Joan connected the call almost instantly, but she did not speak, as if waiting for Amir to start.
"The thing in your hands might be fake. If it gets dangerous, you can throw it away."
When Joan heard that, even her running steps faltered for a moment. She could not help lowering her head to glance at the case in her hand. No expression could be seen on her face, and two Imperial Inquisitors were still chasing closely behind her.
"Where's the real one?" Joan said quietly.
"Nuruddin hid the real one somewhere. But I saw a droid sneaking away with a case. There's a good chance the relic is inside it."
Amir's words reassured Joan slightly.
But she could not just stop or throw the case aside outright. After all, anything was possible. If the one in her hand was real, then that would be a huge loss.
Inside the mouseway, Joan unleashed all her power, pushing her body's potential to the limit as she sprinted forward. The Inquisitors behind her had already been pulled dozens of meters away, but they were persistent and kept chasing without letting go.
Joan was not very familiar with this section of the mouseway. She did not usually go out much. Most of the time, she let Valera prepare the things she needed.
After modifying herself into a semi-mechanical body, her needs had become even fewer. All that remained were equipment required for experiments and the necessary test subjects.
So Joan could only choose a general direction and keep moving.
In another passage not far away, Valera remained silent as she led Millisyn forward with a clear target.
Behind Joan, with the Force enhancing them, the Imperial Inquisitors were extremely fast. The Fifth Brother was at the very front. He had deactivated his double-bladed lightsaber, since such a narrow passage was not suitable for using a double blade.
After turning a sharp corner, the Fifth Brother saw light ahead.
Finally, the exit!
He was utterly sick of this cramped passage.
But after running a few more steps, he realized that directly opposite this exit was another entrance.
What was wrong with this city? Why did it have something like this?
The Fifth Brother no longer hesitated. This was a rare long straightaway. He directly activated his lightsaber and, using a special throwing technique, hurled it vertically. The lightsaber traced a smooth arc through the mouseway, slashing diagonally toward Joan's body.
No matter how tough her body was, Joan could not take a lightsaber strike head-on. She was not some wealthy warlord. As her name suggested, she was only a poor researcher. The alloys in her body had all been slowly accumulated bit by bit from taking time out to rob criminals during her rare trips outside. There was no way she could afford expensive materials like beskar.
So she could only turn to face the lightsaber and lower her body to dodge.
Those two or three seconds of dodging were enough for the Imperial Inquisitors to sprint more than ten meters. The Seventh Sister leapt past the Fifth Brother from behind him, activated one side of her double-bladed lightsaber, and rapidly advanced. The Fifth Brother, taking advantage of the instant Joan crouched to dodge, planted his feet, narrowed his eyes, and forcefully pulled backward through the air with his hand.
Joan was immediately dragged by the Force. Her lower body lost stability, her feet slipped, and she fell straight to the ground. The Seventh Sister had already rushed to within less than twenty meters of her, swinging her lightsaber.
Joan rolled across the ground and rose. She grabbed the red lightsaber that had embedded itself in the wall behind her, then turned to block in the direction of the Seventh Sister. The Seventh Sister pounced through the air like an enraged leopard, but Joan's motion as she swung the lightsaber remained calm and unhurried.
At that moment, her mechanical body displayed tremendous strength.
The instant her strike was blocked, the Seventh Sister felt an extraordinarily powerful force hit her. Her slender body was sent flying, and the lightsaber in her hand almost flew out of her grip.
It was like striking a land vehicle with an active shield using bare hands.
This was not some advanced technique, nor was there any Force reaction. It was pure brute strength.
The Fifth Brother caught the flying Seventh Sister, set her down, and took the lightsaber from her hand.
Joan did not think she had won just because she blocked that strike. That had only been a surprise attack while the opponent was unprepared. If they truly fought, the enemy's swordsmanship and combat experience were far superior to hers. If she made one mistake, escaping would become very difficult.
So without hesitation, she directly activated both blades of the lightsaber and threw it at the Fifth Brother with all her strength. Then she turned and began running.
But that move failed to stop the Fifth Brother. He merely blocked lightly with his own lightsaber, and the rapidly flying lightsaber was deflected into the wall beside him.
Instead, because of that motion, Joan's steps slowed, and the distance was pulled closer again.
Seeing that Joan had already left the mouseway and was about to enter another one, the Fifth Brother gritted his teeth. His pale face twisted, and he forcefully stretched out his left hand toward the case in Joan's hand.
This time, he used his full strength.
Although so many years had passed without many chances that required him to go all out, most of the time relying on superior numbers to capture and hunt Jedi, Darth Vader still frequently trained the Imperial Inquisitors, and his training was extremely strict.
It could even be called inhumane.
When training and sparring with Darth Vader, that man shrouded entirely in black armor always carried an overwhelming pressure. Exquisite swordsmanship, unmatched and powerful command of the Force, and what chilled people most was that he never showed mercy.
Even in training, if you did not treat it as a life-or-death battle, he really would cut off your head.
The Fifth Brother had already lost one arm.
But what that brought them was constant progress in the dark side of the Force. Although they were still far from that man, compared to when they had once been Jedi, they were now far stronger.
At this moment, as he used the dark side of the Force with all his strength to control the case in Joan's hand, a tremendous pulling force was produced, and Joan was completely halted.
She stopped in a running posture, her feet plowing two grooves into the ground as she was forcibly dragged backward.
As soon as the Fifth Brother made his move, he discovered that the process was much easier than he had imagined.
When controlling a living being that completely resisted, or an object connected to a living being, one would receive instinctive resistance from that being's living Force, making it relatively harder to control. But while the Fifth Brother was pulling the case, he did not feel that kind of resistance.
Instead, it felt like he was pulling a... droid? But a little harder than a droid.
Before he could figure it out, the thief who had been focused entirely on fleeing suddenly turned and charged straight at him.
The Fifth Brother quickly stopped controlling the Force and raised his lightsaber. But this woman actually smashed the case containing the relic straight toward his lightsaber.
This scene startled the Fifth Brother badly. If he damaged it, whose fault would that be?
It would definitely be counted against him.
So the Fifth Brother had no choice but to withdraw his lightsaber and step back.
But Joan had found the path to victory. After learning that there was a high chance the case was fake, she no longer cared about it at all and directly used it as a weapon, while the Imperial Inquisitors did not dare destroy it.
With the perfect shield in hand, the Imperial Inquisitors were restricted at every turn. Joan became even more aggressive. Her legs once again erupted with powerful kinetic force, and as she moved forward, her left leg whipped out with force, striking straight at the Fifth Brother's wrist.
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🌌 STAR WARS: RELICS OF THE PAST
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✨ THE FORCE STILL HAS SECRETS.
The galaxy remembers its wars.
The Jedi remember their teachings.
But beneath forgotten worlds and ancient ruins...
Something older is still waiting.
Star Wars: Relics of the Past has 100+ chapters ahead available now.
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🌌 THE PAST NEVER TRULY DISAPPEARS
⚔️ Jedi mysteries
📜 Ancient history
💫 Forgotten relics
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Some relics can change a life.
Others can change the fate of the entire galaxy.
And the deeper you dig into the past...
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