Chapter 4: Clashing in Eldoria

"They are even controlling my sister!" (Alexia)

"I see," said Cid.

Cid and Alexia had been talking for two hours since they exited Midgar Kingdom. Alexia had told him nearly everything, confident that even if he were not the Shadow, he would understand her motives.

"Princess, we are here, at the city of Eldoria," the coachman announced.

"We have reached Eldoria, Cid. What is your plan?" asked Alexia.

"It seems there are 42 of them in total, and 20 are pretty strong...hmm! It really was a wise choice to escort a princess in a normal carriage," Cid remarked.

"Well, I have a relative to attend to in this city. So, I am taking my leave now, Princess! Take care," Cid said as he departed.

"You too," replied Alexia.

After crossing the gate, Cid exited the carriage and took his own path, while Alexia watched his back, her gaze lingering with quiet wistfulness, like a cherished memory fading into the twilight.

"Let's go to the inn," Alexia said.

"As you wish."

"Hey, is that the carriage?"

"Yes, it is the carriage."

"Hell! Yeah!"

"Everyone ready?"

"Yes, boss... HEHEHEHEHE!!!"

"Here she comes... She is damn cute... lick, lick... it will be a good time breaking that cute face attitude of hers... HAHAHAHA."

Before Alexia could approach the door of the inn, a hand touched her shoulder from behind.

"Hey, miss."

"And... Who might you be, sir?" Alexia asked, turning to face him.

He scanned her body with his eyes, a manifestation of lust itself, which made her frown.

"Would you like to come with us for a bit? We have some business with you, Miss Alexia."

"How do you know me, and what do you want?" Alexia questioned.

"Why don't you come with us? You will get your answer, and I will get to taste you as well... HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"Don't underestimate m—yaaaa-!!!!" Alexia exclaimed.

Alexia performed a vertical slice and then a spin, giving him a diagonal slice from below. Although it caught him off guard, his years of battle experience helped him jump backward, creating a distance between her approaching sword and himself. As a result, the sword passed, cutting only through the upper layer of his muscles without making any sound.

"You... little!!!"

As he shouted at her, she noticed several presences approaching her from all directions, indicating that escaping unscathed would be challenging. She took her battle stance, moving her left leg a bit ahead and holding her sword vertically at the right side of her breast.

Without any notice or signal, several people started to ambush her. However, due to her recent intense training, she had improved drastically. Just before their swords could reach her, she extended her left leg a bit more, lowering herself to their thigh level. As she raised herself, two pairs of wrists fell to the ground, followed by two voices filled with agony as they took a few steps backward.

Suddenly, something flew towards her at very high speed. Instinctively, she swung her sword, but the arrow only deviated slightly, leaving a small trail of blood on her right arm.

'A bow... hun!!' Alexia thought.

Thinking that she propelled herself like a hungry dragon chasing its prey, she ran through everyone, dodging their attacks and dealing fatal blows to their vitals, while perfectly forecasting each and every move.

'Will these pathetic rats be able to pose the slightest problem to him? NO... NO... then how can I lose to them? I... I, Alexia Midgar, will surely catch up to you one day... One day...'

"SHADOW!!!!"(Alexia)

'I am no longer the one whose hands tremble while holding their blade against those who stand in my way... I will save my sister, I—'(Alexia)

"I, Alexia Midgar, the second princess of Midgar, will save my kingdom... will save my family—aaaaaaa!!"(Alexia)

Alexia shouted, pushing her sword through the neck of one of the them, causing her body and face to soak in his blood. She pulls every bit of power from inside her body, causing her hair to rise and an unbelievable amount of power to surround her sword and body, with her blood-soaked hair covering a part of her face from which blood constantly dripped onto the ground.

Within a few seconds, a girl, with a fierce look in her eyes and whose sword was only a few inches away from slashing through his neck, stood in front of a bowman who was experiencing the last few split seconds of life with eyes filled with horror as death itself stood in front of him.

"What—hun... hun!!" As she slashes his neck, she falls on her knees and is unable to stand. Then she realizes that those arrows are imbued with paralysis poison.

As she tried to stand, she realized that the arrows were imbued with paralysis poison, causing her hands and legs to go numb.

"So, the second princess of Midgar, can you even protect your own body... HAHAHAHA," the attacker taunted.

Approaching her with slow and steady steps, the attacker started to slash the cloth covering her front from the belly as he moved his sword upwards.

Upon the rooftop's edge, under the full moon's glow, a figure emerged from the darkness. Tall and imposing, he stood like a shadow given form, his presence commanding attention. In his right hand, a sword shimmered with a deadly sheen, its edge catching the moonlight in a dance of glinting steel.

As he appeared, the shadows seemed to cling to him like a cloak, obscuring his features save for his eyes, which blazed with an intense, hellish flame. They pierced through the night, a silent promise of imminent danger, their crimson glow adding to the unearthly aura surrounding him. His gaze swept over the scene below, calculating and fierce, like a predator assessing his prey.

"I... AM... SHADOW."

With a blink, he vanished from the rooftop, reappearing behind one of the attackers. The Shadow was a blur of motion, a phantom of the night. Each swing of his sword was a deadly dance, a symphony of precision and power that left his foes in awe and terror. His movements were like poetry in motion, a testament to his mastery of the blade. In the next second, several pieces of meat fell to the ground, making a fountain of blood in every direction. Several bodies stood idle, without their several severed limbs, which rolled on the ground, not having the slightest idea what happened to them.

The attackers fell one by one, their bodies sliced into pieces as if they were mere paper. As the last bag of meat crumpled to the ground, the Shadow stood amidst the carnage, his sword dripping with blood. He turned to Alexia, his gaze ready to prey on anyone who appeared in them.

"What do you seek?" he murmured, his voice a whisper carried away by the wind.