Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 801 - 141: Fire Seed (Part 2)

A single punch sent that blessed, invulnerable body crashing into the pit; such power was even more terrifying than that of the "Empire's strongest man," Lance. They couldn't understand why Other Shore's seemingly slender arm could unleash such force.

And this time, the "spark" granted by the gods couldn't support him in getting up from the deep pit. It seemed he had completely succumbed to unconsciousness.

"Worried about this?"

Other Shore noticed the gaze from the remaining few, "Relax, I'm not some maniacal killer; why would I draw my sword in a street brawl?"

They saw Other Shore moving once again.

Even though their blessed vision allowed them to track Other Shore's movements, their bodies could not respond at all, making it appear as if Other Shore was walking straight towards them. Then...hooks, elbow strikes, knee strikes—these seemed like moves only seen in street fights, yet they could incapacitate them instantly.

Such speed...it was as if time itself had stopped!

This surpassed their understanding, power far above them, and they finally understood Other Shore's calmness—right from the start, she had never considered them as real opponents. To this mad woman, they might not differ fundamentally from the guards beside Master Fabius yesterday.

This was the scene the last of the Skinners saw.

The knee strike hit his abdomen, with pain lagging by a few seconds. His body dropped to the ground like a power outage, his head humiliatingly pinned by Other Shore's leather boot. He had no doubt that if this woman wished, she could crush his head with just one step.

But she did not do so.

She only left a lofty glance, and then nonchalantly took a hot dog from her bread bag, humming a tune as she bit into it.

The sound of footsteps grew fainter until her silhouette completely disappeared at the end of the alleyway.

Some time later, they heard another set of footsteps approaching, but their bodies remained paralyzed and immobile, leaving them no choice but to watch as another red-haired figure approached them.

The commander of the Imperial Army.

Highly trusted by Henry VI, undefeated in battle, the war god.

This reminded them that perhaps that mad woman hailed from the same place. Even though Cedric Thorn's hometown was said to have been destroyed in a war during his childhood, perhaps there were other survivors left.

Cedric had received a report from the Imperial Army early today; they had noticed the assassins tailing Other Shore.

Unlike the guards involved in the brawl yesterday, these were combat maniacs nurtured by Duke Ash like breeding venomous creatures, battle-hardened, emerging from heaps of bones just like him. Out of curiosity, he silently followed Other Shore, intending to witness firsthand the outcome of this skirmish.

And now, after briefly examining the Skinners' injuries, Cedric felt his blood boiling with excitement. He clenched his fists tightly, unable to stop them from trembling.

Finally met!

Since long ago, when he led the Imperial Army to sweep through all obstacles in the empire, he no longer held any hope. He thought there wouldn't be an opponent in this world capable of making him fight with all his strength, undiluted—and now, that person had appeared before him.

He felt the purest strength in Other Shore's way of taking down the Skinners, and he couldn't help but envision himself in the same scenario.

If it were him facing such encirclement, what would he do?

Victory would be certain, but definitely not as casually as Other Shore. These assassins were not only well-trained but also adept at cooperation, enough to make him draw his sword. It would evolve into a battle of life and death.

The intense excitement made Cedric want to rush out of the alley and block Other Shore, having it out with her in the bustling market of the Imperial Capital.

But then, another voice emerged in his mind, stopping him.

"Cedric Thorn, you should know, you're not prepared yet; this is far from your best condition."

He almost immediately looked at the Skinners collapsing at his feet, the voice in his mind coming from there, more accurately from within the Skinner's body. The Skinner himself had lost consciousness and lay motionless on the ground.

"You will be utterly defeated; I can see your true fear."

The voice continued echoing in his mind, "You're not afraid of failure; what truly terrifies you is being unable to unleash your full potential in this hard-won battle, whereas she is different. You are so similar, but she has already taken a step ahead of you, uncovering her full potential."

"Who are you?"

Cedric asked.

"If you wish to face your true self, come to me. I will grant you a spark."

...............

The Skinners failed.

Just like the guards yesterday, they lost their combat ability in a one-sided fashion.

In the afternoon, a shocking message reached Duke Ash's mansion.

Unlike yesterday's anger, this sudden news forced him to calm down, sitting back on the living room sofa.

He dispatched the cream of the crop among the Skinners, who had undergone the baptism and blessing of the "spark," already transformed. Moreover, they were explicitly informed that the red-haired woman was a Transcendent and had pre-planned tactics. Yet, under such circumstances, they still failed utterly before her.

For the first time, Duke Ash felt things were slipping out of his control.

"Well, it seems you haven't lost your sanity completely."

He heard the voice coming from the fireplace, something flickering faintly within the dancing flames.

That was the ancestor of the Simpler Clan, at least that's what Ash always believed.

Since he was young, he could hear the echoes from the ancestors, who still sheltered the Simpler Clan. They trained the Skinners, baptized their bodies, granted them the spark, allowing the clan to firmly grasp the power to maintain dominance.

"That woman...who is she?"

"She is someone who will bring calamity to the Simpler Clan,"

the flickering flames said, "Hand her over to me, don't waste any more time on her. You have other matters to face, don't you?"

Hearing this, Ash finally felt a sense of relief.

The ancestors reminded him he still had to identify the one responsible for Fulin's death, and today wasn't all bad news. Even though the Skinners he sent out had gone silent, the Imperial Army scouts brought back a piece of good news to the Imperial Capital—they had captured Lance.

Perhaps they could uncover the truth behind a series of incidents in Gear City from Lance.

The death of Great Summoner Haitia and the perpetrator behind the Fulin family's murder.

He also heard the Imperial Army brought back a young noble from Gear City, who would be returning to the Imperial Capital by airship tonight.

"Father, hasn't that red-haired woman been caught yet?"

Fabius' voice, filled with gritted teeth, came from nearby. He leaned on a cane, limping into the living room.

The doctor said his leg was broken and needed a month of rest at home. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But every time he closed his eyes, the arrogant demeanor of the red-haired woman would flash in his mind, making it impossible for him to calm down.

Perhaps only if she personally came to him, confessing, and humbly serving him during his recuperation would his anger be slightly appeased.

"We're hosting a banquet at the estate tonight."

Duke Ash didn't directly answer Fabius' question, "I will invite His Majesty Henry to attend the banquet personally, so you better prepare yourself accordingly."

Upon hearing Henry VI, Fabius couldn't help but curb himself a bit.

Duke Ash had made his decision.

His intuition told him that the young noble mentioned by the Imperial Army might know something.

Thus, with rightful justification, invite him to his mansion to attend this banquet.

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