PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Almost as if she sensed the gallery of mistakes and sins that were taking place in the bandit’s mind, Claire broke through that brief moment. Claire released all the kinetic energy absorbed by the mirror of spite but not before amplifying it with a blast of Arcana.

Telekinetic shrapnel tore the bandit’s torso to pieces, scattering his internal organs and blood all over the bandits tied up behind him. Claire, on the other hand, was still intact as her absolute territory took it upon herself to prevent the blood from splashing all over her.

Claire’s brutality was different and more noticeable than Sasha’s and Revna’s, mainly because she did leave a mangled body to watch. Nonetheless, Claire still seemed as nonchalant and haughty as she had. Though dim, one could see a shadow of the kind of warrior she was.

Claire was different from Sasha, whose nature was like fire, nothing but immediate destruction and complete annihilation, a capricious and hungry flame that devoured everything in its path. At the same time, Claire was also different from Revna, who was like a goddess of the night, solemn and dark.

If a comparison had to be made, Claire would be like an empress, haughty, untouchable, and domineering. As Claire showed with her skills, getting close and trying to touch her came at a heavy price.

Having trained Claire, Xiauyue knew that that green-eyed girl had many cards up her sleeve that he hadn’t shown in her brief encounter with the bandit. Of course, Sasha and Revna were the same; the truth was that the bandits were far from strong enough to force the girls to show all their cards.

Fei Long had noticed that the bandits fell short of their purposes, but she didn’t care. Although they couldn’t put the pressure, she wanted on Claire and the girls, there would be other opportunities for it. Besides, it was also good that Claire, Revna, Cecilia, and Sasha gained some confidence by testing the results of their training for a bit.

Being quite satisfied with her work, though somewhat disgusted by the way the bandit died, Claire still smiled. She was getting closer to the man she loved, which made her happy, so she would stop being a burden.

.....

Perhaps that was Claire’s biggest regret, always feeling like a burden to Desmond. That had been the case since they were both just little children playing in their backyards, and it had only gotten worse after the death of their parents.

The many sacrifices Desmond had to make and the weight it took on him, Claire hated being the reason Desmond had to get blood on his hands. While these sacrifices were part of why she loved him and what had made them so close and dependent on each other, Claire wishes it had never been the case.

Helplessness and low self-esteem had always been hidden deep within Claire, who always maintained a cheerful and energetic demeanor to avoid worrying Desmond. Claire always thought that since she couldn’t help Desmond bear the burden, she could at least always greet him with a smile and try to ease her worries, but things had changed.

In recent months, Claire had witnessed the struggles and difficulties Desmond faced in an attempt to keep his growing family safe. Still, it never seemed enough, not in a world that kept getting more dangerous, in a universe on the brink of total chaos.

Although Desmond had never said so, Claire knew he was worried. Desmond’s growing suspicions about the hunting association had put much psychological pressure on him. Little by little, Claire watched as Desmond became increasingly obsessed with getting stronger, getting better as quickly as possible, all to keep her and the other girls safe.

Claire knew all of this, but she had always told herself that Desmond could work things out eventually, as he always had. That was clear until she saw Desmond shattered and on the brink of death, about to take his last breath.

The entire world seemed to lose all color at that moment, and Claire could feel her heart tear and bleed to see the state of the man she loved. The ever-invincible, confident and flirtatious Desmond was reduced to such a pitiful state, a sight Claire hoped she would never see again.

That day something inside of her changed. She no longer wanted to be just a burden; Claire wanted to become stronger and more reliable. She wanted to really support Desmond in all his efforts. Simply keeping quiet and looking pretty wasn’t enough; condoning all of Desmond’s excesses with a smile was too hypocritical of her.

Sure, Claire loved Desmond and still wanted him to fulfill all his heart’s desires, but her role in Desmond’s life had to change. Besides, as much as she wished it were any other way, the truth was that sharing Desmond’s love with Revna, Cecilia, and Sasha was already tricky. Claire didn’t think it was possible to keep things straight if many new women were to join her family.

