The Reckless Rescue of a Bloodkin

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The crisp clicks of high heels heralded Seraphina Scarlett’s emergence from the shadows. Clad in a black evening gown and grasping her priest’s staff, she advanced slowly.

“Offender, your transgression ends here.”

Seraphina’s brow furrowed, her expression taut. With both hands, she raised her staff, causing specks of light to emanate from its tip.

“Remove your foot from her before I break your limbs!”

Outwardly, Seraphina exuded an aura of solemn dignity, an inviolable presence.

Yet, inwardly…

‘Oh, gods, why did I say something so embarrassingly childish?’

‘She yearned to sink into the ground right then.’

‘The sheer mortification was unbearable.’

‘Still, shame could wait. Saving Iqiyah was paramount.’

With her staff pointed directly at the Knight, Seraphina advanced, her steps chillingly precise and measured.

“If you don’t release her, I will—”

“Wait!”

Just as Seraphina prepared to exert further pressure—a mere bluff, in truth—the Knight suddenly raised a hand, gesturing for her to stop.

She then tucked her silver sword under her arm, removed her helmet to reveal a cascade of golden hair, and unfastened a pouch on her belt. From within, she produced a pristine scroll, unfurling it with a snap. Her brow furrowed, and she squinted, scrutinizing the contents.

“No, no, no,” she muttered, glancing up at Seraphina, then down at Iqiyah beneath her foot, before returning her gaze to the scroll. “This isn’t—no, no, no.”

“Ah, my apologies, I seem to have made a mistake.”

With a sheepish scratch of her head, the Knight offered an awkward, apologetic smile.

“The scout requested I eliminate a black-haired Bloodkin.”

She held up the scroll for Seraphina to see, revealing a surprisingly accurate portrait of Seraphina herself.

“As soon as I saw a Bloodkin, I assumed it was the boss. My sincerest apologies.”

As she spoke, she deliberately stomped her foot, grinding it into Iqiyah twice.

“I told you to take your foot off her, you dolt!”

Witnessing the Knight’s continued humiliation of Iqiyah, Seraphina’s fury flared, and the crimson glow in her eyes intensified.

“Easy, easy, my dear Miss Rat Number Two.”

The Knight merely chuckled at Seraphina’s rage, loosening her arm to retrieve her silver sword.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sevilya Sevillas, and I am currently a Ranger Knight.”

“While my name might be unfamiliar to you, I’m certain you recognize the title: Sevilya the Blessed, Seven-Time Champion of the Human Empire’s Martial Arts Tournament.”

“Who cares what you’re called, you conceited fool,” Seraphina retorted, lowering her gaze to glare venomously at the silver-armored Knight whose face was alight with an arrogant smile.

“No, no, no, this is merely good manners,” Sevilya countered, slowly sheathing her sword. “I examined your stats with my [All-Seeing Eye]. For a mere Level 1 Bloodkin to dare rescue her own master alone, your courage is truly commendable.”

“However… only Level 1? That is quite surprising, considering the bounty for my commission was a staggering 2.3 million!”

“Well, enough idle chatter, Miss Rat Number Two. Here I come~”

Just as before, the moment Sevilya’s words faded, she vanished without a trace.

Silver-white motes of light, like scattered starlight, flickered ceaselessly around Seraphina.

“Miss Rat Number Two,” Sevilya’s voice echoed, seemingly from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint her location. “Cease your bluster.”

“Though I don’t know how a mere Level 1 like you managed to use a divine-tier skill like [Divine Resurrection], this is, after all, another world. Anything is possible.”

‘Another world?’

At the mention of ‘another world,’ Seraphina’s ears perked up instantly.

‘Could she be a Transmigrator as well?’

“However… a Level 1 like you surely doesn’t have enough mana to cast a second skill, do you?” Sevilya’s tone dripped with mockery. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stood by and watched me humiliate your master so thoroughly.”

“So, how will you, without the ability to resist, block my next strike?”

In an instant, the silver light surrounding Seraphina vanished completely. Time seemed to halt, the air solidified, leaving only the resonant shing of a longsword being drawn, tearing through the stillness of space.

“Die!”

In that brief moment, Sevilya reappeared behind Seraphina, her sword already drawn, and thrust it fiercely towards her.

But just as the silver sword was about to pierce Seraphina—

“Hmph, to flaunt such a trivial trick before an expert?”

“What?!”

Seraphina offered a faint smile. Without any warning, her body tilted, and in that split second, she seized the opportune gap, executing a sudden sideward roll that allowed her to evade Sevilya’s lightning-fast attack!

‘A roll, unexpected, wasn’t it?!’

