Chapter 84: Let’s See Who Hides Deeper

"What... what are you doing?" Candice cried out in shock, suddenly standing upright. She had been about to undress for bed, but upon seeing Han Shuo rush toward her, she was as startled as he was. She hastily pulled her clothes tight, her face filled with panic as she stared at Han Shuo.

"Glover's men and the Shadow's people are coming together. Enough talk—think fast, we need to figure out how to deal with them!" Han Shuo's face was grim as he growled at the two frightened women.

At first, Candice appeared doubtful, her expression uncertain and about to voice her confusion, but Phoebe's face was grave as she barked, "Candice, listen to him! Bryan wouldn't make a mistake!"

Candice didn't trust Han Shuo, but she believed in Phoebe. At her words, she immediately drew the broadsword from her back, nodded to Phoebe, and, like a blazing shadow, dashed out the door. A moment later, her low warning echoed from outside.

Phoebe wasted no time. She snatched up a robe from the bedside and draped it over her shoulders. Her spatial ring flared, and suddenly a longsword, gleaming with a cold light, appeared in her hand.

Han Shuo nodded to Phoebe, then moved swiftly outside. There, he saw Candice standing in the yard, quietly issuing commands.

Relying on the demon’s vision, Han Shuo closed his eyes and began, "One hundred meters to the left, three are approaching—two warriors and a mage. The mage is Ellis, a high-level wind magician. Directly ahead, a magus with four warriors and an archer—one hundred and thirty meters away, sneaking over the rooftops. They must be from the Shadow. Fifty meters to the right, a few are lying in ambush in an alley, likely setting traps..."

As if he were present at the scene, Han Shuo, eyes closed, described the positions of the rapidly approaching enemies in detail. Candice was skeptical at first, refusing to believe anyone could sense movement at such a distance, but as soon as Phoebe stepped outside, she began to follow Han Shuo’s directions precisely, instructing Candice to position their defenses accordingly.

"Miss Phoebe, I hope you’re ready for a retreat. Judging by my estimate, even with you, a swordmaster, on our side, we may not be able to stand against them. If things look dire, don’t hesitate. No matter how desperate, never retreat to the right—that way is a dead end!" Han Shuo suddenly opened his eyes, gazing solemnly at Phoebe as he spoke.

"Thank you, Bryan. I know what to do. You be careful as well," Phoebe replied, her trust in Han Shuo evident. Sensing the gravity of his warning, she nodded solemnly.

Taking a deep breath, Han Shuo drew his Demonbane Blade and checked the dagger hidden on his body and the steel needles strapped to his legs. Then, with a crossbow in his left hand, he leaped into a large tree nearby, his figure concealed perfectly by the house’s shadow. He watched the left side intently, his expression cold and composed.

"They’re coming. Everyone, spread out and stay sharp!" As a swordmaster, Phoebe finally heard footsteps approaching. She felt fortunate to have trusted Han Shuo and exchanged a meaningful glance with Candice.

Only now did Candice look in horror at Han Shuo, hidden in the darkness. She could never have imagined that he truly possessed such uncanny abilities: to sense people’s movements so far away, as if he had eyes in the sky, seeing the enemies' every move as clearly as daylight.

Candice was, after all, a battle-hardened mercenary. After her initial shock, she exchanged a glance with Phoebe, and both women leapt to either side of Han Shuo, hiding themselves in the shadows as well.

"Bryan... could you tell me the enemies’ movements in detail? I’ll relay them to the others," Candice whispered, just over a meter from Han Shuo.

Without moving, not even changing his expression, Han Shuo’s voice was low as he recounted every detail of the enemies’ actions. In Candice’s hand was a magic device, through which she issued instructions to the mercenaries positioned around the courtyard.

The three from Glover’s side, led by Ellis, arrived first and paused on a nearby rooftop. Han Shuo and the others held their positions until the floating magus, accompanied by several Shadow experts, appeared at the main gate. Then, they held their breath, ready to strike at any moment.

The magus, his body completely shrouded in a black robe, uttered a barely audible incantation. Suddenly, surges of magical energy enveloped the house, and the ground trembled violently as if in the grip of an earthquake. All the rooms began to shudder.

At the same moment, his four warriors quickly fanned out. An archer withdrew to a nearby rooftop, overseeing the area from above. Seeing the ground quake like a waking beast, Ellis nodded to the two warriors with him, and they leapt down into the courtyard.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Five arrows shot through the darkness, sharp as vipers lurking in a deep pool, striking swiftly at the two descending warriors. The pair, their presence hidden, never expected such a rapid assault. Startled, they hastily raised their swords in defense.

Three arrows were slashed aside, one dodged, but Phoebe’s arrow pierced the calf of one warrior. The moment they landed, they triggered a barrier set in the yard—three bolts of lightning streaked from the sky, illuminating a web of hair-thin wires crisscrossing the ground. As they landed, the wires wrapped around their ankles.

