The two monsters were nearing their limits, their earlier exchanges were nothing more than a brutal prelude. What ca next would decide everything.
The Cloud-Tusk Lion burst out of the crater and surged back into the sky, its massive body engulfed in roaring flas. Muscles coiled tight beneath its blazing fur as it arched midair, unleashing a series of piercing, defiant cries toward the Six-Headed Twin-Winged Serpent. As Marcus stared in disbelief, the clouds above began to churn. They spiraled downward in a slow, deliberate descent, wrapping around the lion until it was completely shrouded in white mist. Fire and cloud intertwined, heat warping the air as the sky itself seed to answer the beast’s call. The sight was breathtaking, almost unreal.
The serpent below was not about to be overshadowed. Its wings beat harder, sending violent gusts across the battlefield as two of its physical-attack heads twisted unnaturally. From deep within their throats, weapons erged. One was a heavy obsidian-black blade, its surface pulsing with dark energy, the Mythic Artifact known as the Dark-Ice Blood-Sucking Blade. The other was a vivid green longsword dripping with venom, the Mythic Artifact Serpent’s Fang. The serpent clamped down on the hilts with terrifying precision, wielding them with a dexterity that would have put veteran warriors to sha.
’That’s insane,’ Marcus thought with his eyes wide. ’Equipping weapons? This thing sure has style.’
Ard and ready, the serpent raised its heads as its twelve eyes locked onto the cloud-wrapped lion hovering above. The air between them vibrated with killing intent as both sides prepared to unleash their final assault.
Hidden behind a stone pillar, Marcus was enjoying every second of it. He was so absorbed in the spectacle that he failed to notice the flaw in his position. The pillar shielded him from the monsters’ attention, but it offered no concealnt at all from the entrance of the Mist Veil Palace.
And soone was standing there.
The Maiden of the Water Moon Cult, erged from the palace under the veil of stealth. The mont her gaze landed on Marcus, the tension in her expression eased. Her furrowed brow smoothed out, replaced by her signature, dangerously alluring smile, the kind that could unmake a man who let his guard down for even a heartbeat.
She found the situation almost unbelievable. This Fighter had unsealed the Mist Veil Palace, a relic untouched for a thousand years, claid the treasures of Lyanna the Wyvern Saint Knight, and stolen the cult’s sacred Soul-Mist Water Demon Cat. He looked competent enough at a glance, carrying himself with quiet confidence, and that Nightmare Dragon Steed alone was extraordinary. But beyond that, his level was laughably low, his equipnt barely passable, and his overall stats were abysmal.
She could not understand how he had managed it.
A calculating glint flickered in her eyes.
’The boy has potential.’
Her original plan had been simple, kill him swiftly, reclaim the sacred beast, and leave no loose ends. But now, she reconsidered. Capturing him would be far more interesting. She could interrogate him at her leisure, peel away his secrets one by one. If he proved cooperative, if he handed over Lyanna’s treasures and that mount, she might even consider bringing him into the Water Moon Cult to study the Water Moon Divine Arts under her guidance.
Decision made, she drifted forward, her movents light and soundless, as if she were nothing more than a leaf carried by the wind. She raised the Wind-Dance Heaven-Splitter Fan, preparing to activate Cyclone Path. Once he was teleported to the cult’s headquarters, escape would be impossible. From there, she could take everything he had.
---
Cyclone Path
Type: Advanced (Active)
Description: The user channels wind energy through the Wind-Dance Heaven-Splitter Fan, creating a powerful spatial vortex.
Allies: Teleports allies within 3 ters to a designated location with a 90 percent success rate. No cooldown.
Enemies: Forcibly teleports enemies within 3 ters.
Success Rates:
5 percent for higher-level enemies
40 percent for enemies within 20 levels below the user
60 percent or higher for enemies more than 20 levels below the user
Limit: 3 uses per day on enemies
Cooldown: 20 seconds when used on enemies
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"Cyclone Path!"
The woman acted without hesitation. Ti was running out and the Double-Headed Raven King would erge from the palace at any mont. As soon as Marcus stepped fully into range, she triggered the skill.
He could not be above Level 50. Compared to her, the gap in power was overwhelming. The success rate was practically guaranteed. There was no possible way he could resist it.
Still cheering for the monsters above, Marcus suddenly heard a sharp whistle of wind behind him. He twisted around just in ti to see a towering vortex rushing toward him, six feet tall and spinning violently. There was no ti to dodge.
’Ambush!’
The realization barely ford before the howling winds slamd into him. The force lifted and spun him, wrenching at his body as if trying to rip him from the ground and drag him away.
’What the hell is happening?’
The vortex raged around him for three agonizing seconds before vanishing without warning. Marcus staggered but remained standing. He was not teleported or injured. Before he could make sense of it, a system notification chid in his ear.
Ding!
"Stonehaven. Sienna, Maiden of the Water Moon Cult, attempted to use the skill Cyclone Path to teleport you to the cult’s headquarters. The attempt has failed."
’Sienna, Maiden of the Water Moon Cult?’ Marcus frowned. ’Who?’
Then it hit him.
The mysterious woman in the palace corridor. The one with the intoxicating scent, with her lethal curves, the woman who had been fighting the Raven King head-on.
If she could stand against one of the Demon Lord’s Eight Guardians, she was unquestionably a high-level NPC. But why target him? And why resort to stealth and forced teleportation?
If not for his unusually high Luck and Agility, and the inherent failure rate of the skill, he would already be gone, dragged off to a place where she could deal with him however she pleased.
’Definitely an enemy,’ Marcus decided.
Anyone who ambushed him from stealth and tried to kidnap him was no ally, especially not soone affiliated with the infamous Water Moon Cult. He was not naive enough to believe a so-called Maiden had fallen in love at first sight and wanted to whisk him away for a happy ending.
He moved instantly, bracing his Adamant Shield and drawing the Bat Dragon Cloud Sword. His stance tightened, ready for combat, but as the last traces of the vortex faded, the area was eerily empty.
No Sienna.
"Insight!"
She was still hidden. Her stealth skill had to be at least Advanced tier. Even with Insight active, which allowed him to detect mid-level stealth and traps within ten ters, he sensed nothing at all.
Marcus exhaled slowly. She was far beyond him in raw strength. That much was undeniable. Still, he felt no panic. A Town Portal Scroll sat ready in his inventory. If he needed to leave, he could vanish in an instant.
But with the serpent and the lion reaching the climax of their battle, there was no chance he was walking away now.
He was in no rush. The invincibility effect from his Ring of Resurrection was still active. If things truly went wrong, he would have more than enough ti to escape.
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