A slender girl with light golden hair half-squatted on the ground, her black greatsword firmly planted in the earth. The blade gave off a deep blue glow, like a long strip of profound crystal. She wore adamantite armor woven with gold and red, expensive and luxurious.
The girl held a standard spellcasting pose, holy white light radiating from her in an arc that enveloped the poisoned victims, keeping their vital signs stable.
Barrett spotted the iconic black magic sword in her hand and instantly realized who she was: an adamantite-level adventurer peer—Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
The Re-Estize had only three adamantite-level adventurer teams, and Lakyus was the captain of one, Blue Roses. She was a rare adventurer from a noble heiress background, a descendant of the legendary Thirteen Heroes, master of divine magic, and able to cast fifth-tier resurrection spells. She was an elite warrior who had stepped into the realm of heroes!
Barrett wanted to go up and say hello—after all, top-tier adamantite-level peers were always elusive, a rare sight.
A shadow in a red short robe suddenly burst into the hall, a red dagger in hand flashing with bloody light. The red-robed figure glanced left and right, then charged straight at Lakyus in the holy light domain, blade ready.
This red robe must be an assassin, Barrett thought. But with an adamantite-level adventurer here, it's none of my business. He turned to check on Sean and Stella, planning to grab them and slip away fast.
"You're an adventurer too, right? Help me quick!" Lakyus called out anxiously, still half-squatting with her sword planted.
Barrett only then noticed the red-robed assassin moving like lightning, already slashing several times at the immobile Lakyus. But the blades all bounced off a transparent magic shield, failing to wound her.
"I have to maintain this blessing magic domain, or everyone here will die from the poison! I can't free up my hands to fight back. That anti-magic blade is hitting it—the saint's shield won't hold much longer! Help me!" Lakyus called out again for aid.
Under the magic shield as thin as a cicada's wing, the beautiful and strong-willed girl gazed at Barrett with pleading eyes, her resolute stare filled with desperation.
Barrett got it. He gripped his longsword with both hands and was about to charge at the red-robed assassin. But just as he took a step, a sturdy body suddenly wrapped around him, nearly throwing Barrett off balance—he propped himself up with his sword to keep from falling.
It was Wade, the one who'd been writhing on the ground clutching his stomach earlier! His forehead was covered in sweat drops the size of soybeans, and now he clung tightly to Barrett, shouting, "Miss Lakyus, don't trust him! He's the only one not poisoned! He must be the assassin who tried to kill the princess!"
Idiot, I have an antidote potion! Barrett cursed inwardly.
In the dining hall, the only ones moving freely were Lakyus, Barrett, and the red-robed assassin—no wonder the grand knight pegged him as the killer.
With no other choice, Barrett drove an elbow into Wade's jaw. The stubborn grand knight, wracked by double agony in his jawbone and gut, finally let go of Barrett.
Breaking free, Barrett swung his longsword in a fierce charge, hurling a throwing axe at the same time.
The red-robed assassin had just parried the throwing axe when the heavy sword came chopping down on him like a storm. The assassin barely pulled his sword back to block, activating a defensive Martial Art, but he was still blasted away by the force of Barrett's charge and the heavy sword slash, crashing through an oak wine table and shattering it.
Barrett was stunned by his own strength. Ever since putting on the bracer from "Lord of Despair" Clovis, he felt like his whole body's power had surged immensely, as if an endless energy was coursing through him.
But Barrett was only surprised for a split second; he immediately charged forward to kick the guy while he was down. The red-robed assassin, sprawled in a pile of oak splinters, clumsily rolled to dodge a few sword strikes before Barrett ran him through with one thrust, killing him.
Two more red-clothed figures tumbled in through the doorway. One of them moved like lightning, apparently using some Martial Art to boost his speed, turning into a streak of light and instantly flashing behind Barrett.
Barrett swung a backhand diagonal slash, clashing hard with the blade slicing toward the back of his neck. This red-clothed assassin, an expert in backstabs, missed his mark and quickly leaped back two steps, then darted at high speed again, hunting for another opening to attack.
The other assassin, bulkier in build, pounced like a tiger, swinging not a sword at Barrett but a short-handled single-bladed battle axe.
Barrett didn't back down—instead, he stepped forward, letting the tough spot on his leather armor reinforced with adamantite plates take the axe's blow. He twisted his body to deflect the downward force, gripping his longsword steady in one hand as he collided full-on with the hulking assassin who had the axe raised high. The sword tip burst through the assassin's back in a spray of blood.
Barrett kicked the corpse off his sword, then rolled aside to dodge the keen blade flashing from behind.
"He's like a damn fly!" the veteran adventurer grumbled, frowning. This assassin zipping around the dining hall with superior agility, striking from the shadows, was indeed a pain in the ass.
But ever since equipping the Bracers of the Expedition Master, Barrett's eyesight and senses had sharpened tremendously. He narrowed his eyes to slits and quickly locked onto the "fly" assassin's path.
Then Barrett swung his arm, yanking a throwing axe from his spatial ring and hurling it in one fluid motion.
The throwing axe spun into a blinding whirl of blades at terrifying speed, ripping through the air—but it missed, veering straight toward Lakyus in the center of the dining hall. Luckily, Lakyus was still enveloped in her spell shield, and the sharp axe bounced off it.
"Heh heh~" Barrett could hear the "fly" assassin's mocking chuckle from behind.
But the assassin's smug laughter cut off abruptly. The axe that had ricocheted off the shield traced a bizarre arc, hitting the high-speed "fly" assassin dead on.
The assassin's arm was severed by the axe, his momentum faltered, and he tumbled to the ground, his backstabbing shortsword flying from his grip.
Finish him while he's down! Barrett exploded into a sprint, swinging his longsword down at the assassin's neck.
The assassin sat sprawled on the floor with nowhere to run, pulling out a magic scroll and flinging it at Barrett. Barrett didn't even glance at it—he sliced right through the magic scroll and the assassin's neck in one stroke. Blood sprayed up in a geyser, painting the walls and ceiling a vivid red.
Whew~ Barrett let out a long breath, finally rid of that annoying bastard. He didn't even have time to inhale again before, in a flash, a gold-red stream of scorching fire erupted right in front of him!
That scroll he'd cut open was packed full of inscribed fire elements!
The scroll ignited into a fireball, and after the violent surge of flames, crackling sparks scattered like a swarm of fireflies. Chairs, tableware, fallen bodies—everything they touched burst into flame, turning the entire dining hall into a raging inferno!