“The fourth sword, Rain Curtain!”
As the poisoned arrows approached, the Mr. Dead Soul standing on the shuttle remained calm, swiftly drawing another slender sword from their waist like lightning, and throwing it upward into the air!
The sword instantly split into two, then into four, transforming into a dense array of swords hanging over the hall like an inverted rain curtain, single-handedly shattering most of the falling poisoned arrows.
The few remaining arrows that slipped through were deflected and knocked away by the Shadow Guards with their blades, posing no threat.
Violet glanced curiously at the slender sword, which had automatically returned to the Mr. Dead Soul’s hand after completing the feat, reverting back to its original form.
Clearly, this was also a high-quality magical equipment, but could equipment of purple quality achieve this level? Did this person have seven swords, all of this caliber?
If that were the case, then this Mr. Dead Soul must have quite the background. High-level equipment in this world wasn’t something that could be easily acquired just by being wealthy and influential. Ordinary purple equipment might be obtainable, but the more powerful ones required luck.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
For example, there was a legendary adventurer who was completely penniless, with only a short bow of purple or higher quality on him, and he could only obtain his armor through favors, which served as a classic example of starting from scratch.
Removing the barrier above her and Menna’s heads, Violet shook her head and glanced at the ceiling of the hall. Initially, she had intended to cover the entire hall directly, but since someone seemed more eager to demonstrate, and it seemed the Shadow Guards didn’t need special protection, she decided against it.
It seemed she was right, the rats from the Ghost Thief Group were indeed up there.
“Miss Violet?”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
The little princess, who also noticed the clues from the volley of crossbow arrows, opened her mouth slightly. Without needing her to explain in detail, the black-haired girl nodded. She conjured out of the void a magnificent and sacred priest staff. With one hand supporting the light body of the blue-haired girl and the other gripping the end of the staff handle, she forcefully threw it upwards!
*Bang! Boom!!!*
The metal ceiling, obviously made of special materials, was instantly smashed open by the priest staff flying in a rolling motion, creating a huge hole several meters in diameter, causing several men dressed as thieves to fall down along with it.
“Wow!!!”
“Help! Help us, boss!”
*Plop, plop, plop...!*
The dying cries of the poachers went unanswered. With faces of despair, they fell straight into the hall, still exposing the formidable spikes covering the ground. In an instant, their bodies were pierced by sharp objects, spurting out crimson blood. Before the applied poison on the spikes could take effect, these fragile lives had already ceased to exist.
“Holy crap! What the hell is this? That’s a protective plate reinforced with steel! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat quickly!!”
“Go!”
Amidst the panicked curses and frantic footsteps coming from the shattered ceiling, Menna shouted urgently. Being the one with the strongest mental resilience, she and the other three from the 【Reaper’s Scythe】, along with over a dozen Shadow Guards who were closer, immediately rushed into the second floor through the hole, accompanied by the clashing sounds of weapons.
Violet raised her hand, catching the 【Eternal Scepter of the World’s Heart】, which had spun in the air for a dozen turns before automatically returning to her side. She felt a strange gaze from the blue-haired girl in her arms and awkwardly turned her head away.
“Why are you looking at me like that... It’s really not a close combat weapon disguised as a staff, it’s just a bit harder than usual. I rarely resort to violence like this, it’s just that the right people weren’t here...”
Menna twitched her lips a few times and smiled appropriately.
“No... Actually, it’s just my first time witnessing a 【Descender】 in action, it feels quite fresh... Uh, according to Miss Violet’s implication, don’t you usually refrain from getting physical with others?”
“Of course, seeing my outfit should make that clear. I’m a priest, you know, the kind that heals and helps others. Some people even praised my medical ethics before~”
“Uh...”
With more and more Shadow Guards flooding into the battlefield on the second floor, the sounds of clashes above became increasingly intense and frequent. The little princess quickly diverted the conversation away from a topic she wasn’t sure how to respond to and pointed upwards.
“Um, Miss Violet, let’s hurry up and go upstairs too. This group of people is probably just pawns used by the Ghost Thief Group to buy time. We shouldn’t let our guard down.”
“Oh, I see...”
The black-haired girl nodded and flapped her wings, carrying Menna to the center of the second floor.
To ensure that subsequent reinforcements could safely enter the second floor, a large area had been cleared near the hole smashed by Violet. The Ghost Thief Group members seemed to understand the disparity in strength and showed no intention of lingering, retreating towards the outside of the building.
However, at this moment, the intense battle outside gradually subsided. The door was kicked open, and another large group of Shadow Guards dressed in black rushed in, sealing off any hope of escape for the poachers.
Watching one Ghost Thief Group member after another being killed or captured, Violet couldn’t help but turn her head slightly and look at the blue-haired princess who had already regained her composure.
“Little Menna, did you know from the beginning that the enemy would set an ambush in the hall, so you sent some forces directly to the second floor? Are you able to see the future again?”
“How could that be possible... It’s just a precaution. Anyone with a bit of common sense knows not to put all their eggs in one basket. The Ghost Thief Group would definitely set up ambushes in the manor, and our forces far surpass these ragtag groups. By dispersing our troops, we can effectively avoid being ensnared by fixed traps and mechanisms.”
“I see.”
Violet nodded to herself.
Although it sounded like a simple principle, as Menna had said, their side’s strength far surpassed that of the Ghost Thief Group. Not to mention a certain priestess, even just the four members of the 【Reaper’s Scythe】 could probably crush those petty thieves if they were to directly confront them.
In this world, there would never be a shortage of clever people, but to maintain enough caution even in a situation of absolute superiority was particularly rare.
The one-sided battle ended quickly.
If Violet hadn’t been there, perhaps Menna and the others would have had to wait until the Shadow Guards broke through to the second floor, defeated the enemies, and disarmed the traps. This would have wasted a considerable amount of time and perhaps encountered some minor troubles. However, the priestess’s flying staff disrupted the Ghost Thief Group’s defense plan in an irrational manner.
From the mouths of the few captured Ghost Thief Group members, Menna learned that they had indeed been ordered to ambush the punitive expedition force that was coming to attack. However, the real higher-ups and important assets of the Ghost Thief Group had already been quietly moved through the secret passages.
As for what those important assets were, it was self-evident.
Nevertheless, despite this, the Shadow Guards responsible for searching still found over three hundred comatose nonhuman girls in the warehouse and dungeons, along with a large quantity of valuable but cumbersome treasures. Even with a rough estimate, it was difficult to gauge their accompanying value.
As for why those abducted nonhuman girls had fallen into a coma, the reason was simple. Before leaving, certain members of the Ghost Thief Group had arranged for poison gas or something similar to be placed in the house.
According to the testimonies of the captured Ghost Thief Group members, this was a vicious potion that wasn’t immediately lethal, but if left untreated for a certain period, the vital signs of the victim would deteriorate irreversibly into a fatal condition.
Moreover, there was no antidote for this potion, and the longer it was dragged out, the more severe the aftereffects would be.
The purpose of the Ghost Thief Group’s actions was quite obvious: to delay the pursuit team’s manpower as much as possible, thereby increasing their chances of successfully escaping.
It really fit the despicable image of poachers who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
The priestess couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.