CHAPTER 160: ELINA’S AMAZING ABILITY

"Why won’t you help her? She’s your sister, you know? If something happens to her, you’ll be the worst brother in the world!"

Perched atop a seven-meter-high tree trunk, about twenty meters away from where Elina was fighting the mysterious man, Malverna shot an annoyed, angry glare at Nolan beside her.

She had initially wanted to jump in and help Elina defeat the man.

But this irritating man had stopped her and insisted they watch from a distance instead.

Although she’d been intimidated by Nolan’s identity as the Singularity of Chaos, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing while something clearly wrong was unfolding before her.

Nolan sat casually on the tree, one leg bent, the other dangling and swaying gently.

He wasn’t angered by Malverna’s protests—if anything, he welcomed them.

After all, Elina was indeed in danger, and Malverna’s concern showed she took her duty seriously.

"Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing," Nolan said calmly. "Elina has never faced a life-threatening crisis in her life. She grew up in the palace, always protected and pampered. As much as I love her, I don’t want her to grow up weak or overly dependent on that safety."

Of course, Elina wasn’t the type to be easily swayed. She was stubborn—and unyielding.

After all, Nolan was the one who had raised her and always stayed by her side. No one knew Elina better than he did.

But there was one thing Elina lacked—challenge and opportunity. Her comfortable life in the palace had dulled her instincts and stunted her growth.

If that continued, she would fall far behind her siblings—Aldric, Cedric, and Adalen.

Coincidentally, this assassination attempt became a golden opportunity for Elina to face real challenges, hardship, and despair.

Only through that could her mindset gradually develop, shaping her into someone truly strong.

Hearing Nolan’s explanation, Malverna fell silent.

Her lips, which had parted to speak, slowly closed as she looked at him with a different expression.

He’s really an unpredictable man,

she whispered to herself.

At first, she had thought Nolan was nothing more than a madman who doted on his sister to the point of obsession.

If the world could be bought, she believed he’d hand it to Elina without a second thought.

But now, her perception had completely changed. Nolan was a responsible brother—one who loved his sister in a deeper, more extraordinary way.

Without another word, Malverna chose to remain silent and watch Elina’s fight with the mysterious man by Nolan’s side.

***

Clang!

Elina swung her sword in a wide arc to the right, blocking a fatal strike from one of the man’s shadows.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, another figure appeared above her. Twisting mid-air, he aimed both daggers straight at Elina’s head.

Sensing the threat, Elina kicked the shadow to her right and swiftly retreated two steps.

But before she could react further, another attack came from behind—so fast that she had no time to dodge.

Slash!

Two daggers tore across her back, scraping against her armor.

Fortunately, the light armor she wore had exceptional durability. Had it been any weaker, it would’ve been shredded, and Elina might have suffered serious injuries.

She quickly spun around and swung her sword backward, cleaving through the shadow’s neck.

But it was only a shadow—not a living being. The severed head instantly reattached, as if nothing had happened.

The sight infuriated her. She retreated about twenty paces, regaining her stance.

What a hassle, she muttered, clearly annoyed.

The shadows moved with flawless coordination. Every time one attacked, another would strike from a different direction.

For Elina, who wielded only a single sword, dealing with them was clearly a struggle.

Worse still, killing them was pointless. They kept regenerating—and with each return, they grew more aggressive.

"Hahaha!" The man burst out laughing. "I didn’t expect you to last this long, Elina Lorian—no, Your Highness. Any other princess would’ve died long ago."

His words weren’t sarcasm—they were genuine praise. Elina had endured the relentless assault from his clones for over twenty minutes without a single serious injury, even managing to kill them multiple times.

Such skill could only belong to someone who had trained with the sword for years. Apparently, Elina was one of them.

But hearing his words, Elina showed no trace of satisfaction. Her expression remained grim. She was utterly exhausted—half her strength was already gone.

If this battle dragged on any longer, she might really die. And she refused to let that happen.

She didn’t even know what had happened to her brother—whether he was alive or dead.

If he had truly died, then she would avenge him. But if he were still alive, she couldn’t leave him alone in this world.

That thought reignited something inside her.

With renewed determination, Elina felt a surge of strength well up from deep within. Her eyes sharpened as she raised her sword and pointed it at the man.

Moments later, her body shot forward like lightning.

Since attacking the five clones was pointless, Elina changed her strategy—she was going after the real one behind it all!

But the clones didn’t just stand by. As if sensing her intention, they moved in perfect sync, trying to intercept her.

One of them leapt into the air, spinning vertically before swinging both daggers toward Elina’s neck.

As if anticipating the attack, Elina halted for a split second and raised her sword.

Clang!

Her blade met the clone’s daggers, but the clash lasted only a moment. Two more figures appeared instantly, striking from both the right and left.

With a swift twist of her body, Elina slashed the airborne clone’s head midair.

She then dodged the attack from the right and drove her sword into the next opponent’s neck, the blade piercing clean through to the back.

Without hesitation, she pulled it out, spun again to evade the attack from the left, and cut down the third clone—cleaving its body in two.

It all happened in under seven seconds.

Elina’s reflexes were astonishing, a testament to how hard she had trained to reach this level.

I have ten seconds, she whispered under her breath.

During the battle, she had discovered something important: the clones took roughly ten seconds to regenerate.

And more importantly, the real man had yet to move or strike directly.

It was likely that maintaining five clones at once consumed a massive amount of mana, forcing his real body to stay still.

With those thoughts in mind, Elina dashed forward with everything she had, targeting the real enemy.

The last two clones tried to intercept her from both sides, but just like before, she cut them down with ease.

When she was only two meters away, Elina leapt into the air, raising her sword high.

"Die!" she shouted coldly.

But just then, the man behind the mask grinned—and whispered softly, "Hehehe... You were fooled, Elina Lorian."

***

Author’s Note: I have a small gift for you—a redeem code to get 10 FPS for free!

This offer is limited to the first 10 people, so it’s first come, first served.

Redeem code: ABDHYA36CU4BQYD6A

Thank you for your continued support, and don’t forget to keep supporting me this month!