Ch. 23
Chapter 23: The End of the Battle
Seeing that the demon girl in front of him had not been killed by a single strike, Jiang Lin concealed his surprise and stared at her coldly, his eyes sharp as swords.
“A plea like that goes against all reason. Why would I spare you? There is no reason for it.”
Perhaps because she thought Jiang Lin was trapped now, the demon girl let out a giggle. She reached out, pulled the Cangwu Sword from where it had pinned her to the wall, and only then did her body come free.
At that moment, Jiang Lin noticed that the hand he had severed earlier had already grown back.
“Of course. I thought that worked on every human, at least in certain situations. My appearance, along with my pleading, tends to awaken an endless protective instinct in human men.
It works better than any Incantation.”
The demon girl muttered to herself as her slender hands gently caressed the Cangwu Sword.
Then she stuck out her tongue and licked the blood that still stained the blade.
The sight made Jiang Lin deeply uncomfortable. That sword was definitely going to need washing.
He watched the demon girl quietly, then shook his head slightly.
“So, are you done talking?”
“What?” The demon girl froze briefly and looked at Jiang Lin, who was still trapped in place.
“You…”
She did not even finish her sentence before the Cangwu Sword in her hand moved all at once!
“Since you’re done, then die.”
Jiang Lin formed a hand seal. With a sharp hum, the Cangwu Sword burst free from the demon girl’s grasp, its Sword Intent blazing, and slashed straight toward her throat!
“You rude little thing!”
The demon girl was clearly angered. One spell after another erupted around her, condensing into black magical blades that shot toward Jiang Lin, while at the same time dozens of magic shields enveloped her entire body to block the Cangwu Sword’s attack.
Jiang Lin’s eyes shifted slightly. He raised both hands into sword fingers and used his own Spiritual Power to condense dozens of phantom swords, sending them at the incoming magical blades!
But the sword shadows passed straight through those magical blades in an instant.
It was as if there were no barrier between them at all.
That surprised him somewhat, and he could not tell whether it was some kind of innate ability of the Demon Race or something else.
By now, the tremendous noise of the battle had already drawn the attention of the inn and even the nearby streets.
Outside, a chaotic pounding of footsteps was rushing toward the inn.
Jiang Lin swept the area lightly with his Divine Sense and discovered that the knights were on their way.
The demon girl seemed to have noticed the situation outside as well. She gave a giggle and instantly withdrew her magic.
Then she charged straight at Jiang Lin!
Jiang Lin’s expression shifted slightly. Another longsword appeared in his hand, and he slashed at the demon girl.
The sword came down, aimed directly at her throat!
At that moment, the two of them brushed past one another almost face-to-face. The instant Jiang Lin’s sharp blade cut out, a strange smile appeared on the demon girl’s face, and her body instantly hid itself within the shadows.
That brief second alone was enough for her to evade Jiang Lin’s sword.
In the next moment, her body had already reached the edge of the window in the room. She turned her head slightly to look at Jiang Lin and gave him a giggle.
“You’re interesting. Very interesting. You’re neither a Knight nor a Mage, and you don’t have the slightest fluctuation of magic. I’ve taken notice of you. Tell me your name.”
The only answer she received was Jiang Lin’s sword!
In the next instant, the demon girl burst through the window. Under the clear moonlight, wings suddenly sprouted from her small frame.
Down on the street, the two knights who had just arrived looked up and saw the demon girl in the air.
“Damn it, it’s her!” Knight Riley drew his Knight’s Sword and pointed it at the demon girl in midair, roaring through clenched teeth.
Beside him, Knight Leon only shook his head slightly, stopping both his movement and his cursing.
The demon girl hovered in the air, the wings on her back beating gently as they carried her petite body beneath the moonlight, enchanting and beautiful in an eerie way.
She paid no attention to the knights and soldiers below. Instead, she turned to look at Jiang Lin, who was still standing inside the inn, and a smile appeared on her delicate face.
Then she flew directly off into the moonlit night.
“How troublesome.”
Jiang Lin shook his head slightly. Hearing the footsteps already charging into the inn, he lifted a foot and quickly headed the other way.
Next time, that demon would not be able to escape again.
This time, it was only because Jiang Lin had not yet understood the Demon Race’s traits.
As he made his way rapidly toward the back door of the inn, Jiang Lin continued thinking.
