Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 408 Fire
"Just...that?"

The other side's answer silenced everyone.

Just because young Master Fabius struck up a conversation in the tavern and even tried to persuade her to drink a few times, he was brutally beaten by this crazy woman and thrown into the back alley of the tavern.
Is this a reason for someone to lose their life?
They couldn't understand.

They couldn't see any remorse in her at all; her expression was calm, her tone relaxed, as if she didn't care about the matter at all.

But this was no small matter. They heard that young master Fabius was seriously injured. The young master was not a superhuman and usually neglected his training. He had been lying listlessly in bed all day and barely ate anything. Grand Duke Esch was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. After losing his illegitimate son Flin, the Grand Duke could not allow anyone to lay a hand on his offspring.

The Grand Duke ordered that no matter what means they used or how many men they sent, they must ensure that the red-haired woman was brought to him alive.

Before she dies, this woman must atone for her actions of yesterday; perhaps only in this way can she appease Grand Duke Esh's wrath.

These individuals were among the best of the skinners, having completed countless missions and endured numerous trials...

This has brought the "spark" within them to its most perfect state.

They had expected the other side to give a more "sufficient" reason, such as a feud between commoners and nobles of the Silver Empire that had lasted for hundreds of years, or that they had come for some villages or towns that had been destroyed because of the Simpler family. The Skinners were always used to dealing with such bitter and vengeful rebels and avengers for their families, so when they heard that the other side had only given the reason that "he beat Bius into a pig's head because he didn't like his opinion of him," they were suddenly at a loss.

This is the most irrelevant reason.

Even for most people in the capital, being approached by Fabius was a blessing they had earned over several lifetimes. The young master was never short of women; every day, a large number of women dressed in their finest clothes would come to him, trying to seduce him and win his favor.

"Isn't that enough?"

Bi'an was somewhat puzzled. In her view, it was just an ordinary street fight. The two people had been drinking and didn't like each other, so they fought in the street. Even in their capital city, where the security was good, such things happened from time to time. If the Imperial Knights caught them, they would at most just be criticized and educated.

Now they understood completely.

This woman is either an idiot or a madwoman.

But judging from how easily she could defeat the guards around his young master, she was a madwoman with extraordinary martial arts skills.

The group arranged themselves into a coordinated battle formation. They felt that perhaps it was because the other side was confident in its superior strength that it dared to be so audacious as to lead them into this dead end.

With no way out and no room to escape, she thought this was likely just another street fight.

However, the reality was that the moment she attacked Fabius, she was doomed. The Simpler family would not let her go, nor would they allow her to die easily. Everyone who had offended the Simpler family had to repent and atone for their sins before that, until Archduke Esch forgave them and mercifully granted them death.

Many such people were imprisoned in the Simpler Manor jail. Even those who thought they were repentant avengers would have a mental breakdown during the punishment process and humbly kneel before Archduke Ash, begging for his forgiveness.

They were already looking forward to seeing what this crazy woman would look like after her transformation.

Seeing this, Bi'an raised an eyebrow, hugged the bag full of bread to his chest with his left arm, freeing his right hand, "That's right, enough talk, let's fight."

fight?

The skinner lit the "fire" and instantly appeared before the other shore. The poisoned dagger in his hand was aimed directly at the other shore's Achilles tendon. This was their usual fighting style: paralyze their prey, making them lose consciousness under the torment of bleeding and venom. These specially made poisons would only numb their nerves and would not be fatal.

They held nothing back, unleashing the full potential granted to them by the "Spark" in the instant of battle.

After undergoing the baptism, they have transcended the limits of humanity and reached a realm that mortals cannot reach!

To him, the other side's actions were no different from slow motion. She looked as if she had been stunned into place by the surprise attack. Young Master Fabius's guards had mentioned that the other side moved very quickly. This was one of the few uses of those useless people, allowing them to formulate tactics before they even arrived here.

For prey that excels in speed, legs are their weakness.

Closer, closer.

With just one swing of the knife, this prey will never be able to run again!

"boom--!"

The sudden roar froze the others in place. They were unable to perceive what had happened in the blink of an eye. However, when they came to their senses, their companion who was closer to the other side had already been embedded in the ground, with only the back half of his body twitching and protruding outside the pit.

Everyone was wary of the longsword that the other shore wore at her waist, which they considered the only weapon that could possibly harm them. The skinner who was close to the other shore was also watching her sword intently, but to everyone's surprise, he was met with an iron fist.

With just one punch, he smashed that blessed, invulnerable body into the pit. Such power was even more terrifying than that of Lance, the "strongest man in the empire." They couldn't understand how the seemingly not-so-thick arm of the other side could unleash such power.

This time, however, the "fire" bestowed upon them by the gods failed to lift him out of the pit, and he appeared to have completely fallen into a coma.

"Are you worried about that?"

Bi'an noticed the looks in the eyes of the remaining people. "Don't be nervous. I'm not some kind of psychopathic killer. Why would I draw a sword in a street fight?"

They saw that the other side had taken action once again.

Although their blessed vision allowed them to observe the movements of the other side, their bodies were unable to react, making it appear as if the other side walked straight towards them, followed by... hook punches, elbow strikes, and knee strikes—moves that seemed to belong only in street brawls—instantly rendering them incapacitated.

Such speed... it's so fast it's as if time itself has stopped!
This was a power beyond their comprehension, far surpassing their own. They finally understood the reason for the other side's composure—from the very beginning, she never regarded them as true opponents. Perhaps in this madwoman's eyes, they were no different from the guards beside Master Fabius yesterday.

