Turning the Tide

"This is troublesome. I'm actually quite willing to be honest, but I really don't know anything."

Hearing the other party's words, W replied as such.

Perhaps because W had a pained expression, or perhaps because he never considered W a threat to begin with, the raised blade slowly lowered. Faced with prey that could no longer escape, the Sarkaz warrior intended to chat a little longer.

After all, a mere W head would not bring him much profit. If he could obtain more intelligence through this woman, or even find those people from Babel Tower, then he would strike it rich!

"You're badly injured, and we don't have much time. A hasty interrogation could very well kill you. I don't think that would be good for either of us."

"Then go after that woman. She knows more than I do."

Almost the moment the Sarkaz warrior finished his threat, W responded directly.

Without the slightest hesitation, she used Ines as a target to divert the conversation. At the same time, she was stalling for time.

Although Ines was usually difficult to get along with, she was still a teammate. W believed she would not simply leave, and she also believed that she would not die here.

This was not blind confidence, but experience gained through fighting alongside her time and again.

"...She used you as bait. Don't you hate her for it?"

Seeing W's expression, the Sarkaz warrior naturally understood that she was merely stalling for time, though it was useless.

Still, he would not casually kill the person before him. Within the Sarkaz mercenaries, W was someone with a certain degree of prestige and status, which meant she knew far more than ordinary Sarkaz mercenaries.

Catching someone of her standing was no easy task. Besides, with W's looks, she could fetch a good price after the interrogation. Wealthy men in places like Victoria were quite fond of such merchandise.

"Cooperate with us. It'll be much easier."

"Bait, huh..."

W frowned slightly, as though weighing the pros and cons. The Sarkaz warrior did not interrupt her thoughts. He intended to give this Sarkaz mercenary a little more time. After all, he had plenty of it.

"Have you... ever lured Originium Slugs with industrial Originium fragments?"

A smile appeared on W's face again, though it was somewhat twisted due to her injuries.

"What are you talking about?"

For some reason, the Sarkaz warrior suddenly felt that something was wrong, as if something had fixed its gaze on him.

He briefly scanned the surroundings, but saw nothing that could threaten him. His gaze returned to W, and his patience was slowly running out. Perhaps before long, he would be unable to resist cutting this mercenary down with the weapon in his hand.

As for extracting intelligence?

He had only decided to give it a try. He knew very well that it was easy to pry information from low-ranking mercenaries, but extracting it from someone like W, a mercenary with a certain status, was far more difficult.

"It's just a Kazdel folk remedy. Originium Slugs cause a lot of trouble, don't they?"

"Wild Originium Slugs are very stupid. They say the creatures react to Originium... setting aside whether that's true or not, do you know what happens to the bugs that get lured in?"

"Stop playing games!"

At that moment, the Sarkaz warrior's patience had been completely worn away. However, W had already achieved her goal.

Though she had no Originium detonators in her hands right now, that did not mean she could not trigger the Originium detonators she had arranged beforehand. This round, she had won!

Seeing Ines behind him, ghostlike as ever, W's smile grew brighter. Though the blade in his hand was only inches away from her, there was not a trace of fear on W's face. She knew she had won. She knew this sword had lost its chance to kill her!

"They get blown to bits, just like the ones lying in ambush behind you!"

"W-when?!"

Hearing W's words and sensing the violent burst of Originium energy from moments ago, the Sarkaz warrior's expression turned somewhat panicked.

If he had been alone, he naturally would not have appeared so brazenly before W. One of the things he had relied on was the companions lying in ambush behind him. But now, those companions had died in their opponents' trap.

"Sigh... I told you, I was live bait. Do you think there wouldn't be a trap prepared?"

"You should have killed me sooner, or just run away. I'll give you another chance. Let's start over."

"Cough, cough..."

There was a hint of mockery in W's words. After pausing briefly, she continued:

"...So soon?! You were tracking us?!"

Perhaps to match her words, W even put on the same expression she had worn when the two had first met.

But how could the Sarkaz warrior possibly care about that now? He already understood that he had been fooled. He had stepped into the trap of this hateful female Sarkaz before him, and he had squandered his chance to turn the situation around!

"You lunatic!"

The Sarkaz warrior raised his sword and prepared to strike at W, but the sudden sensation behind him stopped his movement.

It was the touch of a sharp blade against skin. It was the sensation of having one's life about to be taken. Driven by instinct, the Sarkaz warrior froze.

"When?!"

"My affinity with shadows is quite high. Did you really think you could catch me without bringing along a single scout?"

It was Ines. At that moment, she stood behind the Sarkaz warrior with a rapier in hand, its tip already pressed against his vital point.

"Come on. Tell me, who is your master?"

The blade slowly pierced into the Sarkaz warrior's body. At that moment, the Sarkaz warrior let out a pained howl.

But this was only the beginning. There was still some time before this interrogation would be over!

"I... won't..."

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Before he could finish speaking, the intense pain turned into a tangible roar that burst from the Sarkaz warrior's mouth. As Ines twisted her rapier, his internal organs became a mess. He could no longer survive.

"Kazdel... will not... forgive... you..."

Words like a dying testament came from the Sarkaz warrior's mouth. Then his body collapsed onto the ground like a lump of mud...