Chapter 43: Anastasia’s Challenge

Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Lizzy and Cherry hurriedly pushed their way through the spectators and rushed toward the center of the field, their breathing ragged and their hearts filled with overwhelming anxiety.

The two women immediately rushed over to examine the bleeding gash on Kael’s chest.

"How could you let yourself get hurt this badly, Kael...?" Lizzy’s voice trembled, her eyes glistening with tears as she wrapped her arms tightly around her husband. "You nearly scared me to death!"

Cherry let out a long sigh and gently slapped her forehead. "Good grief... You actually took that slash on purpose just to put on a show. You crazy man!"

Kael merely chuckled, gently returning his wife’s embrace while patting her back to calm her down.

All around them, the people of Vex City continued cheering to celebrate the victory.

That was only natural. For people living in a border region like Vex, witnessing a high-level duel between powerful fighters was an incredibly rare form of entertainment.

In one corner of the field, the impromptu gamblers were busy counting their winnings.

"Unbelievable! I only placed a small bet of two silver coins on Kael earlier, but now it’s turned into a whole gold coin! That’s an insane profit... If I’d known I’d make this much, I should’ve been bold enough to bet my entire savings from the start!" a local resident shouted hysterically, overwhelmed with excitement.

"Damn it! You’re lucky you won so much, while I just lost three of my precious silver coins because I backed that young Knight... I should’ve trusted my instincts and bet on Sir Kael instead!" lamented another spectator who had lost his bet.

Although most of those who had lost felt envious, frustrated, and disappointed about losing their money, none of them resorted to taking out their anger on anyone.

The match had simply been too entertaining and thrilling, with action that had more than made up for the spectacle.

Meanwhile, at the main betting booth, Loyd, Johan, and Cherry’s group of mercenaries had just finished distributing the piles of winnings to the successful bettors.

After all the payouts had been deducted from their earnings, the total amount of pure gold coins they had collected from the booth came to approximately two hundred gold coins!

An absolutely staggering sum. It was worth noting that the standard currency conversion in this region was one hundred silver coins to one gold coin.

To ordinary people, two hundred gold coins represented enough wealth to purchase a plot of land along with a decent house.

Loyd could no longer contain his broad grin and overwhelming excitement. Johan and the other mercenaries were just as thrilled, cheering and embracing one another.

"Hahaha! I swear, we’ve suddenly become rich overnight, and it was this easy!" Johan exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the piles of money bags.

"This is the biggest and most insane profit margin I’ve ever made in my entire career as a mercenary!" Loyd chimed in with a hearty laugh.

However, just as their happiness reached its peak and the crowd’s cheers were beginning to die down, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense when a hoarse, challenging voice shattered the silence across the field.

"Kael! Stop playing the hero in front of those fools... I challenge you to a fight to the death right here and now!"

Kael immediately turned toward the source of the voice.

The moment his eyes landed on the figure standing upright at the front of the crowd, her athletic build and arms crossed over her chest, Kael was momentarily stunned. He recognized the owner of that voice all too well.

The woman who had always pursued him wherever he went, solely to collect the bounty on his head.

The main reason she had hunted him in the past was his history of repeatedly switching mercenary groups and showing no hesitation in eliminating corrupt superiors who attempted to betray him.

Of course, Kael had only killed those rotten higher-ups because they had repeatedly hurled excessive insults at him, acted deceitfully, plotted secret assassinations, or challenged him to fights to the death.

"Anastasia...? You actually went so far as to track me down in this remote city?" Kael greeted her, sounding half incredulous.

Aside from their past filled with endless pursuits, Kael and the exotic brown-skinned woman, who was none other than the leader of an independent adventurer group, had also fought seriously several times. Their record stood at a draw.

Their last encounter in the past had even ended with Kael managing to defeat her, though he had chosen to let her walk away alive.

In truth, Anastasia wasn’t the type of cruel, cold-blooded villain who took pleasure in killing. The bounty targets she pursued were almost always criminals with genuine sins to answer for.

The main reason she had hunted Kael was rooted entirely in a ridiculous misunderstanding from the past.

And even though that misunderstanding had been cleared up long ago, the stubborn woman was still far too proud to admit defeat. She had turned "Kael’s bounty" into a permanent excuse to keep challenging him, simply to satisfy her own thirst for battle.

All the spectators instinctively shifted their attention toward Anastasia, their whispers growing louder.

