By the time Valletta reacted and tried to withdraw her hand, it was too late.
Noah's 'third hand' dropped away as he took the dagger from his left hand, thrusting the sharp blade through the dandelion and deep into Valletta's lower abdomen.
With a sickening sound of tearing flesh, mixed with Valletta's sharp gasp for air, the blade found its home.
The severe pain from her vitals made her eyes dilate.
She suddenly threw her head back and let out a deafening, miserable roar.
"Gaaaaah!"
On the north side of the city, in front of a food distribution stall.
"Ah! Don't pull me! Don't pull me! I still have so much to talk to Lady Nine hells about! Lyra! Kaguya! You guys should back me up!"
"Stupid Alise! What do you think we're doing right now? A party? Get back to work!"
"I'm the captain! The captain! Lady Nine hells! We'll talk next time!"
Watching Alise get dragged away by the Pallum and the human girl, Riveria forced a smile.
"Uh, okay, fine. Let's talk some other time!"
After the Astraea Familia had left, the elven royal sighed and rubbed her brow. Although Orario was currently shrouded in a tense atmosphere, Riveria was indeed happy to see a cheerful girl who could ease everyone's mood.
However, bearing the full force of that enthusiasm herself was a bit much. After all, she had always been strict in managing her own Familia members.
Alise was like an overly cheerful puppy.
No, a big cat.
Let's ask Gareth to come next time. He should be better at chatting with kids without putting on airs. They could probably drink and dance together until they dropped.
Riveria couldn't help but complain in her heart. Then, she composed her expression and turned around, staff in hand.
After taking only two steps, she saw a blonde girl standing at the edge of the crowd, staring around in a daze.
To Riveria, the way she looked around, sometimes with surprise and sometimes with disappointment, was like a lost child looking for her parents.
Walking up behind Ais, Riveria saw that she hadn't reacted at all.
She couldn't help but sigh, the emotions between her brows growing more complicated.
Although a life saved should be repaid, Riveria felt conflicted that the little girl she had taken care of for a year was now so preoccupied with someone she had only just met.
"Ais, are you looking for that person again?"
The sudden question made Ais's body tremble. She subconsciously flinched and gripped the hilt of her sword.
When she turned and saw it was Riveria, she breathed a sigh of relief. But when she recalled the question, the girl's expression became complicated again.
"Riveria, I..."
Confused, bewildered, and lost, these emotions were written all over her small face.
It was obvious she wasn't refusing to answer, but that she truly didn't know what was on her own mind.
She had only vaguely seen the figure through her blood blurred eyes at that critical moment, and she had passed out before she even saw his face clearly.
And yet, these past few days, the scene from that day kept replaying in her mind.
When she was awake, practicing her sword, resting, eating... she thought about it all the time. The scene became more and more blurred, yet more and more profound with each repetition.
She could no longer remember the details, only the feeling of being held in that person's arms remained on her skin.
As time passed, it didn't disappear but grew clearer, even a little hot, as if it had penetrated deep into her muscles and merged with her bones.
But this did not change the confusion in Ais's heart. She wanted to see that person, but she didn't know why.
What was the ripple he had left in her heart? Was it the feeling of being saved at the moment of death? Was it because she sensed his strength and wanted to learn from him? Or was it because she felt a fatherly presence from him?
It seemed like it was all of those things, but also none of them. Ais wouldn't even know what to say if she saw him. However, a sour and hot feeling was surging in her chest, stirring up all the depression and grievances that had been accumulating in her heart for so long.
That sword light, like moonlight piercing the darkness...
Ais felt like a child who had been stumbling on a dark road for ages. When she finally saw a light illuminating the way ahead, she couldn't help but want to pursue it, to touch it, to feel it.
This sense of anticipation had been building until it was almost overflowing, to the point that Ais was a little scared.
What if the other person was just an ordinary man who couldn't answer her questions or meet her expectations at all?
Then, Ais felt selfish for only wanting to ask things of her savior.
"Riveria, will I ever see him again?"
Riveria didn't dare to guarantee the answer. In the past few days, the Loki Familia had used various channels to inquire about him, but they had not obtained any accurate information.
"Well, it's hard to say. Maybe it will take some time, or maybe it will be in the next second..."
In that next second, a scream resounded over the city.
"Noah Sifel! You despicable villain!"
Ais subconsciously drew her sword, but as she looked towards the source of the sound, she froze, and a smile appeared on her small face.
"Riveria, you're amazing!"
Looking at the silver-haired figure entangled with Valletta in the distance, Riveria was also stunned.
When did I do?
"Go to hell!"
