Chapter 113: I Don't Want to Regret It
Vita is still very young.
Even though she has been an assassin for six years, and even though the spikes in her hand have taken countless lives, she is still only 23 years old this year.
But several years ago, she understood what that sentence meant.
[All the gifts that fate gives have already been marked with a hidden price.]
The power she obtained from the Hidden Leader, which she could use for revenge, is so heavy that she may never fully repay it in her lifetime.
After all, it is the power of a "god".
From the moment her body received the imprint of the weaver, she was no longer herself.
She couldn't resist the orders issued by the Hidden Leader.
Even if she gave her all and summoned the courage to face death without fear, she couldn't resist that hint.
If she continues to insist on her own way, she will ultimately lose herself in the implications.
Although these implications are not permanent, it is even more terrifying because they are not permanent.
What kind of torment is it to kill the people she values and sees the bloodied thorns in her hand and the lifeless body in front of her after regaining consciousness?
Vita couldn't bear it anymore.
For her, there are many things in this world that are scarier than death.
All she could do was obey.
However, the good news is that even when she obeys, she can still do so selectively.
The Hidden Leader issued the order to attack Creek Town, but the order was vague, only instructing her to assassinate those high-level adventurers, creating an opportunity for others to find the escaped magic puppets.
High-level adventurers?
Except for a few people, Creek Town doesn't have any adventurers higher than Loria, right?
Vita decided to attack Loria.
Only by attacking can they best protect Loria.
Having spent several years in Hidden Leader, she knows well that Hidden Leader possesses power far beyond what people imagine.
The deaths of both Sylph and fake Sylph did impact Hidden Leader's actions in Creek Town, but it wasn't enough to cause significant harm.
For this mission, Hidden Leader's true reliance is on the camp instructor, who has the strength comparable to a C-level adventurer. Once he sets his sights on Loria, there's no way out for her.
Therefore, she must trap Loria here, until the attack on Creek Town is over.
She knows that Loria will never willingly stay here, so a bloody battle is inevitable.
"This is necessary, whether it's to save people or to kill. We should never be bound by circumstances!"
Loria pulled out a big sword, and Vita took out her usual pair of spikes.
"If you must go, then cross over me."
"I am mentally prepared."
Loria didn't get angry or ask loudly. Vita felt relieved by this calmness.
It's good to be calm and peaceful.
She already had too many things weighing on her, and on this gloomy rainy day, she found it even harder to breathe.
She only hoped that in this small room of about forty square meters, she could cover all her frustrations with battle.
Questioning?
There is indeed no need for it.
During the day spent sitting with Vita, Loria did three more simulations.
In the simulations, all of her persuasion was useless. There was no other way except to fight Vita. Even seducing or using electricity in front of Vita didn't work.
In the end, her biggest achievement was strengthening her belief to break out from here and meet the guildmaster, as well as gaining a skill called "Stone Skin."
As the name suggests, after using the skill, her skin instantly becomes tough, able to resist weapons' slashing and stabbing.
This is a pretty good skill when a big battle is approaching.
Let's begin.
Loria launched the attack first.
Time is running out.
The raging wave of monsters will come soon. Although the guildmaster has gathered a group of adventurers and made some defensive preparations according to the plan, it can only delay the footsteps of the monster's attack and buy a little time for the ordinary people in the town to take shelter.
"Now, as one of the top fighters in Creek Town, I can't waste all my time here!"
With the incredible agility of Kitty's Pace, Loria swung her large sword and smashed the table and cabinet in front of her into pieces.
Vita skillfully dodged the attack. Her agility of 84 points was no joke. As she landed at the kitchen door, she raised her right hand and dozens of spikes instantly shot out from the walls of the room.
Clang, clang, clang, clang -
Loria pushed and blocked, deflecting all the spikes.
However, she didn't feel relieved. The speed and strength of the spikes were very weak, so weak that even if she took them head-on, she wouldn't be seriously hurt.
Something's not right.
As she looked around, she noticed the spikes that she had launched were piercing the ground around her in a very orderly pattern.
"This is..."
Boom!
Suddenly, bright flames filled Loria's entire field of vision.
She quickly realized that this was not ordinary fire. She was so hot from the flames that she wanted to take off her clothes, but the wooden furniture around the fire remained unaffected.
"Oh no, is it a magical object?"
At that moment, Loria was wearing a tight-fitting red catgirl bodysuit on the outside and had recently bought protective gear underneath. Due to the intense heat, her body was covered in sweat, filling every curve and crevice. The slippery sensation made her feel dizzy.
