Margaret and the others channeled their magic to disperse the smoke.
When the smoke cleared, they found that Sairi had vanished without a trace.
“What! That brat actually got away? This is a disgrace! How can you knights be so incompetent! Ah, ouch, ouch, ouch…”
Barrios roared carelessly, throwing a tantrum and blaming everyone’s incompetence. But in his agitation, he accidentally grabbed at the spot where Sairi had stabbed him earlier.
“Don’t get worked up, Mr. Barrios. You all saw that girl called Sairi isn’t ordinary.”
Margaret tended to the old man’s wound while calming the group’s emotions.
“Yes, everyone saw how extraordinarily strong that child’s combat ability is. Even our weapons forged with the Holy Sanctuary’s divine power were damaged—she’s no ordinary person.”
“If we insist on chasing her, it might not be worth it. Besides, we’ve already lost her trace and can’t sense where she went.”
Leon remained as calm as ever, using this reasoning to soothe everyone.
Then Leon raised his voice to encourage the soldiers, praising their bravery in today’s fight—even if they weren’t sure whether that bravery was justified.
But by this point, emotions had been settled, and seeing his influence waning, Barrios had no choice but to accept the situation.
“Sigh, useless lot, you made me lose such expensive magical equipment. Fall back!”
With Barrios’ order, the soldiers fell into formation and began returning toward the kingdom.
“Is she really gone? Are they alright?”
Margaret anxiously approached Leon, with Vidal silently following close behind.
“They should be fine. That girl is no ordinary one. We need to keep an eye out in the future, but for now, let’s fall back and return.”
“Alright. Although unwilling, Leon’s words are true. That girl named Sairi displayed exceptional combat power. Even though Leon and the others held back out of old ties and didn’t fight with full force, her performance still shook them deeply.”
“I wonder if Hilvia and the others are safe.”
“They will be fine, Margaret. Don’t worry. Believe in them. They’ve faced far worse dangers together before. Trust them and pray for them.”
“Why worry about that lunatic? You’re kingdom men—don’t be swayed for a stranger or a traitor! Everyone, fall back!”
Barrios didn’t care about any of this. In fact, he was secretly hoping Hilvia and Sairi would die soon so he could “offer advice” and receive praise again.
***
After the battle, the once-beautiful grassland was now a ruin, scarred everywhere by signs of combat.
Leon and his group gathered their soldiers into formation and returned to the kingdom, leaving behind nothing but chaos.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sairi used the item given by Autelanz to block all senses from others.
She cast magic to enhance her physical abilities and desperately ran toward the Blood Spirit Empire’s direction.
Along the way, Sairi dared not stop, unsure of the effects of the item Autelanz had given her or whether Leon and the others would catch up. It was all uncertain.
Night fell.
Breathing heavily.
So Sairi ran relentlessly, throwing everything else from her mind, pushing herself with every ounce of strength without resting—from the battle withdrawal until nightfall, under the stars.
Indeed, Sairi ran all day long.
Throughout the journey, she was constantly on edge, fearing someone would suddenly jump out and ambush her.
She absolutely would not be captured. Going to the Blood Spirit Empire was Hilvia’s promise, and she could not let Hilvia down.
Finally, after traveling deep into the Blood Spirit Empire’s territory for a long distance, Sairi came upon a forest. She decided to hide inside to rest for a while.
Along the way, Sairi passed Blood Clan villages, small towns, and caravans, but fearing exposure, she kept avoiding them.
Further in, Sairi saw a river before her. Warm feelings stirred in her heart, so she found a large tree by the riverbank to lean against, hoping to catch her breath.
Sairi felt like she was falling apart.
From sunrise to sunset, under the stars—Sairi’s desperate escape.
Even now, fear still clung to her, worrying that Leon and the others might catch up or some other misfortune would happen.
But her strength was long exhausted. Her legs felt filled with lead, and each breath dragged at her cracked throat and burning chest.
Sweat soaked her thin clothes, then was chilled by the cold forest breeze, clinging to her skin and sending shivers down her spine.
