On the ancient battlefield, with the wind howling and the drums of war thundering, Jamie Smith was like a flash of lightning, clutching his spear and sprinting at full speed. His gaze was fixed like a torch, locked onto the enemy group, especially the legendary archer 'Ava Moore'. Her arrows, it was said, could surpass the speed of sound, but beyond twenty meters, Jamie Smith was confident he could dodge them with ease. He knew well that the archer's greatest threat was not the frontal shots but the silent, unexpected arrows, and the tacit coordination with her allies.

However, Ava Moore before him was clearly not yet at the level of the top archer in Xia Country, 'Yvonne Archer', who could swiftly take down an entire opposing team with her rapid-fire arrows in a face-to-face confrontation. But Ava Moore, it seemed, still had a way to go.

"Brother, once we get in close, I'm confident I can take out the archer," Daisy Young's voice crackled over the team's comms. She wielded twin blades, clad in supple leather armor, and was even faster than Jamie Smith. But her protection was minimal, so Jamie had to take the lead while she followed closely behind.

"I'll create the opportunity," Jamie Smith said with determination, knowing this was a battle for life and death.

Suddenly, while Daniel Taylor and Miles Grant remained steadfastly in place, archer Ava Moore, along with Sean Hill and bodyguard Nathan Reed, began to retreat, creating distance. In that moment, 'whoosh,' without warning, Ava Moore fired an arrow that tore through the air like a phantom, aimed at Daisy Young.

Jamie Smith deflected the arrow with his spear, sending it flying off course. He realized the archer was trying to maintain distance, attempting to kite them. But Daisy Young's voice came over the comms again: "Stick to the plan." Jamie Smith sprinted with all his might, his target now clear—archer Ava Moore.

"Jamie Smith, it's been a while since we've crossed paths," Daniel Taylor taunted, wielding a pair of great axes, clad in light armor. He usually preferred heavy armor, but facing the swift Jamie Smith and Daisy Young, lighter gear was more suitable for this fight.

"Daniel Taylor!" Jamie Smith growled, his spear a blur as he charged forward. He had no respect for this man, known for his ruthless tactics in the World Martial Arts Tournament. Daniel Taylor had won by any means necessary, even at the cost of his opponents' careers. Another master, 'Kevin Davis', had been knocked out and later retired after a brutal kick to the groin by Daniel Taylor, despite protective gear.

The martial arts world could be brutal, but most masters had a conscience and wouldn't deliberately aim to 'ruin someone's future' or 'cause disability'. Yet, there were those with hearts of stone. Jamie Smith had been on the receiving end of a shield strike that shattered his knee, ending his prospects.

Daniel Taylor's treatment of his fellow countryman 'Kevin Davis' had drawn widespread criticism, but he had publicly claimed it was an accident, a kick meant for the abdomen that landed elsewhere due to movement during combat. Without concrete evidence, the matter was dropped.

But Jamie Smith, an insider, knew the truth about this 'black-handed' senior.

"Boom."

Daniel Taylor met the charge head-on, his great axes swinging like two massive doors pressing down on Jamie Smith, who immediately felt the immense pressure.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

From afar, archer Ava Moore suddenly unleashed a rapid volley of arrows, each one as swift as a phantom, targeting May Lee by the ancient city wall.

"What?" May Lee panicked. Although she was nearly a meter away from the archer and practiced the highly agile 'Phantom Cat Evolution Technique', she should have had plenty of time to dodge. But the supersonic arrows came one after another, and after evading the first, she felt the second one closing in.

She dodged continuously, narrowly avoiding each arrow. "Thank goodness I've been practicing my agility non-stop for the past month. I am the 'Li Cat' after all," May Lee thought, relieved, only to find a terrifying arrow already upon her.

"A sixth arrow?" May Lee had no time to react. The last arrow, which appeared so unexpectedly, was within ten meters of her before she could even process its presence. The thought barely formed in her mind when the arrow pierced through her thigh, knocking her off balance and onto the ground. A large, bloody hole appeared in her leg.

"At a distance of one meter, shooting arrows in broad daylight, and you can still hit someone practicing the 'Phantom Cat Evolution Technique'?" May Lee, still conscious enough to switch her voice to an audience-only broadcast, said, "She really is one of the top ten archers in Xia Country, Ava Moore. Did everyone just see that? What happened with that sixth arrow? I was watching, and then suddenly it was right in front of me."

On the other side, archer Ava Moore smirked triumphantly, saying to the excited Sean Hill, "Boss, the first target is down. She's badly injured and can't run anymore. Boss, go and finish her off."

"Incredible, you're amazing!" Sean Hill exclaimed, "Leave it to me."

"Nathan Reed, let's go."

Sean Hill, accompanied by his bodyguard Nathan Reed, rushed towards the fallen May Lee.

...

Jamie Smith was also in a predicament, with Daniel Taylor's great axes pressing down like a turbulent undercurrent, making it difficult for Jamie Smith to break free. Miles Grant, wielding twin blades and practicing the 'Shadow Panther Evolution Technique', was not inferior to Daisy Young in speed. He engaged in combat with Daisy Young, focusing on defense and entanglement.

Archer Ava Moore was also watching intently, ready to shoot at any moment.

"May," Jamie Smith's eyes turned red as he saw Sean Hill and his men rushing towards the fallen May Lee.

"I can't worry about that now."

Jamie Smith's speed surged, and in just two steps, he was off. Daniel Taylor was caught off guard for a moment, as his 'Giant Bear Evolution Technique', even with light armor, couldn't quite match Jamie Smith's speed.

"Daring to turn your back on me!" Daniel Taylor instantly dropped his great axes, his hands a blur as he grabbed two throwing axes from his waist, launching them at Jamie Smith at close range.

"Thud."

Jamie Smith, anticipating this while his back was turned to Daniel Taylor, changed direction in an instant as he charged.

One of Daniel Taylor's thrown axes brushed past Jamie Smith's side, while the other grazed his waist, tearing a gash and drawing blood from the gaps in his armor.

"Get out of the way." Jamie Smith, gritting his teeth against the pain in his waist, charged at Miles Grant with his spear.

"Not good." Miles Grant retreated hastily, not daring to face both Jamie Smith and Daisy Young at the same time. With his retreat, Jamie Smith continued his charge.

Whoosh.

Daisy Young immediately sprinted towards archer Ava Moore.

"Clang, clang, clang." Jamie Smith's spear thrusts came one after another, and Miles Grant could only barely parry with his twin blades, unable to stop Daisy Young from leaving.

"Ava Moore, you take on Daisy Young one-on-one," Daniel Taylor instructed over the team's comms, "Ray Cloud and I will join forces to severely wound Jamie Smith first, then we'll come help you."

Daniel Taylor was well aware that with Daisy Young's speed, once Miles Grant was delayed for a moment, no one present could catch up to her.

"This is not good."

May Lee sat on the ground, watching the unfolding battle. Jamie Smith was injured on his waist and had to face the encirclement of two enemy experts.

"Boss, I'm here to protect you," Ben had already rushed to May Lee's side, while Lucini was still a distance away and hurrying over.

"You're the weakest one on the field," May Lee said helplessly, "Help me up."

"Okay." Ben immediately helped May Lee to her feet. May Lee grabbed Ben's shoulder with one hand and held her sword with the other, standing on one leg and staring coldly at the approaching Sean Hill and his companion.

"May Lee, long time no see," Sean Hill said with a grin as he charged over. May Lee's eyes were filled with cold intent. Jamie couldn't come to her aid now; she had to rely on herself! On her sword!

(To be continued...)