Chapter 1040: Against the Enemy
Just as the iron hook was about to swing, Hesta twisted around with impossible speed, grabbing its tip with one hand.
She hissed and immediately let go. The hook was covered in caltrop-like barbs that had nearly sliced open her fingertips.
At that moment, another person circled around to the corridor behind her, seemingly intending to flank her with the person in front and force her toward the window.
...Which meant there was an ambush outside the window too.
In the narrow corridor, Hesta engaged the two in close combat. There was no doubt that both were Quicksilver Needles—or rather, wielders of Quicksilver Needle abilities—but the weapons they used for close quarters had completely departed from designs meant for Chelated Beings. Every weapon made to hunt Chelated Beings was, without exception, straight, sharp, and narrow, convenient for piercing nasal cavities and eye sockets.
In a few swift dodges, a row of iron spikes came flying along Hesta's path. They targeted her vital points, and from her opponents' fierce, frantic movements, Hesta could read their fear.
Hesta ducked and rolled halfway across the ground, smashing through the window. The anticipated ambush descended from above. In one breath, Hesta threw the four steel spikes she had caught earlier. Two flew wide to either side, while the two in the middle struck her opponent directly in the throat. Under the pallid moonlight, the Quicksilver Needle who had just shown herself coughed up a mouthful of hot blood.
The other Quicksilver Needle lying in wait outside clearly panicked. She cried out and immediately abandoned her position to check on her companion's injuries. Hesta watched in both astonishment and fury—in the middle of a battlefield, in such a fierce fight, while the enemy was still moving, she had actually ignored