Having experienced many life-and-death situations, Laisa’s heart raced, her palms sweating. She knew she was being targeted by sothing.
However, her rich experience prevented her from making any drastic moves. Instead, she quietly retrieved a palm-sized copper mirror from the lining under her forearm’s armor and raised it slightly.
The next instant, her pupils contracted sharply!
On a rock about ten ters behind her, a large feline - entirely snow-white with a few strands of icy blue patterns on its back - was staring at her with blue vertical pupils.
At this mont, it was slowly lowering its front shoulders, its forelimb muscles taut like a drawn bowstring, seemingly poised to pounce.
’Frost Blade Leopard!’
’Damn! How could it have spotted first!’
’Why isn’t it hunting snow rabbits?’
A series of thoughts rushed through Laisa’s mind, but the next instant, refined through nurous brushes with death, they transford into a singular action - dodge!
With her powerful leg muscles suddenly exerting force, Laisa lunged forward several ters, then added a nearly ninety-degree turn, sprinting quickly toward the pre-set ambush point.
Executing Gale Step, Laisa beca a gray blur, zigzagging rapidly through the highland adows dotted with massive rocks.
Just when she felt a slight relief, suddenly she rolled on the spot and glanced back.
There was a snow-white silhouette, agile yet light, landing deftly behind her, while the blue vertical pupils betrayed a humorously human-like teasing expression.
’Is it toying with ?’
Before Laisa could ponder how it had gotten so fast, she instantly understood the aning behind its gaze.
Swish!
Laisa crossed her dual darts in front of her, assuming a defensive posture.
At this mont, she didn’t want to run; she knew that turning her back would lead to certain death by this fast-moving Frost Blade Leopard.
The opponent’s speed was too quick!
Staring intently, Laisa realized this one was sleeker and more streamlined than the one she’d previously encircled.
Especially the lower shins of its limbs, extrely elongated, clearly indicating imnse explosive power.
’Damn it!’
’It’s actually this fast!’
’I should never have owed such a favor; now my life might be at stake.’
’Luckily, there’s a trap device a few ters away.’
...
Raine, lying quietly on the ground, suddenly lifted his head toward the direction Laisa had just left.
In the distance.
A gray line was zigzagging swiftly, with a snow-white athletic figure closely trailing.
"Caught its attention!"
Raine initially felt elated, but then his brow furrowed slightly.
He clearly saw that twice, if not for the swift turns of the gray line, the snow-white figure would have caught up.
Raine exchanged looks with Elise, who was hiding behind a rock, and both saw concern in each other’s eyes.
Thankfully, a second later, Laisa reached the trap location she had preset.
"Boom!!"
A thick smoke burst forth, and the Frost Blade Leopard was visibly startled, leaping high to dodge the yellow-green smoke, landing atop an oval boulder.
Raine keenly noticed a faint white shield around the Frost Blade Leopard’s body, reflecting a frost-like semi-white semi-transparent hue in the afternoon sunlight.
’Frost Armor Spell!’
The triggered trap instinctively made the Frost Blade Leopard cast the Frost Armor Spell, allowing Raine to observe the actual situation of this spell.
On the other hand, the sudden trap irritated the Frost Blade Leopard.
If previously it had been sowhat toying with Laisa, now it intended to display real strength, pinning the daring human female under its claws.
With an agile leap, its speed increased by three fractions compared to before, rapidly pursuing Laisa.
’This is bad!’
’Laisa won’t make it back in ti!’
Raine’s pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly judged that Laisa would engage the Frost Blade Leopard in close combat before reaching the planned trap location.
Although the distance was only forty to fifty ters, the speed of the Frost Blade Leopard was much faster than expected.
This ant that Raine faced a choice.
Should he go forward to assist Laisa?
Or should he continue waiting by the explosive trap for Laisa to lure the Frost Blade Leopard over?
If he went out to assist, the sudden appearance of a second human might scare the Frost Blade Leopard away, ruining his hunting plan.
