The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Chapter 94 Blood Blossoms on the Battlefield

It was expected that there would be two supreme experts present.

One was none other than Leader Regis.

The other would naturally come from Golden Peak's clan.

After all, they wouldn't want half of Eastern Mountain to fall into the hands of either demonic cults or the unorthodox sects.

But no one anticipated a third.

Even when reports came in, disbelief clouded their judgment.

A mere fourteen-year-old girl?

It had to be a mistake—a misinterpretation of the sword light's trajectory, they thought.

"Impossible..."

Yet, what flowed through that sword was undoubtedly sword energy.

Even if it wasn't fully solidified yet,

That child was undoubtedly a supreme expert at the entry-level.

"Everyone, reform the formation!"

A loud voice commanded, breaking the tense silence.

The one wearing a crimson headband, unlike the others, stood out.

Vera instinctively recognized him as the Vice Commander.

As she took a single step forward, thirty-six of the remaining forty men surged into position in unison.@@@@

The thirty-six swords came together to form a sword formation.

It was the second and most lethal battle formation taught to them by the Sword Ghost.

"...The Thirty-Six Blade Blood Heaven Sword. This time, it won't break so easily," someone muttered with grim determination.

And indeed, their words carried weight.

From five to thirty-six men, the scale had shifted.

The larger the formation, the more varied and deceptive its moves became.

Their training must have been rigorous, as the thirty-six moved like a single, well-oiled mechanism.

"Vera, young warrior," Leader Regis called out.

"Yes, Leader," she responded.

"Leave it to me."

His words held no hesitation, and the way he addressed her was telling.

It wasn't "young lady" or any other title reserved for aristocratic girls.

It was the title reserved for a true warrior of the martial world, a recognition of her skill.

Vera obediently stepped back a few paces,

Stealing a glance at Gareth, who was staring at her.

Her gaze questioned his: Why are you looking at me like that?

But instead of answering, Gareth averted his eyes, feigning disinterest.

"Vera, are you alright?"

A familiar voice called out from behind. It was Marcus.

It seemed he had arrived alongside Ethan.

"Yes, Senior Brother. I'm unharmed."

"Don't push yourself too hard. Remember how you collapsed last time."

"...I'm fine."

Vera glanced behind her.

Ethan's eyes betrayed his unease.

Of course, it was only natural—he had likely never faced true killing intent before.

Marcus must have coaxed and encouraged him to come this far.

"And you, Senior Brother? Are you alright?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"We may belong to the unorthodox sect, but we came here to kill people."

Marcus offered a faint smile and patted Ethan's back.

"This one, it seems, has never truly felt killing intent before."

"W-What? And have you, Senior Brother, killed someone before?" Ethan stammered.

"I've never killed anyone myself..."

Marcus trailed off, his words catching under Vera's scrutinizing gaze.

A brief, wry smile crossed his face.

"I've come close to being killed by someone, though."

"What? What does that even mean?"

"This isn't the time for stories. Let's focus on surviving for now."

At that moment, a thunderous explosion resounded from ahead.

BOOM!

The deafening roar was the sound of Leader Regis's Demon-Cleaving Spear slamming into the thirty-six blades.

"Is he insane?!"

"What kind of monstrous strength...!"

The cries of the thirty-six were mixed with shock and disbelief as they staggered backward several steps.

No wonder—seven of their blades had already shattered.

And the trajectory of the sword was already visible to her.

All she had to do was meet it first.

"That vengeance belongs to me."

Her Falling Blossom Sword struck like a shadow,

Piercing through the gap in the chaos.

Squelch.

The black blade drove through the Vice Commander's right wrist.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

"This is the end."

With a cold and calm expression, Vera swung her sword.

The Vice Commander's wrist was severed diagonally,

His blade clattering to the ground, its brilliance extinguished without its master.

"Vera, young warrior."

"You were in danger," she said simply.

Several surviving warriors, stunned by the turn of events, thrust their blades toward her in desperation.

Vera effortlessly parried and deflected their attacks.

"How... How did you know?" one of them stammered.

"I saw it. But first, shouldn't we focus on the current situation?"

"...Understood."

Regis cast aside his skeptical gaze and nodded.

Vera stepped aside, noticing the gathering of immense inner energy in his right hand.

From her position to his diagonal flank,

The First Form of the Fiery Blade clan Spear Arts was unleashed.

Piercing Strike to Break the Horde.

A single strike that obliterated all in its path.

BOOM!

Once again, the deafening sound of Thunderclap Explosion echoed,

And the thirty-six warriors were thrown backward like autumn leaves caught in a gale.

"Attack them all!"

Seizing the moment, Regis barked his command.

The broken formation was swiftly overwhelmed as twenty vagrant warriors surged forward,

Tearing through their ranks.

"Aaahh! My arm, my arm!!"

"Mercy! Please spare me!"

"Gaaahhh!!!"

The scene devolved into carnage.

The stench of blood thickened, filling the air with an iron tang.

Vera inhaled deeply,

Letting the sweet taste of blood settle in her lungs.

The rising malevolent energy within her was quelled as she directed it toward her Black dragon,

Its devouring aura absorbing her violent energy.

The act left her shrouded in a faint killing intent,

Her hair and sleeves rippling from the force of her inner energy.

"...Haa."

But not all enemies had fallen.

A few cunning survivors targeted Ethan and Marcus,

Believing that the young warriors could not possibly be supreme experts.

Their calculation was sound.

What they hadn't accounted for was that Vera would never let them pass. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

Swoosh. Splatter.

Her Falling Blossom Sword, cloaked in sword energy, sliced through one of the attackers,

Severing his upper body from his lower half.

The man's torso twisted in midair before crashing to the ground in two pieces.

Ethan witnessed the gruesome display in full.

"Ugh... Th-that... Ugh..."

"Ethan, Senior Brother. Steel yourself," Vera said firmly.

"Y-yes... Of course."

Vera wiped the blood splatter from her cheek,

And without hesitation, leapt back into the fray.

Her long, dark blade weaved through the battlefield,

Each swing leaving crimson arcs that danced in the air like petals.

Like blossoming flowers of blood,

The crimson Cherry blossoms of her sword technique painted the battlefield.