"Well, well... Who’s that exotic-looking woman? How dare she suddenly show up and openly challenge Sir Kael, who just won his match? Is she hoping to suffer the same humiliating defeat as that young Knight named Arthur?" one spectator sneered.

"I think she’s an adventurer from outside the city. But just look at her muscular build and facial features... I swear, she’s incredibly beautiful and terrifying at the same time."

Suddenly, three bald men standing behind Anastasia stepped forward.

They were her three loyal subordinates, nicknamed the Three Bald Brothers—even though they weren’t related by blood at all.

"If all of you are nothing but a bunch of cowardly spectators, then watch as our boss crushes that fake hero!" one of the bald men shouted loudly, trying to provoke the crowd.

Beside Kael, Lizzy narrowed her eyes, staring sharply at the unfamiliar woman as a possessive aura began to emanate from her. "Kael... Who exactly are they?"

Before Kael could answer, Cherry, who was standing nearby, spoke first in a thoughtful tone. "Hmm... If I remember correctly, they’re Anastasia and her three subordinates: Pao, Lao, and Cou. They’re a fairly famous group of bounty hunters known throughout the kingdom. I had no idea Kael actually had a history with them."

Cherry folded her arms across her chest and shot Kael a probing glance. "So... Kael, you used to be one of their bounty targets, didn’t you? I’ve heard rumors that once someone ends up on Anastasia’s group’s target list, they’ll chase that person relentlessly to the ends of the earth."

Kael and Anastasia stared each other down in the middle of the field. The atmosphere around them suddenly fell silent, leaving behind a thick tension charged with fierce rivalry.

Kael curled his lips into a challenging smirk. Deep down, he saw Anastasia’s appearance at this particular moment as a golden opportunity to further boost his popularity and reputation as a powerful fighter in front of Velde.

"At last, we meet again after all this time, Anastasia!" Kael called out in a deliberately mocking voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Back then, you chased after me relentlessly and kept challenging me to duels for no other reason... than because you secretly had feelings for me, but I rejected you outright! And in the end, you just couldn’t accept it!"

Thump!

The entire crowd was instantly taken aback, staring in disbelief at his outrageous claim.

Anastasia, upon hearing those words, froze in shock before being overcome by intense fury. Her brow furrowed deeply, forming a pronounced crease.

"?????????? ???????? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????????? ???????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????????????!" she screamed inwardly in frustration.

"???????? ???????????? ?????????????? ???????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ????????! ?????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ?? ???????????????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ????... ???????? ????, ??????’?? ?????????? ??’???? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ??????????!" Anastasia cursed inwardly, gritting her teeth. She then rolled her neck and shoulders, stretching her muscles until the sharp sound of cracking bones rang out.

"Have you finally gone completely insane after all these years apart?!" Anastasia shot back, her eyes blazing. She stepped forward and entered the dueling area. "In that case, let’s see which one of us is actually crazy! Now, take a good look at my beautiful curves, perfectly sculpted muscles, and stunning face so your sanity can return, you bastard!"

Without waiting for any further signal, Anastasia lunged forward and attacked with her bare hands, relying entirely on her reflexes and raw physical strength.

Kael burst into even louder, more provocative laughter. Without hesitation, he casually tossed his greatsword onto the ground before stepping forward and closing the distance, passing Lizzy, who stood frozen in place.

"Well, well, well... That sort of empty boasting usually comes from people who are about to suffer a bitter defeat," Kael replied, deliberately fanning the flames of his opponent’s anger. "Maybe you’re actually the one who’s secretly been longing for these masculine muscles of mine all along, huh? The muscles of a true adventurer, not those soft, jelly-like muscles of yours!"

"I’LL TEAR YOU IN TWO!" Anastasia roared furiously, the veins at her temples bulging as her pride was utterly trampled in front of the public. "How dare you insult the muscles I’ve worked so hard to build over all these years!"

BAM—ARRGH!

As the two of them closed the distance, Kael’s palm and Anastasia’s fist collided head-on.

The physical impact between the two powerful fighters generated a small shockwave of compressed air that swept the dust across the field.

The spectators, who had thought the show was already over, held their breath once more, startled by the sudden beginning of another round of fighting.

Amid the tension, Loyd flashed a sly smile as he spotted a golden opportunity right in front of him. He raised one hand high above the crowd.

"The betting booth for the second round is officially open! I’m putting down a full fifty gold coins on Sir Kael’s absolute victory! Who wants to place a bet?!" Loyd shouted confidently, stirring up another wave of commotion as spectators rushed to place their bets once again.