The Shadow Guard’s Intervention

“CLANG—!”

A deafening clang of metal exploded in the desolate alley, jarring eardrums with its piercing intensity.

The hand, encased in a dark grey leather glove, clamped down on Miriam’s knife-wielding wrist like an iron vise. The sheer force not only halted the deadly thrust but made Miriam feel as though her wrist bones were about to shatter. With a pained grunt, a flicker of incredulous horror flashed in her eyes.

Concurrently, the other grey-gloved hand curled into a claw, whistling through the air with a tearing shriek, and precisely pecked at the inner joint of Miriam’s knife-holding wrist. If that strike had landed, Miriam’s right hand would have been instantly crippled.

In that moment of life and death, Miriam displayed astonishing reflexes and flexibility. Her hand, which had been gripping Rachel’s shoulder, shoved forward abruptly. Using the recoil, her body retracted sharply like a boneless loach, narrowly evading the ruthless blow that would have rendered her arm useless. The blade of the dagger scraped perilously close to Rachel’s neck, leaving a deeper red mark.

Pushed with such force, Rachel stumbled forward.

Beside them, Vera, who had been frantic with worry, rushed forward recklessly, wrapping her good arm tightly around Rachel and shielding her. Simultaneously, she glared warily at the unexpected interloper and the retreating Miriam.

“Who?!”

Miriam regained her footing, roaring with a mix of shock and fury. The intense pain in her wrist caused cold sweat to bead on her forehead. She fixed her gaze on the uninvited guest who had so abruptly interfered.

Under the moonlight, the attacker’s form became clear.

It was a tall woman, standing as straight as a spear. She wore a form-fitting dark grey combat suit that outlined her fluid yet powerful physique. Most striking was her long, fiery red hair, now simply tied back, with a few rebellious strands framing her cold, sharp face.

Her features were not exquisitely beautiful, but they were distinctly carved, as if chiseled from stone, exuding an aloof, unapproachable severity. Her amber eyes, devoid of warmth, were locked onto Miriam, much like a hawk fixes on its struggling prey.

“Who are you?!”

Vera echoed the question, her voice trembling with lingering shock. Miriam’s near-fatal mistake had made her wary of any sudden appearance by a stranger.

The red-haired woman did not immediately answer Vera, nor did she even glance at them. Her gaze, like a cold blade, remained fixed on Miriam.

She slowly retracted the hand that had missed its attack, her posture radiating a condescending scrutiny and disdain.

“Ruby.”

The woman’s voice rang out, crisp and hard like clashing ice shards, utterly devoid of inflection.

“Third Seat of the Shadow Guard, under Her Royal Highness Ariya Loganis.”

‘Shadow Guard… Ariya’s person!’

Protected by Vera, Rachel gasped for breath, the stinging pain in her neck a fiery reminder of her brush with death moments before. Gazing at the red-haired woman, who seemed forged from ice, the taut string in Rachel’s heart finally loosened a little.

‘As expected, she came!’

Before entrusting the crucial notebook to Miriam to deliver to Princess Ariya, Rachel had added an extra message for the princess at the end of it. The core message was simple:

She, Rachel Lockwood, as the ‘meritorious subject’ who presented this critical evidence and helped Her Royal Highness achieve her strategic objectives, and also because she knew certain internal secrets, was highly likely to become the Cult’s primary target for assassination. Therefore, she implored Princess Ariya to dispatch capable personnel to provide her with the necessary security protection after she left the Silver Mistletoe Estate.

This was a risky move, a gamble even. She gambled that Princess Ariya, upon receiving the notebook and confirming its value, would deem Rachel still useful and worth temporarily preserving. She gambled that this cold and calculating princess would adhere to some degree of transactional rules.

Now, it seemed Rachel had gambled correctly. This Shadow Guard named Ruby was the ‘protection’ Ariya had offered.

“Shadow Guard… Ariya’s person?!”

Miriam’s face instantly darkened further. Rachel and that princess were indeed colluding! In that case, what about Rachel and the Cult…?

The thought gnawed at Miriam’s heart like a venomous snake. The hatred in her eyes almost materialized into flames, burning towards Rachel and towards the obstructive Ruby.

“Get out of my way! This is between her and me!”

“My apologies, Her Royal Highness’s order is to ensure the target’s safety. Therefore, I cannot comply.”

Ruby’s voice remained utterly flat. She shifted slightly, adopting an impeccable defensive and offensive stance, shielding Rachel and Vera behind her as she faced Miriam directly.

“I advise you to cease your resistance and surrender.”

“Dream on!”

Miriam let out a shrill roar, her mind, clouded by hatred, having completely lost all reason.

She said no more, abruptly crouching low like a venomous snake slithering across the ground. The dark dagger in her hand transformed into a cunning black streak, aiming for the vulnerable gap beneath Ruby’s ribs! Its speed was even greater than when she had held Rachel hostage moments before.

A faint flicker of contempt, as if observing an ant’s struggle, crossed Ruby’s eyes. She didn’t even move significantly; her left foot merely retreated half a step with extreme precision, her body swaying slightly like willow floss in the wind. The deadly black streak grazed her clothes, missing its mark.

At the same time, her right hand darted out like a snake’s tongue, her five fingers pressed together like a spear, striking with fierce force directly at the pulse point of Miriam’s knife-wielding wrist! It was still a ruthless move designed to cripple her opponent’s fighting ability.

Miriam was forced to dodge clumsily again. Her movements were agile and eerie, like a wisp of smoke, twisting and turning in the narrow alley. The dagger in her hand sometimes struck like a venomous snake’s tongue, sometimes clawed like a ghost, each strike aimed at Ruby’s vital points. Her attacks carried a suicidal madness, astonishing in speed and viciously cunning in angle.

