“Woohoo!” Hati shouted as she scooped Lin Shu up in her arms and sprinted out of the room.
“Stop right there!” Liya pursued them relentlessly, her face contorted in rage. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!”
Miya was also chasing after them from behind, screaming, “Hati, I curse you to never be able to eat meat again for the rest of your life!!”
Hati did not care in the slightest and continued her mad dash forward.
“W—Where are you going?” Lin Shu’s voice was shaky from being jostled around.
“Running outside, of course.”
“What about that nun?”
Hati suddenly turned her head. “Hey, Miya! We’re splitting up! I’ll take her and go, you go back the way we came!”
Miya seemed to scream something in a total meltdown, but Hati was running so fast that her voice was left far behind.
“I—I’ll watch the way.” Lin Shu turned her head to guide Hati. “Run straight ahead. There’s another path at the end of the hallway.”
Hati’s nose wrinkled. “There’s a scent of the Blood Clan ahead. We’re not going that way.”
She suddenly kicked off the ground, leaping into the air while holding Lin Shu. She used the wall as a springboard and landed on the massive crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the hall.
The chandelier swayed precariously, suspended directly above the first-floor hall.
Lin Shu shrunk back instinctively.
Hati grabbed Lin Shu’s hand and guided it to her neck. “Hold on tight right here, and don’t fall off.”
After saying that, she suddenly grinned.
“By the way, when I was biting your collar just now, what I wanted to say was…”
“What?” Lin Shu turned to look at her.
Hati smiled until her eyes narrowed into crescents, her tone sounding innocent and pure. “Your scent is wonderful. I really like it.”
…?
‘Of all times, why bring that up now?!’
Hati leaned her face closer, her nose brushing against Lin Shu’s cheek. Her messy hair tickled Lin Shu’s skin.
“Come with me after we get out of here, okay?”
Lin Shu caught a glimpse of a cold light flashing toward them, and her pupils shrunk. “Look out!”
Liya’s Scythe came spinning toward them.
Hati’s reactions were incredibly fast. Her ears twitched, judging the direction of the attack by sound alone, and she quickly leaned to the side to dodge.
The Scythe sliced through the hanging chain. In the split second the chandelier began to plummet, Hati used it as a platform to leap onto another chandelier.
“Give her back to me!!” Liya roared in a towering rage, her blonde hair practically standing on end.
Hati gently placed Lin Shu on the chandelier. “Stay here. I’ll come get you later.”
Lin Shu hurriedly grabbed the frame of the chandelier to steady herself. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to teach her a lesson.”
Hati lunged downward, pouncing toward Liya.
Below them, Liya had just caught her Scythe when countless blood-red bats flew out from behind her, swarming toward Hati.
But Hati threw a punch, shattering the offensive. Using the momentum of her leap, she raised a leg and kicked Liya.
*Bang!!*
Though Liya blocked it with her Scythe, the force of the impact still sent her slamming heavily against the wall behind her.
Lin Shu watched the scene in shock.
Hati was incredibly strong. Her fighting style was exactly like that of a wild beast. Using only her raw fists and legs, she could pose a serious threat to Liya.
“What’s the matter? Are you Blood Clan members all losing your heads? You’re loud and weak,” Hati mocked.
“Why are you taking Lin Shu away? She’s mine!!”
“I’m taking her because you tortured her and even forced a collar on her. You’re a total creep!” Hati threw another punch.
“What do you know? What right do you have to judge anyone here? Go back to wherever you came from!”
“So, you’re the master of this house, aren’t you?” Hati grinned, lowering her guard as she shifted from offense to defense. “Then let me ask you, where is the Sacred Church Key?”
“What Sacred Church Key?” Liya asked, looking completely baffled.
“You’re holding our Bishop’s property and playing dumb.”
‘The Sacred Church Key?’
Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.
‘As I thought, they came here looking for the key.’
Lin Shu reached into her clothes and gripped the key.
‘But I clearly got this key from the system. Why does Hati say it belongs to the Bishop?’
At that moment, chaotic footsteps approached from all directions as members of the Tepus family’s Blood Clan rushed to the scene.
The Blood Clan guards saw Liya locked in a fierce struggle with a girl from the Wolf Tribe. They surrounded the area with tense expressions, yet none dared to move forward impulsively.
“Young Lady, do you need our help?” the lead guard asked hesitantly.
“No! All of you, back off!” Liya gritted her teeth, her face full of resentment.
But after several rounds, it was clear that Liya could not handle Hati’s wild fighting style.
Gasping for breath, she finally screamed at the servants behind her, “What are you looking at! Capture them for me!”
“Yes, Young Lady!”
Just as the guards were about to move forward, the castle doors were violently slammed open.
Lin Shu clung to the chandelier and looked back.
Liya’s Mother had appeared at the entrance.
The first thing she saw was Liya looking disheveled: her long hair was a mess, and the front of her dress had been torn.
Liya’s Mother’s expression froze instantly. A flash of shock crossed her face before it settled into pure fury. She roared:
“HOW DARE YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER!”
She raised her hand, and the shadows beneath her feet suddenly acted like living snakes. they crawled up the wall to the second floor, coiled around Hati’s neck, and yanked her down violently.
Hati was dragged down by the shadows, slamming heavily onto the first-floor ground.
“Ugh!” She let out a muffled groan, curling her back in pain.
Lin Shu’s heart tightened. “Hati!”
Liya’s Mother looked toward Lin Shu, revealing a terrifying smile. “I see. Did she come to save you? Because of you, my daughter has been turned into this state.”
“Liya was so good to you, yet you show no gratitude and only think of escaping!”
“After I kill this wolf, I will teach you a lesson slowly!” A red light flashed in the mother’s eyes, and the shadows gripping Hati’s neck lifted her high into the air, slowly tightening their hold.
Hati struggled through gritted teeth, her legs kicking desperately. Her face turned bright red, then transitioned to purple.
It was a sign of oxygen deprivation.
‘This is bad, I have to save her.’
“Let her go!” Lin Shu suddenly summoned vines to strike at her.
“Oh? You can use these little tricks now?” Liya’s Mother raised an eyebrow.
She seemed to have been prepared, as the shadows quickly transformed into blades and sliced through the vines.
Liya’s Mother raised her right hand, holding several red crystals between her fingers.
“I don’t know what you did last time, but I won’t give you another chance to pull any small stunts!”
‘Those are spellcasting materials. She’s going to use magic!’
‘I have to interrupt her before she finishes the incantation!’
Lin Shu raised her hand and recited the incantation for the **[ELECTRIC CURRENT SPELL]** once again.
Lightning shot from Lin Shu’s fingertips, high-speed bolts bypassing the shadows to strike Liya’s Mother on her right arm.
The instantaneous impact interrupted the mother’s chanting. Her arm jerked violently, and several red crystals rolled across the floor.
“What?!” Liya’s Mother froze, looking up at Lin Shu in disbelief.
Taking advantage of the opening, Lin Shu summoned two vines from the ground behind her, wrapping them around the woman’s arms and pulling them back.
The shadows around Hati’s neck loosened, and she finally regained her freedom, crouching on the ground and gasping for air.
Liya’s Mother was shocked.
“You…?!” Liya’s Mother stared fixedly at Lin Shu. “You actually know magic?”
She suddenly realized something, and her voice began to tremble. “Wait, where are your materials? Why are you able to cast spells directly?!”