The air in front of Autris suddenly grew several degrees hotter, with powerful energy rushing towards his face.
He quickly used his long spear to parry the opponent's spear, but he didn't expect the woman's energy to be so immense. The spear and his golden spear struck with a crisp clang, but it was only deflected by a few inches, losing its aim and whistling past Autris's helmet.
The force of the impact made Autris's head buzz, instantly chilling him with a cold sweat.
The Saint Roman soldiers behind him all gasped in unison. They never expected this slender foreign woman to possess such skill, nearly taking Autris's life with a single blow.
The undead, taking advantage of Madame Milady's spear momentum having peaked, climbed up the spear and attacked Madame Milady's face and eyes.
Although Madame Milady couldn't see the undead, she clearly felt the oppressive, sinister energy pressing against her face. Her expression flickered slightly as she tilted her head back, swept her spear at Autris, and reached behind her with her other hand. When it reappeared, she held a flying dagger.
The undead hadn't anticipated the woman's swift reaction. Before it could kick her eyes, it felt an unparalleled, blazing energy surge before it. Boundless, incomparable energy struck it from all sides.
Knowing the danger, the undead dared not resist and retreated with all its might. However, it still felt the searing energy enter its body, making it incredibly uncomfortable and causing it to let out a low, pained cry.
"Can't win, retreat quickly!"
Autris also met Madame Milady's sweeping attack. The powerful gust of energy forced Autris to a standstill, as if the air had been completely drained by her potent assault.
Autris didn't dare to block and ducked to evade the heavy blow.
Even though he wore a helmet, his head buzzed as if struck by a blunt object.
But Autris knew this sensation was merely due to the opponent's energy. Given how formidable her energy was, he realized he would be unable to withstand it if it landed directly on him.
He no longer dared to fight and, after brushing past Madame Milady, circled back and galloped towards his own lines.
Seeing Madame Milady's ferocity, the barbarian army, dispelling their usual gloom, greatly boosted their morale. They let out roars, their spirits ignited.
Madame Milady, however, stood still at the forefront of the two armies, holding a dagger in one hand and her spear inverted in the other. Her gaze followed Autris as he fled, filled with contempt, as if she were watching a dead man.
This disdainful, indifferent gaze sent a chill down Autris's spine. Even though he was several yards away from her, he felt as if she could instantly close the distance and kill him in a single move.
Autris had never felt such fear, not even when he faced inexplicable scientific phenomena beyond his imagination in the Kent encampment.
The moment Autris's warhorse rode parallel to Madame Milady at the front of the two armies, Autris felt her left hand subtly raise. His vision was instantly filled with a blinding white expanse. Dazzling light and potent killing intent surged through his entire world in an instant.
Autris's entire body froze, followed by a wave of overwhelming killing intent that penetrated his very being. The immense impact robbed him of his ability to react.
Boom!
Autris's body was sent flying like he'd been hit by a hammer, trailing a long streak of blood that arced through the air before he fell to the ground, kicking up dust.
The barbarian army roared and charged forward. The Saint Roman army finally reacted to try and secure Autris, but the barbarians were too swift. The Saint Roman army dared not engage in direct combat and was forced to retreat like a receding tide.
Lying on the ground, Autris had lost consciousness. A simple, unadorned flying dagger was lodged in his left shoulder, its body embedded deep, with only the wooden handle protruding. The muscles around the wound had severely atrophied, as if scorched by intense heat. He seemed to have lost all vitality, his face as pale as gold leaf.
A pair of delicate hands, reaching through the crowd, grasped the dagger's handle and pulled it from Autris's left shoulder, drawing a spray of blood.
Autris's expression tensed, but his brow immediately relaxed, the pain seemingly lessened as he fell into a complete swoon.
Jessica, holding the flying dagger, approached Madame Milady and looked at the dagger with admiration, saying, "Mother, this dazzling blade is so powerful! If it were any later, that Saint Roman general would have been burned to ashes!"
