Chapter 181: Take the Initiative to Attack

Chapter 181: Take the Initiative to Attack

This was all part of Jaxon's deliberate arrangement—the reason Nightshade said what she did.

Jaxon had specifically emphasized that they couldn't reveal too much about him yet, which was why he'd had them pose as Audrey's subordinates.

Gabriel's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with cold light as his voice turned icy.

"Audrey's just a brigadier general. Who gave her the nerve to set foot on my turf? Get your people out of here now, or don't blame me for what happens next!"

Faced with his cold warning, Nightshade let out a light scoff, her lips curling into a disdainful smile.

"You and Michael are already planning to make a move on her. You really think we'd wait around for you to come knocking first?"

Nightshade's gaze turned glacial, murderous intent surging in her eyes.

"So tell me—how do you want to die?"

Seeing Nightshade's brazen arrogance, Gabriel's expression instantly darkened.

"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that? Since you won't leave, then you're not going anywhere—ever!"

Gabriel's eyes flashed with cold light. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of soldiers rushed forward.

Though their numbers gave them the advantage, Nightshade didn't panic in the slightest.

Her gaze remained cold as she swept her eyes over the soldiers, then locked directly onto Gabriel. She turned to her team with a sharp command.

"Stick to the original plan!"

Hearing this, everyone behind her nodded in unison.

Nightshade gripped her machete and stepped forward, taunting Gabriel openly.

"As a general of Frostkeep, I've been wanting to test you for a while now—see just how strong you really are."

Seeing Nightshade provoke him so brazenly, Gabriel's eyes turned cold, thick killing intent erupting from them.

"Foolish woman. On my turf, running your mouth like that? Fine. Looks like you've got a death wish!"

"Cut the crap!"

Nightshade flashed forward, closing the distance in an instant, her blade slashing straight toward his face.

Caught off guard by the sudden strike, his expression shifted as he immediately dodged backward.

Bang!

Sparks flew as the ground exploded beneath the impact.

But Nightshade didn't stop—she launched another fierce assault.

At first, Gabriel hadn't taken Nightshade seriously. But gradually, he began to sense something was wrong. As they exchanged blows, he found himself struggling to keep up.

A flash of cold steel—and a line of blood appeared on his arm.

His face darkened instantly.

"Damn it—you actually cut me!"

He glared at Nightshade, fury blazing in his eyes, then barked an order.

"Move in! Kill them all—leave no one standing!"

At his command, the soldiers immediately surged forward.

Nightshade remained unfazed. With a cold laugh, she issued her own order.

"Attack!"

Her mercenaries charged forward with equal ferocity, eyes brimming with killing intent as they surrounded Nightshade's enemies.

Gabriel remained confident. He'd been a general for years—there was no way a brigadier general's subordinates could match him.

He stared coldly at Nightshade and rushed at her again, his only goal now to eliminate every last one of them.

It was a good plan—but after hundreds of clashes, Gabriel suddenly realized something was off.

He and his soldiers weren't slow in their attacks, yet Nightshade and her team weren't engaging head-on. They were constantly evading.

After hundreds of exchanges, they hadn't managed to kill a single one—meanwhile, his soldiers were exhausted.

His face darkened, resentment filling his eyes.

"You cowards! Is dodging all you know how to do?"

Nightshade didn't even acknowledge his roar, her face still wearing that same disdainful smile.

"If we can dodge, that's skill. What's the matter? Can't keep up anymore?"

Faced with her taunting, Gabriel clenched his fists, fury burning in his eyes.

"Fine. Let's see just how long you can keep running!"

Just as he was about to strike again, Nightshade suddenly called her team to a halt.

"All right, we're pulling back!"

At her command, the mercenaries immediately stopped and retreated.

The sudden move left Gabriel completely baffled, confusion filling his eyes.

"What? Already scared?"

His face was cold, eyes flashing with icy light.

Hearing this, Nightshade let out a scoff.

"You're overthinking it. We're not scared—we've just accomplished what we came here to do. No point wasting more time on you."

"Accomplished what?"

Gabriel's expression darkened as he demanded coldly.

Seeing his reaction, Nightshade smiled coldly.

"Isn't it obvious? If I'm not mistaken, Michael's already badly injured. You think he's still alive on his own?"

The moment she said this, Gabriel's expression changed sharply, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes—but he quickly regained his composure.

"He's injured, sure, but my men aren't useless. And this is still our territory. You really think you can threaten him?"

"Ordinary people couldn't threaten you, sure. But what if it's Jaxon—the guy you fought before?"

At those words, Gabriel's face changed. A sense of dread washed over him.

"Damn it—how did I forget about that guy!"

Killing intent surged in Gabriel's eyes as he issued a sharp command.

"Pin them down!"

At his order, his men immediately rushed forward.

Gabriel didn't linger for even a second. He turned to leave.

But the moment he took a step, Nightshade blocked his path again.

"You think you're getting away?"

Gabriel's face darkened as he barked coldly, "Get out of my way!"

Nightshade didn't budge. Her machete gleamed with cold light.

"Save your breath. Unless I'm dead, you're not going anywhere today!"

Faced with Nightshade's blatant threat, his expression turned grim, fury spiking in his eyes.

"You asked for this!"

Killing intent exploded from Gabriel's gaze. He'd lost all patience. Now, he had only one thought—kill Nightshade.

He lunged forward, clashing with Nightshade once again.

He'd already been struggling to match her before—now, with his composure shattered, he couldn't gain any ground at all.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Michael had just used a special serum to stabilize his injuries when a subordinate came rushing in, panic written all over his face.

"General Fairfax! We've got a problem!"

"What happened?"

His face was cold as the subordinate hurriedly explained.

"Someone showed up outside—seriously strong. He's already injured a lot of our men."

At those words, Michael exploded with rage, killing intent flaring in his eyes.

"Who the hell has the guts to cause trouble on my turf? They've got a death wish!"

Michael's face twisted with fury as he stormed toward the exit.

"General Fairfax, your injuries haven't healed yet. Whoever's out there came looking for a fight—we should retreat for now and wait until Gabriel gets back!"

His subordinate rushed forward to stop him, but Michael shoved him aside, roaring coldly,

"This is my territory. Some outsider thinks he can cause trouble here? Today, I'll make him understand the price of messing with me!"

Eyes blazing with fury, he charged outside.

The moment he stepped out, the scene before him made him freeze.

Dozens of his men lay scattered on the ground, their faces twisted in pain, groaning in agony.

Jaxon stood with one foot planted on a man's back, his expression half-amused as he stared at Michael.

"Thought you'd run. Didn't expect you to actually come out!"