Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Archer

Ye Chen steadied himself at the edge of the eaves, the biting wind whipping the hem of his overcoat fiercely behind him. His fists clenched unconsciously. This was bad; his opponent now held the advantage.

Across the swirling snow, the cloaked figure also stood at a distance, and at some point, a bow had appeared in his hand. It was neither the crude, homemade hunting bow nor a finely crafted mechanical compound bow. This bow was strikingly ancient and elegant in design.

At the curve of the bow, a small, exquisitely shaped shield was fixed. The details of its pattern were too distant to see, but the faint motif of feathers could be made out. The tips of the bow glowed with a violet light, and even the bowstring was a slender line of purple. In the center of the grip, two pale blue gemstones were set, emitting a faint, ghostly glow.

As for the suitcase, it now hung on his back.

The cloaked figure stood with his left hand gripping the bow and his right hand still raised in the posture of having just released an arrow.

The two locked eyes across the void.

Ye Chen guessed that since his opponent had drawn such a weapon, he would not shoot without reason, and the first arrow had not missed by accident. It was a warning, laden with meaning, telling him not to pursue further.

But remembering how Qiao Mucao had nearly been killed by the other's trap, the way he had protected Ye Chen, and his insistence that the stolen suitcase must be retrieved, scene after scene replayed in Ye Chen's mind. He made up his mind in silence—this chase could no longer be avoided. The battle had officially begun.

Even if the other was kindly warning him to let go, Ye Chen’s heart whispered, “I do not agree!”

As soon as this refusal to back down formed in his mind, a familiar system voice echoed in his head:

[Mission: Defeat the Marauder]

Ye Chen let out a quiet breath... Even if the mission hadn’t appeared, he would never let this enemy go so easily.

Now, not only did he have to reclaim the suitcase, but he also had to defeat his opponent—the difficulty had risen another notch.

So be it. Let the battle begin!

Just as he was about to crouch down to pull the arrow from the rooftop and snap it in half as a sign of his resolve—not to mention to examine the type of arrow his opponent used—the arrow dissolved into a spray of silvery-white dust, vanishing into the air.

“Huh? Another Awakened?”

“Is this mission triggered because my opponent is also Awakened—and one worth challenging?”

“Interesting!”

In the next instant, Ye Chen bent low, body leaning forward, gaze fixed warily on the bow in the other's hands.

“A Relic Awakened, and a ranged weapon at that—a bow! Things are about to get interesting!”

After a few seconds of tense stillness, a muffled “bang” erupted on the rooftop.

The spot where Ye Chen had just stood exploded in a flurry of snow, blossoming suddenly in the night, but his figure had already vanished.

Moments before, he'd gathered strength in his legs and launched himself sideways, skimming forward. He desperately needed to adjust his position relative to the cloaked archer, who, with the wind at his back, would only become more formidable.

The cloaked figure seemed to anticipate Ye Chen's intentions, his eyes darting left and right to track his movements. Without reaching for another arrow, he simply drew the bowstring, and an arrow materialized out of thin air.

The arrowhead was sharp and spear-shaped, broad enough to inflict a grievous wound. Barbs lined the head, promising to tear flesh should it be pulled out.

The string released; with a hiss, the arrow flew straight for Ye Chen’s next landing spot.

Even as he fired, the cloaked figure nocked and loosed another, then spun and broke into a run. His movements were fluid, confident, seamless.

Ye Chen felt a jolt of alarm. This Awakened bow not only spared the archer the time needed to draw arrows but also increased his rate of fire.

The first arrow, a flash of silver, sliced through wind and snow, streaking for Ye Chen’s face.

He twisted his head aside just in time, but a stinging line of blood was left on his cheek... His opponent’s aim was frighteningly precise.

Before Ye Chen could even wonder if his face would be scarred, the second arrow was already upon him, this time aimed at his chest.

With no time to adjust, Ye Chen flung himself forward, rolling through the thick snow on the rooftop. It wasn’t graceful, but he narrowly avoided being skewered.

But before he could draw a breath of relief, a whistling sound came from behind.

A third arrow?

This arrow arced in a strange curve, circling in the air before arriving just after the second—timed to catch Ye Chen the moment he scrambled up from his roll.

Such precise timing, such uncanny calculation...

It turned out that when the cloaked figure had fired the second arrow, he had actually loosed two at once—each on a completely different trajectory.

The sheer skill of it left Ye Chen pale.

This third, unexpected arrow, as silent and deadly as an assassin in the night, was aimed directly at the center of Ye Chen’s back.

There was no time to think. Ye Chen snatched the expandable baton from his belt, spun in place, and swung hard at the deadly arrow streaking toward him.

A crisp clang rang out. The baton struck the arrowhead, but the alloyed baton snapped as though it were a twig.

Nevertheless, the arrow’s path was deflected, and it grazed his shoulder instead. The wide arrowhead tore a deep gash, splitting skin and muscle, blood pouring freely.

In just this first exchange, Ye Chen was already wounded.

Of three arrows, two had left him bleeding. Though the wounds were not serious, they forced Ye Chen to reassess his opponent.

His archery was exquisite, his aim unerring, his rate of fire high, and every conjured arrow was lethally sharp.

Ye Chen couldn’t help but feel that, in terms of technique, he and this opponent were simply not in the same league.

Against such an enemy, he had two choices: exhaust the opponent’s reserves until he could no longer conjure arrows—or close the distance for hand-to-hand combat.

The first option was risky—Ye Chen had no idea what level his opponent had achieved or how much energy each arrow cost him. If the cost was low and the ammunition seemingly infinite, it wasn’t a question of how long he could hold out, but how many more arrows he could dodge.

The second option seemed more viable—after all, close-quarters combat was his specialty. But the opponent might well kite him, attacking while retreating, always maintaining distance. In that case, Ye Chen would still end up riddled with arrows.

As for how many hits he could take, Ye Chen thought by the time he found out, it would already be too late.

Of course, there might be a third option!

The entire process of dodging those three arrows did not escape the cloaked figure’s notice. He admired Ye Chen’s reflexes, though only briefly. He was confident his archery would overwhelm his opponent’s will.

It was about time, he thought, to teach this pursuer a lesson.

But to his surprise, the young man behind him acted as if he’d been injected with adrenaline. Not only did he not retreat, he charged forward with renewed determination. And this time, instead of circling and adjusting his position, he ran straight for the cloaked figure—moving even faster than before...