Chapter 202: Rescue

“Farewell, Your Highness Princess Trelinka.”

Vick’s “Wind-Bathing Punisher” was already raised, and it seemed Princess Trelinka would be decapitated by the greatsword in the next second.

But at that very moment, a crimson streak flashed by—so fast it left no afterimage in the air.

Vick Swordsaint’s attack struck empty space. In less than a tenth of a second, Princess Trelinka had been carried away by that crimson streak.

“Who is this? Such speed has reached Master-Level!”

Vick Swordsaint’s face instantly darkened. Although he had reached level fourteen, he ultimately hadn’t advanced to Master-Level. The gap of that single level represented a qualitative transformation. If the newcomer was a Master-Level expert…

“No, that can’t be right. If it were truly a Master-Level enemy, their speed would have exceeded my reaction capability. I should have been killed instantly… Therefore, the enemy cannot attack while bursting at such speed. They’re merely a Formal-Level with some secret technique!”

Though Vick Swordsaint had felt a moment of panic, he didn’t let the sudden enemy disrupt his thoughts. Almost the second Princess Trelinka was rescued, Vick had already conducted extensive analysis and quickly grasped the crux of the matter.

His face as dark as stormy waters, he looked toward the direction the blood shadow had departed. There, five figures had entered Vick’s perception range.

“Why are you interfering with my execution of Dillon Kingdom’s traitor? Don’t you know this means making an enemy of Dillon Kingdom?”Facing Vick’s questioning, the five figures stepped into the battlefield from the darkness.” Leading them was a mage in black robes, flanked by a fatty completely encased in armor, a woman with heavy makeup plastered on her face, and a girl-shaped golem draped in burlap robes.

Behind these three, a pale-faced youth in a blood-red trench coat was gasping heavily while holding Princess Trelinka. It was easy to see this youth had been the one who executed the rescue.

These five were undoubtedly Punk and his Golem Two, Iron Tower, Boss Lady, and Bloodclaw.

“Ara ara, how terrifying~ That big fellow over there scared little old me!”

Boss Lady twirled a small knife, striking a pose that could only be described as nauseatingly coy as she threw a flirtatious glance at Vick Swordsaint. But the fully alert Vick showed no extra reaction.

Bloodclaw knelt on one knee, holding the princess while gasping for breath. Hearing Boss Lady still had the mind to provoke the enemy, he shook his head with a bitter smile:

“We agreed beforehand—I can’t participate in the coming battle. Such bursts place too great a strain on my body…”

“Whether you fight or not is irrelevant. One more makes no difference, one less matters not!”

Punk gazed deeply at Bloodclaw, terrifying mana stirring an energy whirlwind around him.

“But if you dare try to escape with our princess… don’t mind if we join forces with that Vick Swordsaint to hunt you down alone!”Punk made no attempt to conceal the threat in his words, genuinely suspecting that Bloodclaw might be plotting to double-cross them.

Perhaps due to Victor Swordsaint’s formidable reputation, or the perilous nature of conflicts between Master-Level experts, only four individuals within the Dillon Kingdom—Punk included—were willing to participate in the mission.

Punk was quite pleased with this situation. With only five shares of spoils available, a four-person team was unlikely to fracture before the battle even began. However, Bloodclaw’s involvement made Punk deeply suspicious.

This fellow truly possessed only eleven sorcerer levels and lacked even a single Formal-Level equipment piece, yet he dared participate in a confrontation against a Level 14 Sword Saint. If not recklessly bold, he must have powerful hidden cards up his sleeve.

Punk didn’t believe Bloodclaw was the type of fearless madman, thus concluding he must possess certain potent trump cards.

The secret technique Bloodclaw used earlier to rescue Princess Trelinka confirmed this. Though the instantaneous burst of speed comparable to a Master-Level ranger had various drawbacks, it absolutely couldn’t be underestimated.

Punk would wager that although Bloodclaw currently appeared exhausted and half-dead, if necessary, he could instantly unleash formidable combat power—at the very least, more than enough to ensure his escape.

Punk wasn’t the only one suspicious of Bloodclaw. Now that the princess had been successfully rescued, while “Iron Tower” had been impatient to engage from the start, the Boss Lady had also been watching Bloodclaw from the corner of her eye.

“Hey now, is this any way to treat your teammates? If you’re so worried, why not have someone else protect Princess Trelinka?”

Bloodclaw discontentedly released the still-dazed Princess Trelinka, putting on an exasperated act of throwing up his hands in defeat.

“What do you mean? Could it be…”

“Enough! Save the fighting for later—not now. The battle is about to begin!”

Seeing the Boss Lady about to argue with Bloodclaw, Punk had to step in as mediator. Though his distrust of Bloodclaw ran deeper than anyone’s, internal conflict right before facing their enemy would spell certain disaster.

Truth be told, the situation had already deviated from the plan. Originally, the four intended to rescue the princess and make their escape, but Vick’s recent demonstration of “Aura Wings” showed exceptional mobility, making escape unlikely. Thus, eliminating Vick became their only option.

During the five or six seconds of dialogue between the Boss Lady and Bloodclaw, Vick Swordsaint seemed to finally realize the four opponents wouldn’t surrender the princess they’d secured. Abandoning further stalemate, his Battle Aura began violently coalescing, his recently cooled armor once again glowing red-hot from the scorching energy.

On their side, Punk had already prepared his spells, Golem Two’s palms wreathed in black-red Abyssal energy, Iron Tower’s smile grew increasingly savage and twisted, while the Boss Lady’s body rapidly softened, eventually transforming into a sludge-like substance.

Everyone had made their preparations for battle. The fight was imminent!

“Your Highness the Princess, you must hold tight to me later.”Bloodclaw whispered in Trelinka’s ear with a tone as if coaxing a child, while a thin blood mist began to spread across his body.

“Are you here to rescue me? Are you Lord Sangus’s subordinates?”

Princess Trelinka frowned slightly. The auras of these four individuals were saturated with bloodlust, madness, gloom, and… disgust. In short, they were all types that made Trelinka feel extremely uncomfortable. She could hardly imagine that her rescuers would be such a group who practically had “not good people” written in bold letters on their backs.

“Somehow it feels like jumping from the tiger’s den into the wolf’s lair…”

Princess Trelinka thought silently to herself.

“No no no, we are Nightwalkers, but not Sangus’s subordinates. However, this has little to do with you. All you need to do now is close your eyes and hold onto me tight!”

Though Bloodclaw’s words remained teasing and flippant, his tense muscles revealed just how serious and cautious he was.

Vick Swordsaint’s imposing pressure was overwhelmingly powerful—even Punk’s terrifying magical storm was suppressed. Having just unleashed a secret technique, Bloodclaw dared not be the slightest bit careless.

(End of Chapter)