Chapter 452 Thirteen People Might Not Be Enough
Gwyneth stood facing Rocco, her expression calm and indifferent.
A moment later, she raised her hand.
Before anyone could see what happened, Rocco was sent flying off the platform. He landed in an embarrassing heap.
Gwyneth remained standing in place, not having moved a step. She glanced coldly at Rocco below the platform and said in a low voice, "The match is over. I hope you won't come looking for trouble again."
He sat on the ground, staring at Gwyneth in shock, looking like a complete fool.
Everyone else's eyes widened too, as if they hadn't quite processed what happened.
Once they realized the match was already over, their faces showed expressions of shock.
Gwyneth had defeated Rocco with just one move.
Was this the true strength of the Powell family?
The other family heads also stood frozen in place, their faces full of surprise.
They knew Rocco's abilities well—none of them were a match for him.
Besides, Rocco had been bragging all along, saying he had almost beaten Gwyneth before, which made everyone even more wary of his strength.
But who would have thought that when it came down to it, Gwyneth would defeat Rocco with a single move?
The Fife family members rushed to help Rocco up.
Rocco still looked unconvinced. He stared hard at Gwyneth. "Gwyneth, what's going on? Two years ago, when we fought, you almost lost to me!"
"You mean that time at the arena two years ago?" Gwyneth raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "I didn't want you to lose face, so I held back on purpose."
For a moment, Rocco didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, Ronan had also witnessed the match between Gwyneth and Rocco. He stared at Gwyneth's departing figure, clenching his fists, his eyes dark and gloomy.
"Ronan, when do we make our move?" asked the black-robed man beside him in a low voice.
Ronan narrowed his eyes, a flash of cold ruthlessness crossing them. "In Elyndra. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
It was already getting dark. Those who came to Elyndra for the competition would likely choose to stay at an inn for the night and leave Elyndra tomorrow.
If Gwyneth and Isabella left Elyndra and reached the Powell family's territory, things wouldn't be under their control anymore.
The black-robed man's eyes darted around. "Then how about tonight, we take care of Gwyneth and Isabella..."
He made a throat-slitting gesture.
Ronan curved his lips, a look of certainty flashing in his eyes.
——
Isabella returned to their inn with Gwyneth.
She was about to go back to her room when she heard someone call her.
"Ms. Powell."
Isabella turned around and saw that it was Zander and Felicity.
"What is it?"
Zander looked a bit awkward, but he still gathered his courage and stepped forward. Looking at Isabella with his head lowered, he said, "I'm sorry, Ms. Powell."
"Sorry?" Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Why are you apologizing to me?"
"I apologize for my attitude toward you before." Zander bit his lip. "I admit that we were all pretty resentful of you before, and we talked badly about you behind your back. It was all because of Walter's situation, so we..."
Isabella's eyes held a hint of amusement. "It's fine, no big deal. I don't blame you."
Zander froze for a moment, looked up to meet Isabella's smiling eyes, then quickly looked away again. "Thank you for not holding it against us, Ms. Powell. We had too many misunderstandings about you before. We'll change."
The others chimed in, too. "That's right, Ms. Powell. We won the competition today thanks to you. We truly respect you now—you're incredibly strong."
"We were too full of ourselves before. Without you today, we probably would have been killed by The Whispering Sect."
"Alright, you must all be tired too. Go back to your rooms and rest early. We'll head back to the castle tomorrow."
"Okay, you rest well, too."
Isabella watched them return to their rooms before going back to her own.
After eating the dinner the inn sent up, Isabella didn't rest right away. Instead, she sat on the bed with her eyes closed, meditating.
Tonight wouldn't pass without incident.
Around nine o'clock, Isabella saw the sky darken outside. She got up and quietly left the inn.
The moment Isabella walked out of the inn, countless shadowy figures in the darkness stirred and followed her.
One black-clad figure went back to report.
"Ronan, there's been a change. Isabella suddenly left the inn."
Ronan frowned. "Where is she going in the middle of the night?"
The man in black shook his head. "No idea. We only saw her heading south."
South—that was where few people went.
The man in black thought for a moment and added, "I think she's probably just out for a walk."
Because when Isabella left the inn, her manner was too relaxed—it really did look like she was going out for a casual stroll.
Ronan's brow furrowed as he snorted coldly. "She still has the mood to go for a walk? She really doesn't know what's coming for her!"
He gave the order: "Send thirteen top-level ancient martial arts professionals to capture her alive! Strike when you reach a suitable location!"
The inn was crowded, making it difficult for them to act. Now that Isabella was heading toward a deserted area on her own, wasn't she giving them the perfect opportunity?
"Yes."
——
Isabella walked to the edge of a lake.
The lake blocked her path forward.
Behind her, thirteen masked figures had already quietly gathered.
They lurked in the shadows, their eyes fixed on Isabella like ghosts.
Seeing that Isabella was blocked by the lake, they jumped out one after another, forming a semicircle that surrounded her.
Isabella had her back to them. Hearing the footsteps coming from thirteen different directions, she didn't turn around. She just looked at the calm lake surface and said quietly, "Thirteen people probably won't be enough."
"You should go get Ronan—that might be more like it."
The thirteen masked assassins all froze for a moment.
From beginning to end, Isabella hadn't looked at them once, yet she accurately determined their number.
This showed incredibly strong perception—even with her eyes closed, nothing around her could escape her notice.
The lead assassin held a curved blade in his hand, his ghost-like eyes fixed tightly on her. In a sinister voice, he said, "Will you come with us willingly, or do we cripple you first and then drag you away?"
"What if I choose neither?"
Isabella turned around.
Under the night sky, Isabella's face was as cold and clear as moonlight, yet exceptionally beautiful.
Her eyes were also very expressive, carrying a power that could bewitch people's hearts.
"Then you're asking for death!" The assassin with the curved blade flashed a murderous look and shouted, "Attack!"
At his command, the other twelve ancient martial arts professionals should have rushed at Isabella without hesitation.
But they didn't move.