Chapter 167: Afalyj Constans

The attack came so suddenly that, aside from Miss Vilyric, who had been stealthily observing both above and below, neither the noble girl who was hit nor the server girl who slumped down against the wall seemed to have time to react.

Rather, it wasn’t until the noble girl’s head exploded, crimson blood splattering across the face of the girl in front of her, that the latter, who still looked dazed and was calming her breaths, had not yet collected herself from the shock.

This only added a peculiar twist to an already unbelievable scene.

“*Thud.*”

The girl in a tight outfit hiding in the shadows leaped down, her high boots, which clung tightly to her skin along with her attire, made a faint sound as they struck the ground.

Before I knew it, she had produced a metal long barrel, nearly the same height as her whole body, which closely resembled the “firearms” from Vilyric’s memory, and it was that very weapon that had delivered the lethal blow to the noble girl.

The mysterious woman approached the fallen noble girl, silently inspecting her “body” for a moment, suddenly raising a silver blade entwined with faint light and inscriptions, plunging it straight for her heart!

“*Swoosh!*”

However, before the blade could reach, a scarlet glow suddenly flashed from the shadows, and the girl in the tight outfit swiftly retreated, narrowly avoiding the axe blade that had sliced through the spot where her neck had just been. In her hasty escape, she slammed into the wall behind her with a loud “*Thud!*”

“Wow, quick reflexes! I’ve long heard that shadows in the Holy City hide *Patrollers* who are always on the hunt for any intruders. I thought they would be some terrifying creature, but it turns out to be just a cute little girl ~”

“But your blood… Oh, I see, no wonder I couldn’t sense your presence before ~”

All of a sudden, the noble girl that had been on the ground transformed into countless blood-red bat shadows and soared into the air, stepping back out from deeper shadows, completely unharmed.

The noble girl, wielding a blood-red giant axe that seemed to be transformed from her fan and was even larger than her own body, arrived at the spot where the server girl still sat slumped.

Seeing that the girl in the tight outfit merely straightened her back, remaining silent, the noble girl frowned slightly and casually rested the axe, which weighed at least several hundred kilograms, as if it were a feather.

Then, with a courteous gesture, she lifted her skirt with both hands, performing a perfectly graceful noble salute.

“Afalyj Constans, that is my noble name, belonging to the third generation of the Blood Clan’s Duchess. Although an ambush is beneath me, since you managed to dodge that strike, I’ll tentatively consider you worthy to be my opponent. Before we duel, please state your name.”

“……”

However, the mysterious girl holding the firearm remained silent.

Her only response and action was to once again aim the dark muzzle of her gun at the blood clan girl before her, seemingly uninterested.

It was as if she couldn’t even comprehend what the other was saying, neither mocking nor acknowledging.

This stubbornness and lack of recognition quickly caused the self-proclaimed Duchess Afalyj to frown again, stamping her foot in a somewhat spoiled manner, her tone growing increasingly dangerous.

“Hey, are you deaf? How dare you be so rude to a lady, I’ll just kill you!”

“……”

“Ha…”

In the dead silence, ultimately, it was still Afalyj who sighed helplessly and raised her hand to snap her fingers.

“*Snap.*”

As if startled awake by the sound, the server girl, who had been completely unresponsive in the corner, suddenly opened her blood-red eyes and wobbled unsteadily to her feet, resembling a puppet manipulated by strings, as she came to stand beside Afalyj.

As if handling a beloved vase, the blood clan girl gently grazed her long and delicate fingers along the exposed white neck of the server girl, brushing over a bite mark that bloomed like a flower on her neck, as she laughed softly, almost to herself.

“How unfortunate, I rarely encounter a child I take a liking to, but before I could fully turn you into my possession, this meddler shows up… Oh well, it seems there isn’t much fate between us, I’ll let you go this time.”

As she spoke, within her blood-red eyes, a peculiar light flickered, as if imprinting upon the heart of the server girl, her tone suddenly turned deep and magnetic.

Seemingly completely ignoring the mysterious girl watching intently from across the space, Afalyj gently lifted the beautiful girl’s smooth chin, making two pairs of similarly blood-tinted beautiful eyes meet.

“Nothing will happen tonight; tonight will be a peaceful and serene night… Go home, go back, fall into a deep sleep, and forget everything you’ve seen here. You’re a good child and will listen to your sister, right ~”

“Yes… my lady…”

Seeing the server girl respond in a dazed manner, Afalyj nodded with satisfaction, pulling up the girl’s neckline, and snapped her fingers again.

Thus, the girl turned around like a puppet given an order, staggering back into the shadows, gradually disappearing from sight.

After completing all of this, the blood clan girl leisurely stretched and picked up the giant axe, swinging it around carelessly like a toy, releasing a booming sound as the air shattered around her.

“You’ve got quite a bit of patience! I thought someone as despicable as you would take the chance to attempt another ambush while I was tidying up after dinner ~ Hmm… Could it be that you were afraid of hurting that little girl from earlier? Oh dear, what a miscalculation, I should have just taken her hostage ~”

However, even with such deliberate provocation, the mysterious girl, who was tightly wrapped in her outfit and nearly blended in with the night, remained unresponsive, merely maintaining the position of aiming what appeared to be a sniper-like weapon at Afalyj, ready to fire at any moment.

At this point, the blood clan Duchess, having been ignored for the third time, seemed to lose interest in wasting any more words; her vividly blood-colored eyes turned completely ice-cold as she slowly raised her giant axe.

“Then… die!”

The crimson glow sliced through the night sky, descending upon the girl, splitting her body… without any suspense in two.

“Ah?”

Seeing this unfold, even Afalyj, who had launched the attack, momentarily froze, displaying a flicker of disbelief and confusion in her expression.

It seemed even she hadn’t anticipated that this mysterious and powerful foe would be so vulnerable, unable even to withstand such a probing attack, or to evade.

Clearly before…

“No, wait!”

Almost instantly, the blood clan girl reacted, flapping the bat-like wings that had appeared at her waist, desperately attempting to fly high!

But with that movement, countless blood stains suddenly appeared all over her body, eliciting a sharp scream of pain from Afalyj!

“*Aaaahhh!!!!*”

   

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