Chapter 162: The Ultimate Art of the Double-Cross
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: The Ultimate Art of the Double-Cross
"Whoa, whoa! Almost got an arrow in the ass!"
Ariel dodged a flurry of bolts whistling past her, weaving through the labyrinthine streets of the Lower District in an attempt to shake her pursuers.
But the rats and thugs behind her were seeing red. No matter how she ran, they refused to give up.
They were far more familiar with the Lower District’s layout. Every time Ariel thought she had lost them, they would emerge from some unexpected shortcut to close the gap.
"I guess having a helper really would have made things easier," Ariel sighed, feeling a flicker of annoyance at that clueless guy from earlier.
Even though he looked like some noble young master who didn't belong in the Lower District, he would have made excellent bait to draw their attention.
If we’d succeeded, I wouldn't have minded giving you two or three drops. Do I really look like the type to keep it all for myself?
Still, at this point, it didn't matter whether she had help or not.
Ariel looked at the metal container in her hand, her eyes sparkling with pure joy.
The Ancient Dragon Heart Blood was hers!
And she hadn't spent a single copper!
In this world, was there anything better than getting something for nothing?
Of course there was!
Getting it for nothing and then getting to show off!
Ariel suddenly clenched her fist, and a ruler-shaped greatsword wrapped in white bandages appeared in her hand. With a casual swing, a "stray dog" who had lunged from a side street to snatch the treasure let out a pathetic wail as he was smashed into a nearby wall.
"Tsk. You think you can pull a double-cross on me with that level of skill?"
Ariel curled her lip in disdain, her ego swelling.
This was what you called professional!
The timing: perfect.
The scheme: perfect.
The escape route: perfect.
Even her "badass" poses were refined to the point of perfection.
She had effortlessly claimed the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood that countless others were killing for.
Sure, there was the minor flaw of almost getting shot in the rear because she lacked someone to pull aggro, but was there a better professional backstabber than her?
No!
In all her years, she had never failed a double-cross!
Back when she was just a negligible little bastard child, even the white bread she ate was stolen from the thieves who had robbed the bakery!
"And he had the nerve to say the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood was his?"
Recalling that clueless guy again, Ariel found the thought increasingly hilarious.
That noble young master—wherever he came from—was probably terrified by this chaos, shivering in some dark corner right now!
"Hmm?"
In the midst of her triumph, Ariel suddenly felt a chill rapidly approaching.
She slammed her toe against the ground, her body twisting in mid-air in a way that defied the laws of physics. She moved with eerie grace, narrowly dodging a blade-light that burst from the darkness.
"You are..."
Ariel raised an eyebrow as she looked at the newcomer.
"You're that Lorenzo guy, aren't you? You actually caught up?"
"Don't underestimate me, you brat!"
Lorenzo stepped out of the shadows, his face contorted in a snarl.
He looked a bit disheveled, his face splattered with blood, but his posture remained upright. His Magic Armor pulsed with a faint blue light, radiating an intense pressure.
Behind him were his panting confidants and the remaining elites of the Red Fire Gang—less than half of their original number.
"Kid, are you ready to pay for what you've done?"
Lorenzo gripped his longsword. The blood still dripping from the blade underscored his bone-chilling killing intent.
Never, in all his life, had he been humiliated like he was tonight.
Consequently, his desire to kill had never been stronger.
If he didn't subject this little thief to a death by a thousand cuts, he would never be able to quell the hatred burning in his heart!
"Whoa, scary. But..."
Ariel tilted her head, looking in another direction. "These guys don't look too bad either."
In the shadows lengthened by the cold moonlight, thugs reeking of blood emerged one by one. Most were wounded, but like wild beasts, the more injured they were, the more ferocious they became.
Schulz stepped out from among the thugs. His noble elegance was long gone; his beloved gold-inlaid Silver Staff had vanished, and half an arrow was still lodged in his shoulder. He seemed oblivious to the pain, his aged eyes fixed on Ariel with a gaze full of madness and loathing.
"Are they on drugs?"
Ariel’s nose twitched. She smelled something off about this group.
However, if even these mindless thugs had found their way here, the other player couldn't possibly be absent.
On the rooftop, the notorious Rat King poked his head out. He glanced at Schulz with a silent, mocking sneer before looking down at Lorenzo and Ariel.
"Lorenzo, there's no point in us fighting anymore. Once this is over, we go fifty-fifty. Deal?"
His words pointedly excluded the thugs.
Lorenzo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at the "rats" on the roof.
Due to their positioning during the chaos, the rats had suffered the least. They had only lost a few men, and more importantly, they still seemed to have plenty of bolts for their repeating crossbows.
Lorenzo ground his teeth so hard it felt like he was swallowing the shame of his fifty-million-gold loss along with his enamel.
But he could read the situation. He spat out the words through clenched teeth: "Fine."
"Gah-gah! See? Wouldn't it have been better to be this generous from the start?" Sam let out a grating, unpleasant laugh.
A vein throbbed in Lorenzo's forehead. He forced himself not to look at Sam, shifting his gaze back to Ariel.
He stared at the little thief—whose gender he couldn't even determine—his face so dark it looked like it might drip ink.
"Little thief, have you decided how you want to die?"
"Oh? You really think you've got me?" Ariel asked, sounding amused.
"Don't we?"
Sam sneered from the rooftop. "Kid, haven't you realized? You've let us drive you into a dead end."
Ariel glanced around in silence. Solid walls hemmed her in; behind her lay the very edge of the city.
Indeed, there was nowhere left to run.
But the smile Ariel hid in the shadows only grew more brilliant.
"How do you know I didn't come here on purpose?"
"What?" Lorenzo frowned, his suspicion piqued. So much had happened tonight that he was becoming paranoid. He half-expected the thief to wave a hand and summon another major Lower District gang out of thin air.
That would be a real joke.
However, Ariel didn't perform any gang-summoning magic. Instead, she stood on her tiptoes and spun around playfully, her hands sweeping across the surroundings.
"Look at this place."
"So quiet. So secluded. So far from any prying eyes."
"And most importantly... it's far from the bridge, and far from any Guard Corps sentry posts."
"Do you understand what that means?"
Ariel’s lips curled into her trademark roguish smile.
"Here, I can finally cut loose and use my full strength!"
Ariel’s gaze pierced through the swirling mist, looking toward the distant Tower Bridge, which was now nothing more than a faint silhouette.
Hey, clueless kid, are you watching?
The true essence of a double-cross is having fists that are hard enough!
If you can't win the fight, you've got no business robbing the robbers!
"Hmph. Arrogant brat. I'll show you—"
Lorenzo was about to voice his disdain for Ariel’s speech when he heard it again—that sharp whistle, echoing through the night like a ghost.
"Schulz!"
He turned to glare at the Hyenas. "Your boss is so high he doesn't recognize his own mother! Tell him to stop messing around!"
"No..."
Schulz, who had been lost to a drug-induced frenzy, seemed to snap awake at the sound of the whistle. His eyes cleared, filled with a profound terror.
"That’s not a Hyena Gang whistle. That’s..."