Light filtered through the treetops, creating a mosaic of shadows dancing in the clearing. The sound of tal clashing against tal echoed through the forest as Rygar and Eidar exchanged blows at high speed.
Rygar advanced relentlessly, his blade slicing through the air with brute force and precision. His feet barely touched the ground as he propelled himself forward, a blur of motion.
Eidar, on the other hand, moved with fluidity. His mastery of Flow allowed him to dodge and counterattack instantly, his strikes flowing like a river—shifting at the last mont and returning with doubled force. His gaze was sharp, focused on every movent of his opponent.
Nearby, Ghislaine watched in silence, without her eyepatch. Her Magic Eye glowed faintly as she analyzed every flow of Touki between the fighters, following their movents beyond normal perception.
Eris, restless and eager to grow stronger, swung her sword at the side, itching to join the fight.
Rygar dodged a strike and stepped back a few paces. He turned to Ghislaine with a serious look and asked:
"Did you notice anything?"
But before Ghislaine could answer, Eidar interrupted, narrowing his eyes slightly:
"I'm not sure if it's just , but I feel sothing strange when I fight you. I can't quite explain it... sothing seems off. Of course, you're very strong, but sothing still feels... wrong."
Rygar raised an eyebrow, trying to grasp what that feeling could be—the possible reason behind his lack of progress.
Ghislaine crossed her arms, observing both fighters, then spoke:
"I understand what you an, Eidar. I feel it too... but I can't tell what it is."
She paused, shifting her focus to Rygar, her expression serious.
"What I can see is that the flow of your Touki seems unstable and fierce. Different from before, when it was sharp and penetrating."
Rygar sighed, relaxing his shoulders. He looked at Eidar, a faint smile crossing his lips.
"If you keep this up, you'll end up surpassing ..."
Eidar chuckled slightly. When he first arrived in the Great Forest, he had been arrogant. His natural talent made him believe he could save himself and his brother in due ti. But everything changed when he t younger and stronger children in the Great Forest—especially Rygar. That arrogance had been shattered.
Now, three years later, he had developed a certain supernatural calm. The recklessness of the past had been tad, allowing him to grow even faster. Above all, it had enabled him to form true friendships. Among them, Rygar and Taes.
He smirked and replied:
"That's not possible. To beco a Water King, I need to master one of the Five Secret Techniques of the Water God Style. I can only achieve that once I reach the style's dojo in Ars..."
Rygar narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
"You said that Eleonora, your grandmother, had a house in the Asura Kingdom's capital, right?"
Eidar crossed his arms, tilting his head.
"Yeah, she does. She actually gave the deed, so it's mine now. Did I ever tell you that I have a fiancée there?"
Rygar blinked.
"...A fiancée?"
"Yeah."
"Who?"
Eidar scratched the back of his neck and laughed.
"Actually, I don't know her na. Hahaha!"
Rygar looked visibly confused.
"How can you have a fiancée and not even know her na?"
"I just know she's supposed to be the granddaughter of the current Water Goddess, Reida Reia. My grandmother, Eleonora, and she were friends."
Rygar frowned, surprised.
"Well... good luck with that?"
"...I don't even know what to say when I et her. Should it just be a simple hi? Or a declaration of love?" He seed concerned, but Rygar just laughed at his expense.
"Pft."
Before they could continue their conversation, Ghislaine and Rygar abruptly turned their heads toward the forest.
Eris, who had been listening attentively, also stopped moving her sword and turned when she noticed Rygar and Ghislaine's movents.
Rygar activated his eyes and sharpened his senses. After listening carefully, he ca to a conclusion.
"...Bandits," Rygar murmured.
The sound of stealthy footsteps blended with the rustling of leaves.
He turned to Eidar.
"Protect Eris and Geese... Wait, where is Geese?"
Eidar furrowed his brows and said, "He went to look for spices and herbs for cooking..."
"Well, let's hope he didn't run into the bandits, then."
Eris took a step forward, clenching her fists.
"I can help in the fight too!"
Rygar hesitated, then looked at Ghislaine, who analyzed him for a second before nodding.
"Okay, Eris. But don't let your guard down."
At that mont, the shadows among the trees began to move. Figures erged one by one, their expressions sinister, weapons in hand.
The air grew tense.
And then, the battle began.
The tense silence of the forest was broken by malicious laughter, rough voices echoing from the shadows among the trees.
"Hehehe... What do we have here?" The voice was coarse, dripping with scorn and lust.
