The First Strike on Door Street

Sophia felt that merely explaining wasn’t intuitive enough, so she offered an example.

“I heard that witch, over level ninety, escaped prison. Yet, despite her guardian—the only one stronger than her—having been missing for over half a year, the witch still dares not appear openly before people.”

Iordera’s lips twitched. ‘She’s quite brazen, actually,’ she thought, ‘and prances right in front of you every day.’

“The reason is this: if she were to show herself, those legendary figures, all above eighty levels, would immediately set out to subdue her. Though their individual combat power is far inferior, the witch could, at best, grievously wound them, but she would struggle to kill them.

These powerful individuals possess immense survival capabilities, supported by highly skilled medical teams. Even if severely injured, they could return to battle shortly. The witch, however, is alone and on hostile ground. If her location were exposed and she became surrounded, her only option would be to break through and flee, lest she be drawn into an endless war of attrition.”

Iordera nodded silently.

So this was the true reason for Hecate’s discretion, even going so far as to dye her hair.

“Fortunately, we don’t need to annihilate them entirely,” Sophia stated. “We only need to capture as many alive as possible.”

****

Upon reaching their destination, the two waited until nightfall had completely descended before entering the tavern.

As Cat Head approached the bar, he spotted Iordera and quickly rushed over.

“Someone’s here to turn in a mission,” he announced. “They’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”

Sophia waited briefly in the main bar area. Cat Head then led Iordera to a small room with one-way glass, while he went to the adjacent room to speak with someone, allowing Iordera to listen from her side.

The one turning in the mission was a young man with prominent dark circles under his eyes, clearly having endured many sleepless nights for this task.

“I finally tracked them down,” he said, slumping onto the table. “Those other good-for-nothings kept exposing the tail, forcing them to change hideouts several times. It dragged on forever.”

“But finally, my friend caught them waiting at a guesthouse.”

“Are you certain?” Cat Head inquired.

“Absolutely certain,” the young man affirmed, handing over a slip of paper. “They just settled in and will stay at least one night.”

A moment later, Cat Head approached, passing the note to Iordera. “That man is a renowned detective and master tracker in our circles,” he explained. “His confirmed information is rarely incorrect.”

“Good.”

With the tavern mission concluded, Iordera and Sophia found a quiet corner to examine the information on the slip of paper.

Number 14, Door Street: a single-story guesthouse. Before leaving, Iordera had prudently purchased a detailed map of Door Street from the night market.

“Excellent. The location is a single-story building, not a multi-story apartment,” Iordera stated. “We can initiate our strike directly at the building itself, without needing to flush them out first.”

If it was a bungalow, there would be no need to worry about accidentally harming neighbors upstairs or downstairs.

Sophia voiced a slight concern. “Is the information reliable? If we can’t confirm it, we might accidentally kill innocent people.”

“It’s fine,” Iordera reassured her. “Once we arrive, I have a method to ascertain from a distance if they are indeed our targets.”

“That’s good, then.”

Freed from her reservations, Sophia unfurled a topographical map. “Look,” she pointed out, “the bungalows on Door Street are arranged in rows, leaving only two viable escape routes: front and back. If I attack from the front, their only path will be through the back alley.”

Iordera instantly grasped her intent. “I can set up an ambush in the back alley,” she affirmed, “and strike as they flee in a panic.”

Sophia nodded. “The only question is whether you can succeed with a single strike.”

“That’s hardly an issue,” Iordera stated with absolute certainty. “I guarantee I can incapacitate at least one person, perhaps even render them immobile. As for you, can your opening strike ensure they flee in disarray?”

“I can.”

Sophia’s confidence was equally unwavering.

For over a decade, the blonde maiden had trained diligently under her brother’s tutelage, gaining considerable combat experience. Yet, practice remained merely practice; tonight marked her first true all-out effort.

A thrill surged through Sophia; she felt as if she had rediscovered the knight’s heart she once believed lost.

“Let’s go.”

****

Late at night, Door Street was as quiet as winter.

This district wasn’t part of the bustling night market; most residents lived by day, so at this hour, the streets were virtually deserted.

Iordera advanced silently, step by careful step, towards the back alley. The deep shadows cast by the bungalow walls completely enveloped her, allowing not even a sliver of moonlight to penetrate.

Reaching her designated position, she activated her detection mode and peered into the house.

Level 42, Level 41, Level 43, Level 45, Level 43.

No mistake; it was indeed the five-person squad.

Sophia stood directly in front of the street-facing side, her eyes closed.

The crystal in her hand grew faintly warm, a signal from Iordera confirming their presence.

It was time to act.

The young countess gently squeezed the crystal a few times, signaling Iordera to wait just a little longer.

This was not yet the opportune moment.

At this time, inside the small bungalow at 14 Door Street, Rhino Horn, the tall man, roused The Wind Mage. “Time for the shift change,” he murmured.

For the past few days, they had been active during daylight hours and slept at night. However, they dared not all sleep simultaneously, instead taking turns to keep watch.

The Wind Mage rubbed his swollen eyes. “Anything unusual outside?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Rhino Horn replied, “this street has no streetlights at night; you can’t see anything.”

Sleepiness was also overtaking him, his eyelids fluttering, his vision too dim to make out much.

To avoid arousing suspicion from neighbors, they kept their lights off at night, sitting in the dark house and relying solely on their hearing to detect any outside movement.

In the night sky, thick clouds occasionally drifted by, obscuring even the faint moonlight.

Door Street was plunged into absolute darkness. In that moment, everyone’s eyes adjusted to the pitch black, as if they had always lived in shadow.

Sophia opened her eyes.

Beneath the chaotic clouds, she felt as though she had transformed back into the young knight she once was.

“Sophia, why is this your favorite move?”

“Because it’s cool, and most effective against my enemies, brother!”

“Oh? And to whom does your sword point?”

“To those who bully the weak, slaughter the innocent, and commit all acts of injustice!”

She raised her longsword, an ordinary gesture, yet brought it down with all her might.

In that instant, chaos shattered. Golden-red flames and a surge of incandescent light erupted, reversing the light and shadow on Door Street, turning night into day.

[Blazing Sword: Solar Flare]

Inside the bungalow, Rhino Horn had just lain down, and The Wind Mage was still sluggishly keeping his eyes closed.

Suddenly, both felt a searing pain behind their eyelids.

The intense light, piercing through walls and windows, had scorched their retinas. When they opened their eyes, they were met only with a dazzling field of static.

“‘Enemy attack!'” Rhino Horn roared, his voice tearing through the air. “Dodge to either side! Don’t open your eyes towards the door!”

Even in the throes of blindness, he accurately assessed the attack’s direction and range, making a final, desperate effort for his comrades.