Along with the roar, a long sword cut through the air with a whistling sound.
Facing this strike, Noah narrowed his eyes, planted his feet firmly, held the hilt of his sword with one hand, and supported the blade with the other.
Then, he met it head on.
"Clang—!"
Sparks flew as the swords collided, and the harsh sound of metal on metal echoed, sharp enough to make one's teeth ache.
Although Noah was prepared, the huge force coming through the blade still caused his body to slide backward. The soles of his shoes left long, charred black marks on the slabs, and he finally steadied himself just as he was about to hit the alley wall.
"Is this the strength of a Level 5 adventurer?" Noah swung his sword and flexed his wrist to get rid of the slight soreness.
Judging from strength alone, the gap seemed to be quite large. No, it was very large.
Not to mention he hadn't fully recovered from his battle with the Demon King and the traitors, Noah was sure that even in his prime, his physical strength couldn't match Valletta's.
What's more, it was obvious that Valletta was not a power type warrior.
But it was just a difference in strength. Noah had hardly ever fought with an advantage; in fact, he had almost always fought from a disadvantage.
A battle where he was only outmatched in raw power was one with a very small gap. Fighting had never been a simple competition of strength or numbers.
Otherwise, everyone would just show their stats, and the side with the lower numbers would just admit defeat. What would be the point of fighting?
"Hmph! Now that you've seen the difference, stop struggling! Just accept your death! I'll give you a quick one!"
Valletta was surprised that her furious attack had failed to kill Noah directly, and she suddenly became anxious.
The wound in her abdomen, while not immediately fatal, sent waves of severe pain throughout her body, shaking her remaining sanity.
Damn it! Hateful! I'll kill him!
If Valletta's desire to recruit Noah had been strong before, her hatred for him after being deceived was a hundred times stronger.
Among this murderous intent, only a small part was humiliation; most of it was fear. Whether Noah had planned it in advance or acted on the spur of the moment, the fact that he could deceive her was enough to prove his intelligence.
This guy is definitely more dangerous than Finn!
Not to mention, he was so young yet already possessed the strength to rival her.
What would happen in a few more years? By then, she'd have to deal with two men with incredibly devious minds at the same time.
Wouldn't she be worrying so much that her hair fell out? Although Valletta didn't care much about her appearance, when she recalled the miserable sight of Thanatos after he'd been made bald, she still felt that dying in battle would be more satisfying.
So, for the sake of her hair, she had to kill him. This was the only thought in Valletta's mind now.
Facing her violent, murderous gaze, Noah remained calm and just swung his sword. "So what if there's a gap? The weak defeating the strong is the only kind of fight I've ever known."
In front of Valletta's astonished gaze, Noah did not retreat but instead took the initiative to attack. With a kick, the ground shattered. With a loud noise and smoke like an explosion, Noah's figure disappeared.
The sword edge cut through the air, and under the sunlight, it turned into a ray of light, attacking with the force of wind and lightning.
Just as Valletta reacted, the sword was already upon her, and her eyes suddenly constricted.
She subconsciously stepped back and raised her sword to block. But unexpectedly, the sword light that exuded a violent aura dissipated like mist after just a slight touch, with no force behind it at all.
At the same time, Valletta felt a sharp sting on her face and instinctively tilted her head.
The next moment, although the sword tip missed, the blade's energy still cut her cheek, drawing several drops of blood that scattered in the air.
"You!"
The injured Valletta wanted to roar but was forced back by Noah's faster blade, swallowing the words that came to her mouth.
She subconsciously stepped back, but the slashing blows followed relentlessly. The stray sword energy shattered the wall, and the strong wind blew away the flying dust as the boy attacked again with the force of thunder.
The two of them chased each other out of the alley, leaped onto the rooftops, and then down to the street.
The sharp sword left countless afterimages, chopping everything it swept past into pieces. Valletta swung her sword to block, but the blade's light seemed to turn into flowing water, bypassing her defense as soon as it made contact, leaving wounds all over her body and rendering her superior strength useless.
Technique! It's a gap in technique! Although I'm superior in strength and speed, the gap between us in swordsmanship is even greater! I actually lost to this brat in terms of skill!
Realizing this, Valletta's lips twisted.
Finally, when the chase reached a large bungalow, she simply gave up on defense and swung her sword directly at Noah with the ferocity of a wild beast.
Facing a horizontal slash that made the air scream, Noah bent backward, dodging it by a hair's breadth. Then, without even looking, he swung his sword forward.
A flawless strike, leaving no place for her to hide.
The sword's edge brushed past Valletta's arm, instantly cutting through flesh and bone as blood splattered everywhere.