The Aftermath of the Flare and a Captured Foe

The earth melted, scorched, and cracked, leaving a charred ravine in its wake. Everything in its path was utterly obliterated.

Nearby residents were jolted awake from their slumber, yet none dared approach their windows. The afterglow of the solar flare outside remained blindingly intense, making it impossible to draw near.

If the afterglow was so fearsome, the epicenter of the flare was surely beyond comprehension.

The few who had received the warning immediately scrambled to shelter against the walls, their eyes squeezed shut.

Even so, the searing glare burned against their eyelids, and the rapidly heating air stole their breath.

Only after the flare’s eruption subsided, its power gradually dissipating…

The Wind Mage swiftly raised their staff, conjuring a dense wall of wind at the main entrance.

“Quickly, retreat through the back alley!”

With their vision compromised, both the Wind Mage and Rhino Horn had no choice but to let Jellyfish Tentacle lead the way, as they were adept in such situations.

The wall connecting to the back alley had melted halfway, clearing a path for unobstructed escape.

Yet, no sooner had they emerged than a small elbow struck their knee.

“It’s that girl!” Jellyfish Tentacle cried out.

‘Thwarting their West Street plans, fighting them disguised as a cat-eared loli, leaving them humiliated and disheveled, even inciting the night market crowd to cause trouble…’

‘The little nightmare they had constantly guarded against was now blocking their escape route once more.’

‘And she had lifted her leg high, her small foot, which had been severed, now perfectly restored to her ankle.’

‘How was that possible!’

“Don’t get entangled with her; she’s just buying time,” Arrow Frog calmly assessed. “Retreat, now!”

The sword-wielder outside the main entrance was even stronger.

Jellyfish Tentacle twisted their slender waist, evading the punch that followed the loli’s elbow. Just as they prepared to widen the distance, a searing pain shot through their calf.

They had remembered to dodge the joint hammer, but overlooked the Elegant Strike, for their calculations had assumed the girl wouldn’t possess that foot.

Iordera retracted her slender leg, the dark golden light in her eyes slowly receding.

“Aaaahhhhhh!”

As Arrow Frog emerged, they saw Jellyfish Tentacle, who had been leading the charge, sprawled on the ground, clutching their calf and wailing.

Their limbs were already long, but now their calf appeared as soft as a noodle, a truly unmistakable injury.

‘The bone must be broken… No, shattered.’

“Damn it!” Arrow Frog’s eyes widened as they glared at the white-haired loli.

[You are currently under mental magic interference. Purification function activated.]

Without a word, Iordera lunged forward, covering the distance in a few swift strides. Her elbow arced directly towards the short figure’s forehead.

The lanky individual was too tall; an elbow strike could only reach their knee. But for the short one, a heavy elbow strike was perfect.

Arrow Frog raised their arm, blocking the elbow strike with their mithril vambrace, then twisted their body to dodge the subsequent punch.

After their last encounter, Rhino Horn and Jellyfish Tentacle had shared intelligence with the others. They all knew her elbow strike was merely a prelude; the true killing blow lay in the punch that followed.

Thus, their defensive strategy was identical: block the elbow, dodge the punch.

Iordera’s attacks proved ineffective, yet she showed no urgency. After all, one lanky figure was already incapacitated on the ground.

She moved with fluid grace, darting in and out along the wall, seamlessly chaining three different attack forms from her hands and legs.

Within their five-person team, Rhino Horn, who was meant to be on the front lines, still hadn’t recovered their sight. The powerful attacker, Jellyfish Tentacle, had been ambushed and crippled. The Wind Mage, serving as support, was currently holding the front entrance. This left only Arrow Frog and the Crossbowman to face Iordera.

It was as if a warrior had charged into the back ranks, free to strike as they pleased.

The two were utterly unable to retaliate, forced into a passive defense.

Iordera unleashed several consecutive combos, her final hand-blade strike sparking a shower of metallic glints against Arrow Frog’s mithril vambrace.

Both individuals recoiled several steps.

Iordera did not press her attack further. Though her offense had been relentless, it had no real impact. Unless one was truly unskilled, a person’s defensive capabilities far outstripped their offensive prowess, and with the opponents wearing armor, her attacks struggled to inflict significant damage.

‘Nature’s Order was on cooldown. Her two-stage joint hammer, which could pierce armor and deliver critical blows, was constantly anticipated, making it difficult to land. Without these abilities, Iordera’s level 30 defensive strength couldn’t inflict substantial harm upon them.’

‘Rely on Elegant Strike’s debuffs for damage? Unless it was an ambush, anyone caught by its 1.5-second wind-up kick would be crippled anyway.’

Arrow Frog noticed her actions, turning to whisper to the Crossbowman: “She’s out of tricks.”

“Indeed,” the Crossbowman replied, his brow furrowed, “but time is not on our side.”

No sooner had he spoken than a massive explosion erupted from the front entrance.

The Wind Mage, covered in dust and soot, stumbled out, coughing. “Go, quickly! I can’t hold her back any longer… Why aren’t you moving?”

Arrow Frog remained silent, gesturing with their eyes. The Wind Mage’s gaze followed, and they, too, saw the white-haired loli.

“It’s her again… There’s no time to deal with this now. Can’t we just run?”

“We could, but,” Arrow Frog said with a sigh of resignation, “Jellyfish Tentacle is in her hands.”

Only then did the Wind Mage truly notice the lanky figure, still clutching their injured leg and howling in pain, not far behind the white-haired loli.

Both they and Rhino Horn had been on night watch, and having faced the blinding flare directly, their vision was still blurry.

“Can you whisk Jellyfish Tentacle away?” Arrow Frog whispered to them.

The Wind Mage glanced at the main entrance, at the precarious wind wall they had conjured.

“No, if I divide my concentration, the front entrance will be undefended. If the sword-wielding girl breaks through there, none of us five will escape.”

Arrow Frog cast a final glance at Jellyfish Tentacle, then gritted their teeth firmly. “We’re leaving.”

“Let’s go!”

The Driver hesitated: “What about them? Are we abandoning them?”

“We’re leaving first!”

****

Barely ten seconds later, Sophia tore through the wind wall, arriving in the back alley with her sword drawn. All she saw were a few rapidly retreating figures, clearly beyond pursuit.

“Forgive me, that thing held me up for too long,” the young woman said, annoyance coloring her tone.

“It’s fine. Let them go. I’ve already caught one.”

Iordera walked over to the lanky figure and nudged them with her foot. “This one, Jellyfish Tentacle, is said to be a fierce attacker, now crippled.”

Sophia blinked. “Crippled?”

“Indeed,” Iordera confirmed, touching Jellyfish Tentacle’s calf, eliciting another shriek of pain. “See? Their bones here are completely shattered.”

“Shattered?”

Sophia’s mouth twitched. “That’s… impressive, but… how did you manage it?”

‘They’re a level forty-something individual, after all. Their bones should be protected by energy, not so fragile.’

“I have a small trick up my sleeve, otherwise I wouldn’t have been so confident,” Iordera stated, standing over Jellyfish Tentacle with hands on her hips, looking down. “In any case, we’ve caught one.”

“Alright, where should we take them?”

Sophia was a boarding student, and Iordera lived in a rented house; neither could take a captive back to their living quarters, let alone a safe house.

Fortunately, there was an available space: West Street.

The two brought the captive back to Sharp’s Workshop, dragging them into the cellar and locking them away.

“Let’s rest for a bit,” Iordera told Sophia. “We’ll interrogate them after daybreak.”

Sophia had taken several days off, leaving them with ample time.