Another arrow scread past , slicing through the frigid air before burying itself into the snow just inches from my foot. The sound it made was sharp. It was like a whisper that turned into a threat.
Whoever was shooting at ... damn, they kind of sucked.
Or at least, that’s what I thought at first.
But no. No, they didn’t suck at all. That wasn’t it. They were toying with .
That realization hit hard, almost like the air itself got colder. They weren’t missing because they couldn’t aim—they were missing on purpose. Every shot was precise and intentional. Each arrow that barely grazed was ant to keep on edge, to make feel like prey.
Like a predator watching from the shadows, enjoying the sight of its victim dancing between panic and survival.
If they’d wanted dead, I’d already have an arrow sticking out of my skull. The first shot could’ve ended it before I even blinked. But no—they wanted to squirm.
They should’ve aid to kill. But even if they did, it wouldn’t have mattered. I had Guardian with . I’d sensed the arrow coming from the mont it left the bow, but I hadn’t bothered to react. Why? Because it wasn’t aid to kill. There was no bloodlust behind it. There was no intent to end .
But that changed.
Now, I could feel it. The air itself seed to thrum with killing intent, the pressure closing in from all sides like invisible hands gripping my throat.
They were done playing around.
I let out a low breath, steam curling from my lips, and called for my cursed blade. "Ayuru," I muttered, and in the next second, the black steel materialized in my hand. The blade shimred faintly, hungry, and alive.
"I know it’s cold," I said, my voice steady but with a faint grin tugging at my lips, "but forgive for calling you out."
Her response ca imdiately—she started sucking my mana, greedily, like it was second nature to her. The faint pulse of energy between us sent a familiar chill crawling up my arm. Yeah, she was definitely in the mood.
It was perfect timing, honestly. I was planning to visit the Centaur King next anyway, to talk about uniting all the kingdoms in the Great Forest. The fact that they ca here first? Well, I couldn’t have asked for a better setup.
Now, I had a reason to pay them a little visit.
This had to be an assassination attempt.
Thinking about it, it made sense. The Centaurs must’ve seen as a thorn in their side—soone who was shaking up their comfortable world. My plan to unite the kingdoms probably made them want to puke. The thought of joining hands with the Beast Kingdom alone must’ve been unbearable to them.
The Centaurs and the Beasts hated each other. Always had. The kind of hatred that didn’t die with ti—it just grew deeper and uglier.
So yeah, they wanted gone. I was a nuisance, a pest trying to stitch peace where blood had always flowed.
And maybe, just maybe... they couldn’t stand that I, an outsider—not even born in the Great Forest—had managed to win over the people here. That probably stung their pride more than anything else.
Well, tough luck.
For now, I just needed to make sure none of their arrows hit . Sure, I could’ve used Guardian from the start, but where’s the fun in that? I didn’t want to rely on it too much—it made feel like I’d forgotten how to fight. Like I was going soft.
So instead, I waited. I let them think they had cornered.
Then ca another wave.
The sound of bowstrings snapping echoed through the trees. They were fast, sharp, relentless. Arrows flew in a deadly rain from every direction.
But I was faster.
Ayuru moved in my hands like a shadow with teeth, cutting through every arrow that dared to approach . The snow around churned and burst from the force of my movents, glittering in the faint light.
Not even a drop of sweat.
Ayuru drank my mana eagerly, humming as if enjoying every mont of it.
"Co on," I taunted, smirking, "if you’re gonna assassinate soone, at least try to hit . Otherwise, you’re just doing a shitty job."
That seed to piss them off. A sharp whistle cut through the air—and then another barrage ca, even faster. A storm of arrows, a rain of death.
But again, I cut them all down, each one shattering midair before it could touch .
They must’ve been losing their minds watching it. To them, this had to look impossible. I was standing there, barely moving, cutting through an entire hail of arrows like it was nothing.
But it wasn’t impossible. Not for .
They just couldn’t accept it. Denial was easier than reality. But the truth? The truth has a way of breaking through—just like my blade through their arrows.
Judging by the number of shots, I guessed there were at least fifty of them hidden in the trees. Maybe more. I even noticed one shooter—east side—who could release three arrows in under a second. Impressive, I’ll give him or her that.
Then it happened again. That sound.
The draw of bowstrings.
This ti, it was synchronized—coordinated. A wave of pressure filled the air, heavy enough that even the trees seed to go silent.
Sixty arrows ca flying all at once.
I sighed, feeling the shift of mana beneath my skin. "Alright," I muttered, "enough playing."
In an instant, I unleashed Guardian. A faint light flared around , forming a translucent barrier. The arrows struck it and rebounded violently, scattering like rain against glass. The shockwave blew the snow outward, leaving a circular mark where I stood untouched.
That must’ve made their eyes widen. They hadn’t expected to deflect everything with just a single barrier.
For a few seconds, the forest went dead silent. Only the sound of the wind remained.
Then—thud.
The heavy sound of hooves hit the frozen ground, one after another. The assassins finally stepped out from the shadows.
Half-human, half-horse—Centaur warriors. Seeing them up close, I had to admit, they were majestic. Their bodies glead under the pale light, strong and proud. Even I couldn’t deny that they looked almost regal.
"Elf fucker..." one of them spat, glaring at with venom in his eyes.
That nickna again. Guess word spread faster than I thought. Great—now I was famous there too.
I sighed, letting my blade rest on my shoulder, and smirked. "So, I’m guessing this is the part where you all rush at once?"
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