Chapter 1533: An Open Challenge II

Sean watched as the clash between Andreass and Clift erupted in full. The battlefield itself seemed to awaken. Tendrils burst from the walls and floor, twisting and writhing as they struck, while Clift dissolved into the shadows, slipping from one pool of darkness to another.

Steel flashed as his twin blades carved through the thorned growth, each movement precise, almost effortless.

Jay sprang into the air and drove his swords into the ground.

At once, the shadows beneath him bled outward like spilled ink, surging and warping before hardening into jagged thorns that ripped through the attacking vines in a single, brutal sweep.

He did not pause. With a sharp stomp, Clift launched himself at Andreass, his assault a blur of speed and intent. Andreass barely kept up, steel ringing as he parried strike after strike, each impact forcing him back step by step.

Sean could see it clearly how Andreass was being overwhelmed by Jay’s attacks. Unfortunately, he had no time to intervene. Not when numerous arrows were chasing him from left and right like a wild dog, he didn’t even know how the arrows could curve mid-flight, and chased him as if there was a target mark on his forehead.

The arrows were clearly enchanted, guided by spellwork or some unseen power. Sean had no time to dwell on it; three arrows were already hurtling straight for his face. In that instant, instinct answered where thought failed.

Vines erupted around him, twisting and weaving into a living barrier just in time. The arrows slammed into it, stopping mere centimeters from his body.

Sean exhaled, a shaky breath of relief escaping him. Then his eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield around him, searching for the source. ℴℴ𝗺

And there she was, standing poised amid debris and fire, silver hair streaming behind her, her expression calm and unwavering as she drew her bow and aimed once more at his face. Even with her appearance altered, Sean could recognize those unyielding eyes anywhere.

"Raven Jane!" Sean shouted, then smirked. "You came." He spread his arms as if welcoming a lover rather than an enemy.

Lory released the string; soon, the arrow screamed toward him at lightning speed. Sean swung his sword, slicing it cleanly in two, and smirked back at her. "That’s a strong greeting, don’t you think?"

"That’s for injecting me with a weird device." Lory lowered her bow, the corner of her lips tugging into a sneer.

Sean paused, narrowing his eyes. Experience had taught him one thing: whenever she smiled like that, nothing good followed.

She raised her left palm, her eyes glinting dangerously as if sending a warning, then she clenched it into a fist. In an instant, the shattered arrowheads jerked violently through the air and shot back toward him.

Sean’s breath caught. He slashed wildly, trying to intercept the attack, but it was too fast, too many. Sharp fragments grazed his face, arms, and legs.

"Ugh!" The sting came all at once, and blood began to trickle from the fresh cuts.

Sean knew he had to act because this cruel woman truly intended to kill him. With a shout, power surged from him, and massive thorned vines erupted from the floor, wrapping around him and enclosing his body in a cocoon of living wood.

Lory tilted her head and pursed her lips. "Oh. Not bad," she muttered.

When the barrage finally ceased, the vines loosened their hold and withdrew. Sean emerged from their protection, standing tall, his gaze fixed on the woman a few meters away. His feelings tangled within him: admiration, excitement, and a faint ache of regret.

Regret for what might have been, had they met under different circumstances, on different sides of the line.

"Raven Jane," he said slowly, eyes studying her with open curiosity.

"Is that even your real name?" His gaze sharpened. "Is that even your real face?"

Sean had never met a woman so thoroughly wrapped in mystery and secrets, yet everything she did and said captivated him. She was like a diamond buried beneath layers of veils, and he couldn’t help wanting to peel them away, one by one, to see what beauty lay beneath. Perhaps that was what had drawn him to her in the first place.

He let out a soft chuckle. "You changed your hair again? Every time we meet, your hair looks different. Makes me wonder what your natural hair color is," he spoke in a low voice, almost gentle.

Lory raised a brow; she spoke indifferently. "Does it matter?"

She often found the way Sean looked at her was weird, like he was expecting something from her. But what? If he thought he could sway her to his side, he was utterly foolish.

