Chapter 78: Runaway Lady
War is deception. So when your enemy is faithful, be wary; when they are strong, evade them. This is the path to victory.
**–Miguel de Cervantes, **Don Quixote1
-Vwoong!
An attack aimed at the lower and upper elixir field. The pendulum’s speed is swift, and the force behind it, fierce.
Holding both a cane and a sword in my hands, I could easily block it, but that was likely exactly what the opponent intended.
As a test, I feigned a block, extending my weapon toward the middle and lower elixir field before lightly retreating, only for something strange to occur.
-Whoosh!
The rope in the woman’s hand, as if alive, began to move. It guided the pendulum like a serpent, coiling around the spot where my sword and scabbard had just been.
‘…Indeed!’
Though disguised as a straightforward strike, she had used inner force to freely manipulate the rope and pendulum midair, redirecting them and even entangling the enemy’s weapon to neutralize it. A martial art that deployed a wide variety of ever-changing techniques through the use of rare and ingenious weaponry.
What kind of school could such an unpredictable fighter belong to? And who in the world had trained her?
Even before being a consulting detective, as a martial artist, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.
‘Is she using the rope as a medium to control the hammer in midair, like Telekinetic Sword or Poltergeist?’
Not giving me a chance to counterattack, the mysterious woman launched her next move immediately.
Just as she pulled the rope to retrieve the hammer, the line suddenly stiffened into what looked like a solid rod.
-Whiik!
This time, the Meteor Hammer morphed into a long-handled mace and came crashing at me from both sides.
The sight of two massive iron masses flying to crush one’s head was extremely intimidating.
“You’re mercilessly targeting only the vital points. I guess you’re not from the Orthodox clans.”
The woman’s technique was specialized solely in exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses to destroy vital points.
From the fact that she ordered a subordinate to steal the royal decree, and seeing her using a unique weapon in such a manner, I suspected she was the type who showed no mercy, even among the Unorthodox.
The opponent was from the Unorthodox faction, the kind that is calculative, adept at maneuvering, and achieves goals by any means necessary. However, someone who mastered such a unique Kung-Fu was rare.
Above all, it was my first time seeing someone handle the Meteor Hammer so freely, making it purely delightful and intriguing to watch.
I even thought about wanting to continue this duel if possible.
-Boom!
As I ducked to avoid the hammer and rushed forward, a powerful shockwave erupted from behind.
Had I not been prepared, I would have suffered a concussion from the thunderous noise and lost my balance, but thanks to the protective gear shielding my head and neck, it only left my ears ringing.
“Tsk…!”
Was she disappointed that her ploy missed? For the first time, I heard the woman click her tongue.
Seeing her mimic even a technique similar to sound attack, she seemed to possess various skills. Could she be an assassin from the Hassassin?
I gripped the sword hilt tightly and quickly zigzagged, closing the distance with her.
“An interesting Kung-Fu. I should thank you for broadening my horizons.”
From the recent exchange, I had already gauged the woman’s level.
The weapon technique of handling Double Meteors undoubtedly placed her among the ranks of experts, and her internal energy was quite strong, but that’s where it ended.
Compared to selecting only the fiercest maneuvers, the woman lacked experience in pushing herself to the extreme against masters of similar or higher skill levels.
The fact that she couldn’t properly counter my closing in with the sword and allowed me to approach is evidence of that.
“I have many questions, so I won’t take your life.”
It’s best to finish this before the opponent takes out any hidden life-saving techniques.
With that judgment, I swung the blade vertically to strike horizontally.
Instead of cutting, I aimed to hit the side with the flat of the sword.
-Clang!
“Hmm?!”
But what on earth is this?
Despite the considerable internal energy I infused into the sword, my strike was repelled effortlessly.
The tingling in my palm suggested that the impact I delivered had returned to me intact.
On the other hand, the opponent seemed to have suffered no internal damage.
-Whoosh!
The woman immediately launched a counterattack.
She held the rope short and swung the heavy Meteor Hammer, forcing me to naturally retreat.
“…Soft Hedgehog Armor? No, is it a Soft Hedgehog Corset?”
It seemed the woman was wearing a treasure from Madagascar2, famous for its peach moonstone, beneath her stealth attire.
‘She was wealthier than I thought.’
The Soft Hedgehog Armor of Madagascar, as its name suggests, is made from the processed leather of the Greater Hedgehog Tenrec, a native spiritual creature of Madagascar.
It is so light that wearing it under clothes poses no problem, and it’s sturdy enough to deflect threatening attacks like punches infused with Essence if the creature skinned possessed a high spiritual level.
Moreover, a corset-style Soft Hedgehog Armor is much harder to come by than the regular kind.
The dagger taken from her subordinate was also an expensive item, suggesting that the woman was quite unique among the Unorthodox.
‘A person with enough money, connections, and information to bridge the gap in levels, even if just a little.’
However, at best, she could only deflect half of my power.
Moreover, I hadn’t even properly executed a move yet, as I was observing how she handled her weapon.
She might be better than noble offsprings who amassed internal energy with expensive elixirs and internal energy methods, but there’s no way I, who have crossed the line of life and death repeatedly, can’t defeat a martial artist of this level.
