Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 406 - 32 Unknown Intense Battle_1

Chapter 406: Chapter 32 Unknown Intense Battle_1

"Huff, huff, huff, huff." The sound of distant panting echoed through the valley.

"You can’t run away, hee hee hee hee." The voice was gloomy and hoarse, filled with a taste of victory, ominously laughing, "This place is only so big, where else can you hide?"

"Come on out, come on out." Another voice, sharp and piercing, like the horrifying noise produced when nails scratch on smooth crystal, "Come out and die quickly, why insist on struggling so hard?"

"Huff, huff, huff, huff." The panting continued loudly, exceptionally distinct in the quiet valley.

"Where are you now?" The third voice, in a teasing tone, directed towards the location of the panting, "We’re coming over, okay? Since you’re making such a big noise, I presume you two are ready for a direct confrontation."

"It’s now four against two." The fourth voice was an old woman’s, sounding kind yet filled with a trace of oddity, leaving one baffled: "Under the current circumstances, do you still hope to turn the tables? This is our territory. Even if you hide, how long can you avoid us? Why not come out and fight swiftly? Maybe you could even take one of us out."

Four strange people, searching back and forth in the not-so-large valley. It seemed their objective was to find two individuals, yet none of them approached the area where the panting was most evident. It was clear to everyone at this point there had already been several confrontations, understand their opponent’s ability to conceal. Uncovering such a gaping flaw was impossible. The conspicuous panting could only be a clumsy trap.

"Come out, come out, why don’t you come out?" Despite their victorious tone, seemingly casually hunting their defeated prey before killing them, everyone was actually cautious, not letting their guard down. They took every step and made each move with utmost care. After all, they all knew their opponent’s strength. No one desired to be counter-killed in the midst of a golden opportunity. Such an outcome would not only result in their deaths, but also make a laughingstock out of them by their comrades, an absolute humiliation.

"Ha ha, found you." The second one was screeching something that no one would believe. The only purpose was to add psychological pressure on the hidden enemies, causing them to lose patience and expose their flaws.

The tactic seemed to work, as the bushes in front of the first one suddenly moved. His gloomy face changed, his figure retreated hurriedly while the second and fourth figures closed in simultaneously, drawing their one-handed swords and slashing horizontally, cutting through the swaying bushes, to find it empty.

"It’s a trap." The fourth, elderly figure let out a short exclamation: "Be careful, number one. You’re too close to that place."

One heard the panting behind him growing clearer, aware he was getting nearer to the source, but that was precisely his intention. Traps weren’t frightening; triggering a trap, then using it against the enemy was his style. In previous instances, he’d used similar methods to counter-kill many overly smart foes. He expected today to be no exception.

As suspected, there was a trap. Behind ’one’, a figure darted out, fingers gleaming deadly cold, striking like claws at the heart area of ’one’s’ back.

"I’ve found you now." ’One’ sneered, twisting his body in an unbelievable way, turning at an exaggerated angle that seemed as if it was boneless. At the same time, he kicked up, hitting the attacker’s waist with a tricky angle, sending the attacker flying out. But surprisingly, ’one’s’ kick not only sent the attacker flying but also shattered it into pieces, scattering grass all over the sky.

"It’s a straw man." ’One’ twitched the corner of his eye and shouted: "Be careful, number three, you’re isolated. The enemy’s target is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a figure appeared without warning behind ’three’, the dagger in his hand unhesitatingly slit at ’three’s’ throat. ’Three’ wore a cold smirk, indicating he had been underestimated. He held up his one-handed sword towards his back, blocking the path of the dagger. But the carrier of the dagger seemed not to see it, continuing the killing momentum, the dagger moving in a straight line, then through ’three’s’ weapon, through ’three’s’ body, dissolving into a wisp of fog.

"As expected, it’s a phantom." ’Three’ remained expressionless, snorted coldly: "’One’, it’s on your side..."

Behind ’one’, at the place where the panting was coming from, after a straw man sprang up, ’one’ had shifted his attention away. But at this moment, another figure in a cloak sprang up from the same place. He no longer used his claws but held a thin sword, silently stabbing at the back of ’one’.

It must be said, this was a trap built on a keen understanding of human psychology. First, using the sound of labored breathing to keep enemies guessing at what’s real, then use the rustling of the bush to distract their attention, finally, introducing the decoy. Once the enemy destroys the decoy, they momentarily fall into a perceptual blind spot, subconsciously ignoring the position from where the decoy came. Believing it to merely be a false attack point, the illusion then draws everyones attention, finally launching the real surprise attack from this overlooked location. This trap leveraging psychological inertia, when you think it should be here, it is not. However, once you accept that it’s not here, you don’t realize it is actually here.

