A slender girl with light blonde long hair crouched on the ground, a massive black giant sword firmly planted before her. The blade gleamed with an eerie blue light, resembling a long, deep crystal. Her adamantite armor, interwoven with gold and crimson, was both costly and luxurious.
The girl maintained a standard casting posture, with pure white light radiating from her as the epicenter. It formed an arc that enveloped those poisoned, preserving their vital signs.
Barrett, seeing the distinctive black magic sword in her hand, instantly recognized her as an Adamantite-level adventurer—Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
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The kingdom had only three Adamantite-level adventurer teams, and Lakyus was the leader of one of them, the Blue Roses. She was a rare noble lady adventurer and a descendant of the legendary Thirteen Heroes. Mastering Divine Magic, she could wield fifth-tier resurrection spells. She was an elite warrior who had stepped into the realm of "heroes"!
Barrett thought about greeting her. After all, the highest-ranking Adamantite-level adventurers were notoriously elusive, and it was a rare chance to meet one.
Suddenly, a shadow in a red robe dashed into the hall, brandishing a crimson dagger that gleamed with bloodlust. The figure in the red robe glanced around the hall briefly before charging directly at Lakyus, who was surrounded by the sacred light.
It seems this red-robed figure is an assassin, Barrett thought. But since there's an Adamantite-level adventurer present, it's no longer my concern. He turned to check on Sean and Stella's condition, planning to get them out of there quickly.
"You're an adventurer too, right? HELP ME!" Lakyus, still crouched with her sword, called out anxiously.
Only then did Barrett notice that the red-robed assassin, moving like lightning, had already struck Lakyus with several blows. However, the sword strikes merely collided with a transparent magical shield, failing to harm Lakyus.
"I must maintain the blessing magic field, or everyone here will be poisoned to death! I can't free a hand to fight back. With the magic blade attacking, the Saint's Shield won't hold for long! Help me!" Lakyus pleaded again.
Under the delicate magical shield, the beautiful and strong girl looked at Barrett with a desperate, pleading gaze.
Understanding the urgency, Barrett gripped his long sword and prepared to charge at the red-robed assassin. But just as he took a step, a strong body suddenly enveloped him. Barrett almost lost his balance and had to use his sword to brace himself.
It was Wade, who had been writhing on the ground, clutching his stomach earlier! Sweat, the size of beans, covered his forehead as he tightly embraced Barrett and shouted, "Miss Lakyus, don't trust him! He's the only one not poisoned! He must be the assassin sent to kill the princess!"
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Idiot! I have an antidote! Barrett cursed inwardly.
In the dining hall, only Lakyus, Barrett, and the red-robed assassin were moving freely. No wonder the grand knight would suspect him as the assassin.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Barrett landed an elbow strike to Wade's chin. The dense-headed grand knight, overwhelmed by the dual pain in his jaw and stomach, released Barrett.
Freed from Wade's grip, Barrett swung his broad-bladed sword and charged forward, simultaneously hurling a throwing axe.
As the red-robed assassin barely managed to block the throwing axe, Barrett's heavy sword came crashing down. The assassin barely managed to parry with his sword, activating a defensive Martial Art, but was still blasted away by Barrett's charge and the powerful strike of the sword. He crashed into an oak tavern table, shattering it.
Barrett was amazed by his own strength. Ever since he put on the wristband from "Lord of Despair" Clovis, he felt his entire body had gained immense power, as if an inexhaustible energy was flowing through him.
But Barrett's surprise was brief. He quickly charged forward again, relentlessly attacking the fallen foe. The red-robed assassin, sprawled among the oak splinters, tried to dodge a few strikes, but was ultimately pierced through by Barrett's sword.
Two more figures in red rolled in through the doorway. One of them moved like lightning, apparently using a Martial Art to boost his speed. He became a blur, instantly appearing behind Barrett.
Barrett reacted with a backhanded diagonal slash, meeting the blade that was coming for his neck with a solid clash. The red-robed assassin, skilled in backstabbing, missed his attack, quickly leaping backward and then moving at high speed again, searching for another chance to strike.
The other, a larger assassin, leaped in with a powerful jump. Instead of a sword, he wielded a short-handled battle axe, swinging it menacingly at Barrett.
Barrett pressed forward instead of retreating. He stepped ahead, positioning the hard adamantite-plated part of his armor to absorb the battle axe's blow while angling his body to deflect the force. Holding his long sword firmly with one hand, he collided with the massive assassin, piercing through the back with a bloodied blade.
He kicked the corpse off his sword and rolled away, narrowly avoiding a sharp blade that came at him from behind.
"This is like dealing with a damn fly!" A seasoned adventurer frowned, finding the agile assassin darting through the dining hall quite bothersome.
However, since putting on the Bracers of the Expedition Master, Barrett's vision and perception had significantly improved. Narrowing his eyes into slits, he quickly tracked the "fly" assassin's movements.
Barrett swung his arm, launching a throwing axe that he pulled from his spatial ring. The axe spun through the air at terrifying speed, cutting through it but missing its target and instead heading straight for Lakyus in the center of the dining hall. Fortunately, Lakyus was still shielded by a magical barrier, and the sharp axe ricocheted off the shield.
"Ha!" Barrett heard the mocking laugh of the "fly" assassin behind him.
But the assassin's derisive laughter abruptly stopped. The axe, deflected by the shield, traced an unusual arc and struck the speeding "fly" assassin, breaking one of his arms. The assassin staggered and fell, his backstabbing short sword flying from his hand.
Taking advantage of the moment, Barrett charged forward, swinging his long sword towards the assassin's neck.
With nowhere left to run, the assassin, sitting on the ground, pulled out a magical scroll and threw it at Barrett. Without a second glance, Barrett sliced through the scroll and the assassin's neck in one swift motion. Blood sprayed high, staining the walls and ceiling red.
Exhaling deeply, the seasoned adventurer finally dealt with the annoying foe. Before he could even catch his breath, a blazing stream of gold and red fire exploded in front of him!
The scroll he had just cut open was filled with fire elements! The scroll ignited into a fireball, and the violent flames spread out, turning everything they touched—chairs, utensils, and even the fallen bodies—into flames. The entire dining hall was instantly engulfed in a raging inferno!
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