More bandits erged from the trees. Dozens. Filthy, ard with swords, axes, and bows. Their predatory gazes locked onto the group.
The leader, a tall man with a deep scar on his cheek and a worn sword at his waist, stepped forward with a disgusting grin. His dark eyes first landed on Ghislaine.
"The muscular one is mine first." He licked his lips. "I like taming the wild ones."
So laughed in agreent.
"Take the girl for now. Let's have so fun before we kill them."
Eris gritted her teeth, gripping the hilt of her sword so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Ghislaine, on the other hand, remained impassive and expressionless, a hint of disgust in her eyes.
The bandits kept pouring out of the forest. Their clothes were tattered, patched up, and stained with dried blood. The putrid stench of sweat and decay filled the air. They surrounded the group, forming a threatening semicircle.
The leader smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.
"Will you surrender, or do you want to die painfully?"
Rygar closed his eyes for a mont, taking a deep breath. Then, a cold smile crossed his lips. He raised his gleaming blue sword and took a combat stance.
"Unfortunately, I'm not that generous." His eyes glead with intensity. "There's no surrender for you."
In the next instant, he vanished with a Flash Step.
A blue streak slashed through the battlefield, and at the sa mont, a massive ebony-colored wolf erged from the trees like a shadow. Skoll charged alongside Rygar, his lupine eyes glowing with ferocity.
Rygar appeared before the first bandit before the man could even react. His blade sliced horizontally with a sharp whistle. The man blinked, trying to comprehend what had happened—until his head slipped from his neck and hit the ground with a dull thud.
Blood sprayed into the air like a crimson fountain.
"KILL HIM!" one of the bandits scread in panic.
Several charged at once, trying to surround Rygar. But he disappeared again.
He reappeared behind them, his sword spinning like a blue whirlwind. The sound of flesh being torn echoed through the clearing as bodies were cut in two before their screams could even escape their throats.
On the other side, Ghislaine wasted no ti.
She advanced like a beast, moving through the enemies like a black lightning bolt. Her slashes were fast, precise, and brutal. One of the bandits tried to block with an axe, but the mont he raised his weapon, Ghislaine was already behind him.
A thin red line appeared on his neck.
A second later, his headless body collapsed to the ground.
Skoll, surrounded by at least seven n, let out a deep, nacing growl.
The bandits hesitated, sensing the giant wolf's killing intent. But one of them, trying to prove himself, shouted and attacked.
It was the last thing he ever did.
Skoll lunged with monstrous force, his fangs sinking into the man's head. The bandit struggled for a second, but then, with a violent tug, Skoll ripped his head off with a sickening snap.
The others scread in horror, but they had no chance to escape. Skoll spun, his massive claw tearing through two n at once. The sound of flesh being shredded echoed, and warm blood splattered across the forest floor.
Eidar remained in the rear, keeping an eye out for Geese and watching over Eris.
anwhile, Eris charged forward like a hurricane.
A bandit tried to attack her from the side, but she ducked at the last second, dodging by a re fraction. Then, she spun with an upward slash.
The enemy's torso was sliced open from hip to shoulder, and his steaming entrails spilled onto the ground.
From the top of a tree, an archer loosed an arrow straight at her.
Eris noticed at the last mont.
She leaped to the side, the arrow slicing through a strand of her red hair. Her heart pounded wildly.
"HAAAHH!!" she roared, dashing toward the archer.
The man panicked, trying to retreat, but he stumbled and fell on his back. He scread desperately, but before he could beg for his life, Eris's blade slashed across his torso in a horizontal stroke.
Then, a new enemy appeared.
Unlike the others, he was taller, firr, and his stance was refined. He unsheathed his sword with a fluid motion.
Eris attacked with the sa ferocity.
The man countered with a swift strike.
The massacre continued. The bandits tried to flee when they realized they had no chance. But Rygar, Ghislaine, and Skoll didn't allow it.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL US!" one of them scread.
But there was no rcy.
Skoll pounced on a group trying to escape, his claws ripping through their backs like paper. Ghislaine pursued three others, cutting them down one by one.
Rygar closed his eyes for a mont, taking a deep breath.
Then, his Magic Eye glowed.
His hearing and sense of sll sharpened. He could hear the desperate footsteps of the bandits running through the forest, their scents drenched in fear.
He took his stance.
Wind mana began to concentrate in his blue blade.
