orland's attack.

Shield of Protection!?

Orland looked up in shock and uncertainty, and then he saw the young girl standing to the side, her hands held forward, her expression grave, and her face covered in sweat.

At that very moment, Rhode moved.