Liar.

Bastard.

Bitch.

No-good cheater.

Accusations like those were thrown easily in the air. It wasn't difficult to hear such words from countless people—both men and women said it easily when they were hurt by someone they loved.

Promises of exclusivity and being a person's one and only.

It was a funny thing that the people in the world of Telriah didn't understand that well. It wasn't rare to find a man falling out of favor from a high-ranking woman and replaced by younger men who could provide the satisfaction that such women needed..

And yet things were a different matter for Setsuko Hirayama.

Her dark hair whirled across the wind. Her body stood still, as if frozen in time even when countless knives flew at her from different directions. It all came from multiple other Priestesses and though she made it look flawless, Setsuko gritted her teeth.

Three knives still landed on her shoulder, torso and then lower leg.

They were a little shallow, but the puncture of such knives even when she used Ao energy to shield herself was still an attack that landed. In the darkness of the Sacred Forest of Mashiro Temple's lands, her blue eyes stared down at her competitors.

Almost the remainder in the competition were turning their backs on her.

Hurling words supposed to make her rage.

Words that were supposed to cut deeper than a knife.

"Is it true that Yang slept with Leila?" One of the women asked.

Setsuko didn't warrant them a reply and only kept her eyes open for any attacks that might come in from behind her. While she knew the answer to that question and in retrospect, it made her feel a little strange.. she didn't want them to know that.

Another made a reply for Setsuko and glanced at the first speaker. "From what I've heard and seen—he's always with Priestess Mitsuko. He only comes back to Setsuko and his room to sleep at night."

"Well, who'd want to be with a woman who's always so busy. It's natural that he'd still try to garner affection from elsewhere. I feel so bad for him. How is it that the two of them are even together?"

"It doesn't make any sense at all." Another woman chirped.

These Priestesses were unbelievable. If Setsuko were with the Kin Hunters and other groups, then there wouldn't even have been time for them to taunt her like this. Most people would just go in for the kill and consider it over.

Already acting like they had the upper hand just because Setsuko was outnumbered.

While those statements still kind of hurt.. that she wasn't enough for Li Yang. She chose to chase those thoughts away and focused on the other women and rain down on their parade once she found an opening in their formation.

And yet her patience was already running thinly. It was only a matter of time until she couldn't hold herself back any longer.

"You know Setsuko, I don't really know what to tell you. I want to pity you, and yet at the same time I can't help but feel this is the comeuppance that you deserve." Ixora started with a simple shrug and a smirk on her lips. "This man of yours? I've seen him practically ogling at me—it seems like he's unsatisfied with you."

Setsuko stared at Ixora agog for a moment.

Out of all the comments hurled at her—it just had to be this one that made her feel the most insecure about her relationship. And yet Setsuko only rubbed her face.

"The man has eyes—of course he's going to look. But whether it's to stare at your body and your oversized chest, I doubt he'll tolerate and stand for your stinkin personality, bitch! Your face doesn't match your attitude."

"Why you—" Ixora glanced at the rest of the Priestesses with her. "Are you guys just going to stand around there? She's all by herself. Go get her while I prepare an attack to finish her off."

Ixora promised them an opportunity to finally gang up and beat this arrogant woman for a lesson so they needed to do their jobs properly.

Initially hesitant and reserved when alone and all by themselves—a crowd started gaining more bravado when an act was done with several other people.

In a way, the responsibility of being a kind person fell away when the rest of the people you were with did the same thing.

Priestess Kei may have chosen properly in using Ixora as an inciter of the other Priestesses' feelings. It may have didn't looked much, but Priestess Ixora had a way with getting underneath people's skins.

There was a certain talent involved in it.

The rest of the Priestesses dove towards Setsuko at the same time.

Others even hit and got blocked by one another as they rushed in for the kill stupidly. In Setsuko's mind, there was a reason why mobs don't attack all at once, things got chaotic real bad.

Honestly, how many of these people were actually going to land an attack on her—

Even with a dozen trees behind her, Setsuko only used it as an opportunity to weave in and out from them and landed more than half of them as she moved quickly on her feet.

A large root bursted from beneath the grown and ensnared her ankle.

Priestess Ixora now stood above one of the tree branches and looked down at her with complete and utter disdain.

"I really don't understand why the rest of the Priestesses are so scared of you—to me, you're just a cold aloof bitch who doesn't know how to read the atmosphere at all."

Setsuko was quickly slammed back and forth on the earth. Each part of her body took the blow without even a chance to cushion herself.

It knocked her unconscious once, but it didn't stop at all.historical

The warmth and searing heat of blood trickled down on her head. Right before the thirtieth slam—Setsuko's eyes bleared open.

Her pupils shifted from blue to red.

Ao flowed through her hands, her fingernails elongating and she cut the thick root away.

The woman landed on her feet and glared up at Ixora.

Setsuko Hirayama's form flickered underneath the moonlight.