Mage Manual-Chapter 1324 - 967: You’re Different from the Sword Maiden

Chapter 1324: Chapter 967: You’re Different from the Sword Maiden

The wind and rain were like gloom, the night like a curtain. The trickling water flows as it pleases in the grooves of the stone slab road, the flickering streetlights sparkle in the high air, and the thin figure walking alone on the sidewalk seems to be blown away by wind and rain the next moment.

Nothing will accompany you forever, not even the stars on a rainy night.

The long knight boots stepped onto the worn-out stone slab, splashing a circle of dirty water and staining the hem of the double-waist belt skirt. But Nia didn’t care anymore; her branded clothes were completely soaked, even her socks were submerged in water, her hair sticking messily to her cheeks, as wretched as a fugitive.

She had gone through countless worse situations than this in the past, even able to adapt to sewers, but now Nia actually felt a bit uncomfortable. The wet underwear felt unpleasant, the water-soaked socks felt heavy, and tonight’s wind was chilling her body.

She wanted to take a steaming hot water bath, wrap herself in dry plush pajamas, comfortably lie on a latex mattress, and drink a cup of warm fresh milk.

But the place she was going next was not a hotel.

She didn’t know where she was going.

Home?

Nia had almost forgotten the look of her hiding place, only remembering how filthy, damp, cramped, and dangerous it was. As a fugitive’s bedroom, it was certainly more than enough, but if it were called home, even the most despicable rats would shake their heads.

She hadn’t had a home since she was six.

The past memories were as blurry as covered by a rain curtain; Nia almost forgot she had a home in her childhood. Interestingly, she once returned to her childhood home, only to find their house surprisingly small, yet in her childhood, she felt the house was as large as a castle, never getting bored spending a day inside.

She remembered she used to faint at the sight of blood. Every time her mom took her for an injection, she would cover her eyes, but as soon as she was pricked by the needle and realized she was bleeding, she would start to faint. Yet, afterward, her mom would always buy her ice cream. Sometimes if she accidentally bled, she would loudly cry and say she was fainting from blood, then she could get ice cream.

In little Nia’s mind, ’bleeding’ equaled ’ice cream.’

But her mom didn’t buy her ice cream every time.

That night seemed to be rainy too, although Nia didn’t remember because she was feverish and confused, as her mom carried her to the hospital. Nia faintly guessed she had to have an injection to reduce fever, although painful, she was somewhat looking forward to having ice cream.

Nia couldn’t clearly see what happened afterward; she only remembered when she climbed off the ground, her arm and face were scratched, and her hands covered in blood. Without figuring out what happened, she saw her mom lying on the ground illuminated by car lights.

It was her first time seeing blood without crying, not because she didn’t faint at the sight of blood, but because she knew even if she cried, no one would buy her ice cream.

The rest of the story was dull and unremarkable; some relative wrote off the compensation and then sent her to an orphanage. She quietly studied, quietly learned about gun knowledge and chemistry, then quietly got into college.

Everything changed when she touched a sword during a club visit in freshman year. Her extraordinary swordsmanship talent expedited all her plans.

On another rain night that could hide traces, Nia carried a sword into her enemy’s house. When blood splattered on the raincoat, she reacted with no emotion, silently leaving and throwing the raincoat into the river, fainting only upon returning to the apartment.

When she intended to turn herself in the next day, the police were already accusing her of killing the entire family. Nia clearly only killed the murderer, and although she could confess, she refused to bear false accusations. Thus, she fled intending to find the truth.

The more she investigated, the more people died, all with sword marks mimicking hers, all pinned on her. Clearly, her revenge had entangled a vortex of struggle, turning into a murder tool for the mastermind behind the scenes, quietly she became the most notorious fugitive ’Death Mad’ in Allstars.

The external slander, deceit of the underworld, the filthy and ugly societal dark side, and constant setbacks drove Nia to be increasingly violent. She eventually abandoned restraint, picked up a straight-blade knife to cut a bloody path, slaughtering all who framed her, through assassination, poisoning, bombs, using every method possible.

Washing away the glitz, washing away the immature, she lived more and more like the sword in her hand; although stained with blood becomes dirty, the sword’s purpose is slaughter.

No need for justice, no need for innocence; she was neither just nor innocent, she wanted vengeance and blood-drinking.

Ultimately, she found the mastermind—City Police Commissioner Rosena.

Seeing the commissioner’s office exploded into fireworks, Nia actually felt little joy, instead a bit lost.

Because that was already...the last enemy.

Alarm bells rang, she ran aimlessly on the street, not knowing where she was headed. She didn’t want nor could return to normal life, all she could do was run, keep running, not only chased by officers but also by endless confusion and loneliness.

Her life already ended on the rainy night of revenge, the rest was just the extension of that rainy night. Before she blew up the police commissioner, she bought a bottle of lethal poison from the black market; one touch of blood would swiftly paralyze and die.

Initially, she thought the poison was for her enemy, but when all enemies died, she realized the poison was prepared for herself.

She no longer had a home, only wanting to leave silently.

Then suddenly a guy caught up, whose swordsmanship was above hers. Honestly, Nia was glad; if she could die in a high-level sword fight, she could die well. Except the guy did not fulfill her wish, instead asking her bizarre questions, claiming to protect her, help hide her. Nia had never met such a peculiar person.

