Clara snapped her eyes open, instantly sat up from lying flat, and grabbed the Repeating Crossbow from the passenger seat. Outside the car window, a pair of blinding headlights cut through the darkness, shining straight at her. A black SUV, identical to her own, blocked the road ahead, arrogant and unyielding. The two vehicles were less than thirty feet apart. The door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out unhurriedly, carrying an entrenching tool.
It was Derek. Clara's heart instantly sank to the bottom. That bastard didn't die, and he actually caught up. She immediately pushed the door open and stepped out, aiming the Repeating Crossbow in her hand at Derek.
Clara knew staying in the car made her a sitting duck. Keeping distance and facing him with a ranged weapon was her only advantage.
When Derek looked at Clara, he paused for a moment, then with a hint of surprise and mockery, said, “Small world, we meet again.”
“What do you want?” Clara said as she backed away, keeping her distance.
“Simple.” Derek‘s gaze fell on Clara’s chest.“Your talent. I need it.”
Clara sneered inwardly: Need talent? More like you need a plaything to vent on! Basically, he wanted to capture her alive and make her his personal healer and tool.
“Dream on.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Clara pulled the trigger. The crossbow bolt sliced through the air, straight for Derek‘s forehead. Derek’s reaction was astonishingly fast. Almost the instant Clara pulled the trigger, he twisted sideways and dodged.
“A crossbow is a nice weapon, but to someone strong, it's just a toy.”
Derek exploded forward, like a cheetah, charging straight at Clara. Clara fired three bolts in a row, and he easily dodged them all. His mercenary combat training was on full display in that moment. Seeing the distance close fast, Clara didn't hesitate and activated
“Enchanting Gaze.”
Derek's charging body jolted to a stop, and his eyes went vacant for an instant. But he quickly returned to normal. It looked like his Spirit was higher than Clara's.
“Control? But your ability is useless against me.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Don‘t worry. I won’t hurt you.”
Clara's heart sank. Her trump card had actually failed? At the same time, she gritted her teeth and pulled out a fire axe.
“Damn it, I'm taking you down with me!”
“Clang!”
The entrenching tool and fire axe slammed together. The massive force numbed Clara's grip and sent her staggering back several steps. Derek's Strength, speed, and skill completely crushed hers. But all his attacks deliberately avoided Clara's vital areas, targeting only her limbs and weapon. He wanted to cripple her ability to fight back, then capture her alive.
Clara saw through his intent, and her heart turned even colder. Did this bastard want to keep her like livestock? No. Absolutely not.
Even if I die, I won‘t become a man’s plaything. The intense humiliation and will to survive made Clara explode with a ferocity she'd never shown before. She no longer blocked passively. She fought by trading injury for injury, launching frantic attacks at Derek‘s vitals. Derek’s brow furrowed tightly. He hadn't expected the woman in front of him to be this insane.
But he didn't panic. He easily dodged her attacks while his weapon forced Clara into clumsy blocks and dodges. This was the gap in Strength.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Dense metallic clangs echoed on the silent road. Clara was forced back step by step, the muscles in her arms burning with soreness, her breathing turning ragged. She knew if this kept up, she wouldn't last ten more moves before she died. When Derek forced her back with a sweeping strike, a flicker of mockery crossed his eyes.
“Still want to fight? You can't beat me. Just be a good girl and listen.”
Clara panted heavily, her eyes darting around, then she let out a mournful cry and charged at Derek. Derek froze, clearly not expecting her to use such a near-suicidal attack. He instinctively tried to dodge, but Clara suddenly dropped to her knees and looked up at him. Her purple pupils were inches away.
This time, there was no charm or killing intent in her pupils. They were soft, helpless, even pleading. A clear tear slid down her stunning cheek.
“Don‘t kill me... I’m scared... soldier... can you spare me?”
Her voice was full of extreme weakness and fear, enough to make any man feel pity. Derek frowned. What was this woman playing at? But as a man, faced with the pleas of such a stunning beauty, even his rock-solid will cracked. It was instinct. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
A male's protective urge toward a female. More importantly, Clara's body had a hidden passive. Any man who thought about her in that way, whether he controlled it or not, would feel his mind shift. Besides, Derek hadn't intended to kill her from the start. He just wanted a powerful support with him so he could live well. And whatever else... if you know, you know!
Just as Derek was dazed, Clara suddenly activated
“Enchanting Gaze”
. This time, the talent's power poured into his brain without resistance. The true use of a Cow Demon‘s talent wasn’t always forcing control; it could also work by unsettling them. Derek's body froze instantly.
Hallucinations seemed to fill his mind. The world before him turned into a pink paradise. It worked! Clara felt a surge of joy, but she knew the control wouldn't last long. Then, with a vengeful impulse, she raised her foot and kicked Derek in the groin.
“Augh~”
Derek let out a pained scream, his trembling hands clutching his groin, his body curling into a shrimp. He looked up in disbelief at the woman before him.
“You...”
He'd been tricked. From the very beginning, her goal hadn't been to control him with her eyes; it was to lull him by feigning weakness and create an opening for that fatal strike. He'd been careless. The searing pain made his Strength drain away in an instant.
Clara suddenly raised her hand, and the axe blade chopped hard at the back of his neck. At the last possible second, Derek fought through the pain and barely dodged the axe. As he dodged, he used the momentum to kick hard at Clara's arm holding the axe. Clara quickly twisted sideways, barely dodging his attack.
Realizing his strike had missed, Derek immediately sprinted toward his SUV. At the same time, he thought, I don't have a weapon, and my vitals are wrecked. Charging in now would be stupid. As soon as Clara steadied herself, she drew the Repeating Crossbow and squeezed the trigger at the blurry figure in the darkness. She didn't aim for the head.
With poor visibility, aiming for the head was too risky and easy to miss. Her choice was the torso, the largest target and the easiest to hit! Several crossbow bolts whistled through the air behind him.