Chapter 224: A Dangerous Opponent

The moment those words left his mouth, Selena was already on him once again, not giving him even a second to adapt to the sudden situation.

But it was already a little too late for that, as the man was already fully alert, especially after seeing her speed and gauging her actual level.

"A C-Rank Mid-Stage?"

He murmured, taken aback, because this was different from what he’d been told.

They were supposed to be hunting down a girl at D-Rank, instead, here she was, already at C-Rank.

Was it possible that she wasn’t their actual target, but someone else who had simply ended up here by chance?

"Oh well, either way, since you’ve already attacked me, I won’t hesitate to return the favor," he said.

A maniacal grin appeared on his face, and his aura immediately exploded, instantly reaching the level of a B-rank Mid-Stage.

A full rank above her, an Elite, no less.

Selena felt the situation spiraling, her body tensing as her eyes sharpened.

’Looks like this won’t be as easy as I thought.’

And just as she’d expected, the fight didn’t stay simple for long.

The other party summoned two short swords and suddenly vanished from his spot, only to reappear right in front of her, both blades already swinging toward her.

The two short swords came at her from opposite directions.

Selena barely managed to raise her own blade in time, blocking one strike before twisting her body to dodge the second. The man’s movements were nothing like what she’d expected. There was no hesitation, no caution. He fought like a madman, throwing himself at her with relentless aggression.

Their blades clashed again and again, the ring of steel echoing through the forest as they traded dozens of strikes within mere seconds.

Selena stepped back, but he was on her again instantly.

One sword lashed toward her throat.

She ducked.

The second came from below.

Selena shifted to the side, but not quite fast enough.

The blade tore across her flank, leaving a deep gash along her abdomen.

’Damn it!’

Pain exploded through her body, but she didn’t even have time to react before another strike came crashing down on her.

She blocked it with her sword, only to be forced back several meters by the sheer force behind the blow.

Her feet slid across the ground as she fought to regain her balance.

The instant she did, the man was already in front of her again.

"Not bad, for a C-Rank, you’re holding up well against my attacks. But if this is all you’ve got, I’m afraid you won’t last much longer," the man said, sounding almost delighted by the fight.

Selena gritted her teeth and raised her sword, intercepting another slash. The blow sent a violent shudder through her arm, and the second sword was already coming for her side.

She shifted at the last possible instant.

The blade grazed her body, but the man didn’t stop. He spun on his heel and attacked again, forcing her to block, dodge, and retreat without pause.

Selena tried again and again to find an opening, but her opponent gave her none.

He was simply too fast, too unpredictable, and above all, he fought without the slightest concern for his own defense.

Every movement of his was aimed at cutting her down as quickly as possible.

Another strike caught her shoulder, opening a second wound and sending blood spattering onto the ground.

Seeing this, the man seemed to shake his head, almost disappointed.

"What a shame. You’re already starting to slow down. Oh well, maybe I expected a bit too much from you. After all, you’re just a lowly C-Rank," he said, lunging at her once more, clearly in no mood to give her any time to recover.

But in his haste, he failed to notice something.

Throughout the entire path Selena had been forced to retreat along, she had been leaving behind tiny traces of mana, each one infused with the element of ice.

The moment the man’s foot came down on the mana traces Selena had left, the trap activated.

Ice spread instantly across his foot, coating it completely in frost.

He was already in motion, and by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

His foot slipped.

For a fraction of a second, he lost his balance, but that was all Selena needed.

She was already in front of him.

Her sword came down at him with startling speed, forcing him to react on instinct. He twisted his body and raised one of his short swords, barely managing to intercept the strike.

’Shit, she almost got me,’ he thought, finally taking her seriously.

He’d been caught off guard, but his combat instincts were sharp enough to save him.

What he failed to notice, though, was the small shard of ice that had formed beside him.

It had risen from another trace of mana Selena had left behind, its tip already aimed directly at him.

’Damn it,’ he spotted the incoming attack and immediately tried to react as fast as he could.

The man used his second sword to block Selena’s strike, but in doing so, he gave her exactly the opening she needed.

Selena’s eyes blazed with killing intent as her blade shoved his first sword aside, carving out a gap between them.

Selena drove her sword forward, straight toward his chest.

More precisely, toward his heart.

’Got you, bastard.’

She finally vented the frustration she had built up during the exchanges in which she had been forced onto the defensive.

But at the very last instant, the man’s survival instincts kicked in.

His body twisted violently to the side.

The blade sank into his chest, but instead of striking the heart directly, it caught just to the side of it.

"GHAA-!"

A scream of pain tore from his throat as he lashed out in fury, driving a kick into Selena’s stomach with all his strength, sending her flying back.

The man staggered, clutching his chest as blood ran between his fingers. He collapsed onto one knee before forcing himself back up, his face twisted with pain.

"Y-you... bitch, I’ll kill yo-" he screamed in rage, seeing the severity of his wound, but he didn’t even manage to get fully back on his feet.

Selena was already back on the attack.

She closed the distance in an instant, her sword already raised for another strike.

But just before she reached him, her instincts screamed a warning.

Danger!

Selena kicked off the ground, changing direction in an instant, and at that exact moment, her eyes caught sight of a dagger cutting through the air between her and her wounded opponent, before burying itself in the trunk of a nearby tree.

For a moment, both Selena and the wounded man stood frozen.

The man’s eyes went wide as he turned slowly toward the direction the dagger had come from.

A figure was approaching through the forest.

And from the look that spread across the man’s face, Selena understood immediately.

It was his companion.