“Haah!”
As the first robber lunged forward, Aunt Reta’s hands moved with unbelievable precision.
She retrieved a selection of talismans she had prepared in advance for just such an occasion.
[ Swirling Flames ] x 3
With a swift motion, she activated an offensive-type talisman, and a surge of elemental energy erupted from her fingertips, manifesting as swirling flames that engulfed the assailant.
“Hehe. Did you forget about us?” Undeterred, the remaining two robbers pressed forward, their faces twisted with greed and malice.
[ Ice Thorns ] x 8
[ Arc of Lightning ] x 5
Aunt Reta shifted her focus, unleashing a barrage of talismans that manifested as torrents of icy shards and crackling bolts of lightning. With each strike, the intruders found themselves assailed by the fury of nature itself.
But the robbers were not without their own skills, and they retaliated with a ferocity of their own.
One of the biggest advantages for the Spirit Refiners attacking in groups was that they could take turns to cast Spirit spells. The caster could rely on his allies to fend off the enemy attacks while they prepared Spirit Spells of their own for offensive and defensive tactics.
The small farmhouse became a mess when the effects of the talismans as well as Spirit spells were unleashed inside it. Aunt Reta’s son, Ruan Jagwood, was scared by the events happening inside his house. He wanted to help his mother but did not know how to. He could only scream and ask for help, hoping someone would come to their rescue.
[ Wind Protection Barrier ]
[ Shield Of Light ]
Aunt Reta deftly wove defensive talismans into her counterattack, creating shimmering barriers that deflected their blows and shielded her and her son from harm.
The whole reason she could still hold her own despite facing the three robbers was because of her accumulation of talismans.
However, Aunt Reta was still one woman fighting against the three Spirit cultivators. There was a limit to what she could do.
Despite her skill and determination, the confrontation took its toll. Aunt Reta’s movements grew labored as she sustained injuries from the robbers’ relentless assault.
Yet, fueled by a mother’s instinct to protect her own, she fought on, her resolve unbroken.
In a final clash, Aunt Reta’s talismans proved decisive. With a swift motion, she unleashed a potent burst of energy that engulfed one of the robbers, leaving him lifeless on the floor.
But victory came at a cost, and Aunt Reta slumped to the ground, her own injuries severe.
After the intense battle, Aunt Reta’s appearance bore the marks of her hard-fought struggle. Her once immaculate clothing was now torn and singed from the flames and frost that had engulfed her during the confrontation. Dark smudges of dirt and soot marred her face, and her hair, once neatly tied back, now hung in disarray around her shoulders.
Aunt Reta’s hands trembled slightly as she struggled to push herself up from the ground, her muscles fatigued from the exertion of battle. Blood seeped from several wounds on her body, evidence of the fatal injuries she had sustained while defending herself and her son.
“Aaaaaah! Mother!”
Ruan screamed and ran towards his mother. He sat down and supported her while trying to stop her bleeding. However, there were multiple wounds on her body and they were all bleeding. Ruan’s hands could only get bloody with his own mother’s blood without providing actual help to her.
“Stay– stand back, my son,” Aunt Reta spoke in a feeble voice as she sat upright using her son’s help. She had an offensive-grade talisman in her right hand. Her left arm was clutching onto her son’s arm. She looked at the remaining two robbers with vigilance.
Reta Jagwood was prepared to use her talisman the moment they attacked. However, she knew that if she were to use such a talisman in her current situation, she would definitely fall unconscious. Who would protect her son then?
On the other hand, the remaining two robbers were also covered in several injuries, their breaths uneven and their appearances disheveled. The Spirit Essence reserves they had were almost depleted. The feelings of pain and exhaustion were settling inside their injured bodies.
Even after using their numerical advantage, the robbers still failed to dominate Aunt Reta. they even lost one of their allies in this fight that had lasted for way too long than they had initially wanted it to.
“It seems we underestimated you, woman,” the undeclared leader of the robbers spoke in a grave tone as he looked at Aunt Reta with a gaze of vigilance and anger.
“I guess it’s true what they say. One shouldn’t underestimate any Spirit cultivator even if they don’t excel in combat arts. I would have died if I had attacked you all alone,” the lead robber admitted frankly.
However, in the next moment, the robber’s expression changed. He looked at Aunt Reta and her son with cruel intentions as he spoke.
“But this is the end of the line for you. If you don’t tell us where you have hidden your wealth and the 2nd order talisman inheritance, we are going to kill you and your son right here,” he spoke as he gestured to his teammate, prompting him to spread around.
The lead robber wanted to attack Aunt Reta and her son from two fronts so that at least one of them would land. Of course, both the robbers were wary of her talisman. In their current situation, an offensive-type talisman’s effects were enough to land them in serious trouble. However, they had invested a lot of their efforts into this fight. They couldn’t just leave the place empty-handed.
‘What… What would happen to my son in this chaos? Where’s Aksai? Is he safe?’ Countless thoughts swirled inside Aunt Reta’s mind as she prepared herself for the final clash. All of her worries were regarding her son and Aksai, whom she hadn’t seen ever since yesterday.
The two robbers looked at each other as they stood a sufficient distance from each other, blocking Aunt Reta and her son’s path of retreat. The lead robber took a deep breath and channeled his Spirit essence throughout his body one more time before gesturing to his ally to start.
“Hand over your life!”
The lead robber said as he charged at Aunt Reta. His ally also attacked the mother-son duo trapped in the middle of them at the same time, not allowing Aunt Reta any respite from her previous battle fatigue.
Yet, just as Aunt Reta prepared to unleash her talisman against the assailants, she sensed a presence behind the lead robber, stealthy and silent as a ghost.
Before the lead robber could react, a bare arm coated in a bronze aura pierced through his torso from behind.
“No. You hand over yours.”
The bronze-aura-coated palm strike, sharp as a razor, effortlessly penetrated the lead robber’s flesh and bone, seizing his heart before crushing it in one swift motion.