The aura around him trembled. The air vibrated. Leaves and branches were sucked toward his sword.
"Storm of Wind Blades."
He swung his blade in a horizontal arc.
The attack exploded from the sword, creating a wave of cutting wind that rushed through the forest.
But the true terror ca right after.
At the center of the attack, the wind blade fragnted.
Hundreds of smaller blades separated and spread like a devastating storm.
"AAAAAAAAHHH!" The screams of terror echoed.
The bandits were shredded as they ran. Trees were cut down as if made of paper, crashing to the ground with thunderous booms.
When the attack ceased, silence fell over the forest.
There were no survivors.
Rygar exhaled slowly.
Ghislaine looked at him for a mont and murmured:
"Your magic is really convenient sotis."
He simply smiled faintly.
As the slaughter unfolded around them, Eris fought like a predator, her swift and ferocious strikes relentlessly pressuring her opponent.
The enemy warrior—an Advanced-ranked North God Style swordsman—tried to resist, but his attention was divided.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his comrades being massacred like chopped-up cabbages at a marketplace.
Panic overtook his features, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
"They... they are monsters!" One of the bandits scread in the distance, his voice filled with pure terror.
The North God swordsman gritted his teeth. His style relied on dirty tricks and tactics, but Eris wasn't giving him any space.
The Sword God Style countered the North God Style because of its direct and overwhelming nature, and, on top of that, Eris was extrely confident, while he was already waiting for death, even if he managed to win.
'Tch... if this continues, I'll die here.'
He made a decision.
With a subtle movent, he spat out a small needle from his mouth—the secret weapon he had kept hidden under his tongue.
The needle was coated in poison.
It flew straight toward Eris's eye.
But then—
Eris moved instinctively!
She tilted her head at the last mont, and the poisoned needle grazed her cheek, leaving a small cut. An imdiate burning sensation spread across the wound.
Her eyes narrowed in pure fury.
"COWARD!"
The bandit was already fleeing, dashing into the dense woods.
But Eris would not allow it.
Her blood boiled.
She bent her knees and exploded forward with all her speed.
The bandit didn't even have ti to react. The wind roared as Eris suddenly doubled her acceleration, catching up to her enemy instantly.
Her eyes burned like embers as she raised her sword.
The warrior tried to block, desperately raising his arm.
But it was too late.
The blade, forged by the God of Minerals, sliced through his arm like butter and cleaved his torso in a single, clean stroke.
"Gh...!?"
His body split into two halves, his upper half spinning through the air before crashing onto the ground with a dull thud.
Blood splattered across the leaves as Eris completed her technique.
Longsword of Silence.
She remained still for a mont, panting, her lungs burning. Her eyes glead with joy.
"I did it...?"
She turned quickly and saw Rygar and Ghislaine returning from the chase, both completely unhard, as if the fight had been nothing to them.
Further ahead, Skoll was feasting on the corpses, tearing through flesh and devouring the remains with satisfaction.
Eris ran toward them.
"I did it!" She repeated, a proud smile on her face. "I'm an Advanced Swordswoman now!"
She looked excitedly at Ghislaine and Rygar, her eyes sparkling with expectation.
"Yes, you are," Ghislaine said with a small, satisfied smile. — "That was the last Advanced technique you needed to learn."
"I can beco an adventurer now?!"
Rygar found her excitent contagious—it seed like she really wanted this.
As he approached, he said:
"Yes, Eris. You can, but... you have poison on your face."
He extended his hand and touched her cheek, using a detoxification and healing spell to close the needle's wound.
Eris's face turned as red as a tomato.
Eidar smiled as well and congratulated her.
"Congratulations, Eris!"
Rygar turned away and said:
"When we reach the next town, you'll register."
Eris's face lit up with joy.
And then, without wasting ti, they began looting the bandits' corpses, taking gold and valuables, storing everything in the cart.
After cleaning the area, the group departed for the next town.
The journey continued without problems. Rygar settled into the corner of the cart, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
For now, the journey was relatively peaceful.
Few things in the Milis Continent could threaten their group.
But when Rygar fell asleep, his peace was shattered.
---
He awoke in a place of pure white.
An endless void, stretching as far as the eye could see.
And then, a figure appeared.
A white silhouette, its face covered by a strange, distorted mosaic.
"Heeey, Rygar! It's been a while!"
Rygar's mood plumted instantly.
His gaze sharpened, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.
"Tsk..."
Hitogami.
---
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