The thunder of hooves was relentless, and the wind whistled past their ears. The three of them leaned low, urging their horses into a wild gallop toward their destination.
Lin Shu led the way, the wind fluttering her cloak behind her. She gripped her collar tight, squinting to see the road ahead. They would head back the way they came before turning toward Drago Manor.
Dusk was approaching, and they had to hurry.
“Hati, is this the right path?” Miya shouted from behind.
“The scent is right. The aura of the Blood Clan is intensifying up ahead.” Lin Shu noticed that the road was covered in hoofprints. A sizable troop had clearly just passed by.
She instinctively tightened her grip on the reins. When they reached a fork near the Drago territory, Hati suddenly screamed, “Stop!”
“Don’t go any further! There is an anomaly ahead. If we keep going, we will likely run into the Blood Clan’s main force!”
Lin Shu yanked the reins hard. Her horse whinnied and reared back on its front hooves, barely coming to a stop. Once they quieted down, they heard the faint sounds of clashing metal and roaring coming from the distance.
The battle had seemingly already begun.
Lin Shu glanced at another narrow, weed-choked path that led toward a desolate mountain. She turned her horse. “We are going up the mountain.”
“Why?”
“The visibility is better. We can see the situation from above.” Lin Shu did not look back as she charged up the path.
The mountain path had long been abandoned, with many overhanging branches blocking the way. Lin Shu lowered her head, letting the branches strike her hood. The sound of snapping wood filled her ears.
They finally reached the peak, which consisted of a small patch of flat ground ending in a steep cliff. Lin Shu immediately dismounted and walked to a protruding rock on the edge.
She could see the castle of Drago Manor in the distance. As evening approached, the castle windows flickered with scattered lights. Lin Shu quickly shifted her gaze to the front of the castle.
Just like the news they had received in the town, several Blood Clan units were attacking the defensive perimeter of Drago Manor. There were even more of them than the group they had encountered earlier, likely reinforcements from other directions.
The Blood Clan Warriors formed waves of black and red, surging forward. Lin Shu scanned the battlefield, but she could not find Sefina.
“You did not come back just to take a look, did you?” Hati asked, walking to the edge of the cliff to stand beside Lin Shu. “You said you wanted to resolve the conflict. How do you plan to do that?”
Miya stared at the battlefield below, her tone firm. “No matter what, we cannot let you go down there.”
Lin Shu focused her mind, sensing her available skills. A vine emerged from the mountain, reaching down toward the base and digging into the soil.
“!” Miya took a step back. “What are you doing?!”
“Do not worry, I am just testing the range.”
To Lin Shu’s surprise, the vines had maintained the form they took when she absorbed the mana of Liya’s mother in Tepus.
“This range?” Hati tilted her head curiously. “It is a bit far.”
Lin Shu did not answer. She weighed her options internally.
‘The vines still have that form, so they will be even more lethal. But increasing the range might drain more of my mental strength. It does not matter.’
If she could crush Nox’s troops in one go — or even just cripple them — she could buy time for Drago Manor to counterattack. She wanted to show the other watching clans that Drago had the strength to fight back and was not an easy target.
“We will leave once this is settled,” Lin Shu said. “But… I might not be able to move on my own afterward, just like last time.”
She looked at Hati.
Hati understood immediately and gave a salute. “Understood! Leave it to me!”
Lin Shu channeled her thoughts. In that instant, a powerful surge of mental energy awakened in her mind.
Down on the battlefield, the earth beneath the Nox phalanxes ruptured. Countless massive vines surged out, slamming into the ground with a roar. The Nox warriors were crushed into the soil before they could react.
The vines, like giant pythons, intertwined and swept across the field. The enemy formation shattered instantly, and screams filled the air. Finally, the massive net of vines dragged the bodies of countless warriors into the cracks in the earth, and they disappeared without a sound.
Only a few survivors of the Nox charge remained. They retreated in terror, staring at the fissures in the ground.
At the top of the mountain, Miya gasped, unable to believe the sight. Witnessing such an overwhelming display of power gave her quite a shock, and fear awakened her instincts. She drew a dagger from behind her and held it against Lin Shu’s neck.
“Miya?! What are you doing?” Hati roared.
“Her power is too terrifying! For safety’s sake, we cannot give her the chance to hurt us!”
“If she wanted to hurt us, would she have waited until now?”
“Who can guarantee that?! What if she kills us and runs after she is done here?”
Lin Shu ignored them, keeping her eyes fixed on the situation below. Eve’s Puppet squad had already taken control of the scene. Nox’s offensive was a total failure.
That single strike had consumed nearly all her stamina. Her vision began to darken, her ears rang, and the strength was being drained from her body.
‘At least this gives Drago a chance to reinforce. The rest is up to Sefina and Eve.’
Lin Shu collapsed forward in exhaustion, and Hati quickly caught her.
“Hati, hurry and form a contract with her! We cannot let her use such dangerous skills anymore!” Miya’s voice was urgent.
***
Far off in Drago Manor, Sefina looked grave. She pulled her parasol from the void and headed out of the castle. Tepus had met with disaster, and since she had been at the scene that night, the Nox family was eager to “seek justice” on their behalf.
Eve’s Puppet squad was rushing to the battlefield, but they were still vastly outnumbered. She had to join the fight personally.
Just then, a massive roar echoed from the front. Sefina looked up, her pupils shrinking. It was a net of death made of vines, which vanished into the ground moments later.
“Lady Sefina! The situation has reversed! Nox’s main force is almost wiped out! They have suffered heavy losses, and we can win!” a Drago guard shouted as he rushed forward.
The skill was so familiar, only larger and stronger than before.
‘Lin Shu! Is it Lin Shu?!’
She practically sprinted out, shouting, “Is Lin Shu back? Where is she?!”
“We are looking, but we do not see Miss Lin Shu on the battlefield.”
“Impossible, she would not be far.” Sefina’s nails dug into her palms, and her heart hammered against her ribs.
Without hesitation, she rushed out of the castle gates and ran toward the battlefield.
‘Lin Shu, where are you? You are back… so why didn’t you come to the castle?’