Blood Bat

Luo Lun knew her current situation was extremely dire.

Poisoned, besieged, physically exhausted, bleeding, and bound by magic... and she was all alone, without any backup.

Layers of malice and blades surrounded her. Despair, like a freezing tide, threatened to drown her.

A sudden sense of loneliness welled up in Luo Lun's heart.

Had she made a mistake?

With her power, wealth, status, and reputation... everything had been within her easy reach. Yet she had chosen to cast them aside like worn-out shoes, turning to retreat into the shadows. She became a silent razor, quietly excising the injustice and filth of the world.

Although Luo Lun knew full well that doing this would bring no reward, ending up in such a state still made her sigh with lament.

However, even in the face of her current predicament, Luo Lun did not despair.

She still had a trump card that could help her break through this desperate situation.

She could still unleash a burst of strength surpassing her current limits, instantly reversing the tide.

Ned and Finn still underestimated her. She could not blame them, though... after all, ever since she learned that move, she had never used it again.

But that move would place a tremendous burden on her body, followed by a period of weakness. If she could not completely eliminate everyone present, it would be extremely troublesome later.

Luo Lun had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Finn said she was not suited to be an assassin... Luo Lun entirely disagreed.

For an assassin, the most important thing was undoubtedly mastering the timing of the strike.

Phew—

Luo Lun's perception drifted outward. All the life auras around her flickered like torches in the dark.

What she had to do was extinguish them all within a limited time.

Just wait for them to get a little closer...

A little closer...

Now...

Wait!

What is that!

Luo Lun's breath hitched, and her carefully maintained perception instantly fell into chaos. Her eyes locked onto the sight before her—a bat, formed entirely of thick, dark red blood, hovering silently in front of her.

What was this thing?

Although it appeared in her line of sight, Luo Lun's consciousness could not perceive its existence at all. This thing... completely bypassed her senses!

This clearly exceeded Luo Lun's understanding.

She's exposed, attack together!

Finn astutely caught Luo Lun's momentary distraction. A new longsword appeared in his hand, and he charged wildly toward Luo Lun.

Another group of people rushed forward.

These people, however, reacted not at all to the blood bat.

Luo Lun forcibly suppressed her churning emotions, trying to refocus her mind to face the incoming wave of attacks.

The bizarre blood bat before her moved.

It made no sound, merely transforming into an elusive, pale red blur.

Luo Lun's pupils shrank. She could only barely track the ominous red light the blood bat had become, darting and flickering like a phantom among the lunging enemies.

Every pass was accompanied by a deadly, cold gleam. The semi-transparent edges of its wings, thin as cicada wings, effortlessly sliced open the enemies' throats.

Too fast!

Luo Lun's pupils contracted sharply. If she had been the blood bat's target, she would have had absolutely no confidence in resisting.

Finn, still in mid-charge, suddenly froze as if struck by an invisible giant hammer. The longsword flew from his grasp as he crashed heavily to the ground, sliding pathetically to Luo Lun's feet under his own momentum.

Finn's hands desperately clutched at his throat, which was spurting fresh blood, as suffocating gurgling sounds escaped his lips.

In just a few breaths, the light in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving him lifeless.

Luo Lun looked at the corpse at her feet and swallowed hard. Having fought Finn, she naturally knew he was no ordinary combatant.

What's going on?

What exactly did you do?

Ned stared intently at Luo Lun. He had failed to catch sight of the blood shadow, so in his eyes, Luo Lun had simply stood in place while Finn and the others inexplicably had their throats slit.

Finn and his subordinates had been reaped by an invisible grim reaper's scythe, dying instantly.

This completely incomprehensible and undefendable method of slaughter thoroughly shattered his understanding.

Ned knew very well that his own strength was no greater than Finn's. In a direct confrontation, he wouldn't even be Finn's match... yet that guy had died just like that, without any warning.

If he had to face this move, he wouldn't have the slightest confidence in surviving either.

The unknown was the most terrifying.

Could this person have an accomplice nearby?

Cold sweat beaded on Ned's forehead. His eyes nervously scanned the surroundings, but he observed nothing unusual.

Swish—

Ned looked in disbelief at the blood spurting from his own neck. Before he could even raise his hands to cover it, he lost all his strength and pitched straight forward onto the ground.

A moment later, aside from Luo Lun, there were no living auras left in the vicinity.

In Luo Lun's perception, all the fires of life had been extinguished. And that blood bat, having finished all this, quietly landed on her shoulder.

Luo Lun felt a chill on her neck but didn't dare touch the blood bat on her shoulder.

Uh... My Lord? Luo Lun carefully turned her head. Although she didn't know the entity's purpose, it didn't seem to hold any malice toward her.

The blood bat met Luo Lun's gaze.

Only then did Luo Lun notice the continuously flowing blood on the bat's body. It seemed to be an artificial creation. Its molded features were simple, lacking fine details or fur. Being completely bald actually made it look rather cute.

Excuse me, can you speak? Luo Lun asked cautiously.

Squeak, squeak— the blood bat cried.

Alright, it seemed it couldn't speak. She apparently had no way to communicate with it.

Then could you take me to see your true body? I wish to pay a visit and offer my thanks in person.

Luo Lun swallowed nervously. She was genuinely curious about what kind of existence could casually mold a magical construct with such terrifying power.

The blood bat tilted its neck and looked at Luo Lun for a moment, showing no reaction.

Luo Lun also tilted her head, locking eyes with it.

Hmm~

The blood bat suddenly let out a soft, melodious chirp.

Luo Lun was startled.

The blood bat left Luo Lun's shoulder and flew away.

Ah... wait...

Luo Lun reached out her hand, staring blankly as the blood bat vanished from her line of sight.

She couldn't catch up; there was absolutely no way to catch up.

What did Hmm~ mean? Did the other party agree to meet her? How was she supposed to find them?

Luo Lun began pondering the message left by the other party.

Who exactly was that mysterious existence, and why did they help her?

She didn't seem to have anything worth coveting.

Her body? That was ridiculous; there were plenty of beauties in the world far prettier than her.

Luo Lun decided to leave this place first. Her body swayed slightly again.

Right... she needed to cleanse the toxins from her body first.