Chapter 222: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Selena’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion or warmth, just a warning, sharp enough that the girl fell silent immediately.

She seemed shaken for a moment, panic flickering across her face at the blade against her throat, panic that vanished just as quickly, replaced by an annoyed expression.

"Tch, you are no fun. You should really work on your social skills," the girl said, and at those words Selena didn’t hesitate. In an instant, her hand moved, driving the blade forward without mercy, but contrary to what one might expect, nothing happened. The blade struck only air, because the target was no longer there. She was now ten meters away.

Seeing this, Selena’s eyes narrowed.

That speed was something a second year student shouldn’t have possessed, not an E-rank Advanced stage, which was supposedly this girl’s level, and certainly not someone meant to be playing a support role.

There had been something about this girl that Selena hadn’t been able to put her finger on since they’d first arrived here, but at first she’d ignored it, since she didn’t know her well and it hadn’t really been the time to dwell on it given the situation.

But the more time passed, the more she’d sensed something off about the girl, maybe the way she spoke, or the way she looked at things, or how she always seemed to be holding herself back during battle while helping and saving others, as if restraining herself the entire time.

She didn’t know why, but she’d stayed on guard, and once the two of them ended up here alone, she knew something might happen. So she’d decided to test the waters by sending her away, all while pretending to ignore it the whole time.

And she’d been right. The other girl hadn’t wasted any time closing the distance between them, and if Selena hadn’t stayed alert the whole time, she was certain she would have been caught completely off guard.

It was clear the girl’s intentions weren’t good, but there was one thing Selena couldn’t quite figure out, there was no intent to kill, but something else instead. Regardless of what it was, though, the girl was an enemy now, and every enemy who tried to hurt her in any way would perish by her hand.

So she didn’t waste time wondering about this or that. No, she launched straight into the attack. She had to neutralize her. The other girl, seeing this, was surprised for a moment by her actions, but not for long, she dodged the incoming strike while laughing.

"Come on, is that any way to treat someone? Didn’t anyone teach you its rude to go around swinging a sword at people?" she said, as if lecturing a child.

Then she suddenly stopped, as if she had just remembered something.

"Oh, wait, no. That’s usually what people say to me," she said, dodging another strike. Her expression then turned more playful, a dangerous glint appearing in her eyes.

"But seriously, don’t force my hand. I tend to lose control once I let myself go." she said, and instantly the aura around her shifted, her strength surged, no longer an E-rank Advanced stage, but now a C-rank Mid stage.

She’d jumped almost two full ranks in a single second, and a moment later Selena’s blade was blocked, not by her, but by a root that burst up from the ground and formed a wall in front of the girl.

Seeing the sudden change, Selena went on alert and immediately put distance between them with a quick burst of movement, but the instant her foot touched the ground, the earth trembled, and more roots shot up from it, quickly wrapping around her leg.

She looked down at them, and without a moment’s hesitation used her blade to cut them away, but right at that moment, a voice echoed beside her.

"Well, I guess that’s your answer, not that I mind. it would’ve been boring to catch you without any fight at all."

It was the other girl’s voice, now right behind her, and Selena immediately felt a strong sense of danger.

The girl’s hand shot toward her neck, intent on capturing her brutally, but just as it was about to reach her, something happened.

Huh?

The girl’s eyes widened slightly as she watched the bizarre scene unfolding before her.

Selena, who had been standing right in front of her a moment ago, was suddenly gone. But that wasn’t what stunned her.

No. It was the droplets of blood hanging in the air, along with what appeared to be half of an arm, which fell to the ground right in front of her.

It was her own arm.

The shock of the situation was immediately replaced by pain that wasted no time arriving, all at once.

"AAAH—!" But she didn’t even have time to finish screaming before a powerful blow struck her square in the face, sending her flying and making her slam violently into a nearby tree.

It had, of course, been Selena, who’d wasted no time neutralizing the girl. Now, with the girl slumped against the tree trunk, she looked down at her, her expression as blank as before, devoid of any anger at the sudden attack or guilt over the brutal blow she’d just dealt.

No, none of that. Just a cold calm, as she decided what to do next.

The girl managed to dull the pain by channeling mana into the severed part of her arm, and her expression, no longer playful, turned to look up at Selena, who was already standing right in front of her.

"Y-you’re not a D-rank," the girl said, shock and disbelief written across her face.

But Selena didn’t seem concerned by that at all. She simply looked at her for a moment, and then, without any warning, drove her sword into the girl’s shoulder, pinning her to the tree trunk.

"Argh!" she screamed, but Selena didn’t seem to care in the slightest as she crouched down beside her, staring straight into her eyes.

The moment the girl saw those cold eyes staring straight at her, she trembled.

For the first time since this whole thing had begun, she felt a genuine sense of danger.

"Alright. Let’s try this again," Selena said, the sword still buried in her shoulder.

"Who tf are you?"