Was she sick? Had she run too long and grown weak, neglecting the day-night temperature difference and caught a cold?
Her vision blurred at the edges, darkening in patches. In her ears, only her own heavy, bellows-like gasping and pounding heartbeat could be heard, while the muscles in her calves trembled.
The rough, cold tree bark pressed against her back. Although it might worsen her condition, she couldn’t bear the sweat and heat any longer.
Exhausted to the edge of consciousness, she just wanted to slip into darkness—even if only for a brief moment of peace.
So sleepy… I just want to sleep… Sister Hilvia… sniff…
Sairi slapped herself twice to regain some spirit, but only managed to cause another kind of numbness.
When alone and overwhelmed by fatigue and pain, one’s mind involuntarily turns to the help one wishes for—the person one hopes to see.
And Hilvia was the one Sairi wanted to see most now. She longed to curl up in Hilvia’s arms, to see her smile again, to hear her say her health was fine… to bring good news.
Sairi decided to release the image of Hilvia’s shining hairpin into her mind’s world, hoping her innocent fantasy might be fulfilled, even if it was wishful thinking.
Just then—
A faint, almost invisible presence intertwined with the shadows of the forest like icy spider silk suddenly wrapped around Sairi’s senses!
It was a pure, ancient, and cold gaze of a top predator! Not deliberately released, but its mere existence was enough to stop the heart of a weakened prey.
Sairi shivered violently. Her remaining will to live forced her to lift her head, trying to focus her cloudy vision.
She saw the grass shaking in the distance, and fear gripped her heart. Immediately, she summoned the Rainbow Sword into her hand, though she was too weak to raise it properly—the sword still pressed lightly against the ground.
Sairi forced out a hoarse whisper. It was barely audible, but fortunately, the forest was silent without rustling grass or bird calls, so the sound might still be heard.
Tense, she watched the shaking grass, calculating how to either fight to the death or escape.
But the next second, two rabbits hopped out, leaving her speechless. She realized she had overreacted.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew. Sairi felt like she had stepped into a horror film. Less than ten steps away, under a patch of moonlight, a small figure stood silently, as if appearing out of thin air.
Liliath—the princess of the Blood Spirit Empire—tilted her head, watching the disheveled “prey” beneath the tree with interest.
She looked… as delicate as a fragile moonlight doll. Of ordinary teenage height, at least taller than Sairi, with a slender figure and a perfectly flat chest, much like Sairi herself.
Her long silver-white hair, woven from moonlight, flowed smoothly over her shoulders. The tips shimmered like pearls, with a few rebellious strands brushing her pale, nearly translucent cheeks.
Her skin was delicate and pale, seemingly glowing faintly in the dim light, making her eyes stand out—eyes like the purest, deepest rubies, sparkling with a curious yet cruel childish light, as if she had discovered a new toy.
Her small nose and petals-soft pink lips formed a doll-like face that could inspire anyone’s sympathy.
Yet beneath this exquisite and fragile exterior emanated a bone-chilling horror.
She wore a dark red Gothic-style short dress, trimmed with intricate black lace.
Her slender legs were wrapped in matching dark red stockings, and on her feet were small black leather boots decorated with blood-red roses.
This outfit was less a battle costume and more an expensive work of art. But most striking was the huge weapon she held behind her back—the Bloodshadow Scythe.
The scythe’s design was fierce and terrifying, its massive curved blade seeming forged from solidified shadows and blood, radiating a chilling dark red glow.
The back of the blade flowed with scarlet energy lines that seemed alive, twisting around a black metal handle embossed with thorny dark gold reliefs.
A faint blood-colored mist swirled around the weapon, pulsing gently with her breath, making the surrounding air thick and cold as if warped by the deadly weapon.
“Eh?”
Liliath’ clear, bell-like voice broke the silence. Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly like a lazy cat watching the mouse beneath her claws.
“A… lost little snack? Carrying that annoying sunlight and… the scent of fear.”
Her delicate nose wrinkled slightly in disdain at the lingering human scent and the sweat of escape on Sairi.