“It was an entertaining show. Unfortunately, it’s time to wrap this up.”
When the black-clad woman executes her next move, I’ll cut the rope attached to the weight, seal her weapon, knock her out, and drag her to Scotland Yard.
If Lestrade or I interrogate her, she will divulge information, no matter how tight-lipped she is.
-Whoosh!
Meanwhile, the woman continued to ignore my words and was wrapping the Meteor Hammer’s rope around her arm.
-Swish!
The shortened rope reacted to her Essence, straightening into a handle for the blunt weapon.
The large weight, resembling an exotic fruit, rushed towards my ribs.
I know. This is merely a feint to draw my attention.
-Whoosh!
Somehow, the opposite rope, unraveling like a skein, was flying outside my field of vision, drawing a large circle with the weight attached.
I turned to deflect the first swung weight and counter the attack aimed at my shoulder blade.
Immediately, the rope attached to the once-deflected Meteor Hammer swung loosely again, and the blunt weapon, controlled by Essence, surged towards my lower jaw.
-Thud!
I stomped down on the Meteor Hammer flying in from behind, fixing it to the ground.
The metal weight that aimed to smash my jaw was caught with one hand using the intricacies of Gravitation.
“…!!”
The energy within the weight was drawn into my palm, attracted by a much greater force.
The woman in black, startled, hurriedly pulled the rope to retrieve the hammer, but it was too late.
‘A steel wire made of Shape Memory Tai-Yi Alloy? Well, it can just be cut.’
Just as I was about to strike with a sword enveloped in high-density Sword Aura.
-The friend waiting at the pub, probably alone by now.
-And the landlady too.
An alien sound transmission flew into my head.
The strange sound transmission, seemingly altering the original owner’s voice, came from the woman in front of me.
What surprised me wasn’t just that she sent two sound transmissions at once.
“What the…?!”
Another assassin might have gone after Watson and Mrs. Hudson.
That worry, that momentary hesitation slowed my hand.
-Tick!
The woman twisted and pulled the rope of the stiffened Meteor Hammer.
-Don’t worry.
-I was just saying.
The moment the sound transmission echoed again, the rope of the Meteor Hammer detached effortlessly.
Yet she was unfazed, as if claiming it was her intention all along.
-Fwoosh!
As the weight and rope separated, a small flame ignited.
The surfaces of the two Meteor Hammers, which had been sealed in place, bloomed like a lotus.
From within the heavy metal spheres that opened like petals, a shiny object emerged, and I realized the woman’s intent.
“Oh Blimey―”
In the next moment, a bright light and a loud noise erupted from the fully bloomed steel lotus.
Although the flash and sound temporarily impaired my sight and hearing, it didn’t mean I couldn’t assess the situation.
Diligently spreading my senses to confirm, I found that the woman had already released her subordinate’s pressure points and was leisurely disappearing with another companion.
“Using ungentlemanly methods, how cowardly… Wait, the culprit is not a gentleman but a lady.”
The moment I recalled the black-clad figure’s gender, my dissatisfaction with the vile and despicable life-saving tactic vanished without a trace.
“I’ve been outsmarted, quite unlike myself.”
I was confident I could catch up if I ran at full speed, but I chose not to.
The royal decree that was nearly taken is safely nestled in my possession, so letting them go should pose no problem.
The opponent was a meticulous woman who had prepared a one-time life-saving tactic in case of failure from the start.
Not immediately pursuing her was a decision made after considering her thorough preparedness.
Honestly, I didn’t want to rush and fall into a troublesome trap.
And no matter how much it was meant to disrupt my focus, it was possible her subordinate also visited Mrs. Hudson and Watson, so I didn’t feel inclined to continue the pursuit.
Above all, it’s inevitable that I’ll encounter her again in the near future, so letting her go now shouldn’t matter.
“Will we meet again soon?”
This wasn’t a mere hunch but a prediction based on several clues.
The faint scent I caught when I got close earlier was unmistakably familiar.
Knowing who she is, finding her won’t be difficult. There’s also a chance she’ll approach me first.
She’s confident that I haven’t discovered her identity, so we will certainly meet ‘there’.
“By the way, she left an expensive gift behind.”
I bent over to examine the two pieces of metal that had fallen at my feet.
What was hidden inside the Meteor Hammer wasn’t a cheap bomb using gunpowder.
The blinding light that obscured my vision was due to a chemical, but the terrifying wailing sound that could deafen was caused by the stone inside.
-Crack!
Using the dagger taken from the woman’s subordinate, I cut the fastener and extracted the two stones embedded in the centers of the Meteor Hammers.
“I didn’t expect to find this in England.”
Though it only looked like a piece of milky marble, this precious stone had quite a grand name attached to it.
- TL/N: 兵者, 詭道也. 故實而備之, 强而避之. 此兵家之勝也—This is an adaptation of Sun Tzu’s Art of War ️
- TL/N: The Sino-Korean name for Madagascar is 桃花島 which translates to Peach Blossom Island, a well known island in many wuxia novels ️