The Shensi Forest stretched across both the Alliance and the Empire, but even the portion belonging to the Alliance was large enough to accommodate fifteen hundred tournament participants.
Through its winding paths moved a blurred, sometimes almost clear, silhouette of one of them. In moments of clarity, a grim expression could be seen on their face.
{Damn that City Lord Evergreen! I chose this tournament to avoid dealing with beasts, and he made that the goal of the second stage. How clever of him — getting someone else to do his work. Just wonderful!}
Sending him mentally to the farthest corners of existence, Delia decided she wouldn't kill anyone today. Her goal was simpler: collect the required quota by taking beast cores from other participants.Of course, if a beast attacked her first — it had only itself to blame.
{This stage lasts three days. On the first day, hardly anyone will get many cores. I'll wait until tomorrow before starting my hunt.}
But her plan to laze around all day was not meant to happen.
Going deeper into the forest, the heroine felt danger approaching. With a sharp jerk, she dodged an arrow that flew from behind. Hiding behind a tree, she tried to see the archer, but didn't have time — a second shot shattered the trunk she was behind and threw her backward.
Landing on her hands, Delia instantly pushed off to the side, and in the next moment, the spot where she had just been was torn apart by an explosion from a third arrow.
Without stopping, she maximized her blurring technique and tore across the distance, hearing the forest collapse behind her.
Far away, on a rise, stood a group of young people. Four boys stood together; a girl remained distantly to the side.
— Brother Wang Dun, your Mortal‑rank Bow is unbelievably powerful!—exclaimed a short, slightly plump boy with short hair.
— Haha, look at how he ran from your arrows, Brother Wang. — A tall, muscular youth laughed, staring into the forest.
— Of course, my clan's archery is the best in the city. — With pride in his voice, Wang Dun said, holding a finely crafted bow engraved with symbols that occasionally glowed faintly.
Striking a heroic pose to show off his bow, he addressed the girl:
— Sister Du Fei, I told you it would be worth it to team up with me. If not for the trees, that guy would never have escaped.
— First of all, the "guy" you're talking about, judging by the figure, was a girl. Second, if it weren't for a clan order, I would never have joined you. And third, now that she escaped, we have yet another unnecessary enemy. — Her emotionless voice cooled his pride.
Wang Dun, ready to justify himself, noticed the approach of a glowing object from the corner of his eye. He barely managed to tilt slightly and avoided a hit to the head, but his ear was cut by the passing blade. The boy who had been silent lost part of his skull and fell dead to the ground.
— Now it's my turn! — A beautiful voice, like a god of death, rang through the forest, followed by another blade striking the tall boy's chest. With no chance to understand what was happening, he lost his life.
The survivors finally saw a blurred red silhouette approaching them, reminding them of a demon from hell. Coming out of shock, Wang Dun tried to draw his bow, but the attacker swung a sword, and in an instant his arm flew aside. From pain, he fell weakly to his knees.
The last dark‑skinned boy, gathering courage, rushed at the attacker with his sword.His movements seemed so slow to Delia that a light swing of her sword severed his head from his body.
Having finished him, she turned to the girl, still standing indifferently to the side. But the trembling hand gripping the sword betrayed her inner tension. Watching her for a while, the attacker approached the armless Wang Dun.
Seeing her, he cried pitifully.
— Stop! Stop, don't kill me!
— Why not? — The voice was winter.
— I… I am from the Wang Clan! You… you… you can't kill me! — He tried to scare her with his lineage.
— Hahaha, you think I didn't know you were from the Wang Clan when I attacked you? —Delia chuckled lightly, asking him a rhetorical question.
— Wait… — The relentless sword did not allow him to finish.
— Was it worth it? — She asked, unknown to whom: The silent girl, the corpse, or herself.
— Why didn't you run? — Brushing away the blood, she asked the girl.
— And why didn't you attack me?
Approaching the girl, finding no resistance, Delia grabbed her weapon hand with one hand and lightly pressed the other against her neck.
— Well, if that's what you want! — A blurred, devilish smile reflected in Du Fei's eyes.
Not knowing what to say, she silently closed her eyes, waiting for her fate. But feeling the release, she stared at Delia, confused.
—You're letting me go?
—Yes. Does that surprise you?
A nod was her answer.
— I just do what I want. Toward those I felt disgust; toward you, favor. I trust my feelings. Go.
Having said this, she began inspecting the bodies for anything valuable. As expected, they had not killed a single magical beast yet.
Hanging one sword on her back, Delia picked up the bow. It resembled the one the girl used in the ruined world trial, but its principle was different: this bow required arrows, yet its destructive power was greater.
— You shouldn't take it. People will immediately know whose bow it is, and the Wang Clan will start hunting you. — the survivor said without moving.
Not understanding why she hadn't left yet, Delia asked:
— And what do you suggest?
— I'll return it to Brother Wang Dun's elder, Wang Lei. I'll tell him we provoked a stranger, who attacked us. He killed the others but spared me, taking no weapons.
— And what will you say if asked why he spared you?
— I'll say… "I don't know"?! — Her answer was uncertain.
— I have a better idea: tell them the killer was a man in luxurious black clothes with a silver mask. He considered the bow a worthless artifact and left you alive because he despised killing a woman.
Delia increasingly understood the signals of the Divine Body of Truth — it was telling her the girl would not betray her. Handing over the bow, pleased with her small setup, she left the scene.
As she moved further, the question followed like a shadow, why Du Fei, strong enough to resist, had so easily accepted death.
But she had no time to think.
Two hours later.
Several dozen people from the Du and Wang clans gathered at the scene. One of them, resembling the dead Wang Dun, seethed with rage at the remaining bodies after the beasts had fed.
Bloodshot eyes, he addressed Du Fei:
— Is what you said true?
— What more do you need from her, Wang Lei? She has explained everything twice already.— Answered Du Shaofu, the girl's tall, heroic-looking brother.
— My brother was killed; I have the right to ask as many questions as I want. Don't you find it strange that she survived when the others died? I remember she was very displeased with Wang Dun. — Wang Lei's tone hardened.
—Are you accusing my sister? — Du Shaofu's voice turned aggressive, frost spreading across his face.
— I'm just pointing out that she's alive, and the others are not.
— So, according to you, it's better if she died too? — Losing patience, Du Shaofu's hand tightened on his sword.
Seeing this, a Wang Clan aide stepped forward:
— Master Du, Young Master Lei didn't mean that. Don't react so sharply — he's still grieving. And Master Lei, remember what I mentioned about the Hell Palace interfering in city affairs? One of our groups was recently wiped out by them.
Hearing this, Wang Lei recalled the incident. Back then, he had dismissed it, but now it made him consider that someone might be targeting the Wang family.
Calming himself, he said:
— Forgive me, Brother Du. I truly overreacted.
— I understand. It's fine. — Shaofu released his sword.
With tensions eased, the clans parted ways. After sending a messenger to warn his family, Wang Lei continued the hunt.
His brother's death did not weaken his resolve — it only intensified his thirst for blood, which would affect not only the beasts.