Sairi’s heart nearly leapt from her throat! Vampires! And such terrifying vampires! Hilvia’s warning exploded in her mind.
Fear overwhelmed her fatigue instantly. Her survival instinct propelled her to spring up from the ground (though weak and uncoordinated), pressing her back against the sturdy tree trunk, adopting a barely stable but hostile defensive stance.
Such a terrifying scythe and those blood-red eyes—definitely a vampire. Hilvia had said the relationship between vampires and humans was far from friendly. If captured, she would surely be drained mercilessly.
Sairi gripped the Rainbow Sword tightly, trembling violently from weakness and fear, but her gaze fixed on Liliath, full of terror, vigilance, and unyielding stubbornness.
“Stay… away from me! You filthy vampire!”
Her voice was hoarse and broken but carried a desperate fierceness.
“Filthy vampire?”
Liliath’ ruby eyes flashed with displeasure for a moment before shifting to a playful smile.
It was as if she’d heard a funny joke, her lips curling into a charming yet sinister arc.
“How rude, interrupting my hunting practice and then speaking ill of me…” She toyed with the massive Bloodshadow Scythe in her hands, the blood glow on the blade intensifying.
“As punishment… let this princess see what your fearful heart tastes like.”
Before she finished, Liliath’ figure blurred suddenly!
No warning, no sound of wind! She seemed to merge into the shadows. The next instant, an icy, bone-piercing killing intent appeared at Sairi’s left side.
The enormous scythe didn’t strike directly but swept silently like a ghost, aiming for Sairi’s ankle! Its speed surpassed Sairi’s weakened reflexes.
“Ah!”
Sairi only managed a short cry as her body instinctively rolled backward awkwardly.
The blade hissed as it grazed past her foot. Though it didn’t land a solid blow, the terrifying aura on the scythe tore her stockings and sent a cold sting through her calf.
But this was only the beginning!
Liliath’ figure flickered like a blood-colored phantom under the thin moonlight.
The massive Bloodshadow Scythe in her hand was as light as a feather, striking like a snake’s tongue aiming for vital points, yet carefully controlling strength and angle so as not to cause much physical damage—each strike only leaving shallow blood marks or tearing clothing, as if intentionally.
This was not an even fight, but a cruel game of cat and mouse!
Liliath seemed to relish the futile struggles of her prey, lightly jumping and spinning, the dark red skirt fluttering, silver hair flowing—dancing a deadly dance under the moonlight, beautiful and lethal.
Sairi gave everything to dodge and block with her fragile arms, each movement draining her remaining energy.
Despair washed over her like icy waves.
Sister Hilvia… I’m sorry…
Finally, after rolling desperately to avoid a vertical scythe strike, Sairi completely exhausted herself and collapsed heavily on the ground, vision going black, too weak even to lift a finger.
She could only vaguely see a pair of delicate black leather boots stopping before her.
Liliath bent down, casually slinging the huge scythe over her shoulder. She reached out with a pale, slender hand and gently lifted Sairi’s chin with cold fingertips, forcing her to look at her.
That angelic doll face showed a hint of lingering regret and the excitement of discovering a new toy.
By now, Sairi was filthy and disheveled, dirt smudging her face and her clothes torn and bloodied from the scythe’s strikes.
“Tsk, so fragile, and already broken?”
Liliath sneered, her red eyes scanning the bleeding wounds on Sairi. She leaned in and sniffed the extremely weak breath.
“But… beneath that annoying sunlight scent, there seems to be something else? Interesting…” She sniffed again, a glint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
“This scent… is somewhat familiar…”
Sairi’s consciousness drifted away, feeling the cold hand leave her chin and something wrapping around her.
Then, her body felt light, as if lifted by a gentle but irresistible force.
In a haze, she heard that clear voice with undeniable authority echoing above, as if through a thick curtain of water:
“Enough, practice is over. Take this ‘little snack’ back, clean her up, and lock her away. This princess intends… to study her thoroughly.”
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