Yet, Ruby’s response was effortless. Her movements were minimal but terrifyingly efficient. Each block, dodge, and counter-attack was precisely timed to exploit the moment Miriam’s old strength waned and new strength had yet to form. Her dark grey leather gloves seemed to contain immense power; each collision with the dagger produced a dull thud that numbed Miriam’s arm. Ruby appeared to be engaged in a precise dismantling exercise, calmly analyzing Miriam’s every weakness, each strike aimed directly at a vital point.

The two figures intertwined rapidly under the moonlight, the cold glint of the dagger and the force of their fists and palms tearing through the night’s tranquility.

Miriam’s breathing grew heavier, sweat plastered her fringe to her forehead, and her movements began to falter due to the intense pain in her wrist and rapid exhaustion. In contrast, Ruby’s breathing remained steady, her eyes still icy, as if this fierce struggle was merely a warm-up for her.

“Bang!”

With another heavy block, Ruby’s palm struck the outside of Miriam’s wrist with precision. Miriam could no longer hold on, and the dark dagger flew from her grasp, clattering onto the distant stone pavement. The immense force instantly numbed her entire right arm, sending her stumbling back several steps uncontrollably until her back slammed hard against the cold wall. She let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

The outcome was decided!

Ruby showed no hesitation, taking a step that brought her close as if by instantaneous movement. Her grey-gloved hand, imbued with terrifying power, was already raised high, aimed directly at Miriam’s vulnerable throat! One strike would be lethal!

“Wait! Ruby! Don’t kill her!”

Rachel’s urgent voice suddenly rang out.

Ruby’s palm halted abruptly, less than an inch from Miriam’s throat! The fierce wind from her hand even ruffled Miriam’s pink curly hair. She maintained her posture, her cold gaze, showing clear incomprehension and a hint of interrupted impatience, slowly turning towards Rachel.

“Why?”

Ruby’s voice was still devoid of emotion, but her amber eyes clearly reflected the question.

“She attempted to assassinate you, posing a threat to your life. Eliminating threats is my duty.”

Rachel met Ruby’s emotionless gaze. She forced herself to remain calm, striving to keep her voice steady.

“She… I still have use for her. Regarding the Cult, regarding the mines, she might know things we don’t.”

The reason sounded weak and unconvincing; even Vera couldn’t help but look at Rachel with concern.

Ruby’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, clearly dissatisfied with the explanation. She scrutinized Rachel, then cast a cold glance at Miriam, who was leaning against the wall, gasping, her eyes still burning with hatred.

“Her Highness’s order is to protect your safety, not to handle your personal grievances or harbor dangerous individuals.”

Ruby’s tone was coldly businesslike, with a hint of underlying displeasure.

“Letting her go will lead to endless trouble.”

“This is my decision.”

Rachel took a deep breath, her voice hardening with an undeniable resolve.

“I will bear the responsibility. Now, let her go.”

Rachel couldn’t explain her complex feelings to Ruby at this moment—was it sympathy for Miriam? Empathy for Gina’s plight? Or simply the belief that Miriam shouldn’t die here? She herself couldn’t sort it out.

Ruby silently stared at Rachel, her cold amber eyes seeming to pierce through her soul. The air in the alley was so heavy it felt as though it might drip. Vera was so tense she barely dared to breathe, while Miriam clutched her numb arm, leaning against the wall and panting heavily, her hateful gaze darting between Rachel and Ruby.

The standoff lasted mere seconds, yet felt like centuries.

Finally, Ruby slowly lowered the hand that had hovered before Miriam’s throat. She did not look at Rachel again but refocused her icy gaze on Miriam.

“Scram!”

Miriam’s body trembled violently, whether from anger, humiliation, or both, she couldn’t tell. She bit down hard on her lower lip until she tasted blood. Her gaze, filled with bone-deep hatred like poisoned arrows, finally fixed on Rachel’s face, as if to brand her image into her very soul.

“Rachel Lockwood… this isn’t over!”

Miriam squeezed out the hoarse words, then hesitated no longer. She spun around abruptly, stumbling into the thick darkness at the end of the alley. Her pink curly hair flashed in the moonlight for an instant before being completely swallowed by the shadows. Her hurried, clumsy footsteps rapidly faded until they vanished.

And just as Miriam’s figure completely merged into the darkness, disappearing from sight—

In the depths of Rachel’s vision, the blood-red numbers that had clung to her like maggots, day and night, ceaselessly flickering, were struck hard by an invisible hammer. A string stretched to its limit suddenly snapped! Under Rachel’s gaze, without warning, they silently shattered with a bang!

Like the most fragile glass, they exploded into countless tiny, crimson fragments of light. These fragments did not fall but briefly hovered and shimmered in Rachel’s vision, like the last faint glows of dying fireflies, possessing a strange and illusory beauty.

It lasted only an instant.

The next moment, all the crimson light points were swallowed as if by an invisible black hole, utterly annihilated and dispersed. The persistent, blood-red background in her vision, symbolizing the approach of death, receded rapidly like a tide.

The cool moonlight, the reflection on the cobblestone path, Ruby’s fiery red hair, Vera’s worried face… all the surrounding colors instantly returned to normal, startlingly clear.

Rachel instinctively blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering like startled butterfly wings. An indescribable, weightless exhaustion suddenly swept over her. It was as if a crushing boulder, pressing on her soul, had been abruptly lifted, leaving her body feeling so light it could almost float. This was accompanied by immense fatigue and a dazed sense of having survived a great ordeal.

She exhaled a long, silent breath, as if she had held it for far too long, her body trembling imperceptibly. Her tightly strung nerves finally relaxed, followed by the fiery pain from the wound on her neck and the cold dampness of her back soaked in cold sweat.

‘It’s over…’