Would Ata miss such an opportunity?

As his body was almost touching the ground, he kicked out with his feet, causing the pair of giant axes in the opponent's hands to immediately fall, tumbling rapidly through the air and shooting into the depths of the sky.

Ata then bounced up from the ground, his elbow slamming heavily into Landofer’s chest;

The latter, caught off guard, was immediately sent flying to the side.

Ata, with lingering fear in his heart, glared at Landofer, the legendary "King of Thieves," only to see that he had no intention of falling at that moment, but was panting as he struggled to get up again.

Landofer was like an injured beast, staring viciously at Ata with malicious eyes, his clenched fists beginning to tremble slightly.

Ata slowly walked towards Landofer, tearing a piece of cloth from his thigh, quickly bandaging his own wound, and stealthily observing;

He found that the two deep wounds on his left chest, formed in a cross shape, would become eternal marks left by the other on his body.

Looking at his blue hair fluttering down on the ground, Ata chuckled instead of getting angry:

"Landofer, you truly live up to your name as a fierce thief. Even trampled by a thousand horses, you can still be so spirited;

If my reaction had been a little slower just now, then this smile of mine would probably be on your face by now."

"I will fight you!"

Landofer roared "ah" and lunged at Ata again.

But after his serious injury, he completely lost his previous speed and strength.

With a smile on his face, Ata kicked out directly at Landofer's abdomen, causing him to cry out in pain, completely losing his balance and flying straight into the broken wall behind him.

Ata didn't wait for him to land, his feet kicking out like lightning;

The pair of hundred-pound giant axes in mid-air happened to be tumbling down;

After Ata's toes touched the axe heads, they seemed to come to life, turning into two straight lines and flying straight towards their owner.

The two axe handles respectively inserted into the tendons of Landofer's hands, nailing him to the broken wall like a cross.

The excruciating pain made Landofer howl in anger again.

He struggled desperately, his body continuously leaning forward, his feet kicking wildly as if he wanted to fight Ata to the death;

But such struggling only made his hands more painful, and his nerves were tortured in the depths of agony.

Ata picked up two spears at random and inserted them into the joints of Landofer's legs;

The extreme pain caused the other to emit another sharp roar, coinciding with a peal of thunder, which sounded particularly mournful.

Ata then picked up a small dagger from the ground, looked up at the lightning-filled sky, let the raindrops fall on his face, and softly said:

"Landofer, stop acting like a baby, howling in pain at the slightest discomfort;

Think about the kind people you've killed, the blood on your hands, every bad thing you've done—how does that make you feel? Does it make your heart feel more balanced?"

With that said, without even looking in Landofer's direction, the dagger in his hand flew straight out and pierced the most critical area of Landofer.

At this moment, Landofer's originally rough and hoarse voice suddenly became sharp.

Having suffered such pain and such a severe injury, he couldn't die, having to endure this kind of torture that was worse than death;

Thinking of this, Landofer couldn't help but roar angrily at Ata:

"You're a demon, a demon among demons!"

Atta's face, gazing up at the sky, displayed a serene smile. He closed his eyes contentedly, seeming to enjoy the raindrops washing over him, and softly said, "Your resilient vitality truly amazes me! Up to now, you have managed to maintain a high-spirited tone, eloquently speaking every word; it is truly admirable."

Atta brushed aside the wet strands of hair on his forehead, allowing the water droplets to trickle down his face. He couldn't discern whether they were raindrops or beads of blood.

In the distance, faint sounds of hoofbeats could be heard, snapping Atta back to reality. His gaze involuntarily shifted towards the source of the noise. Before him, Landaufin lay barely conscious, yet still muttering curses under his breath.

Atta merely smiled indifferently, his eyes fixed on Musa, who was drenched and riding towards him in a hurry. Through the pouring rain, Musa recognized the man standing there as Atta, and a wave of joy surged through her heart.

She rode her horse swiftly to her husband's side and dismounted in a swift motion, throwing herself into Atta's embrace without hesitation, disregarding the dirt and blood staining his body, holding on tightly.

"You're unharmed, that's wonderful!" Musa exclaimed with trembling voice, overwhelmed with emotion.

Seeing his wife standing before him, Atta's deep care and gratitude overflowed. He knew that when he was in mortal danger, it was Musa who had thrown a stone, disrupting Landaufin, allowing him to survive up to this moment.