It was her body that was abnormal, otherwise her fighting ability would definitely be greatly reduced.
"Huff... huff..."
Under the drenching sweat, her face turned a mysterious pink color, releasing a pink aura.
Loria's body became uncontrollably excited.
Honestly, this is quite distressing.
She didn't plan to reveal this hidden card during her battle with Vita. She is different from ordinary people. Once she breaks her limit once, it becomes easier for her to explode.
When fighting against the wicked Hidden Leader members, this will greatly limit her fighting power.
But now that things have come to this point, there is only one option: fight!
The hurricane stirred up by the spiral sword swept the flames, turning into a terrifying fire tornado.
The seemingly spacious living room was shattered by a single collision of entangled giant swords and spikes.
"Help!"
People living near the high-end hotel screamed as they fled from the dazzling fire.
They fled into the curtain of rain, hoping to find a safe place. However, after running a distance in panic, they suddenly heard ear-piercing screams coming from other parts of the town.
"It's a monster, a minotaur!"
"Quick, go to the Adventurers Management Guild and summon Guildmaster Adeline!"
"Help me!"
With cries echoing one after another, streams of fire lit up from the outskirts of Creek Town, quickly connecting to form a long dragon.
"So fast."
Loria turned her head for a glance.
At this time, the guildmaster should have gone to support, and she also needs to find a way to quickly break free.
Her goal is not to kill Vita, but to escape from here. However, Vita's speed is too fast, making it difficult for her plan to succeed.
"Agility proves useful in times like these."
When Loria saw that her stamina, even after various enhancements, was only 58, she frowned.
Now, her only reliance was on the succubus shockwave and Succubus Eye.
She didn't want to use the shockwave on Vita because it would consume too much energy. She had no choice but to use Succubus Eye.
"Vita's mental attribute is 46, not high but not low either. Using Succubus Eye directly won't allow for long-term control of time. It can only be used effectively at critical moments."
Loria continued to swing her greatsword and engage with Vita.
The greatsword had a wide attack range, but it still fell short of reaching Vita.
Taking advantage of the small openings exposed during the greatsword's rotations, Vita unleashed all her firepower. The sharp spikes in her hand were more agile than snakes.
After a few collisions, Loria's red catgirl bodysuit was marked with over a dozen scratches, especially on her arms where she was pierced, and blood trickled through her fingers.
"Is this an attempt to ruin my hands and prevent me from gripping the sword?"
Loria quickly strengthened her stone-like skin defense. She didn't expect Vita to go easy on her, and she had already blocked her own way to survive.
Just then, Vita's voice rang out.
"If you promise to stay here until the monster tide is over, I can help you extinguish these fires."
"There's absolutely no possibility of that!"
Besides a cold voice, Loria's response was a swiftly swung sword.
Unfortunately, even while speaking, Vita remained highly vigilant. The sword struck empty space with a booming sound, drowned out by the cries outside that were mixed together.
As an assassin, Vita never let her guard down until the mission was complete.
She was like a fluttering moth near a bonfire, causing endless trouble for Loria.
"Your speed is too slow. There is no way you can defeat me. Even if your body is tough, it's useless against the flames that will quickly devour your energy. You will be defeated sooner or later. And... even if you really manage to escape from me, dragging around a tired body, you won't be able to do anything."
Health recovery potion can restore health, while healing potion can treat injuries.
But the potions sold in Creek Town are not very effective. After all, it's just a "beginner village."
The big boss attacks the beginner village, no matter how hard the people in the village struggle, they can't turn the tide.
Most people think so.
But Loria doesn't agree.
If she doesn't have anything, that's fine. But she has a simulator. If she can't win, she can simulate, searching for that glimmer of hope from countless simulations.
"If I just run away without even trying, what kind of knight would I be? Why not just be a geisha instead?"
Loria blocked Vita's attack with the back of her strengthened hand, then headbutted Vita directly.
Bang!
Blood splashed, both people were knocked dizzy.
At this moment, Loria's advantage was shown. She had already mastered the spiral sword perfectly, and her ability to withstand dizziness was far superior to Vita.
"It's now!"
Succubus Eye activated, and Vita, who had been stared at with a loving eye, was horrified to find her arm trapped in a "quagmire".
Oh no.
Before the spikes landed on Loria's arm, the sweeping sword heavily slapped her waist.
A huge force struck, and she was sent flying directly onto the street outside, the blood instantly dried by the flames burning in the air.
