Chapter 53 The Archer
Time ticked by, second after second.
Captain Liu and his companions sat down to rest, chatting and joking to lighten the mood.
“I’ve been riding this route for ten years, and never encountered anything like this! Who the hell did it?”
“Who else? It must be the Abyssal Church. Only those lunatics would dare.”
“Damn them! If I get my hands on them, I’ll cut them all down with a single stroke!”
“Haha, bold words! But if you run into someone from the Abyssal Church, you’ll probably be scared out of your wits.”
“Nonsense! I’m a C-rank combat swordsman—swift as the wind! There’s no way they could...”
Swish—
The words were barely out of his mouth when a sharp, cutting sound sliced through the air!
It pierced straight through his chest.
His eyes bulged wide, blood sprayed forth, his mouth opened and closed but no sound escaped him. He collapsed heavily to the ground.
Xu Han, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open.
The enemy had arrived!
Captain Liu’s expression darkened. “Ambush! Ambush!”
He drew his longsword, scanning the darkness around with vigilance.
All around was pitch black, nothing visible.
Swish—
Another sharp sound broke the silence.
Captain Liu’s face twisted; he twisted his body sharply to the left.
Thud!
An arrow pierced his left shoulder.
Blood splattered.
Captain Liu grunted in pain.
He pointed toward the direction the arrow had come from. “They’re over there!”
Swish, swish, swish—
Several projectiles came flying swiftly.
Captain Liu’s legs were pierced with three bloody holes.
He crashed to the ground, blood pouring out.
His longsword fell from his grasp with a clang.
“Captain!”
A few members of the escort team, already hiding, paled.
Captain Liu struggled, dragging himself toward cover.
A long trail of blood smeared the ground behind him.
A young escort member saw the captain only five meters away.
He gritted his teeth, then dashed toward Captain Liu.
Five meters vanished in the blink of an eye.
Captain Liu’s eyes widened, his voice hoarse as he shouted, “Don’t come! Run!”
But the team member grabbed the captain’s hand, desperately pulling him back. “Captain, hurry!”
Swish—
Another deadly sound tore through the air.
Like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
It pierced straight through the team member’s head.
His body was flung several meters by the force of the arrow, landing heavily.
His eyes stared wide, filled with unwillingness.
“Ah Qi!!!”
Captain Liu cried out in agony, scalding tears streaming down, his eyes nearly blazing with fury.
“Damn you! I’ll fight you to the death!”
He snatched up his fallen longsword, struggling to stand.
Swish—
Another arrow shot from afar.
It pierced his arm.
The sword slipped from his grasp once more.
Now, Captain Liu lay on the ground like a lamb awaiting slaughter, struggling for breath.
Xu Han’s brows furrowed.
Clearly, the enemy was using Captain Liu as bait, tempting others out for a rescue.
Anyone who dared show themselves would meet only one fate.
Death.
Xu Han’s gaze swept over the darkness nearby.
Eye of Piercing Insight!
A golden hue spread across his eyes.
The darkness transformed, as bright as daylight.
He saw clearly—a bowman stood atop a massive boulder not far away.
Bow drawn, aiming this way.
Xu Han estimated the distance.
If he used Wind Blade...
It was a bit too far.
He would need to find an opportunity to get closer.
The archer in the distance had his aim fixed on Captain Liu.
A cat-and-mouse smile played over his lips.
“Let’s see, who will be next?”
Captain Liu lay bleeding, the flow increasing.
His eyelids grew heavy, his strength fading.
Inside the cover, a young man, about Ah Qi’s age, gritted his teeth. “I’ll go pull the captain back!”
An older team member growled, “Are you insane?”
“The archer’s sight is locked on the captain!”
“If you go out, you’ll end up just like Ah Qi!”
The young man stared at Captain Liu, his face flushed, fists clenched, his body trembling.
“What are we supposed to do? Just watch the captain die in front of us?”
“If you haven’t got the guts, I do! I’m not afraid of death!”
He shook his shoulder, trying to break free from the older man’s grip.
But the elder’s hand was like an iron clamp, holding him fast.
The other hand slapped him hard across the face.
The young man was stunned.
The elder spoke in a low voice, “Did I say we wouldn’t save him?”
“You brat, when I fought beasts back in the day, you were still nursing from a bottle!”
“If anyone’s going to die, it won’t be you!”
“Wait—I'll draw the archer’s attention. You get the captain back, quick!”
“Act fast!”
“And give this to my wife.”
He shoved an envelope into the young man’s hand.
Then, with a tiger’s leap, he charged toward Captain Liu.
The young man stared after the elder’s back, tears streaming down his face.
He gritted his teeth, following close behind, both rushing toward Captain Liu.
Only one thought pulsed in his mind.
Save the captain!
He must save the captain!
Swish—
A sharp sound slashed toward them.
An arrow appeared before the elder in the blink of an eye!
The elder gritted his teeth, growling, “Steel Fist!”
His fist turned gray, shining with a faint metallic luster.
He hammered at the arrow with a punch!
Boom!
The elder was hurled backwards, crashing into a wall.
His arm was completely shattered.
Blood splattered across the conductor’s cabin.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the young man grabbed Captain Liu’s arm.
He clenched his teeth, dragging him toward cover.
The distant archer glanced at the young man, a contemptuous smile on his lips.
“The prey knows tricks? Interesting.”
“But no matter how cunning, the prey never escapes the hunter’s grasp.”
He drew his bow once more.
The second arrow was aimed at the young man’s head.
“Die!”
His fingers released.
The bowstring snapped!
The arrow shrieked through the air toward the young man!
The young man spun around, staring at the arrow growing larger by the second, despair filling his eyes.
The next moment.
A pitch-black vortex silently appeared in the arrow’s path.
The arrow vanished into the vortex.
The archer was stunned.
What happened?
Where did his arrow go?
The vortex churned.
Swish—
The arrow shot out of the black vortex, speeding toward the archer.
His face changed.
He jerked his head aside.
The arrow grazed his cheek.
With a thud, it embedded itself in the tree behind him.
Blood trickled down his face.
His back was drenched in cold sweat.
Had he been half a second slower, his own arrow would have blown his head off!
“Who?! Who’s interfering?!”
He shouted in rage and humiliation.
Swish, swish, swish—
Three sharp blades of light answered from different angles, all speeding toward his head!