Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 173 [Brightest Star] [3]

"For wha—?"

Ashlyn's words abruptly halted as a silvery hue lashed toward her.

CLANG!!

My hands raised along with my katana, its sheath blocking the blade thrown at her.

"Stay focused," I whispered softly, my eyes looking forward.

A man dressed in black, trying to conceal his presence in the dark, rushed toward us.

His hands raised toward me, fingers firmly holding onto a blade.

I bent my knees, empowering my legs with mana, and moved in a single, near-instant burst to the man's side.

My free hand wrapped around his extended wrist, and I pushed outward with Ruah in a rippling wave that slammed into every cell in his hand all at once.

The excessive life energy made his hand start to disfigure, bloating before bursting like a balloon.

"ARGHHH!!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs, I slipped one of my legs behind him.

Grabbing one of his shoulders, I twisted, flinging him into a neatly executed trip.

He hit the ground hard, and I unsheathed my katana before impaling the tip into his mouth.

It struck the back of his neck. I flicked the katana, slicing his skull into two halves.

Blood and brain matter leaked, soaking the ground.

"I know you are here," I whispered, sheathing the katana again.

Even though these guys were good at hiding, I could still feel their presence.

Six.

One of them was setting up something on the side, but I don't know what it is.

The darkness vibrated in a few spots; three figures rushed toward me while three targeted Ashlyn.

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue, twisting my body slightly, avoiding a blade thrown at me.

They circled around me, prowling toward me together.

I spun my body, kicking backward, sending one of them spinning away. A feminine grunt left her mouth.

Using the sheath of my katana, I blocked a blade aimed at my neck while twisting my body slightly to avoid one aimed at my heart.

They moved again simultaneously. A blade flashed to my side as I spun, unsheathing my katana to block the blade.

CLANG!!

A few sparks flew as it collided with the blade. I propelled backward, my gaze shifting toward Ashlyn.

She was fighting, barely having time to parry their combined attacks.

'She will survive.'

I thought, turning back to look at the three.

I have seen how much she has grown with only light circles.

She can hold her ground for a while.

Two of them propelled toward me again, the last one going back into the night shadows.

Lowering my body, I grabbed my katana from the inside, its blade facing my body.

'Willis.'

Dada!!

My legs started to petrify, slowly turning to stone. It scattered into pieces as I took a step forward.

Neplh.

The scene around me blurred. My legs moved like gliding through the air as I rushed past their bodies, between them, in an instant.

CLANG!!

An arm of semi-transparent ice emerged from my side, grabbing the wrist of the woman who swung her blade. The ice arm jerked back, extending the woman's hand.

I swept my katana from below, severing her hand from her body.

Her hand flew into the air, and she blankly stared at it, her mouth opening to scream.

But before she could, I ducked under her partner's slash as I grabbed the woman's shoulder to spin her toward me.

Curling my fingers into a fist, I struck her stomach.

A crunching sound echoed as my arm plunged through her body, bursting out of her lower back, destroying her spine in the process.

My hand still plunged, I twisted my body to use the woman as a shield against her partner's blade.

"Arghh!"

The woman groaned weakly as the blade lodged into her back.

Removing my hand from her guts and blood, I kicked her, sprawling her and the man behind her onto the ground.

My gaze turned around, tracking the solitude of the man trying to sneak-attack me.

He moved in a zigzag, but my gaze kept track of him. He tried to hide behind a pillar, noticing his sneak attack might not work.

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"I can see you." Grinning, I whispered softly, staring at the position where the man stood.

The other man shoved the woman's body aside before rushing toward me again. freewebnoveℓ.com

Lowering my body, I ducked from his blade again before slicing his back with my katana.

SWISH!!

Twisting my body a little, I grabbed the blade thrown by the man hiding behind the pillar at me with my free hand.

Using the same blade, I dug it deep into the other man's spine.

"Urghh!" he yelled, trying to turn back.

I grabbed his head from behind, and with the katana, I sliced his throat. A splatter of blood oozed onto the ground.