If it weren’t for his blatant lie she could see through, Nia’s first impression of him would have been quite good.

That night returning to her hiding place, she looked at the poison in her hand, ultimately putting it down.

Repay grudges, return favors, this was the simple law she believed in. Having been protected once, she needed to return the favor once.

The result... her body was loaned out, turning into their date vessel.

The debt he owed, Nia didn’t know what he would use to repay.

Then the debt grew higher and deeper, she was no longer as confused as before, but chased by new perplexities. She got angrier easier, cared more about trivial matters, even started caring about her appearance and clothes...like the sword being sheathed.

She didn’t care anymore who owed whom, didn’t care about the apocalypse, didn’t care about being someone’s shadow anymore. She didn’t care whether she could survive but began to care about whether others could survive.

Perhaps this is her last mission as a sword, to write off all debts along with it.

In the gleam of Joy World, Nia noticed plainclothes officers on surveillance and knew she had succeeded.

This time, could she finally leave silently...?

Buzz! ——

When she heard the sound of an engine penetrating the Rain Curtain, the pitch-black streaming Oracle Comet had already arrived behind her, a drift directly blocking the sidewalk, the tires braking on the asphalt road emitting steam clearly visible even in the heavy rain.

"I just gave my umbrella to someone else."

The car door rose, Ash stepped out, looked at Nia, and asked, "Did you forget to bring an umbrella too?"

Nia glanced at him, kicked a trash can towards Ash, and turned to run into the neighboring alley. This was the old industrial area, with complex terrain and dilapidated roads, where she excelled at escaping in such places. With a flip, she leaped over a wall and fled into complex terrain, determined that Ash could no longer catch up with her!

After running for quite a while, there were no footsteps behind.

He... didn’t catch up?

Suddenly, the sound of rain became very distant, and she could only hear her own heavy heartbeat.

Nia slowly stopped her steps, but just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly heard a clear voice from above behind her: "Tired?"

He’s flying!

This is still a city area!

Nia forcibly halted her desire to look back, coldly said: "Come down."

"You’re not continuing to run?"

"Get down here!"

"Okay." Ash deactivated Void Wings and landed, raising his head to see a Sword Shadow slashing out amidst the fierce wind and rain!

Clang!

Ash sidestepped to avoid it, his sleeve flicking out a short sword to duel her, in an instant the clash of swords and blades tore through the Rain Curtain, the two of them performing the most brutal cold weapon fight in the narrow alley. Nia suddenly abandoned defense and charged at Ash’s left side, allowing Ash to slash at her vital spot, forcing Ash to pull out his left-hand short sword to block!

Clank!

The two separated, Nia stomped through a puddle, her straight blade slicing out a water line in the Rain Curtain, the sinister Killing Intent recklessly wandering with the blade’s edge!

"Now you want to take me back to wash away my sins, but I have nothing to worry about." Nia coldly said: "If you hold back any longer, you might die here."

"I don’t believe you’ll kill me."

"Try dropping your two swords."

"But I believe you’ll hack me half to death so I can’t chase up again." Ash took a sword stance, smiling: "In this regard, you’re just like Sword Maiden, never soft-hearted when you should act."

The reason string that had been silent for a long time suddenly snapped, Nia’s eyes flashed red, the repressed violent Death Mad awakening once more in this rainy night!

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Full defense, each move directed at deadly vital spots, even Ash had to concentrate entirely in combat, a hair’s breadth deciding life and death. Suddenly Ash deflected the straight blade, his whole body lunged forward toward Nia, intending to use his physique to suppress the petite female Swordsman!

Yet Nia didn’t dodge at all, directly opened her mouth like a frenzied beast and bit over, appearing as if ready to fight Ash to the death, scaring Ash into immediately retreating to a safe distance, leaving Nia biting empty air.

"What are you afraid of!?" Nia fixed her gaze on Ash, grimly said: "Is it because Sword Maiden wouldn’t do this, you haven’t tried being bitten before?"

"I’m not afraid of being bitten," Ash said: "I’m afraid of being bitten by you. I won’t give you any chance to hurt me, lest you regret it later."

"What would I regret? Regret not framing you thoroughly enough, regret not directly getting rid of you, the Savior?" Nia articulated word by word: "The reason I’ve endured until now is to find the best opportunity to hurt you!"

"Do you really think I would forget the disgrace Sword Maiden brought upon me? Do you really think I’d help you save this trash world? I’ve said it many times, Ash Heath, you make me nauseous, I detest what you’ve done, I don’t want to breathe the same air as you!"

"My life is already ruined, for me, nothing is better news than the end of the world, I want this world to be buried with me, I want everyone to feel pain! The framing plan is just the first step, if you still don’t give up, I will keep hunting you down till the end of the world!"

She coldly said: "I’m Nia Sevi, here to sanction and take revenge on you, not a Sword Maiden who will tenderly serve you!"

Tenderly serve...

Ash’s lips twitched, his shoulders trembling slightly, feeling himself almost unable to suppress his laughter.

He took a deep breath to press down the laughter, looked at Nia, and said: "You are indeed different from Sword Maiden."

"Sword Maiden is not as clumsy as you, you’re full of errors even when lying."