When all was said and done, Claire wanted more weight in Desmond’s life, and this first step she had just taken made her feel more secure about her ambitions.

“I hope our family doesn’t get too big... Well, having kids doesn’t count.” Claire thought, still feeling an enormous need to have children with Desmond, her dream for a couple of years now, although she saw more and more that this would have to wait.

Completely lost in her thoughts and in some fantasies of herself holding a small baby identical to Desmond, Claire didn’t notice that Cecilia was already preparing to have the last duel against the bandits.

When it came to Cecilia, they all had some worries. Since she was the only one in the group who had never taken a human life, it was natural that everyone was doubtful about what would happen. Cecilia was always the calmest and most peaceful of the whole group, never raising her voice or actively arguing.

Cecilia was the type that would say her opinion with sincerity and a mature attitude, always accepting everything that others had to say with a calm smile.

To put it another way, Cecilia still carried that saintly air she had had the day Desmond met her. She always gives off this feeling of unattainable saintliness and boundless motherly love.

The problem was, those were just nice words to say what would otherwise be quite simple and worrying: she was completely harmless.

Cecilia was such a great pacifist that even her racial abilities were all of the defensive or support type. One could imagine how difficult it was to imagine her as a decisive and ruthless fighter.

It was hard to describe the tremendous surprise everyone but Fei Long got when Cecilia’s fight was the shortest. One move was all it took, the bandit barely trying to mount any resistance before he perished at the hands of the girl who looked like a harmless saint.

It was incredibly anticlimactic and hard for Claire, Revna, and Sasha to process to see just how deadly and decisive the former priestess could be. However, as the person who trained her, Fei Long thought such a thing was only natural.

The truth was that Cecilia was under the notion that she didn’t have any dangerous weapons in her arsenal since all of her skills were offensive or supportive. Still, she couldn’t have been more wrong.

All it took for Cecilia to realize her mistake was a single question from Fei Long a couple of days ago. “Cecilia, what are the characteristics of a good weapon?” Confused and inexperienced, Cecilia could not answer, but Fei Long was not disappointed.

With the patience of a master, Fei Long explained: “You see, Cecilia, there are many different weapons that a true master can use. So its characteristics are very varied. Some prioritize the weapon’s range, others its weight or edge, and some focus on the shape or the concealment capacity. However, based on my experience, they are all wrong.”

At that moment, Fei Long’s smile turned predatory as she remembered all those who had fallen in her hands. Almost naturally, Fei Long showed her draconic silver eyes at Cecilia as she continued. “Let me tell you something, Cecilia. The reach, the weight, the shape, or the edge of all those weapons meant nothing when those who wielded them saw them crumble in silver claws.”

Cecilia instinctively swallowed at the sight of the dense silver Aura that formed a pair of extremely dangerous and sharp-looking Draconic Claws in the hands of Fei Long, who had fully activated her bloodline.

Although Fei Long gave off tremendous pressure, Cecilia still concentrated on pondering the question she was asked and the hint Fei Long had given her. Eventually, Cecilia came up with a definite answer. “The most important characteristic of a weapon is its hardness.”

Grinning broadly, Fei Long launched a lightning strike at Cecilia’s face, only to be stopped by a star barrier. From the other side of the barrier that stopped her punch, Fei Long spoke again. “Exactly, toughness is the most important feature of a weapon, in my opinion, which makes me wonder, Cecilia, why haven’t you seen the enormous potential of these barriers of yours yet?”

And that was how the poor bandit who fought against Cecilia died since neither his sword nor his martial arts managed to stop the chakram made of two barriers Cecilia threw at him.

Faced with the obscene harshness of Cecilia’s barriers and the absurd speed she had used before for defensive purposes, the chakram arced through the air, splitting the bandit in two in less than a second.