Page 137 of The Wishing Game

My lashes flutter in question as I lean back to study his features.

"Me?"

"You need to stay put. I can only focus if I know you are safe," he states firmly.

"Oh. Okay." I wet my lips. "I can do that."

The corners of his lips curl up.

"Good." He smirks as he flashes us again, this time depositing me behind a couple of trees out of the naga's sight.

"I shall be back soon." He winks. And with that, he's gone from my side, only to appear in front of the naga once more. The serpent is still blowing wind from its mouth, doing its best to aim for Ze. But it's in vain because nothing seems to rattle him.

Ze skillfully cuts through the wind with his sword, steadily gaining distance. The naga's mouth closes briefly—presumably to rest—and Ze takes advantage of it to appear right in front of its belly, slashing a long line through the light blue tissue.

I quickly count the rings, hoping he got the eleventh one. But just as blue blood pours out of the wound, the naga opens its mouth again, this time the sound becoming a screeching noise of pain mixed with anger. Ze is about to strike again when the naga coils its tail, lashing out. Ze flashes out, appearing at another side, only for the naga to aim for him again. It goes on for minutes on end, and I wonder why Ze won't just go for the kill.

It's only when I catch a small glimpse of his features as he's baiting the naga that I realize why he's taking his time.

He's enjoying this.

Just like the previous fight with the foxes or the demon confrontation, he's utterly in his element when he's fighting. He's drawing the fight out on purpose.

The next moment, he gets closer again, cutting through the snake's hide and drawing more of that eerie blue blood.

A smile plays at my lips as I watch him fight like that. He moves as if he were born on the battlefield. Now I realize why he's such a poor conversationalist. He only knows how to speak with his sword.

The naga becomes increasingly more enraged the more Ze evades all its attacks. It swipes its tail back and forth at Ze with increased strength. He jumps over it, under it, to the side, to the other side. His smile widens with each failed blow, a carefree expression painting his features—one I've never seen before. It's almost as if he's using the naga's tail as his personal jumping rope.

I can't believe I was ever worried for him when it seems he's not afraid of anything—not even deadly venom.

Dashing forward, the naga tries to use its wind power at the same time as its tail, but Ze's ability to move in the blink of an eye makes it impossible for the naga to catch him. One second he's in front of it, the next he's in the back, his sword raised high as he cuts half of the naga's tail.

A sharp shrill erupts in the air, and for a moment, I feel bad cheering at someone else's misery. But as Ze gives me a glance, red and blue blood soaking his face, his lips widen in a dashing smile. I find myself returning the smile, excitement building inside of me.

The naga crashes to the ground, rolling around in pain. Ze casually walks to its side, counting the rings with the tip of his sword before cutting another line straight through the naga's body. In just a few seconds, it stops moving, slumping to the ground.

I dash to Ze's side and throw myself in his arms.

"You did it," I exclaim, giggling.

"It was nothing," he mumbles grumpily, but he tightens his arms around me.

"You don't have to be modest," I say as I lean back to look at him.

He's a mess, his face stained with the combined blood of all his opponents.

Pursing my lips, I lift my hoodie, taking my undershirt out of my leggings and tearing a small strip of cloth from the hem. Lifting it up, I dab it around his face, doing my best to clean the residual blood.

Ze stares at me in wonder, utterly still, his purple eyes swirling like a beautiful galaxy.

"Are you always this messy when you fight?" I ask jokingly.

He blinks. Slowly, he shrugs.

"I believe so," he answers gruffly, averting his gaze.

Underneath all that blood and grime, his cheeks are still red, and no matter how much I try to scrub them, the redness won't come off.

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