Chapter 302: Airi, You Wouldn’t Want Me to Crush Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment, Would You?
A deadly sneak attack.
Throat and heart.
The twins’ attack was swift and merciless, leaving no time to react.
Airi smiled, anticipating the sight of Athena’s blood splattering across the snow. But a yellowish light suddenly enveloped Athena.
Screech…
The sharp daggers met resistance, a sound like scraping metal, sparks flying.
Rock Armor!
An earth-based defensive spell had materialized at the last moment, blocking the daggers.
Beautiful. As expected of Athena.
Qin Chu, hidden in the trees, praised her silently.
Her timing had been perfect. A fraction of a second later, and the daggers would have pierced her throat.
Rogues were a mage’s natural enemy.
Mages possessed immense destructive power, especially in large-scale battles, acting as mobile artillery, raining down spells upon their enemies.
But their offensive power was offset by their physical frailty.
A rogue’s sneak attack or an archer’s arrow could easily prove fatal, especially a coordinated attack by two rogues of equal strength.
However, despite blocking the attack, Athena’s situation was still precarious.
And Qin Chu had no intention of intervening.
The force of the impact sent the twins stumbling back. They quickly regained their footing, flanking Athena, their faces grim.
They hadn’t expected her to react so quickly… it could only mean one thing: she had been anticipating their attack.
What a treacherous bitch.
Not even trusting her own comrades.
Airi cursed inwardly, oblivious to her own hypocrisy.
After all, in her self-centered mind, her actions were always justified, while any action that inconvenienced her was wrong.
Athena frowned, glancing at the two small figures.
Airi clapped her hands lightly: “Impressive, Athena. You actually dodged that.”
“You knew we were going to attack?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
She was annoyed. She had thought she had hidden her intentions well.
“I contacted Sylph earlier…” Athena said calmly. “She said you two were planning to use Lomond to eliminate her… I didn’t believe you would betray a comrade… but it seems a little caution was warranted.”
Tsk!
Airi clicked her tongue. That damned Sylph.
Such a blabbermouth. I’ll cut her tongue out when I get back.
Athena asked: “Why?”
“Why what?” Airi tilted her head, feigning confusion, circling Athena slowly, as if taking a stroll. Suddenly, she clapped her hands cutely: “Oh, you mean attacking you? Why wouldn’t we? Don’t you think there are too many girls around Jie Luo?”
“I don’t want him to be surrounded by so many girls when he’s resurrected… just me… and maybe sister, is enough.”
“Shameless, big-breasted woman like you, using your body to seduce him… you don’t deserve to be near him!”
Airi glared at Athena’s figure. Tch, what’s so great about big breasts? It’s just more fat.
“Athena, you don’t think you can fight both of us, do you?”
“If you hand over Jie Luo’s soul fragment, I might let you die quickly.”
Athena’s lips twitched: “Do you think that’s possible?”
The twins didn’t notice the faint green mist slowly spreading across the ground.
The power of Plague!
While Athena wasn’t eager to use this sinister power, she had to admit it was effective.
Especially in this situation. The plague spread silently, undetectable even to skilled rogues.
She was stalling, waiting for the plague to spread, to weaken the twins.
Eileen sighed: “It seems negotiations have failed.”
As her voice faded, she vanished.
Airi smiled, continuing to circle Athena, seemingly relaxed, but her movements kept Athena’s attention divided, preventing her from sensing Eileen’s hidden presence.
Eileen, lurking in the shadows, could strike at any moment.
The uncertainty made Athena’s skin crawl… one in the open, one hidden, she was forced to divide her attention, constantly on guard.
The twins’ coordination was perfect. They used their advantage effectively, applying psychological pressure even without attacking.
Athena’s hand, gripping her staff, was slick with sweat.
The pressure intensified with each passing second. The tense atmosphere was more terrifying than actual combat.
Normally, she wouldn’t fear the twins. While she might not be able to defeat them, she could escape. But her mental strength was depleted from probing the soul fragment, a sharp pain occasionally piercing her head. She hadn’t had time to recover.
She couldn’t hold out much longer.
Qin Chu, hidden in the trees, watched with curiosity, wondering how Athena would escape this predicament.
She wasn’t one to accept defeat easily.
“Aren’t you going to help? She might actually die. You’ll lose a useful tool…” Shaye asked, perched on his shoulder.
Qin Chu shrugged: “Don’t worry, she won’t die…”
He glanced at Ireta: “With the Acting Death God here, even if she dies, opening a backdoor shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Ireta rolled her eyes. Was her authority over death meant for opening backdoors?
Suddenly, Athena took a deep breath, her left hand opening to reveal the soul fragment.
Huh? Is she surrendering?
Qin Chu frowned. This wasn’t like her.
The twins’ gazes were drawn to the fragment, even Eileen emerging from the shadows.
Their eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Athena, you’re smarter than I thought. Should have done this earlier.”
Airi’s voice was slightly breathless: “Give me Jie Luo’s soul fragment. I’ll give you a quick death. You won’t feel a thing…”
Liar…
She would torture any woman with a better figure than her own. Killing them quickly would be a waste.
But to their surprise, Athena smiled coldly, the soul fragment rolling between her fingers: “Give it to you? In your dreams.”
Huh?
Airi didn’t understand.
If she wasn’t giving it to them, why show it?
Athena took a deep breath:
“Airi… you wouldn’t want me to crush Jie Luo’s soul fragment, would you?”
Qin Chu almost choked, suppressing a laugh. Fortunately, the three women were too focused to notice.
He had anticipated several possible escape routes for Athena, but he hadn’t expected this.
You’ve fallen.
Athena, you’ve fallen.
You weren’t like this before. Who taught you this?
He lamented her descent into depravity.
The twins were stunned, their movements freezing, their eyes wide with disbelief.
“Athena, what are you talking about? If you crush the soul fragment, then Jie Luo…”
“I’m about to die. What do I care?” Athena interrupted coldly. She didn’t add that one fragment had already been destroyed, making Jie Luo’s resurrection impossible regardless.
Airi’s lips trembled, her innocent smile faltering: “Haha, no, Athena, you wouldn’t do that…”
“Want to bet?” Athena raised an eyebrow.
She tightened her grip on the fragment.
The twins frowned, their eyes filled with anger and resentment. After a long moment, they retreated, vanishing into the forest.
The soul fragment’s integrity was crucial for Jie Luo’s resurrection. They couldn’t risk it.
Even after they were gone, Athena remained tense, her grip on the soul fragment tight.
After a long while, she finally started walking, her senses alert, ready to react if the twins reappeared.
But after only a few steps, a sharp pain shot through her ankle. She looked down to see a deep gash, her tights and the skin beneath sliced open.
A thin metal wire was embedded in the ground.
Just as Athena had subtly released the plague, Airi, while seemingly strolling around her, had been setting traps.
Her ankle nearly severed, Athena’s face paled.
Then, another wire sprang from the ground, snatching the soul fragment from her hand.
Athena, you’re still too inexperienced.
Qin Chu smirked inwardly. If it were him, he wouldn’t have given them a chance…
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