"It's done."
Loria was overjoyed.
Even though everything went too smoothly, now is not the time to worry about such things. She needs to hurry up and support the guildmaster and Miss Plump Sheep.
With the help of Kitty's Pace's speed, Loria appeared ten meters away in the blink of an eye.
Just as she was about to sprint, she suddenly noticed Vita blocking her path, but she didn't know when.
"How did you... get here?"
Loria was completely confused.
Just a moment ago, she saw Vita fall to the ground, clutching her abdomen and coughing up blood.
She instinctively turned around and saw no Vita behind her, but suddenly, a strong wind started blowing ahead.
"To be distracted at a time like this could be deadly."
Clang!
Loria immediately raised her sword.
But the two sharp spikes grazed against the blade, and finally pierced into her arms. It happened so suddenly that she could only let out a painful cry.
"My strength."
Loria's face turned pale.
She realized that her strength was draining much faster than usual. If this continued, even someone with remarkable endurance like her would collapse to the ground.
Could it be that she misunderstood Vita's abilities?
Otherwise, how could Vita suddenly become so fast?
She quickly threw another Insightful Perception towards Vita.
The feedback from the skill showed no difference from before, except that Vita's name now had a new status attached to it.
[The Blessing of the Weaver]
The effect of the state is unclear, but from Vita's sudden and terrifying speed, it can be seen that this is a very powerful buff.
Running away is impossible.
If they want to meet up with the guildmaster, it seems the only way is to defeat Vita.
Loria became uncontrollably anxious.
In just a moment, she clearly saw a small opening being torn open by a monster on the east side of Creek Town.
Although she hadn't seen any monsters on the street, she could already hear their low growls through the pitter-patter of rain.
"Don't panic, everyone, don't panic, retreat in an orderly manner."
"Guildmaster Adeline is prepared, the monster tide will pass soon, everyone, don't panic!"
The urgent shouts got closer and closer, and soon, Loria saw a large group of scared and confused townspeople appear at the end of the road.
Even though someone shouted at the top of their lungs, the crowd still became a jumbled mess.
At a certain moment, a little girl suddenly got knocked down to the ground. She covered her head in fear, but the people running behind her showed no intention of slowing down.
Just as a stampede accident was about to happen, before Loria could do anything, Vita had already turned into a shadow and dashed out.
Brush.
Like the wind passing through the alley, it came quickly and went quickly.
Loria quickly turned her head and saw the little girl appearing under the fence. Vita, who was crouching in front of her, reached out to touch her head.
"Little child, are you okay?"
"Thank you, sis. I'm fine."
Loria had nothing to say.
She wanted to escape, but she could feel that Vita's attention was always on her.
Vita only stood up again when the little girl's mother took her away.
Loria said, "You saved one person, but now more people are in danger because of the actions of the Hidden Leader. If you let me go, they will have hope of being saved."
Vita gently toyed with the rain-soaked thorns and said, "I am a very selfish person. I don't think about saving unrelated people like you do. In my heart, you are much more important than them, and I won't watch you get into danger because of them."
Loria pointed to the little girl who was walking away and said, "But you saved her!"
Vita replied, "Because you wanted to save her, that's why I saved her."
Loria said, "Now I want to save other people."
Vita said, "That's different. Stay here tonight. Even if you go out, it would be going to your death. Your life is still long, and if you want revenge, there will be plenty of time in the future."
Loria shook her head and asked, "Vita, why do you think people live?"
This question stumped Vita.
After a while, she whispered, "To pursue what they want and live the life they desire."
Loria said, "If we don't have those things, it's better to be dead than alive."
Vita stayed silent, knowing what Loria wanted to say.
"I don't desire vengeance. What I want is to see everyone living happily and healthily. Otherwise, I would have left Creek Town a long time ago, without staying here at all."
"You can't save everyone."
"I know I can't save everyone. Under these kinds of attacks, innocent people will die today no matter what. But I can't don'thing about it. As long as I rush over, I can still save a few more people. So, I absolutely won't stay behind. You have your thoughts, and I have my pursuit. I want to live without worries. I don't want to constantly live in regret and what-ifs."
Vita stared into Loria's eyes.
As the shouts around her grew louder and more piercing, she slightly spread her legs apart, holding a spiked weapon in her right hand.
"I don't want to have any regrets either."
Loria took a deep breath.
Enemies can work together for the same goal.
Friends can also fight relentlessly for different goals.
She didn't blame Vita, but she had to run out, even if she had to kill Vita.