The lightning raced along the wires, forming a dazzling silver net. Both warriors convulsed, howling in agony. One, uninjured, managed to slice through the wires and escape; the other, wounded in the leg, foamed at the mouth, his hair singed as he collapsed in the net.

"An ambush!" Ellis, who had intended to follow, shouted in alarm when he saw his companions fall. He called out a warning to the Shadow’s assassins advancing at the front.

With two loud crashes, the main door shattered as four black-clad warriors burst in, dividing to search the courtyard. The magus floated in, his magic staff swathed in a long black sleeve. As he waved it, room after room collapsed with thunderous force.

Two members of the Blazing War Mercenary Corps, caught in the collapsing rooms, were killed outright. Three more were forced out, weapons in hand, standing nervously in the courtyard. Han Shuo noted that only a senior swordsman, a mid-level lightning mage, and an archer remained.

The magus raised his staff, and powerful magic surged forth. Three earthen dragons, sharp as ice spears, broke through the ground toward the mercenaries. The swordsman and mage dodged in time, escaping disaster by a hair’s breadth, but the archer, bow drawn, was struck in the chest by a rising earth dragon before he could fire, killed instantly by the force.

Han Shuo, steadying his breath, noticed Phoebe and Candice beside him both breathing heavily—their composure shattered by the sudden death before them.

Phoebe and Candice fired their crossbows at the earth magus. The bolts flew fiercely, but with a wave of his left hand, the magus raised a wall of earth, which easily blocked their attack.

"In the shadow of the big tree!" Ellis shouted, abandoning stealth. As his voice rang out, so too did the howl of wind blades.

Phoebe and Candice, hearing the wind blades coming, leapt from Han Shuo’s side. Phoebe’s longsword blazed with radiant light as she charged the magus with all her speed, while Candice’s broadsword flared with fire, turning her into a fire spirit in the darkness as she rushed at Ellis.

Han Shuo, crossbow in hand, remained immobile in the tree’s shadow, not even raising a hand to parry the wind blades. Several sliced through branches, two struck his waist, but he gritted his teeth, holding his ground, his breath and heartbeat remarkably calm.

With Phoebe and Candice bursting from the tree, the battle erupted in full. The magus’s initial earthquake had destroyed most of the traps the mercenaries had laid. Knowing how dangerous a magus could be, Phoebe targeted him, attacking with all her might.

As Phoebe advanced, two elite swordsmen from the Shadow moved to protect the magus. The three formed a two-warrior, one-mage formation to confront Phoebe, while elsewhere, a Shadow archer, two more swordsmen, and Ellis joined forces to attack the remaining mercenaries.

Candice, broadsword in hand, sent tongues of fire flickering with every swing, forcing Ellis, the wind mage, into retreat. With the wind at his command, Ellis dodged swiftly, launching wind blades and tornadoes at Candice. When a mid-level Shadow swordsman joined him, the once-mighty Candice began to falter.

At this point, everyone was exposed in the ruined courtyard except Han Shuo, who remained hidden, wounded by two wind blades but patiently awaiting the perfect moment to strike.

Phoebe and Candice, both struggling, glanced toward Han Shuo. Seeing him unmoved, a glimmer of hope replaced their despair. Both women, shrewd and perceptive, guessed Han Shuo’s intent and maneuvered their opponents toward the big tree.

Before long, the embattled Phoebe and Candice found themselves beneath the tree where Han Shuo was concealed, blocked in by the magus, Ellis, and their cohorts.

"Beautiful Miss Phoebe, I have come to admire your strength after several encounters. But this time, you have no chance. My apologies," Ellis said softly, his words barely finished before a violent tornado howled before him, drawing shattered trees and broken stones into its whirling grasp and hurling them at Phoebe and Candice.

The magus said nothing, but with a gesture of his left hand, four massive walls of earth erupted from the ground, forming a cage around Phoebe and Candice.

Phoebe’s sword blazed with a dazzling white light, forming a cross that smashed through one wall, allowing her to leap out with Candice. But as soon as they escaped, several swordsmen attacked, while Ellis, his face twisted with malice, focused his power to direct the tornado at them.

At that moment, a crossbow bolt whistled through the air, aimed at the earth magus shrouded in black. The magus dodged, and a swordsman struck the bolt aside. Then, seemingly from nowhere, a bone spear appeared, shrieking toward the magus.

Irritated, the magus raised his left hand, conjuring earth magic—a stone slab shot up, shattering the bone spear.

He had barely relaxed before a sudden, anguished cry rang out. Not far away, Ellis clutched his chest, looking up in terror at the tree above. A sharp weapon, like a venomous dragon, had burst out, whistling as it left his chest.

With a wet squelch, a jet of blood spurted uncontrollably from the hole in Ellis’s chest. His head tilted skyward, knees buckling as he fell to his knees. After a pause, he collapsed backward, his body rigid as a board.