292,

So fast!

Bettina was about to lift her huge bow, but Himiko had already rushed in from the left.

As a professional elf archer, Bettina knew her weakness - the lower flexibility of her left hand compared to her right hand that held the arrow.

Himiko, who was fast approaching, instantly bypassed Bettina's left side and entered an unseen blind spot.

Bettina, who already had a solid arrow in hand, did not show surprise at Himiko's sudden attack but instead grinned cunningly.

And as Himiko had already circled behind Bettina, she naturally couldn't see that cunning expression on Bettina's face.

Without any hesitation, Himiko swung her knife held in her left hand directly at Bettina.

And in that instant, Bettina released the solid arrow held in her right hand, turning her body counterclockwise, with her back facing Himiko.

In that moment, the fully exposed back was the best attacking position and the point of attack that Himiko had predicted.

She aimed to slash, but her slash was intercepted halfway; something blocked Himiko's knife.

A burst of light emerged as Bettina also released her grip on the huge bow with her left hand, using her whole body's movement to exert force, and the magic light released from her right hand formed an arrow.

"I've got you now!"

The magic arrow, created by magical power, was now swung by Bettina like a short sword.

This was the second weapon of an archer - the magic arrow.

Different from the weight and hardness of a solid arrow, although the magic arrow was composed of magical power, it was ultimately an intangible construct of magical power, and its strength was not enough to compare with a solid arrow or even Himiko's knife.

Even if its hardness was enhanced using magical power, the hardness would decrease rapidly when the arrow was shot dozens of meters away from the source of magical power.

So, it can be used as a sword in close combat, but it's not suitable for arrows.

Generally, archers who use magic combine solid arrows and magic arrows - one is to strengthen the penetrating power of the solid arrow itself, and the other is to add various special functions to the arrow, such as Bettina's smoke arrow just now.

And now, in order to kill the enemy whom she thought had entered her blind spot, Bettina had to catch up with Himiko's speed.

She not only gave up the arrow she had in her hand, but also didn't intend to reach for new arrows in the two arrow quivers at her waist or back. Instead, she used magical power to transform into a fake arrow and blocked Himiko's slash like a sword.

Of course, all of these were part of a trap.

It was impossible for an archer to win against a melee assassin in a sword duel, no matter what.

Bettina was angry, but she wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.

At the moment of collision between the magic arrow and the knife, the knife would definitely win.

However, at that moment of collision, a compressed strong wind was released from the magic arrow.

When this gust of wind burst out, Himiko, of course, didn't directly face the attack but instead dodged the initial burst.

This was the right move. As long as she avoided the first burst, that one-time gust of wind arrow was nothing.

However, that one dodge bought one second for Bettina.

The arrow she had just released fell to the ground and burst into a large amount of smoke.

As the strong wind was released, the smoke also burst, creating a gust of wind with mist in the center of the two.

The visibility instantly became zero, but the floating smoke in the air already exposed Himiko's movement as she jumped away.

Bettina didn't stop, and in the moment her eyes caught sight of the enemy's position, she waved her right hand. The giant bow spun around, her left hand entered, and the giant bow returned to her left hand. With her footwork stabilized, the entire process took less than a second. Not only did Bettina retrieve her giant bow, she also pulled out a new arrow.

At the same time, in order to ensure a precise hit with a single strike, Bettina pulled out five arrows simultaneously. The smoke was repelled by a current of air caused by her movement, which was the path the enemy was moving along. The five arrows were aimed at all the points on this path, and Bettina smiled as she infused magic into the five arrows.

However...

"What!?"

The arrows were already shot, but there was no sensation of hitting the target. The five wind-pressure arrows burst simultaneously, dissipating the smoke with a new gust of wind. However, in front of Bettina, Himiko was pierced by all the arrows. Of course, this was impossible. Five Himikos appeared at the same time, but in the next second, they all disappeared.

"They are all... afterimages?!"

Startled by this, Bettina's right foot shook and kicked something small. It was a tiny test tube, already shattered. Bettina didn't even have time to think about this odd object, as a knife-hand strike hit the back of her head. With a powerful blow, the high-level female elf was knocked unconscious.

"Dare to play with wind in front of me?"

The assassin with pink hair stood behind Bettina, playing with the same odd object in her hand as it lay on the ground. It was a secret weapon of Himiko, the assassin, imbued with the seven sins of lust and her mastery of manipulating men.

Looking at the fallen female elf, Himiko casually brushed her own hair.

The battle was over.

"I've done it. The rest is up to you... Allen's hero."