Chapter 88: - The Lord Is With Us (9)

༺ The Lord Is With Us (9) ༻

She missed. Taken aback by the lack of sensation under her sword, Delphine’s eyes chased after Ian’s silhouette.

Ian was charging towards her while brandishing his sword.

Delphine had to acknowledge his monstrous sense for spacing. An aura blade was capable of reaching further beyond a blade’s normal length, making it more difficult to read, but Ian had managed to dodge her strike by a hair’s breadth.

Stunned, she wondered if what Ian had done was even possible, but there was no time for her to dwell on it.

He was drawing closer, and she had to stop him.

Stepping forward, Delphine thrust her blade at him, conjuring a ray of golden light.

It was a tactic to disorient his senses as it was harder to determine the range of a frontal thrust. It was a feat made possible only due to her overwhelming physical abilities. Otherwise, she would have struggled to retrieve her blade in time.

However, in the next instant, her sword once again sliced through empty space.

Instinctively, her eyes scanned her surroundings.

Then. seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Ian attempted to stab her without hesitation.

She hadn’t even seen which direction he had approached from.

Gritting her teeth, Delphine spun around, parrying his strike.

Her unstable footing prevented her from unleashing her full strength, but it was sufficient. Sparks flew through the air as Ian’s sword bounced back.

Regaining her stance, Delphine charged forward, unleashing a barrage of attacks.

A resounding crash echoed through the air each time their blades clashed, yet despite her superior physical prowess, Delphine couldn’t overpower him.

It was strange.

No matter whether Delphine advanced or retreated, the distance between her and Ian remained the same.

She felt like he was attached to her by some invisible thread. Whenever she closed in beyond a certain distance, she suddenly found herself within his striking range.

He maintained a distance where only he could attack while she could only defend

As the heiress of Yurdina, she had faced multiple powerful enemies in the past, but Delphine had never encountered a swordsman of such caliber.

In footwork, it was Delphine’s complete loss.

After their monotonous dance continued for a while, a faint glimmer of determination flickered in Delphine’s eyes.

‘Then, I’ll force my way in.’

She clenched her teeth, making up her mind. Although it would create an opening, there was something she could use to turn the tide of the battle.

It was the Yurdina’s secret sword, the Illusory Sword of the Golden Lion.

Like the claws of a lion, this technique unleashed multiple aura blades simultaneously, seamlessly hiding lethal strikes within deceptive illusory attacks together.

While her inexperienced half-sister could only create three blades, Delphine was capable of drawing five blades.

She thought that was enough to cover the small opening in her defense that was inevitably created when using the sword skill.

Having made up her mind, Delphine acted decisively. She anchored her foot to the ground and lunged towards him.

Abruptly coming face to face with Delphine prevented Ian from thinking about his next move. Her preparations would be completed the moment he took a step back.

It was the decisive moment.

Both Delphine and Ian seemed to realize this, and the looks in their eyes intensified.

In that split-second, Delphine’s sword dropped down to her lower left.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel.

Puk!

The sword pierced her other shoulder.

Delphine fumbled on the ground, her vision still hazy, and then, unable to bear the pain any longer, she collapsed.

“Ugh! Guh... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

She had been enduring the pain through clenched teeth, but once it intensified, her trembling jaws opened up to let loose a shrill scream.

Delphine gasped for breath as her vision turned hazy, only able to see straight ahead.

In the distance, the reaper was walking towards her.

Against the scarlet hue of the setting sun, his figure inched closer and closer, and the sound of his footsteps assaulted her ears, amplifying her fear.

The golden eyes penetrated her, and their owner languidly gazed down at her.

It was as if their battle was insignificant to him.

The man opened his mouth.

“Delphine Yurdina, I think you’re misunderstanding.......”

Then, he pulled out the hatchet stuck in her shoulder.

“g-guh... GAHHHHHH......!”

Like before, Delphine bit down on her lip, trying to stifle her scream, but the pain overwhelmed her.

And without hesitation, he brought the hatchet down on her calf.

Puk!

Blood spurted out from her leg like a geyser

She instinctively reached for her wounded leg, squirming and writhing in agony.

“Ugh...! Hik... ahhh....”

“I’m not here because of your petty threats.”

The man remained indifferent even as he watched her writhe in pain. Then, he kneeled before seizing her hair and forcing her to meet his gaze.

Her eyes brimmed with pain and tears, but also an undeniable fear.

The man stared into the trembling woman’s eyes and spoke.

“What makes you think I’m afraid of something like the Yurdinas?”

There was not an ounce of fear in his voice.

Even as Delphine’s mind became overwhelmed with pain and fear, a realization dawned upon her.

This man was not afraid of the Yurdina family.

Not even in the slightest.

She turned pale as her complexion drained of color.

Then, as if on cue, he swung his hatchet once more, cutting deeper into her leg.

More screams rang through the forest as the air was painted crimson with blood.

Delphine Yurdina didn’t know — This was only the beginning.