83 Speed against Patience (2/2)
At that time, everyone could clearly see what was the aims of the woman. One knife headed to a shoulder while the other tried to pierce her leg. From the outside, it could have appeared to be merciful, since it was not vital locations. But if her attacks truly hit, the victim would have lost complete control of the two limbs. Their nerves would have been totally severed, and an imperceptible trace of poison was spread on the two blades. Not even a qualified priest or alchemist could have healed those injuries.
”Hehehe, that's it? All you can do? Pathetic.” The mocking words hit the thief harder than any slap in the world. Even when she attacked a totally immobile target, she still couldn't hurt her. Gripping tightly the two knives, she attacked once more, but this time, aimed at an altogether different part of the body.
”NO!”
”STOP HERE!”
”SHE IS MAD!”
The previously veterans that were just looking with interest at the duel broke out of their neutrality and tried to interrupt the battle before it ended badly. Before, they could see some spells to reinforce her speed, and they allowed it. But now, the thief was in the same condition as she would if she was facing a monster. At the same time, even the most ignorant rookie or innocent bystander felt a pressure on their mind. Like someone wanted to kill them.
Because of the presence of mana, most warriors could display a form of killing intent, intentionally or by accident. But the very presence of this meant that someone wanted to kill someone else. Monsters and animals could produce the same sensation, only at a generally more powerful level. Alerted by that familiar intent, they could only lament that she was too fast and them too slow. Strengthened by the mana inside her body, the female thief was even faster than before. Now, normal humans couldn't even keep up with her image. But all saw clearly the result.
One woman was standing on top of a statue wearing an iron armor. Her two legs were ensnaring the neck of that armor, locking her firmly on its shoulders. The tight leather armor was not big enough to hide what happened, and where her two knives were planted. Every armor has some weakness. Whether it is the joints, its durability or its weight. As for the helmet, to be considered as such and not a bucket blinding its wearer, it needed to have some openings.
The two holes that let Meridiana see were now blocked by the sharp blades. However, unlike what everyone thought, the thief was not happy or even satisfied, but completely terrified. At first, she truly wanted to blind Meridiana, and let her suffer miserably for the rest of her life. Even if she loved her husband and he deeply loved her back, she still enjoyed the stare of the males around her. To know that she was still extremely beautiful was a pleasure. When someone even more gorgeous than she appeared in the surroundings, she couldn't help but feel a bit of envy or jealousy.
But none of them dared to humiliate her multiple times in front of everyone. When she realized that she may have made a mistake, it was already too late, and her attack already hit. If it was only this, she would have only been shameful, and not scared like she was. Because, the moment she wanted to retract her weapons, she realized that something was wrong.
Because she was a thief, she was extremely perceptive about distances. She knew her entire equipment fully, how much they weighted, even how long each lock pick was. And her instinct told her that none of the two knives even touched the skin of Meridiana. And when she tried to pull them, none of them were moving at all. Looking left and right, her opponent still hadn't even lifted her fingers.
That could only have meant one thing, that was totally unthinkable if she didn't know that the knives never touched the body of Meridiana. ”Everyone has been fooled, even me.” She thought about all they saw since the beginning, and that nothing could have let them figure out the truth. Turning around, she began to articulate her warning when a small hand closer her mouth.
Looking at the iron helmet that was shaking its head while chuckling, the female thief knew that she was going to have a very bad time. Even when she used her legs and pushed with all her strength, she still didn't manage to escape the strong grip of Meridiana. Her last effort was wasted, and she didn't have the time to think about anything else before her head crashed into the ground.
”Weakling like you shouldn't be responsible for protecting others.” The succubus then stood up once more, not looking at the small pond of blood that was slowly growing under the skull of the female human. Even if it looked bad, Meridiana made sure that the stupid woman wouldn't die before she finished to injure the rest of her friends.
After what happened, no one reacted to her words, all were too baffled by the sudden reversal. All it took was just one action from the iron armor, and the entire duel was over. Too many questions were left unanswered. Why was Meridiana not injured by the two knives? How could the thief let herself be caught without reacting? What will be the reaction of the other adventurers? In the end, all the eyes were looking at the dumbfounded knight, that had his eyes wide open like his companions.