With a gentle smile, he stroked her hair and whispered, "How could I be harmed?"

"You're bleeding, my goodness! Are you badly injured?" Musa finally noticed that her husband was covered in blood, its vivid color untouched by the raindrops.

"That's someone else's blood, my dear lady, you need not worry."

"Oh, that's good...that's good..." Musa held Atta even tighter, as if trying to merge his body with hers completely, exerting all her strength.

"You don't look like ordinary people by your attire, outstanding strength, and being a couple...Could it be that you are the very famous mercenary couple in recent years?" Landaufin's shout interrupted their embrace, diverting Musa's gaze towards him.

Musa drew closer to Landaufin, upholding the righteousness in her heart, and strongly criticising the behavior of the thief before her. After hearing those accusing words, Landaufin showed not anger but joy, hiding a trace of sorrow beneath that facade. Unconcerned with Musa's questioning and criticism, he instead said to her, "You will come to understand me...the beastkin race is nothing more than a group of beasts, incapable of doing anything beneficial other than plundering and retaliating against humans. In this village of savage beasts, where is the wrong in killing or hurting them?"

"The beastkin retaliate because of cruel individuals like you who unjustly harm them."

"Haha, getting to the root of it, aren't we? Let me ask you, lady: when I was young, my village was completely destroyed by a group of beastkin who indiscriminately sought revenge, and my family perished! Is the destruction of the village the fault of my peasant parents? Or is it because I killed many beastkin in the future that those creatures retaliated against me ten years early?"

"......"

Muisa couldn't answer for a moment.

At that moment, Atah saw his wife's confusion and decisively used his sword to pierce through Landor Von's heart, ending the other's life of sin.

The leader of the bandits, Landor Von, died, but his dying roar filled with cries of rage still echoed in Muisa's heart from time to time.

The core of her concern lay in the one word "mistake".

Landor Von's later life was a mistake, but who was ultimately responsible for causing this mistake?

Back then, that group of beastkin destroyed his homeland;

But ultimately, they were seeking revenge, having their own grievances against humans as well.

It was like a chain, a chain of hatred.

Fortunately, Muisa felt that with their efforts, she and her husband had finally broken this chain;

Or at least, she believed they did...

As the flames in the village gradually died down in the pouring rain, shadows began to approach intermittently, surrounding the village entrance, with some even entering the village.

The true identities of these shadows were beastkin villagers who had abandoned their homes and fled to the nearby mountains amidst the chaos caused by bandit raids.

They appeared worn and many bore injuries, with a significant number of elderly and children among them.

As the villagers gathered around the couple and learned of their identities and what had transpired in the village, the atmosphere that lingered was not one of joy at reclaiming their homes.

"Why didn't you come earlier?"

Thanks and admiration were out of the question for the couple, as the villagers expressed only resentment and hostility.

The villagers resented the thieves who destroyed their homes, and they were equally displeased with the two tardy mercenaries before them.

In their minds, the common sentiment was:

Since the village had paid them their dues, they were expected to complete the task perfectly.

But these mercenaries had disappointed them, as the village had already come under attack while the couple was still on their way.

The villagers were not interested in excuses about the distance of the journey or the difficulty of the roads; in their eyes:

Half the blame for the suffering of themselves and their loved ones lay with the bandits, while the other half fell on these two useless mercenaries!

Unreasonable?

Do victims need to be reasonable?

Human nature always tends to sympathize with the vulnerable group;

If the troublesome party is the weaker one, then regardless of the third party or the accused, they inevitably find themselves psychologically defining as the wronged party.

Muisa's thought process followed a similar pattern.

Despite feeling aggrieved by the villagers' accusations, she changed her thinking, understanding that they had lost too much, and endured their attitude.

After the villagers finished scolding and complaining, an unavoidable question loomed before the couple:

Where would they spend the night?

If they were to return along the road they came on to sleep, they would likely hear the cries of poultry halfway there.

If they chose to sleep outdoors, they would have to guard against beast attacks, which was not the most ideal resting option.

Considering his wife, Atah, a promising young warrior, had to humble himself before the villagers and ask:

"Could my wife and I spend the night in your village tonight?"

And so, a tragedy began.