“This, this is impossible!” Sevilya exclaimed, utterly stunned by her missed attack. “You’re clearly Level 1! How could you be faster than me?!”

“I am not faster than you,” Seraphina stated, turning to face Sevilya after straightening up. “Your swift blade is indeed formidable, but the wind-up for your attacks is far too obvious, making it easy to predict your timing.”

“And furthermore…”

Seraphina gestured towards the fallen Iqiyah. “When you attacked Iqiyah just now, you also used a backstab. Having witnessed that, I naturally prepared to guard my back.”

“As a Seven-Time Champion, did such a basic thought not occur to you?”

With that, Seraphina raised her chin and let out a disdainful scoff at Sevilya—

“You’re too much like an NPC, Miss Trash Knight~”

“Guh-uh! You wretch! Don’t get so arrogant!”

Sevilya, wounded by Seraphina’s words, flushed crimson, her cheeks redder than ripe persimmons.

“That was mere luck! Let’s see you dodge my next strike!”

With that declaration, Sevilya, silver sword in hand, flickered and vanished once more.

This time, no silver motes of light appeared around Seraphina, nor was there the sound of a blade being drawn. Only an oppressive silence remained, along with an encroaching darkness that enveloped her.

“Take this, Bloodkin!”

Suddenly, countless silver flashes streaked past Seraphina, followed by a torrent of blades that assailed her like a raging storm.

“Hmph, haven’t I already told you? Your wind-up is far too obvious; it’s useless against me!”

Facing the barrage of silver light, Seraphina calmly retreated, swiftly evading their sharp edges.

“Hmph, do you think it’s that simple?”

From an unknown location, Sevilya’s voice rang out. Another silver flash, and Sevilya suddenly materialized above Seraphina, both hands gripping her silver sword, her gaze fixed intently on Seraphina, poised to strike.

“Hmph! Far too obvious! Will you never learn from your mistakes?”

Facing the blade suspended above her, Seraphina merely smiled faintly before swiftly retreating.

But what she hadn’t anticipated was—

“Hmph, I was waiting for this move.”

Contrary to Seraphina’s expectations, Sevilya above her did not immediately attack.

Instead, the moment Seraphina regained her footing, Sevilya, who had been hovering, suddenly accelerated, cleaving straight down towards Seraphina!

A chill ran down Seraphina’s spine.

Seraphina’s brow furrowed at the sight—

‘This… this is the Slow-Fast Blade!’

The Slow-Fast Blade was a deceptive technique. It relied on a series of rapid attacks to establish a predictable rhythm, causing the target to develop a reactive habit. Then, an unexpectedly slow strike would be deployed, capitalizing on the brief moment of vulnerability after the target’s instinctive dodge to deliver a surprise blow.

This move was also documented in Dark Souls. Due to its anti-pattern design, few players managed to avoid initial damage, earning it the moniker ‘Nerve Blade’ among players.

Of course, this was no game. If one fell for the Slow-Fast Blade’s trick, death would be very real!

“The game ends here!” Sevilya crowed triumphantly, her ploy succeeding. “Die, rat!”

However…

“Hmph.”

Facing the rapidly descending blade that threatened to cleave her in two, Seraphina neither dodged nor showed any signs of panic.

“Did you truly believe I only had this one trick?”

She merely looked up, calmly meeting the gaze of the furiously attacking Sevilya, a standard, twisted-mouth Dragon King smile gracing her lips.

“Lady Iqiyah, it’s your turn.”

From the darkness, a red light, trailing a long, faint crimson wake, shot past Seraphina’s side like a phantom.

“What?!”

With a resounding ping, Sevilya’s silver sword suddenly halted, vibrating violently. The intense tremor and immense recoil left Sevilya’s entire body numb, her grip slackening. The silver sword flew from her hand, spinning end over end before embedding itself firmly into the hard stone slab floor.

“Phew… that was truly a close call.”

‘I was almost turned into mincemeat.’

Seraphina wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, letting out a long sigh as she gazed at the proud figure now blocking her path.

“Seraphina… as much as I want to praise you, you’re far too reckless.”

“Don’t ever do that again…”

Standing before Seraphina, Iqiyah tugged at the sleeve that had just blocked Sevilya’s blade, brushing off two pieces of torn fabric.

“Hey, you scoundrel.”

Her brows were furrowed in a furious glare as she stared intently at Sevilya, who lay sprawled on the ground.

“This suit of mine is very expensive.”

“And you hit it with one slash from behind, then another from the front… now it’s unwearable.”

Iqiyah clenched her slender, pale hand, and streams of crimson blood seeped from between her knuckles, falling onto the dark stone floor and coalescing into vivid red tendrils.

“Speak. How do you intend to compensate me?”