The gray-clad man discarded his longbow and drew a curved blade from beneath his cloak with a reverse grip. "Be careful, these things are not just simple Clockwork Fairies!" he shouted sharply as the red light on countless light points in mid-air flashed and extinguished in an instant, then transformed into a silver-gray shadow, shooting straight down.
The silver light pouring down from mid-air was like a silver rainstorm, with beams of silver light connecting to the ground.
The silver-gray light pierced through bodies, accompanied by a shower of blood. The gray-clad man reacted the fastest among them, but only had time to swing his blade and cut through two Constructs.
Amidst a scattering of silver fragments, more silver Constructs swept past him from both sides—
The opened Blade Claws shimmered with a chilling light.
The ten or so Dragonfire Guild members surrounding the gray-clad man finally realized the impending disaster and turned to flee. But how could they possibly outrun the speed of the Flexible Constructs, as a silver torrent instantly caught up with them from behind.
The Big Sister sat on the ground, staring in disbelief at the gray-clad man being torn to pieces by dozens of Clockwork Fairies. It seemed they no longer needed any Attack Mode; sheer numbers were enough to drown everything.
She looked fearfully at the silver bee swarm parting on both sides, as a young man she had once met at the Traveler's Rest approached with a cold expression.
Fang Hong grabbed her and pulled her up, asking, "Why are you here?"
"Do you think I'll tell you—" the Big Sister retorted sharply.
But her tough facade quickly crumbled into a scream as Fang Hong twisted her arm behind her back, making her forget she was a Female Swordsman as tears streamed down her face from the pain.
Then she felt a coldness at her neck, a Longsword pressed against her there.
Fang Hong glanced at Princess Rupert, who held the sword, and with doubt in his heart, asked again, "My patience is limited. I'll ask once more—why are you here?"
At this point, the Dragonfire Guild members around the courtyard finally awoke from their daze and rushed in their direction. Someone among the crowd shouted, "Save her first!"
A rain of arrows was already coming their way, but the dense Constructs dispersed and deflected the Feather Arrows with a clanging sound. Only a few slipped through, landing weakly on Fang Hong's Shield.
Upon seeing this, the Big Sister finally understood that she was at the mercy of her captors, her mental defenses crumbling instantly.
She was already scared out of her wits and now only shook her head, crying, "Don't kill me... After the battle of Fanric, we started watching you. Later, we discovered you were the culprits who ruined our plans in Dolifen, so from Idus, we've been following you—"
Fang Hong found it hard to believe; if someone had been following them, Kalatu and Tang De would not have missed it.
But the other party, fearing his disbelief, quickly responded, "There are only a few trade routes connecting north and south in Istania. We didn't need to know which route you took; we just needed to place spies at those locations in advance."
"Achilles is one of yours too?"
The Big Sister nodded.
"So the information about the smugglers in Tansnier was intentionally released by you?"
"That was to let the Grand Princess discover the 'secret' of King of Sand Barbaltan..."
"So the rumors about Dragonfire Guild's activities in the North were also your smokescreen, to divert Stargate Port's attention?"
"Yes... that's right..."
Fang Hong looked at her and suddenly asked, "How did you know I was here?"
The Big Sister's eyes widened, her voice cutting off abruptly. "We didn't know..."
Fang Hong, tired of wasting words with this woman, had no time to spare. He pressed down hard on her arm, wrenching it near dislocation. The Big Sister screamed in agony, almost rolling her eyes.
Yet even amid the flood of tears, she refused to answer that question, even if it killed her.
Fang Hong realized he had hit upon a crucial issue. He raised his head, watching the approaching Dragonfire Guild members, suddenly recalling questions he'd asked Ye Hua earlier, feeling a lingering unease in his heart.
He lifted the Big Sister, then shouted to those menacingly advancing, "If you don't want her dead, stop now!"
This seemed miraculously effective, as the Dragonfire Guild members halted en masse. Fang Hong, surprised, glanced at the woman, not expecting her to hold such a high position.
But this effect lasted only a moment. Soon after, a voice came from the Dragonfire Guild's side: "She still has a chance to revive, capture them!"
With this shout came a sharp whistling as a short spear shot from that direction, aimed not at Fang Hong but at the Big Sister in his grip.
Without thinking, Fang Hong's eyes glimmered, and a Light Gate opened before him. An Energy Angel blinked out, and in the next instant, a sword-flash deflected the spear with a clang, sending sparks flying.
The Big Sister, held in his hands, looked wide-eyed, amazed at being saved by her enemy. She had thought they wouldn't kill her; yet after Fang Hong commanded the Energy Angel to deflect the strike, Princess Rupert stepped forward, her sword slicing horizontally—
The Big Sister's lifeless head rolled to the ground.