Unfortunately, the enemy also exhibited mastery this time, and the trap failed. It seemed Number One had been ready, he deftly parried the thin sword with his curved blade, simultaneously kicking out with as much force as the first time. This time, there were no surprises. Number One’s foot accurately connected with the belly of the attacker, causing them to fly through the air like a cut kite, tumbling seven or eight times before barely managing to disappear into the waisthigh grass.

Number One did not continue to pursue. Besides the fact that the attacker had disappeared in time, a more significant reason was the chilling scream from Number Two. During the brief encounter between Number One and the attacker, everyone’s attention was drawn away for a split second, and in that small window of time, disaster struck.

A slender hand, coated with pale purple nail polish, appeared through Number Two’s back, and pierced out from his chest. With a horrified scream, Number Two looked down in disbelief, seeming to be in a dreamlike state, his eyes wide as the hand swiftly pulled back out of his chest, leaving behind a gaping bloodied hole in his heart. Number Two reached out, trying to touch his chest to confirm what had happened, but before he could fully extend his arm, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The second attacker shouldered the full force of Number Four’s sword stroke. His timely use of the dagger near his shoulder prevented the attack from severing anything, but the sheer force was enough to make him wince.

"You bunch of idiots who can’t even tell the difference between one and two, is counting to two really that difficult?" the second attacker sneered, suddenly obscured by a smoke screen, his figure twisting and disappearing within it.

"Damn it, we fell for it." Number One gritted his teeth angrily, "Keep searching. He won’t be able to recover from that kick for several hours. We can finish them off."

"This guy also took a hit from my sword." Number Four’s voice, aged by time, concealed his wrath, "Although he blocked it, I’m sure his scapula is fractured. We can’t give them the chance to recover."

Number Three’s eyes swept across the valley, his voice heavy, "Let’s hope they don’t try to escape. If they manage that, we’ll never be able to face our comrades again."

"Of course, I..." Number One was a bit far from Numbers Three and Four, who were just making their way over. However, as soon as the two of them took a step forward, a chilling sword light erupted from the earth beneath Number One’s feet. At the same time, Number One let out a roar, lashing out with all his might with his scimitar.

The flashes of the blade and the sword intertwined, reflecting each other under the sunlight. The scintillating light made it hard for Numbers Three and Four to see what had happened. They only saw blood spattering everywhere like scattered petals. Amidst the stinging smell of blood, a fair and well-shaped thigh and a man’s head, whose eyes were wide open with broken corners, soared into the sky, and then fell heavily to the ground. Number One’s lifeless body lay there, headless, while the first attacker stood proudly before him, brandishing a ruthless smile despite the loss of a leg, licking off the blood from his long sword.

The second attacker appeared beside him, took the former by his waist and leaped several times, escaping towards the deeper part of the valley. Numbers Three and Four recollected their senses just in time to lock eyes, upon glancing at Numbers One and Two, who had already lost all signs of life, they ground their teeth and bellowed, "Chase them, we can’t let them live."

They glared at the puddles of blood and scattered limbs on the ground, then angrily skewered the severed thigh on the ground with a sword, and began their pursuit of their assailants, soon disappearing into the thick growths in the valley.

The small valley resumed its usual tranquility. The green grass swayed in the wind, wildflowers exuded a light fragrance, bees and butterflies fluttered among the flowers. Apart from the absence of any beasts, the valley bore no difference from any ordinary meadow, permeating an aura of peace and serenity. Had one not witnessed it themselves, it’d be hard to believe that such a swift yet brutal life-and-death struggle had just occurred here.

"We’re finally here, is this the valley where the Holy Spirit Altar is?" Catherine’s voice suddenly shattered the silence of the valley, "It’s more beautiful than I imagined, and why are there no Undead here?"

"Even the heart of a storm can be very calm." Pannis followed Catherine in, his face suddenly changing, "Hmm, there’s a strong smell of blood here, it’s very fresh, also traces of an Aggression Burst. No, a battle definitely took place here less than an hour ago, and not with the Undead, it was with living beings."

"I know." Lina, who had actually arrived before Catherine, pointed ahead, "I have already seen the bodies."(To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to Vote or Tip for support at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)