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The inside of the cabin was pitch black, devoid of any light. It felt like a cold, damp cave, bringing an uncomfortable chill to the bone. Initially, Mengdie and the others thought the cabin would be small, but once inside, they realized it was surprisingly spacious. They groped around, yet couldn't find its edges.
"Old man, where are you? Can you turn on the lights?"
In the darkness, Nia was the most frightened, clinging tightly to Mengdie's hand and trembling.
The raspy voice echoed again in the dark, "Turn on the lights... Ah? Oh, alright. I'll turn them on after I finish this..."
Nia didn't react much to the voice, but Mengdie immediately became alert! She realized that the voice wasn't coming from a fixed direction, but was eerily moving around in the darkness at an incredible speed. Listening carefully, she could even hear a faint sound of a blade slicing through the air!
"Edward! Be careful!!!"
Mengdie's warning came just in time for Edward, who raised his sword sheath above his head at the last moment. A loud clang resounded, and a tremendous force instantly pushed Edward to his knees!
"Damn it! It's a trap!"
"Edward! Be careful!"
Without needing Mengdie's reminder, Edward sensed the danger. He unsheathed his obsidian sword and swung it towards the direction of the incoming attack.
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Edward put all his strength into this swing. In the darkness, the obsidian sword shone eerily as it swiftly aimed at the assailant's ribs, almost splitting the attacker in half.
"Whoosh!"
The blade cut through the air, its power felt by everyone in the dark. However, there was no satisfaction on Edward's face; his sword had swung through empty air!
"You're still... far from it..."
The raspy voice sounded from behind Edward, followed by something swiftly striking down! Mengdie, knowing Edward couldn't counter, quickly kicked him aside. But it was too late; the object still struck Edward's shoulder, tearing a deep, bone-deep wound.
Blood sprayed in the air, chilling Mengdie's face. The hunched figure, slightly surprised by Mengdie's strength and speed, disappeared into the darkness again. In just a second, a fierce killing intent targeted the bleeding and collapsed Edward!
Mengdie's ears stood erect, swaying like radar, hoping to catch the attacker's footsteps. Unfortunately, the gardener's footsteps were entangled with Edward's, making it impossible to distinguish in the dark.
This elderly gardener... who exactly was he? No two people in the world have identical footsteps, yet his were indistinguishable from Edward's! This only revealed his masterful control of breathing and rhythm. And in the same darkness, he could pinpoint our location while we couldn't find him. He was too strong, even more formidable than Bai Ying!
"Ahh!!!"
Edward's scream echoed again, and the smell of blood thickened in the air. Mengdie bit her lip, shielding Xiu and Nia, and quickly equipped her gloves with lightning magic shards.
"Xiu, protect Nia! Remember, no lights, no noise!"
As she spoke, purple lightning crackled around Mengdie's fist. With this brief illumination, she saw Edward, covered in wounds, feebly defending against the gardener's attacks. The gardener stood calmly, his right hand moving faster than lightning, wielding an unseen weapon.
"Old man! We mean no harm!!!"
As the gardener's weapon was about to strike Edward's head, Mengdie dashed forward. But the eerie sensation stopped her in her tracks, clutching her chest.
Why... why am I feeling this terrifying sensation, like a blade piercing my heart?
The gardener's weapon penetrated Edward's abdomen in a swift, clean motion and was withdrawn just as quickly. Then, raising his weapon high, he prepared to strike Edward's head.
"This... is this 'Heavy Slash'...?"
Edward, facing his imminent death, showed a look of surprise. He recognized the stance and technique, eerily similar to someone he knew a decade ago!
But the fatal slash didn't seem to stop. As the gardener was about to cleave Edward in half, Mengdie, overcoming her fear to protect Aya, rushed forward. Raising her stone-armored left arm, she bravely blocked the strike!
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