Sean shrugged lightly. "Maybe."

Curiosity flickered in Lory’s eyes. "Then I’ll tell you this," she said evenly. "Nothing is real."

Sean fell silent for a brief moment before asking, "Including your status?"

"What status?" Lory frowned, genuinely confused.

"Your marital status," Sean clarified.

Lory blinked, puzzled by both the question and its timing, but answered anyway. "No. That one is real," she said with a shrug.

"Oh." Sean paused, then lowered his gaze, disappointment flickering openly across his face. A moment later, he looked back at her with a crooked, bitter smile. "Well... that’s disappointing."

"Eh?"

The atmosphere shifted, it was subtly, but unmistakably. Lory felt a strange discomfort crawl up her spine. Why did it suddenly feel like she had just dumped him? That made no sense. They had only met a handful of times, and every encounter had ended in violence. She had tried to kill him—more than once!

So why...?

A chilling thought struck her. Is he a masochist?

Lory shuddered. Her mind spiraled, dredging up memories of absurd soap operas and questionable light novels, the kind where psychologically unstable male leads dragged everyone into toxic, self-destructive relationships. No. Absolutely not. She despised that type of man more than anything.

As her imagination ran wildly out of control, instinct took over. Just like always, when she panicked, she shouted the first name that make her feel safe.

"LI XIINNN!"

Zhao Li Xin arrived faster than a bullet. Swoosh.

He struck Sean in a blur of motion. Sean barely managed to raise his sword in time to block the blow, but the impact was overwhelming. He was hurled several meters backward, skidding across the ground. Even as he dropped to one knee, he drove his sword into the floor to stop himself from being dragged any farther.

Once he finally managed to stop himself, the shock truly set in. Sean stared down at the weapon in his hands. A deep crack ran along the surface of the blade, and a numbing force surged through his arms, as if he had been struck by a truck. It took every ounce of strength he had not to let go of his sword.

Zhao Li Xin didn’t bother to pursue Sean any further. His attention shifted immediately to Lory. With a powerful leap, he crossed the distance to her in an instant.

Worry etched across his handsome features as his eyes swept over her, checking her from head to toe, before his hands settled around her shoulders, drawing her close in a protective hold.

"Wife, are you okay?" he asked.

The irritation that had been coiling inside her dissolved at once as she leaned into his arms. Her expression softened instantly. "I’m fine. I just freaked out a bit, so I accidentally called you."

Zhao Li Xin’s tense expression relaxed the moment he was assured she was unharmed. "Oh, that’s okay," he said gently. "You can call me anytime you like." As always, he indulged her without hesitation.

Sensing an opening, the enemy raised their guns and opened fire. Bullets tore through the air, but Lory reacted instantly, lifting a transparent barrier that flared to life and blocked the attack.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "So many of them," she muttered, eyes sweeping across the battlefield. "How many people are even here? There’s no end to them." Her tone slipped into a whine as she turned to Zhao Li Xin, like a child complaining to a parent about a crowded mall.

Zhao Li Xin gently stroked her head, his expression soft with unmistakable affection. He spoke the way any overly doting parent would. "Fret no more. I’ll get rid of them in a while."

"Hm?" Lory blinked, momentarily dumbfounded.

"Oh, wait." Zhao Li Xin stopped. His gaze shifted, locking onto Sean. "Let’s start with him, then."

His dark eyes turned colder than a glacier as he stared at the man who dared to covet his wife. Not only had he dared to hurt her, but he even shamelessly coveted her as well.

How arrogant, how preposterous, do they think this lord is dead? Perhaps this Lord needs to teach him a lesson for that man to understand the consequences of eyeing his woman.

A chill crawled up Sean’s spine as every hair on the back of his neck rose at once. Slowly, he lifted his gaze. His blue eyes met a pair of eyes so black they seemed to swallow light itself, empty, cold, and utterly devoid of warmth.

The air felt heavier, oppressive, as if the world itself had gone still around them.

In that instant, Sean understood with chilling clarity: something terrible had fixed its attention on him, and this... can’t be good.