"What do you think you’re doing?" Hualing’s voice cut through the air like a blade as she maintained her vice-like grip on Athena’s wrist. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, radiating a death glare that would have made lesser warriors tremble.
Athena blinked rapidly, as though awakening from a deep trance. The fog that had clouded her mind monts before dissipated under Hualing’s piercing gaze. She straightened her posture, so of her warrior’s dignity returning as she t Hualing’s hostile stare.
"What are you talking about?" Athena countered, her voice stronger now, echoing her usual commanding tone. As she spoke, she beca aware of a curious transformation within herself. The strange, overwhelming feeling that had compelled her to reach for Ambrose was receding, like a tide pulling back from shore. The intensity that had consud her monts before was diminishing significantly.
Almost involuntarily, her eyes darted toward Ambrose, and imdiately the peculiar sensation flooded back—that inexplicable pull, that desperate need to be closer to him. The princess quickly averted her gaze, returning her attention to Hualing, whose killing intent was radiating in almost palpable waves.
Interesting, Athena thought, as her analytical warrior’s mind began piecing together the pattern. When confronted with Hualing’s aggression—with the promise of combat and danger—the strange influence weakened considerably. Her natural battle instincts were overriding whatever spell had montarily claid her. Her fighting spirit was responding to Hualing’s hostility, pushing back the unfamiliar emotions that had taken hold of her.
"So that’s how it is," Athena realized, a smile of understanding spreading across her face as the pieces fell into place. The warrior princess felt a asure of control returning—the thrill of potential combat was clearing her head, anchoring her to her true self.
But her smile was gravely misinterpreted. To Hualing, that smile was nothing less than an admission of guilt—a brazen confirmation of malicious intent toward her master. Without further questioning, without a mont’s hesitation, Hualing released Athena’s wrist and launched herself forward with lethal purpose.
In Hualing’s mind, the situation was crystal clear: this woman was a threat to her master and needed to be eliminated. She had observed the way the princess stared at Ambrose—had tid the inappropriate handhold at exactly 12.8 seconds—far beyond what propriety allowed. Such transgressions could not be tolerated. They demanded retribution.
A crimson dagger materialized between Hualing’s fingers as she closed the distance between them with frightening speed. Her target was precise—the neck, for a clean killing blow. No hesitation, no rcy for those who threatened what was hers to protect.
Athena recognized the deadly intent instantly, her battle-honed reflexes responding automatically. Her body shifted into a perfect combat stance, power gathering in her fist as she prepared to intercept the attack. Her eyes locked with Hualing’s, both fighters radiating deadly focus as they closed the remaining distance, their attacks re monts from collision.
The clash of these two formidable warriors would have been spectacular—perhaps catastrophic—had it occurred. But before their attacks could et, a strange sensation washed over them both. A montary dizziness, a shift in perception, and suddenly the world around them seed to warp and distort.
In the next heartbeat, Hualing found herself across the room, her montum carrying her forward as her crimson dagger plunged through the thick stone wall as though it were parchnt. The solid stone crumbled around her weapon, leaving a perfect hole where her strike had landed.
On the opposite side of the chamber, Athena stood in similar confusion, now outside the building entirely. The wall before her had been completely obliterated by the force of her uncompleted attack. But her thoughts weren’t focused on the destruction. She was struggling to process what had just happened—a spatial manipulation so swift and precise that she hadn’t been able to resist or even react to it.
She turned around sharply, scanning the area with tactical precision. Her eyes imdiately found Ambrose several ters away, suddenly dropping to one knee, his face pale with exertion. As she looked at him, that sa inexplicable feeling surged through her again, compelling her forward. She rushed toward him with genuine concern, but soone else reached him first.
"Master! Are you okay?" Hualing was already there, supporting Ambrose as he struggled to regain his footing. His breathing was slightly labored, his expression strained.
Ambrose leaned on Hualing’s shoulder, ntally chastising himself for his miscalculation. Teleporting an S-rank fighter like Athena had extracted a far greater toll than anticipated. Nearly half his ntal strength had vanished in that single effort, leaving him montarily disoriented and weak. The small spell of dizziness was a clear warning sign that he had overextended himself.
