Clang!

The Guard Captain twisted his axe handle and blocked the strike with frightening precision.

Sparks scattered between them.

Solenne’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Unlike the previous two guards, this one was not merely relying on the natural strength of the Scorpion Men.

He had technique and his battle instinct was extremely sharp.

And more importantly, he did not look down on her after seeing her previous attacks.

The Guard Captain growled and swept his axe horizontally.

The attack was heavy.

Too heavy.

The vacuum around them vibrated.

Even before the blade arrived, the pressure made the sand beneath Solenne’s feet scatter outward.

She jumped back lightly, her body twisting midair as the axe blade passed beneath her. The force alone sliced open the ground where she had stood.

Before she landed, the Guard Captain’s stinger shot toward her chest like black lightning.

Watching the incoming terrifying strike, Solenne did not fluster but responded in kind. Her left blade flashed downward.

Clang!

The stinger was deflected by a hair’s breadth.

Her right blade followed immediately, cutting toward the joint between his arm and shell.

Everything was fluid.

Precise.

Calculated.

Still...

Instead for the Scorpion Guard Captain retreating, he stepped forward with domineering momentum.

His massive body crashed into her path, forcing her blade to scrape across his hard shell rather than sink into the joint.

And a sharp sound echoed.

Solenne’s arm trembled slightly from the impact.

"Yes!"

"Put her in her place."

The Scorpion Men on the wall finally smiled again, their pride returning as they talked in loud voices.

Their Guard Captain was different.

This human woman might have defeated two guards, but before the captain, she would soon understand the true power of their Scorpion Clan.

Bang!

On the battleground, the Scorpion Guard Captain axe descended with breathtaking power again.

Solenne sidestepped, and the edge of the axe scraped past her shoulder, tearing a thin line across her sleeve.

Blood appeared, but her expression did not change.

Instead, her footwork became lighter.

Her blades began to move in a rhythm.

One step.

Two steps.

Turn.

Twist.

Slash.

Retreat.

Advance.

She became like a red shadow dancing around a mountain of crimson shell and muscle.

The Guard Captain roared and attacked wildly, but every time his axe seemed about to crush her, Solenne slipped away by the thinnest margin.

Strikes after strikes.

To many watching, the Guard Captain with ferocious momentum might seem to be winning the fight but those with kin sight knew better.

The Guard Captain’s previous pristine body was now covered in cuts. Every part of his body was riddle cut, none excluded with blood flowing out continuously.

At first, the cut might not be life threatening but with each passing second, the wounds were stacking on each other, showing its effect.

The Scorpion Guard Captain became slower.

Late reflex action.

His intimidating momentum was cut off with each passing moment.

The Scorpion Guard Captain realized this, and his eyes became colder.

"You are not here just to deliver a message," he growled in a rough voice.

Solenne did not respond. She did not have to.

Her blade would do the talking.

She leaned aside, avoided his stinger, and cut a shallow line across its side.

The Guard Captain hissed and his muscles trembled. He wanted to scream but held back at the last moment.

Seeing this, Solenne sneered and said. "I said I have a message for your king."

Her voice was calm.

"But if you insist on blocking me, then I will deliver it through your screams."

The Scorpion Men watching from the wall erupted with furious hisses.

The Guard Captain’s expression twisted.

"Human arrogance!"

He raised his axe high, and a dark crimson aura burst from his body.

The sand around him sank.

The air trembled.

For a brief moment, his level 37 pressure spread fully across the entrance.

Even Solenne felt her chest tighten slightly but she did not retreat. She tightened her grip on her blades.

Behind her, far away from the Scorpion City gate, hidden within the shifting dunes, several Crimson Arc Guild elite members watched with tense expressions.

They wanted to help.

But they had been ordered not to move unless Solenne gave the signal.

This was her role.

This was the part she had accepted.

She had to stand before the Scorpion Clan alone and make them take her seriously.

The Guard Captain stepped forward again.

The massive axe descended with greater speed than before.

Boom!

Solenne dodged to the right, but the shockwave struck her side and forced her back several steps.

The Scorpion Men cheered coldly.

The Guard Captain did not give her time to recover.

His stinger pierced toward her face.

His left claw swept toward her waist.

His axe followed from above.

Three killing moves arrived at once.

Solenne’s eyes sharpened.

Her mana surged.

For a moment, her body seemed to blur.

[Crimson Step]

She vanished from the center of the three attacks and appeared behind the Guard Captain.

Her two blades crossed.

Then they flashed outward.

Swish!

A deep wound opened across the Guard Captain’s back.

Blood splattered onto the sand.

The Guard Captain staggered forward with a furious roar.

Before he could turn, Solenne’s figure circled around him like a dancing blade of wind.

Another slash landed on his leg joint.

Another across his side.

Another across the base of his stinger.

Argh!

The Guard Captain’s roar finally turned painful. The Scorpion Men watching from the wall fell silent immediately.

This was not what they expected.

Their confidence began to crack.

Their pride began to tremble.

The human woman they thought would be crushed was still standing.

The Guard Captain they trusted was bleeding.

Solenne stepped back lightly and raised one blade, pointing it toward the city gate.

"I will say it again," she said coldly. "I am Solenne, Guild Master of the Crimson Arc Guild."

Her voice spread across the entrance once more.

"I have a message for your king."

The wounded Guard Captain turned slowly, his breathing heavy and his eyes filled with violent hatred.

But this time, he did not rush forward immediately.

For the first time, he hesitated. His instinct screamed of his impending doom if he rushed forward once again.

And for the first time, silence reigned outside the Scorpion Clan City.