A stab through the heart had not killed her, and even a severed arm had grown back.
But during that final attack, the demon girl had cast more than ten layers of magical protection.
“It seems her weak point is the neck. Or perhaps the only way is to cut off her head in a single strike.”
Jiang Lin shook his head slightly. He was still too weak right now. With only the strength of the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could not instantly kill her.
As for the demon girl, her strength was probably around the fourth tier. Of course, if measured by cultivation realms, she did not truly compare.
But her abilities were extremely strange. She could definitely be considered a troublesome opponent.
And in this world, Jiang Lin’s greatest disadvantage was that he could not draw upon the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth at will in order to unleash powerful divine arts and spells.
He did not possess the same level of strength he had in Zhongzhou.
Even at the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he was not at the level he had once been in Zhongzhou.
Every bit of power had to be driven by the Spiritual Power within his own body.
And most importantly, that demon girl had been able to detect his Divine Sense.
That made Jiang Lin decide to be more careful in the future. This world was not without beings capable of noticing the presence of his Divine Sense.
By the time the two knights arrived at Jiang Lin’s room with their soldiers,
Jiang Lin had already slipped out through the back door of the inn and was slowly heading toward another part of the city.
His Divine Sense swept back across the inn, silently observing, while at the same time a Magic Crystal appeared in his hand, restoring his Spiritual Power.
Inside the inn, under the soldiers’ efforts to secure the place, the frightened guests had all returned to their rooms.
There had not been many guests staying there to begin with.
The innkeeper was also summoned upstairs, and he was speaking with a face full of fear.
“I remember that person had a hood on. He was a man. His accent sounded a little strange, but I couldn’t tell what region it came from.
I couldn’t see his face clearly. You understand, our lights aren’t meant to shine directly on a guest’s face for close inspection. That would be rude.”
As the two knights listened to the innkeeper’s description, both of them frowned.
After thinking for a while, Knight Leon asked, “Were there any other distinguishing features? Think carefully. Something like the way he spoke, or the style of his clothing.”
The innkeeper thought for a moment, and then seemed to remember something.
“It was wine. I remember that guest had the smell of alcohol on him…”
“Alcohol?” Knight Leon narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he seemed to recall that, back at the tavern earlier, he had indeed seen someone with similar traits.
After a moment’s thought, Knight Leon smiled and said, “Thank you very much for your cooperation. We will cover the damage here.”
As he spoke, one of his retainers handed over a small pouch of Copper Coins.
A smile immediately spread across the innkeeper’s face, and he nodded repeatedly.
“Sir Leon, you truly are an upright knight. Thank you, thank you.”
Knight Leon waved a hand, then began to carefully examine the clues.
At the side, Knight Riley could not help yawning. Sounding slightly sleepy, he said, “This is not a wise use of your money, Sir Leon. The actions of the Demon Race should not be something you pay for.”
“It does not matter. It is only a little money,” Knight Leon replied without changing expression. Holding up the Kerosene Lamp in his hand, he leaned in close to the wall directly opposite the doorway and carefully examined the sword mark there.
“Of course. You are an upright knight, aren’t you? Far more upright than the rest of us, clearly.”
Knight Riley’s voice lifted at the end, making the mockery in his tone unmistakable.
Hearing the sarcasm in his words, Leon merely frowned slightly and ignored him.
He reached out and ran his fingers over the sword mark, then drew his Knight’s Sword and compared it carefully.
“This was not made by a Knight’s Sword. It is narrower than a Knight’s Sword, and sharper as well. There is hardly any iron residue left behind at all. It is a fine sword.
But it is very strange. It does not resemble any common weapon on the market.
What kind of person would use a weapon like this…”
Knight Leon pondered for a moment, then ordered,
“Seal this place off for now. Tomorrow, bring in a craftsman to examine it.”
At the side, Knight Riley asked in confusion,
“Isn’t this pointless? We all saw that demon escape. Why not just wait for the Church to send someone? This is not something we can handle, Sir Leon.
We only earn five Silver Coins a month, after all…”
“I know. But before the Church sends anyone, I still think it is necessary to find out the identity of the person who fought the Demon Race.
That is at least a clue, is it not?”
Knight Leon said this expressionlessly.
Little did they know that every word of their conversation was entirely within Jiang Lin’s perception.
“An interesting knight…”