As Athena approached, her mind worked to make sense of what had happened. Had Ambrose himself perford that spatial manipulation? No, that couldn’t be possible. Soone with his frail physique couldn’t possibly command such power. He must have activated so kind of spatial treasure—that explanation made far more logical sense to her warrior’s mind.
Yet, regardless of the cause, the strange feeling in her heart compelled her to check on his wellbeing. "Are you o—" she began, stepping closer.
"Stay away from the master!" Hualing cut her off sharply, her voice carrying a clear threat. "Look what you made him do!"
Athena blinked in confusion. "Weren’t you the one who attacked first?" she pointed out, her logical mind struggling against Hualing’s twisted reasoning.
But Hualing wasn’t interested in logic or fairness. Her priority was singular and absolute. "You wanted to touch the master," she declared with righteous conviction. "You should have just accepted your death with honor."
The princess was taken aback by the sheer irrationality of the statent. How did that reasoning make any sense? She opened her mouth to retort, but Ambrose intervened before she could speak.
"Stop it!" His command, though soft, carried surprising authority. Hualing looked up at him with an expression of wounded innocence, as though she were the one who had been wronged.
"But master..." she began to protest.
Ambrose silenced her with a gentle pat on the head, his touch soothing her agitation like magic. "It’s okay. I know you were just looking out for ," he acknowledged, validating her protective instinct while redirecting her behavior.
"Then..." Hualing started again, but Ambrose gently cut her off.
"But you shouldn’t just randomly attack the princess," he continued, his voice maintaining that calm, reasonable tone that seed to gradually disarm Hualing’s aggression. "I’m sure the princess wouldn’t want to harm ." His eyes flickered briefly to Athena before returning to Hualing. "And even if she wanted to, we wouldn’t be able to resist."
He turned toward Athena, his intelligent eyes eting hers directly. "Did you want to harm ?" he asked simply.
The question triggered another wave of that strange influence, and Athena found herself vigorously shaking her head, unable to even contemplate causing him harm.
"See?" Ambrose turned back to Hualing, his point effectively made. The maid seed partially appeased, though suspicion still lingered in her eyes as she glanced between Ambrose and the princess.
"Co on, it’s getting late," Ambrose said, changing the subject with practiced diplomacy. "Why don’t we go do what we ca here to do?" The suggestion imdiately refocused the group, drawing their attention away from the conflict and back to their purpose in the capital.
The others nodded in agreent, eager to move past the tense confrontation.
Standing slightly apart from the others, Liu ihua observed the entire exchange with analytical interest. Her perceptive eyes missed nothing—not the princess’s confused reactions, not Hualing’s fierce protectiveness, and certainly not Ambrose’s subtle manipulation of the situation. A small, knowing smile curved her lips as pieces of a puzzle clicked into place.
"So that’s how that skill works," she thought to herself, adding another valuable insight to her growing understanding of Ambrose’s abilities. The charm skill was certainly more potent than she had initially estimated—capable of affecting even soone of Athena’s caliber. This was information worth rembering.
…
In the dimly lit chamber, figures shrouded in identical black cloaks ford a crescent around a solitary figure seated on an ornate chair, separate from the others. The walls bore intricate maps of Lumina’s capital, dotted with annotations marking entry points, patrol routes, and potential escape paths. The rooster-masked leader sat motionless, his crimson and gold mask catching the flickering torchlight.
"Just as Sir Dragon said, the shadow guards have been recalled," the Rooster announced, his voice carrying through the silent room.
A wave of satisfaction coursed through him. Sir Dragon’s intelligence had proven flawless once again. Under his leadership, their dream of freedom seed increasingly tangible. mories of the past flashed through his mind but he quickly banished these distracting thoughts; sentintality had no place in their mission.
For Sir Dragon’s efforts not to be wasted, I must ensure success.
With sudden resolve, he rose from his seat. "Ti to start moving," he commanded.
The black-cloaked figures lted into the shadows one by one, their departures so swift and silent they seed to simply cease existing rather than physically leave.
When he stood alone in the empty chamber, Rooster adjusted his mask. "Guess I should make my move too," he murmured, stepping toward the exit, his footfalls leaving no echo as he vanished into the darkness.
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