Carrying Bai Shi and the spirit-form Melina, Torrent quickly flew over the first half of the journey.
Then, he began a slow descent. Just as he was about to reach the pillars of the ancient ruins, it seemed his momentum was failing, leaving him just one or two meters short. Get full chapters from ๐ป๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐นโข๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎโข๐๐๐ฅ
The feeling of being choked grew stronger for Bai Shi, and he could barely breathe.
Torrent, however, remained completely unfazed. With a light tap, as if a dragonfly touching water, he pushed off the air and landed gracefully and nimbly on the pillar.
Torrent used a double jump. It was super effective!
Bai Shi let out a sigh of relief, in a purely physical sense.
Although he wasn't sure why he had been so tense he couldn't breathe, it was an extreme sport, after all. Nerves were normal.
Bai Shi pulled on Torrent's reins, turning left, and patted his neck while facing a rock wall.
Torrent understood and easily leaped up with another double jump.
They were now two or three hundred meters from the Bridge of Sacrifice, so there was little danger of being discovered.
Still, Bai Shi stuck close to the rock face, making his way to the edge of a Site of Grace.
After touching the grace, Bai Shi rode Torrent onto the main road.
Bai Shi had to follow the road to find any sign of Irena.
Before long, a figure appeared in his line of sight.
Her beautiful, light golden hair was tied in a ponytail, her eyes were wrapped with several strips of cloth, and a few stray strands clung to her lovely, sweat-dampened face.
A leather robe enveloped her graceful figure, with the cuffs of her linen trousers peeking out from beneath. On her feet, she wore pointed black leather boots.
It was Irena, daughter of the lord of Castle Morne.
She was all alone at this moment, holding onto the low stone wall by the roadside as she slowly moved forward. Due to her blindness, she stumbled even while using the wall for support.
However, behind her, a figure in black armor and a hood was rapidly approaching. Yet Irena seemed completely unaware, entirely defenseless.
Bai Shi recognized the figure in the black robe. It was an envoy who answered to the Two Fingers.
Bai Shi didn't think he was there to protect Irena.
His suspicion was confirmed when the envoy, upon spotting Bai Shi, drew a straight sword. His intentions were clearly hostile.
It was obvious now. The envoy had used the incantation Assassin's Approach to silence his footsteps.
Irena was blind and relied on her hearing, so she couldn't have possibly noticed him.
Without hesitation, Bai Shi patted Torrent, urging him to gallop towards Irena at full speed.
At the same time, Bai Shi yelled out to her:
"Someone's behind you! Protect yourself!"
The envoy on the other side broke into a run, and Assassin's Approach could no longer conceal all sound.
Irena heard the sound of hooves from far ahead and had initially thought she was saved, but the man's shout sent a chill down her spine, turning her face pale.
Someone had been tailing her, even though it had been dead silent just moments ago.
At the same time, she suddenly heard faint footsteps from behind.
Irena recognized themโthey were the muffled sounds of someone close by, not the distant patter of far-off steps.
Without a moment's hesitation, Irena clutched the Sacred Seal in her hand and cast the incantation, Rejection.
Golden energy gathered around Irena and then erupted outwards. The shockwave sent the envoy behind her flying.
Bai Shi sighed inwardly. The envoy's blade had been moments away from touching Irena's delicate body.
Thankfully, Irena's Rejection incantation had sent him flying just in time.
The envoy scrambled up from the ground, but in that brief moment, Bai Shi had already arrived on horseback.
Bai Shi rode Torrent, shielding Irena.
Irena's face was pale, and she was trembling all over. It was clear she was terrified.
But she bravely shook her head, signaling that she was okay.
"It's alright now. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you." Bai Shi dismounted, took Irena's hand, and helped her onto Torrent's back.
The envoy frowned at the sight.
"This is none of your business."
Bai Shi grasped the hilts of the two Ceremonial Straight Swords at his sides and drew them in a cross-motion, the tips of the blades naturally pointing to the ground.
The envoy was somewhat annoyed.
"For the sake of us both being Tarnished, I don't want to kill you. But if you insist on being stubborn, I'll have no choice but to kill you first."
Hearing this, Irena grew even more fearful. After all, the person helping her was a stranger. If he decided to hand her over, either out of solidarity as a fellow Tarnished or to save his own life, then Castle Morne would be doomed.
Bai Shi laughed heartily.
"Getting antsy, are we? If you were really that strong, you would've just rushed over and cut me down. Besides, even if you did kill me, my horse would carry her away."
"Whatever reason you have for wanting to kill this girl, you've already failed, you useless fool."
The envoy's face flushed with anger. With a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, he charged.
"You don't understand anything! I'm on a great mission!"
Bai Shi parried the envoy's sword with one of his own and thrust his other blade toward the man's armpit as he swung.
The envoy quickly brought his shield around to block the attack.
But Bai Shi followed with a kick to the shield. Though it didn't knock him down, it created an opening in his defense.
Bai Shi didn't miss the opportunity. With two swift thrusts, his swords pierced the envoy's body, and two jets of blood spurted out.
"Is that it? With that pathetic level of skill, you talk about a mission? You're going to make me die of laughter."
Seeing that he was no match for Bai Shi, the envoy switched tactics.
He began to plead earnestly with Bai Shi:
"I didn't intend to tell you this, but I am under the command of the venerable Two Fingers to kill that girl."
"As a Tarnished, you should know what that command represents. Don't make an unforgivable mistake. Stop now!"
Bai Shi said nothing, merely watching him in silence.
The envoy thought he was getting through and continued:
"Let me kill her. After I complete my mission, I can vouch for you, give you a chance to have an audience with the venerable Two Fingers. Perhaps you too will have the opportunity to become a blade for the Two Fingers, just like me."
"We walk the righteous path. If you can see the guidance of grace, you shouldn't be so stubborn!"
A smile instantly appeared on the envoy's face, while Irena felt as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss.
The envoy's smile froze on his face.
Bai Shi dashed toward the envoy, his twin swords a blur of motion, leaving no opening.
The envoy's medium shield could only cover his vital areas. His exposed legs and arms were slashed again and again, the flowing blood steadily draining his life.
"Why? Why won't you obey the command of the Two Fingers! Everything I said is true!"
"You bastard! You Recusant!"
The envoy completely lost his composure, unable to understand why he was dealing with a madman.
Bai Shi found an opening and slashed his sword across the envoy's throat.
A look of disbelief was forever frozen on his face.
"'I follow the guidance' doesn't equal 'I follow the guidance of the Two Fingers.' It's a simple inequality."