The woman in the middle was strikingly slender and graceful, her face as delicate as fine jade. She wore a suit of fiery red, form-fitting armor, with a long cape billowing rhythmically behind her. She was both valiant and charming, exuding a captivating allure.

Looking at her beautiful, jade-like face, with a hint of subtle, elusive charm between her brows, and that enchanting smile, William Reed's heart sank heavily.

The Red Tyrannosaurus Grace Foster.

A bitter taste filled William Reed's mouth. On the surface, this Grace Foster seemed as gentle and alluring as a mature, passionate lady. Yet once in combat, she became a truly terrifying presence. The nickname "Red Tyrannosaurus" was not given lightly. What William Reed feared most was that, as the vice-captain of the Free Mercenary Corps, her strength was said to have reached the high bronze level—definitely not someone William Reed could face head-on.

He glanced at the other two men. One was tall, powerfully built, and dark-skinned; the other was slender with a head of golden hair. Both wore fierce-looking armor. The difference was, one wielded a greatsword, while the other specialized in sharp claws. Unlike his first encounter with Grace Foster, William Reed had dealt with these two for several months now. It was always them chasing, and William Reed running.

The tall one was Mad Bear Duncan, captain of the Free Mercenary Corps' Second Battalion. His two-handed greatsword was ferocious and unmatched, his battle aura even stronger than that of Henry Carter, who had died at William Reed's hands—a truly formidable opponent. During several escapes, William Reed had suffered much at his hands.

The blond one was Shadow Wolf Scott, captain of the Free Mercenary Corps' Scout Battalion. His strength seemed much lower than the other two, only at the initial bronze level. Yet it was this man who made William Reed want to flee to the far side of the Skyspine Mountains like a stray dog. For Shadow Wolf Scott was a master of stealth and tracking, his nose even keener than a wolf's. If possible, William Reed would have preferred to have killed this Shadow Wolf Scott instead. But that was clearly very difficult—this Scott was countless times more cunning than the Soul Slayer Henry Carter.

Both Duncan and Scott watched William Reed's every move with grave expressions. In fact, they had no choice but to take William Reed seriously. Originally, they thought that dealing with a pretty boy whose strength was only at the initial bronze level would be a piece of cake for three battalion captains leading their squads. Yet, three months had passed, a dozen subordinates had died, even Henry Carter had been killed by him, and this kid was still standing here unscathed. Not only that, his strength had even advanced to mid-bronze during the process.

“So it’s the famous Miss Grace Foster.” William Reed restrained his killing intent, instead greeting her with polite courtesy, his face sincere and respectful: “The ninth of the Lei family greets Miss Foster.” Yet in his heart, he sighed—even if his stamina and battle aura were at their peak, facing this Red Tyrannosaurus Grace Foster head-on, his chances of winning would be less than ten percent.

“Giggle~” Grace Foster laughed charmingly again, her peach blossom eyes glancing up and down William Reed, seemingly quite satisfied with his attitude, and nodded: “You’re rather handsome, no wonder that girl Julia repeatedly insisted on capturing you alive.”

William Reed froze for a moment at her words, then immediately felt a surge of anger. Julia Bennett, beloved daughter of Samuel Bennett, the all-powerful Grand Chancellor of the Tianlan Empire. It was because of her that he was being hunted by the Free Mercenary Corps. Not wanting to implicate his family, William Reed hadn’t even considered running home. Fortunately, Julia Bennett still had some sense of propriety and hadn’t taken her anger out on the Lei family. As for capturing him alive, William Reed wasn’t arrogant enough to think Julia Bennett was being kind—she most likely wanted to humiliate him in person before dealing with him.

But now, facing Grace Foster, William Reed had no right to be angry. He took a deep breath, feeling his pure battle aura slowly recovering within, and his complexion improved slightly. With an especially calm demeanor, he cupped his hands and said, “I ask Miss Foster to spare me today. I would be most grateful, and in the future, James Reed will surely repay you handsomely.”

“Heh.” Grace Foster crossed her arms, looking at William Reed with great interest, a hint of mature allure between her brows: “By rights, we have no real grudge between us. Since you’re rather likable, letting you go isn’t out of the question. However… the Grand Chancellor Samuel Bennett is not someone I, Grace Foster, can afford to offend~”

As she finished the last syllable, Grace Foster suddenly moved, stomping heavily on the snow as she charged toward William Reed. Each stride covered more than three meters, and with every step, the snow beneath her feet was sent flying outward, like heavy drums being struck, erupting in a series of heart-shaking thuds.

Feeling the trembling ground beneath his feet and the booming thuds shaking his already unstable blood and energy, William Reed looked on in shock as the five or six meter gap closed in an instant. In a fleeting glance, William Reed saw her face clearly. The once gentle, alluring face like the lady next door was now cold as ice. But those eyes nearly broke William Reed's composure in that instant—violent, ferocious, and tinged with a cruel excitement. Beneath the red armor and cape, she was like a rampaging tyrannosaurus.

“Roar~~”

A three-foot-long iron whip, as thick as an arm and jagged with spikes, came crashing down like Mount Tai. Refined with fire-element battle aura, a layer of flickering red flames danced on the cold iron whip, making Grace Foster's strike even more savage and domineering.