Of course, it was also possible the Frost Blade Leopard wouldn’t flee and would instead attack him.
However, compared to ambushing a Frost Blade Leopard caught in an explosive trap and in a fury, confronting an unhurt Frost Blade Leopard head-on would naturally be much more stressful and dangerous.
If he chose the latter, he would be safe, but letting an assassin face off one-on-one against a speed-oriented Frost Blade Leopard capable of casting frost spells would likely result in...
But almost instantly, Raine made a decision.
On one hand, it was based on his inner moral code. Even if Laisa might betray him, at least at this mont, she hadn’t, and as a teammate, Raine felt he should try to help.
On the other hand, it was a practical consideration. Because once the Frost Blade Leopard severely injured or even killed Laisa, given its keen sense of sll, it would likely discover them not far away.
With his and Elise’s strength, killing the Frost Blade Leopard was nearly impossible, and managing a safe retreat would be quite good already.
But if they saved Laisa, with the combined efforts of the three, not only could they possibly fend off the attack, but there was also a fair chance of counter-killing the Frost Blade Leopard.
"I’m going to assist."
"Bang!"
Before he finished speaking, Raine suddenly dashed towards Laisa, while striking his shield with the Warhamr towards the Frost Blade Leopard.
This sudden human figure and sound startled the Frost Blade Leopard that was about to catch up to Laisa. It leapt aside nimbly, its blue vertical pupils displaying a human-like expression of uncertainty.
However, it soon seed to realize that this suddenly appearing human male, though tall, had an aura that wasn’t condensed. Not to ntion compared to itself, even when compared to that human female, he seed weaker.
Being provoked by a weaker being made the Frost Blade Leopard more annoyed, baring its teeth and growling lowly. But as if concerned about the possibility of more humans lying in ambush, it hesitated about whether to continue attacking.
anwhile, Laisa’s feelings were sowhat complicated at this mont.
Because before setting off, she had made it clear to Raine that only after the Frost Blade Leopard had triggered the explosive trap would they completely enrage it.
Now that Raine stepped forward early, it was evidently for her safety.
Although she didn’t know why Raine wanted to hunt the Frost Blade Leopard, she understood that this matter was surely very important to him.
’Damn it!’
’I can’t let this fail! At least, not fail because of !’
Filled with gratitude, remorse for her negligence, and a hint of sha, Laisa made an imdiate decision,
She spun around abruptly in mid-air, risking the chance of the Frost Blade Leopard catching up, and threw two throwing knives at it.
"Swoosh!"
One knife was dodged by the Frost Blade Leopard, while the other pierced through the Frost Armor, instantly getting infused by the Frost Power and encrusted with ice before dropping to the ground.
Laisa’s action seed to be the last straw that broke the cal’s back.
Originally wavering on the verge of attacking, the Frost Blade Leopard imdiately decided it must tear apart the bodies of the two weak humans before it.
"Roar!!"
The Frost Blade Leopard charged towards Laisa like a white arrow leaving the bowstring!
anwhile, Laisa had arrived within a few ters in front of the oncoming Raine.
That is to say, with the Frost Blade Leopard speeding up from behind, all three were almost aligned in a straight line.
"Swoosh!"
A crescent-shaped ice blade over half a ter long condensed almost instantaneously in front of the wide-open mouth of the Frost Blade Leopard. Raine, even from over a dozen ters away, seed to feel its piercing chill.
"Ice Blade!!" Raine’s pupils contracted!
His heart pounded wildly, and his blood circulation suddenly accelerated.
His palm instantly sweated on the shield handle.
He never expected the Frost Blade Leopard to unleash its signature spell—Ice Blade—as soon as they ca face to face!
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Additional notes: Online after midnight on Wednesday (October 22) (sa as the usual ti), the backend might delay by a few minutes. Well... the initial subscription is quite important. If conditions allow, I hope for your support.
Here, let say thank you again, thank you for the support along the way!
Also: Since we t at the beginning of this story by fate, I sincerely hope we can move forward together until the end of the story—Seventeen-Pound Catfish
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