The man went completely limp, and a single push made him fall, soaking in his own blood.

Turning around, I stared at the last man, still hiding behind the pillar, believing in his own stealth technique.

I slowly moved toward him as he tried to run away.

Neplh.

"Uhh."

The ground in front of me started to freeze until it reached his legs, coiling around them like veins.

"Argh!"

He groaned in pain as he fell face-first. He tried to crawl away, but my hand was already grabbing his head.

Ruah.

Another rippling burst of my life energy entered his skull. His brain overloaded, and his body turned limp in an instant.

I loosened my grip, and his face hit the ground again.

"Sigh..."

I sighed, placing my katana back into the sheath as I looked back at Ashlyn.

Two of the three who had attacked her were lying on the ground.

Unconscious, not dead. The last one was still fighting her.

'She is subduing instead of killing them.'

I thought, observing her. Even when using the mana circle, she was trying her best not to kill any of them.

...She is naive, stupid, and childish.

Honestly, I see myself in her—the child who tried to do everything to save everyone around him.

...And I don't like that one bit.

It took her a while, but she knocked out the last one as well.

Placing her hands on her knees, she gasped for breath as I walked toward her.

"You did a great job," I whispered softly, patting her head as I walked toward the unconscious man.

I unsheathed my katana again before aligning it with one of their throats.

"Wait, wait!" she yelled, grabbing my hand hastily. "What are you doing!?"

I jerked my hand away as I replied curtly, "Killing them."

"Why?" she asked, making me halt.

I turned around and looked down at her. "They are the ones who killed those children, Ashlyn."

She chewed her lip, asking meekly, "They could be innoce—"

"No one here is innocent, idiot," I interjected, looking into her golden eyes. "No matter how much you try to defend them, they are by no means innocent!"

"But killing them isn't necessary!" she snapped.

"I'm not asking you to kill anyone," I interjected again, glaring at her. "I will do the dirty work for you. Just pretend none of this ever happened."

She bit her lip until it bled, continuing to glare at me.

"Is... is he still alive?" Ashlyn asked, pointing at the man with frozen legs.

Her eyes, filled with myriad emotions, finally shut as she slowly turned around.

I didn't waste much time, killing all three of them in a single strike.

"Let's go," I mumbled as I scanned the area.

Remembering one of those guys setting up something, I moved in that direction.

"Is... is he still alive?" Ashlyn asked, pointing at the man with frozen legs.

"Don't worry about him," I replied, grabbing the object placed on the side, hidden from our view. "He's brain-dead."

"Huh?" Startled, she asked, "Is it that easy to make someone like this?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head while observing the object. "A single layer of mana before my touch is enough to render it useless."

'...A camera.'

I thought, crushing it in my hand.

'So, were these guys sent just to check our abilities?' I wondered, glancing at the dead bodies.

...They were weak, on the same level as me, but still weak.

'I hate being played around like this,' I thought as I moved toward Ashlyn.

"We're going straight to where your sister is," I said before grabbing the back of my shirt and tearing it.

Ashlyn looked at me strangely, but her expression soon turned to hope as she asked, "You know where she is?"

"They sent us the map," I replied, nodding. "Those dots were different places, and the biggest dot is where your sister should be."

She looked at me, blinking innocently.

"Turn around," I ordered.

"Okay," she whispered, turning.

"Huff..."

I let out a deep breath, closing my eyes.

My jaws tightened as my lower shoulder blades twisted slightly, the skin around them breaking as I felt a tingling sensation, along with pain.

I felt my stamina depleting at an alarming rate while the weight on my back increased.

Slowly, another sensation of a limb on my back registered in my brain.

I opened my eyes again and, like every other limb, tried to move my back muscles.

And it came forward: wings twice the size of my body, adorned with silky obsidian black feathers.

"Turn around," I whispered, gasping for breath.

Ashlyn turned around, her eyes blinking innocently before her jaw dropped.

"...What are you?"