This is what the last skinner saw.

The knee strike landed on his lower abdomen, and even the pain came a few seconds too late. His body went limp as he collapsed to the ground, his head humiliatingly pinned down by the leather boots of the woman from the other side. He had no doubt that if this woman wanted to, she could crush his head with a single stomp.

But she didn't.

She left with only a haughty look, then casually took a hot dog out of the bread bag, humming a little tune as she took a bite.

The footsteps faded into the distance until her figure completely disappeared at the end of the alley.

After an unknown amount of time, they heard another set of footsteps approaching from afar, but their bodies remained paralyzed and unable to move. They could only watch helplessly as another figure with red hair walked up to them.

Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army.

Deeply trusted by Henry VI, he was an invincible war god who never suffered a defeat on the battlefield.

This reminded them that perhaps the madwoman also came from the same place, although the town was said to have been destroyed in the war when Cedric Thorne was a child, but perhaps other survivors remained. Cedric had received a report from the Imperial Army early that morning; they had noticed the assassins tracking the other side.

Unlike the guards who participated in the fight yesterday, these were all battle maniacs who had been raised by Grand Duke Esch in the form of venomous insects and had experienced countless battles. Like them, they had emerged from piles of corpses. Out of curiosity, he silently followed the other side all the way, intending to witness the outcome of this encounter with his own eyes.

Now, after briefly examining the skinners' injuries, Cedric felt his blood boil. He bit his lip excitedly, his clenched fists trembling uncontrollably.

Finally found it!
He had long since given up hope when he led the Imperial Army to sweep away all obstacles in the Empire's path. He thought that there would never be another opponent in the world who could make him fight with all his might and without reservation. But now, that person has appeared before him.

He felt the purest power in the way the other side took down the skinners, which made him unable to help but put himself in the same scene.

If it were him, what would he do in the face of such an attack?

Victory is certain, but it will not be as easy as it seems on the other side. These assassins are not only well-trained but also highly coordinated, which is enough to make him draw his sword, and it will turn into a fight to the death.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Cedric wanted to rush out of the alley, stop her on the other side, and challenge her to a duel in the busiest market in the capital.

But then, another voice in his mind called out to him.

“Cedric Thorne, you should know whether you are ready or not. You are far from being at your best right now.”

He almost immediately looked at the skinner lying at his feet, the voice in his mind coming from there, or more precisely from the skinner's body. The skinner himself had completely lost consciousness and lay motionless on the ground.

“You will be utterly defeated; I can see your true fear.”

The voice continued to echo in his mind, “You are not afraid of failure. What truly terrifies you is the inability to unleash your full potential in this hard-won battle. She is different. You are so similar, but she has already taken the lead and tapped into her full potential.”

"who are you?"

Cedric inquired.

"If you want to face your true self, come to me, and I will give you the spark."

..............................

The skinner failed.

Just like the guards yesterday, they lost their fighting ability in a one-sided manner.

In the afternoon, shocking news reached the residence of Grand Duke Escher.

Unlike his anger yesterday, this sudden news forced him to calm down, and he sat back on the sofa in the living room.

He sent out the best of the skinners, who had undergone the baptism and blessing of the "fire," and had long been transformed. Moreover, they knew that the red-haired woman was a superhuman and had prepared their tactics in advance. Yet, even under these circumstances, they still failed in front of her without any ability to resist.

For the first time, Grand Duke Esh felt that things were getting out of his control.

"Very good, it seems you haven't completely lost your mind yet."

He heard a sound coming from the fireplace, and something seemed to be faintly visible in the flickering firelight.

That was the ancestor of the Simpler family, at least that's what Ash always thought.

From a very young age, he could hear the echoes of his ancestors, who still protected the Simpler family, trained the Skinners, baptized their bodies, and gave them fire, ensuring that the family held the power to maintain its dominance firmly in their hands.

"Who...is that woman?"

"She is the one who will bring misfortune to the Simpler family."

The flickering firelight seemed to say, "Give her to me. Don't waste any more time on her. You have other things to deal with, don't you?"

Upon hearing this, Ash finally felt relieved.

His ancestors reminded him that he still needed to find out the identity of the murderer who killed Flint, and today was at least not all bad news. Although the skinners he sent out had disappeared without a trace, the Imperial Army scouts brought back good news to the capital—they had captured Lance.

Perhaps they can learn the truth about the series of cases in Gear City from Lance.

The death of the Grand Summoner Hetia, and the mastermind behind the murder of the Fulin family.

He also heard that the Imperial Army had brought back a young nobleman from Gear City, who would be able to return to the capital by airship tonight.

"Father, have we not caught that red-haired woman yet?"

Fabius's gritted teeth could be heard from not far away as he staggered into the living room, leaning on his cane.

The doctor said his leg was broken and he needed to rest at home for a month.

But as soon as he closed his eyes, the image of that red-haired woman's arrogant demeanor in front of him would appear in his mind, making it impossible for him to calm down.

Perhaps only by having the other party come to him in person to repent and humbly serve him during his recovery can his anger be calmed.

"We are going to hold a banquet at the manor tonight."

Grand Duke Esch did not directly answer Fabius's question, but said, "I will invite His Majesty Henry to the banquet in person, so you should present yourself in a presentable manner."

Upon hearing the name Henry VI, Fabius became somewhat more reserved.

Grand Duke Esh made a decision.

His intuition told him that the young nobleman mentioned by the Imperial Army might know something.

Then let us properly invite him to his residence for this banquet.

(End of this chapter)