Chapter 392: Ambush

Whoosh!

The man's smile faltered as a fist came hurtling towards his face. He twisted midair, narrowly avoiding the blow before shooting backward to create some distance.

"My lady!" Rena hurried towards Donna, whose face had gone pale, her eyes still trembling from the shock.

"I-I'm alright…"

Despite her pitiful attempt at sounding confident, Rena immediately moved to shield her, and both of them regarded the woman now standing before them warily. Without her intervention, only the Dome knew what would've happened.

"…Who are you?"

The woman glanced at them over her shoulder, and both their eyes immediately widened in recognition.

"It's you!" Donna exclaimed. "Aren't you the one who works for—"

"I was sent to protect you, my lady," the woman interrupted with a slight bow. "Please leave the rest to me."

"Oi, oi, oi! Now, is that any way to greet?" the tall sanguine man complained, licking his lips. "Though I can't say I blame you. With faces like those, even I'm having trouble keeping my hands to myself."

"You almost took my head off, woman," the second man, standing a short distance away, spoke up. He was leaner than his companion, with black hair and a pair of cold eyes that were now fixed on the woman. "You'd better be ready to pay for that."

The woman ignored them and calmly settled into a fighting stance, vita gradually bubbling around her as her eyes took on a crimson hue. Without looking back, she instructed,

"Get her somewhere safe. I'll handle these two."

"What? But you'll be fighting them alone—"

"Understood! We'll leave them to you!"

Rena immediately nodded and scooped Donna into her arms before she could protest, sprinting away from the group.

"You'll regret the day you dared lay a hand on someone from our house," the woman declared, her gaze never leaving the two men.

However, rather than looking intimidated, both men exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh, you're a funny one, aren't you?" the sanguine chuckled. "What, did you actually think the two of us came all this way by ourselves?"

The woman's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me…!"

"Ah, there it is! Finally catching on, are we?" The sanguine cracked his neck, his grin widening. "But don't you worry your pretty little head. We'll make sure you don't get lonely while they're gone."

Before she could respond, both men vanished from their positions, appearing before her with murderous gazes.

A violent explosion swallowed the area as they clashed.

…

Donna's expression was grim, and somehow, Rena's was even grimmer than hers. They'd barely reached the wall of the estate when two men suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

Both had the snow-white hair characteristic of the Aurelius clan. They were tall, well-built, and almost identical, even down to their outfits and unusually large mouths. The only noticeable difference was their hair, with one wearing his long and flowing while the other kept his short.

"Ahh, what did I tell you, Rain? Today's our lucky day! Just look at the lovely little present that dropped right into our laps!" the first, with long hair, exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Can we just get this over with, Snow?" the other replied, sounding considerably less enthusiastic.

Donna swallowed nervously, her face paling. "Rena… what are we going to do?"

"Stay behind me, my lady. I won't let them touch you."

Despite the confidence in her voice, Donna couldn't help but look at her maid with growing unease. Rena was only at the initial synergy stage, while the two men before them radiated presences far stronger than hers.

Under normal circumstances, her lineage as a member of one of the four grand clans of the Dome should've given her an advantage, but not only was she outnumbered, the difference in their ranks was simply too great. Worse still, the two men carried a wild, dangerous air about them that made it clear they were no strangers to battle.

Even with her meager cultivation at the node formation stage, Donna could tell Rena was no match for them.

"Haha, you're such a bore, brother." Snow grinned. "Come on, we've got two lovely ladies all to ourselves. What's the harm in having a little fun first?"

Rain merely shot his brother a flat look, making it abundantly clear that he had no intention of entertaining his nonsense. Snow stared at him for a moment before letting out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Haa, fine, fine. Dome forbid you ever enjoy yourself."

He shook his head helplessly before turning back towards the two women, a rather unsettling grin spreading across his face.

"My apologies, ladies. My brother here seems to be in a terrible hurry, so I'm afraid we'll have to skip the pleasantries."

"Bloodflow."

Rena's eyes flushed crimson as she stepped forward, killing intent surging from her body.

"You arrogant fools. Do you really think that pathetic lineage of yours is enough to challenge a sanguine?"

Snow's grin remained, but the amusement in his eyes disappeared.

"Breath Form: Flash."

He drew in a deep breath, and in the next instant, his figure became a blur. Rena's eyes widened, but she barely had time to react before a fist slammed into her chest, sending her hurtling backward. She crashed into a massive tree with a deafening thud.

"Rena!"

Panicked, Donna instinctively rushed towards her fallen maid, only to be abruptly yanked back by the grinning Snow.

"Woah, woah! Where's the fire, princess? We haven't even gotten to know each other yet, and you're already running off? That's just rude."

"Get your filthy hands off me! I swear I'll kill you, you bastard!"

"Haa…"

Snow let out an exasperated sigh before suddenly grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground.

"Huek! Huek…!"

Donna desperately clawed at his hand, her legs kicking helplessly as she struggled to breathe, much less utter a word.

"You know, princess, you're really starting to get on my nerves." Snow's grin turned cold. "You're lucky we were told to keep the goods in one piece. So how about you do us both a favor, shut that pretty little mouth of yours, and behave? Hmm?"