Chapter 1963: Beautiful Face
"What the hell are they doing so far out east?"
One of the ghouls muttered, a cold look on its human-like face.
"I don’t know," said the one carrying Genevieve over its shoulder.
It was startled at first, but when it sensed that the two humans were at the same rank as them, its expression eased considerably.
What were two humans going to do to them? Not to mention, one of them seemed to be on the verge of death.
The ghouls didn’t even feel like eating the dying human — one with the scars all over his body.
"Looks like they don’t want us passing through," said the third ghoul with a sneer. "How audacious!"
The monster’s confidence stemmed from the fact that ghouls, in general, were slightly more powerful than Magi and Paladins at the same rank. Not to mention, they had a ridiculous healing capability that made them exceptionally troublesome to deal with.
"You two deal with them," the ghoul carrying Genevieve instructed. "I’ll take the girl through the pass."
On the other side of the snowy landscape, Luca watched the ghoul’s interaction with a slightly amused look on his face.
He judged that just based on his and Adam’s fighting prowess, they would be easily able to deal with the enemies. So he couldn’t help but relax slightly.
Though he was somewhat curious about the hostage.
He turned to Adam, wanting to see his reaction. But he was taken aback when he saw the raven-haired youth smile widely.
It was a smile that did not reach his eyes.
It was a smile that was not a smile at all.
Luca had some idea about Adam and his eccentricities. The man always smiled. Whether he was happy, sad, stoic, or angry, there would always be a smile on that face.
But the smile displayed right now... it was dangerous.
"What’s the matter?" Luca couldn’t help but ask. "You know her?"
"Aye." Adam’s cold voice echoed in the air, and somehow it felt colder than the surrounding atmosphere.
"Valerian," he called out.
A flash of gray light.
The next moment, a gray panther materialized on the ground, his impenetrable armor catching the muted light of the day.
Adam had already told Valerian about the recent development. So when the little fellow — now big fellow — emerged, he was ready for carnage.
"Genevieve!" He growled under his breath as his topaz eyes locked onto the woman slung over one of the ghoul’s shoulders.
"That one is mine," Adam said flatly, his lips curling further upward.
The next moment, two ghouls shot toward them with hostile intent. Though they were surprised by the sudden arrival of an armored beast, that didn’t change their plans. The beast was weaker than the humans. How absurd.
Meanwhile, the third ghoul — the one carrying Genevieve — took a wide detour, hoping to bypass the battle entirely and make straight for the mountain pass.
In the next heartbeat, Adam, Luca, and Valerian made their moves.
Luca and Valerian headed straight toward the ghouls coming for them. Luca was faster, and he arrived a second before. Meanwhile, even though Valerian was clearly weaker than his opponent, his eyes gleamed with savage delight.
His big brother rarely allowed him to leave the spirit sea and venture far, let alone fight enemies so strong. Valerian was going to enjoy this very much.
Both sides engaged, and the sound of battle echoed across the snowy terrain.
Adam’s figure moved like a specter. He could clearly see that the ghoul rapidly approaching him from the other side did not take him seriously. If it had, then it would have cast Genevieve away and fought him properly.
Within moments, the ghoul was almost upon Adam. Initially, it was only a little wary of the human casting long-distance spells. But he hadn’t cast any spells despite the distance narrowing so much.
A Paladin, it thought.
Such a weak, pathetic Paladin!
The sharp, black claws in its free hand elongated. Then with a vicious look on its face, it swung its sharp claws — which were akin to a Grade 1 artifact — straight at Adam’s face, fully intending to decapitate him.
But the moment the ghoul’s strike reached its mark, something strange happened.
The ghoul’s eyes widened when it noticed its claw passing straight through the human’s neck. In the blink of an eye, the seemingly weak and pathetic human had dissolved into wisps of smoke.
What’s going on?!
That was its final thought.
The ghoul’s vision spun rapidly. Then it stopped spinning just as abruptly, and it saw the snow-laden ground, its feet, its torso, and finally its severed neck.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, creating a macabre piece of art on the snow below.
The ghoul’s body took a step, then another, and finally, with a soft thud, it fell to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
It was already too late by the time it realized what had transpired. Death had already claimed the ghoul.
On the other side, Luca had also effortlessly taken care of his opponent. In fact, he was now preventing the other ghoul from running away so that Valerian could satiate his thirst for bloodletting.
As for Genevieve, everything was a blur.
She had briefly noticed the ghouls stop for whatever reason. She thought fellow adventurers had barred their way. It could also have been rival monsters. If it was the former, she might yet have a chance to survive. If it was the latter...
Her mind, slightly muddled despite recovering from the after-effects of the drug, could at least sense that if there was a moment for her to escape, regardless of the outcome of the battle, then it had to be now.
But everything had happened too quickly.
One moment, the monster carrying her had stopped in its tracks. The next, it had already rushed forward. A gust of cold wind blew past, and she suddenly had the strange feeling that she had changed hands. It had all happened too fast for her mind to process.
She did notice, however, that she was no longer being slung over the shoulder. Instead, the monster had scooped her in its arms.
Genevieve opened her eyes, expecting to see the ghoul’s hideous face.
But the face that looked back at her stunned her.
It was slightly weary, and slightly haggard, and far thinner than the one she remembered. But it was unmistakably that beautiful face her thoughts always kept returning to.
In a state of pure shock, she simply gaped at him without speaking a word.
And then, that oh-so-familiar voice echoed in her ears as she witnessed that smile.
"Long time no see."