Madame Milady took the dagger, her expressionless face responding, "Though this blade is powerful, if your magic were unrestrained, it would be like possessing a treasure mountain in vain."
As she spoke, she seemed to sink into a distant, painful memory and said hatefully, "If I could have used this blade back then, why would my Milady clan have come to this barbarian land?"
Jessica knew she had touched upon her mother's painful past and comforted her, "Mother, once we drive back the Saint Roman army, Jessica will accompany you to the land of sorcery to avenge our kin!"
The coldness in Madame Milady's eyes softened into tenderness, "With Jessica's heart, I am content!"
Sein and the others never expected Madame Milady to win such a victory, nor did they expect Xiao Xun to send someone to challenge her. Upon hearing that Madame Milady had captured a Saint Roman general, they were overjoyed and immediately held a banquet to celebrate Madame Milady's triumph.
Madame Milady sat expressionlessly in the main seat and commanded, "Drag that enemy general out and execute him, to appease the souls of our fallen barbarian warriors!"
The chieftains, including Spotan, exchanged glances. In fact, as soon as Madame Milady finished speaking, Sein exclaimed, "Lady, you cannot! Swain captured me five times but did not kill me. To kill his great general like this is unjust! Moreover, Swain has never killed our barbarian captives. To kill him now would be inhumane!"
Madame Milady's brow furrowed slightly, "False benevolence, false righteousness! These city-dwellers are truly troublesome! Very well! Dispose of him as you see fit!"
Sein sighed in relief and nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Lady, for your magnanimity! Once we capture Swain, it will not be too late to execute him!"
Having said that, he raised his wine bowl and said, "Lady, you have worked hard. I, this king, will toast you first!"
With that, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Madame Milady was equally forthright, raising her wine bowl and draining it. This display of spirit earned cheers from all the chieftains.
In the Saint Roman army camp, Xiao Xun frowned upon hearing that Autris had been captured by a woman, asking, "Where did this woman come from?"
The accompanying deputy general quickly replied, "Reporting to Lord Swain, that woman carries five flying daggers on her back and wields a weapon resembling a spear. She is extremely fierce. Autris had only fought one round before returning to the ranks, but she knocked him off his horse with a flying dagger."
Xiao Xun was greatly surprised. Although Autris's abilities were not top-tier, injuring him with a flying dagger was no easy feat. It was likely that only those at the level of Archmage or above possessed such skill.
Falloway, a subordinate, said, "I have long heard of the Western Barbarians' foremost expert, Madame Milady, and that her dazzling blade is extremely powerful. In all her battles, she has never failed. It is likely that the person who captured Autris is her!"
"Dazzling Blade?"
Xiao Xun himself had seen a book in the national library that documented legendary weapons from around the world, and the name seemed very similar to that of a powerful Archmage's artifact. He assumed there must be a great connection and that it was no ordinary item. He then asked Falloway, "Do you know of the Dazzling Blade's power?"
Falloway furrowed his brow, as if searching his memory intensely. "Madame Milady's own abilities are extremely high; few among the barbarians can match her. I only heard that she used it once, during her battle with the Barbarian King Sein."
Falloway recalled the scene with great effort. "Twenty years ago, Sein was already a dominant force in the barbarian lands. Despite his formidable physique, he was struck with a face as pale as gold paper. It was said that the wound looked as if it had been scorched by high temperatures. Fortunately, Madame Milady drew the flying dagger in time, preventing it from being fatal. But..."
Xiao Xun, hearing the shift in his tone, asked with a hint of doubt, "What is it?"
"I heard that after Madame Milady unleashed this flying dagger, her body became extremely weak... However, this was nearly twenty years ago. In recent years, Madame Milady has been in seclusion practicing. Judging by her performance today, she can likely wield the Dazzling Blade with ease, and her current abilities are not to be underestimated."