CHAPTER 95: THE TARGET

Deep in the southern edge of Runewood, where the light barely touched the forest floor, Princess Austaire moved like a blur between the trees.

Tap~tap~tap~

Leaves scattered behind her like startled birds, her trail marked by faint smears of blood, wounds that closed almost as soon as they were made.

"Just a little more... You can do this, Princess!"

The voice echoed in her mind, laced with worry and panic.

Austaire’s breath came in short, shallow bursts, her lungs burning from the constant sprint, but she didn’t slow down. She couldn’t afford to.

"I heard the elves are expert hunters in these woods," she muttered in her thoughts, while her eyes scanning the dense forest ahead. "You think I’ll run into them, Ovan?"

She was speaking to the awakened Phoenix spirit inside her- a companion of fire and soul she had named Ovan.

Unlike Auren’s Bigbird, Ovan’s detection ability wasn’t impressive- only about fifty meters at best. But in this forest where danger was everywhere, that range felt like a precious gift.

"I haven’t sensed them yet," Ovan replied, his tone tight with unease. "But... I can feel something off. Mana fluctuations are in every branches. Subtle, but they’re nearby. It’s like we’re being watched. The trees themselves feel... alert."

Austaire’s chest tightened.

"Of course they do," she whispered. "This is Runewood. The Sacred Forest of Whala. Home turf of the elves... and a turture chamber for human invaders."

She pushed through a curtain of hanging moss, her steps lighter now, more cautious.

"I just hope I don’t run into them. I really don’t want to fight anyone who’s simply defending their land."

There was no fear in her voice. Just... regret.

She wasn’t here to cause trouble. But trouble, it seemed, had already caught her scent.

"Please... just let me pass," she mumbled, the plea barely audible beneath her breath.

For the past fifteen minutes, Austaire had been running nonstop, weaving through roots and shadows, pushing her body to the brink just to reach the border of Thugian.

All she needed was a clear path, just one stretch without interference.

But she knew where she was.

This wasn’t just any forest. This was Runewood- a place whispered about in war councils and children’s cautionary tales.

It wasn’t just known for the merciless elves who patrolled it, but for the deeper, darker things that slithered through its shadows.

On paper, this part of the forest looked like a narrow strip between two territories.

But maps lied.

In reality, it stretched over fifteen kilometers of cursed ground- home to magical beasts, bewitched groves, and worse... Night Stalkers.

So far, Austaire had been lucky.

She’d only crossed paths with a venom-tusked borlim, a rabid vinewolf, and one shadowy creature she didn’t bother sticking around long enough to identify. Her strength, enhanced by both military training since child and powerful Phoenix bloodline, made quick work of them.

But that streak of luck was unraveling.

Quickly.

She didn’t hear them at first.

She felt them.

A shift in the wind. A ripple in the mana flow around her. Like the forest itself had flinched.

KHSS~

A sudden rustle to her right made her pivot instinctively, her boots skidding slightly on the mossy earth.

Her heart jumped. Her golden eyes snapped toward the movement in the underbrush.

Shapes, fast and thin, moved between the trees like ghosts in the green.

Not beasts.

Not cursed wildlife.

Elves.

Sleek, silent and deadly.

"They’re here...," she hissed, her voice low and sharp. P

anic clawed at her throat, but she swallowed it down. Gritting her teeth, she pushed harder, her legs burning as her body surged forward with a fresh burst of mana.

Her lungs screamed. Her muscles begged for rest.

But she didn’t stop.

She couldn’t.

"I can’t let them catch up... I’m already halfway there," she told herself, almost like a prayer.

Halfway to the border.

Halfway to safety.

But also...

Halfway to disaster.

If they caught her now, it was over-negotiation, diplomacy, mercy-all of it would vanish like smoke in fire.

And she knew, Runewood didn’t show mercy to trespassers.

"hurry..."

She funneled mana into her legs. Her skin glowed faint blue, the mark of a high-level movement skill activating. She surged forward, her footsteps nearly silent, every motion sharp and graceful-like wind weaving through leaves.

But the elves behind her knew these woods far too well.

And they weren’t just patrols.

They were elite.

Gondar and Anast’cia. Brave heroes and young expert scouts of Runewood’s inner ranks under the watchful eyes of the Elven Queen.

Their figures flickered between branches, zigzagging effortlessly through the thick underbrush, their movements perfectly attuned to the pulse of the forest.

"I can already smell the human prey," Anast’cia said with a breathless giggle, a feral glint in her amber eyes. She glanced to her side at the figure running beside her. "First one to tag her gets to bring her head as a trophy! Hahaha!"

"We were supposed to wait for the others," Gondar muttered, speeding up to match her stride. His twin dark daggers gleamed under the filtered sunlight, longer, crueler than they were three years ago.

"The Queen Mother won’t like this." he added, his face void of emotions.

"You talk too much," Anast’cia snapped. "She’s just a human. You think she’ll care if we rough her up a bit?"

Gondar didn’t answer. He just narrowed his eyes.

"Her orders were clear. Auren was the one meant to confront the intruder. Not us."

Anast’cia smirked.

"Come on. I’m not going to kill her. I just want to play with her a little. After all, I haven’t won against that crazy Auren. This girl might be the first human I can bully."

Mana pulsed beneath her elven boots, and she shot forward in a flash of silver light, the distance between her and Austaire shrinking by the second. She gripped her spear tighter, feeling the thrum of electricity in her veins.

Gondar remained steady, hanging back with calculated calm. His eyes were locked onto Austaire’s form.

"A golden sword, blonde hair, and stamina that refuses to quit. This one’s no ordinary human for sure..."

He watched the way she leapt over gnarled roots and ducked under thorned branches without breaking stride.

"She’s one of them."

Elves were stronger than most humans-five times stronger, on average.

But Austaire wasn’t average.

And Anast’cia was about to find out why.

"Let’s spice things up," the elven huntress whispered with a wicked grin before jumping so high that she passed through the tree roofs.

From above, she hurled her spear with electrifying force.

[THUNDER FANG]

The spear morphed midair into a bolt of lightning. It streaked down from the canopy like judgment itself, lighting up the woods with a flash of blue.

Below, Austaire’s instincts screamed.

’From above. Incoming.’

She dove behind a moss-covered boulder just as the strike hit the forest floor.

KRAKABOOM!

The shockwave sent debris flying. Smoke rose from the blackened earth.

"I come in peace!" Austaire shouted, coughing, hands up. She hadn’t even reached for the golden sword at her hip.

Then she noticed the impact crater.

The spear was gone.

’Vanished?’

A mental voice rang in her mind like a bell.

’Princess, behind you!’

KSING!!

Austaire twisted instinctively, raising her forearm just in time to catch a silver blur aimed straight for her ribs.

The spear. Anast’cia had recalled it with mana and used the blast for cover.

Their weapons clashed.

Austaire held her ground, golden eyes locked onto her opponent. Her breath was uneven, but her stance didn’t waver. She gritted her teeth, refusing to give an inch.

Across from her, Anast’cia’s eyes widened.

The smug grin she had worn since the chase began faltered.

"I see now..." she muttered, voice laced with disbelief. "You’re not just some backwater human, are you?"

"I told you already," Austaire snapped, her voice strained but unwavering. "My name is Austaire, Princess of the Austerra Kingdom."

She tightened her grip on her sword, the blade humming faintly with mana. "And I didn’t come here to fight. I’m not here to invade or threaten your people. I just want to pass through. Please- just let me go."

But her plea met cold resistance.

Anast’cia’s expression hardened. Her spear twitched in her hands.

"You’re in our forest," she replied icily. "And that choice... isn’t yours to make."

Then the air shifted.

Sparks flew as steel met steel. Austaire deflected blow after blow, staying defensive. Her movements weren’t sluggish-they were deliberate. Controlled.

"Why won’t you hit back?" Anast’cia snarled.

Austaire ducked a horizontal sweep, then blocked a follow-up jab. "Because I’m not here to kill anyone. I had no other choice but to cross through Runewood."

"Hah! So you admit it. Trespassing! That’s enough reason to gut you where you stand."

Her rage built. Every attack grew heavier, more reckless. But the more she struck, the more she realized something terrifying-

Austaire wasn’t even trying. And still, she was losing ground!

TANG!

KSING!

WHOOSH!

"What are you?" Anast’cia hissed.

Her pride couldn’t handle it.

RAAAAGH!!

She pushed forward with everything she had. A flurry of slashes, a wild roar. But in a swift motion, Austaire ducked, pivoted, and swept her leg.

Anast’cia’s foot caught air.

SLAM!

She crashed onto her back, wind knocked out of her. Before she could react, she found herself staring up at the golden glow of a sword’s edge-hovering just above her face.

"I warned you," Austaire said coldly. "I don’t want to fight. I’m just passing through. Nothing more."

Anast’cia’s eyes burned with humiliation.

"You arrogant-!"

She swung upward-

But Austaire was already gone, flipping away into a midair twist.

’Incoming!’

KLANG!

A dagger clashed with her sword from the left.

Then followed by Ovan’s warning-

’Princess, that was a decoy. The real strike is coming from the other side!’

She pivoted just in time.

Gondar was already there, blades drawn, eyes locked onto her throat like a silent assassin.

KSING!

Their weapons collided in a dance of light and motion. Sparks burst between them.

"Not bad," Gondar said quietly. "But I’ve already got you."

’Two more-above and below!’ came the warning.

Sure enough, shadow copies of Gondar lunged from the canopy and the forest floor, daggers flashing.

Austaire didn’t panic.

’Don’t worry. I got this.’

Her golden eyes glowed brighter.

She wasn’t just a noble.

She was one of the rare descendant of the Phoenix bloodline through her father King Aurelus himself. Her mana burned with a heat few could endure, her body healed faster than wounds could settle, and deep within her-like Auren-dwelled a spirit older than most countries.

’Three-on-one?’

She scoffed.

"I was raised on worse."

One heartbeat. One breath.

Her blade shimmered with golden fire.

SLASH!

SLASH!

Two shadows were gone.

Then-

POW!

Her kick struck Gondar square in the chest, sending him crashing into a tree, his face covered in shock after failing to block her speeding kick.

BOOM!

The impact echoed.

Silence followed.

Austaire landed with the grace of a dancer, her cloak fluttering around her like a fallen banner.

And in that still moment, both scouts realized it at once-

The real prey wasn’t the human girl running through the forest.

It was them.