"Just because you've been handed a piece of wood by a scarecrow, you think you have the strength to stand against us?" Yamul's amplified voice, curtesy of his Titan form, rippled across the courtyard, shaking the very foundations of the prison. "How utterly ridiculous!"

Hamal, his twin in both appearance and arrogance, chimed in with a mocking laugh that echoed through the ruined courtyard. "Do you truly believe that stick can protect you from our might, old man? We are the elite, the chosen warriors of the Dune Empire! You are but a withered leaf, destined to be swept away by the winds of our power!"

“ROOOOAAAR!”

Both Titan Avatars – towering figures sculpted from steaming rocks and metal plates, with jagged spines and lashing tails – let out a synchronized roar that sent shockwaves rippling through the environment. The ground beneath their feet trembled as a swirling vortex of sand and dust erupted around them as they blazed with a predatory hunger.

The onlookers - guards, Sand Devils, Pyro Warriors, and the huddled mass of prisoners - watched in stunned silence as the vortex of sand and dust began to coalesce, taking shape and forming into a terrifying spectacle. Twelve massive swords, each easily quadrupled the height of a man, materialized in the air, arranged in a circular formation around Sorah and the Rice Guru. With a deadly sharpness, the swords' edges shimmered and were aimed directly at the two figures, ready to attack at any time.

"What in the realms..." a guard whispered fearfully above the howling wind.

"Those swords... they're enormous!" another exclaimed in terror.

A chill of fear ran down Warden Poahf's spine as she cowered behind her makeshift shield of debris. She had never witnessed such a display of power up close, not even from the most seasoned Titan Avatar Masters. Who were these Imperial Guards, and what secrets did they hold?

"Tsk... Showoffs." she muttered with wounded pride.

“Hmm… these array of swords…”

Sorah, however, stood his ground unflinchingly as he surveyed the menacing swords with a calm and calculating gaze. His weathered face was impassive, betraying no hint of fear or doubt. He could sense the raw power emanating from the swords, the concentrated energy of the earth element that threatened to cleave him in multiple parts. But he also felt the reassuring weight of the Dawn Sky Crusher in his hands, the ancient staff inherited from his father, and a conduit for the Sage Curse's volatile power.

Whoosh!

His ZenFlow Kana flowed through him, calming his mind and sharpening his senses. He could feel the wind swirling around him, whispering secrets and guiding his movements. He was ready.

Hamal and Yamul, noticing Sorah's unwavering gaze, grew increasingly frustrated. The old man's defiance, his refusal to cower before their might, was an insult to their pride and their status as elite warriors.

"Enough of this!" Yamul’s cry shook the very stones of the prison. "Mince him to pieces!"

With a flick of their wrist, the Imperial Guards commanded the twelve swords to strike. The blades shot forward with lightning speed, leaving trails of shimmering dust in their wake as they aimed directly at Sorah and the Rice Guru.

"Master Sorah, look out!" Daichi screamed, but his warning was lost amidst the roar of the wind and the thunderous clang of metal against stone.

"Boqumu #19 – Shiftscape!" the Rice Guru yelled, vanishing in a blink, leaving Sorah to face the onslaught alone.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The swords converged upon Sorah, but he was ready. His ZenFlow Kana guided his every move, allowing him to anticipate the swords' trajectories and react with lightning-fast reflexes.

Becoming light as the wind, Sorah dashed backwards, narrowly avoiding the first sword as it sliced where he had been standing moments before. He shifted to the side, feeling the wind from the second sword brush against his cheek as it whistled past. He then flipped sideways, contorting into an impossible angle as he evaded the third and fourth swords.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The remaining swords followed in quick succession, but Sorah continued to dance through the deadly ballet like a ninja ballerina. He backflipped over a small group of guards who had thrown themselves to the ground in terror, narrowly avoiding the fifth and sixth swords. He ducked beneath the seventh and eighth, feeling the wind from their passage ruffle his hair.

The onlookers watched in astonishment as Sorah evaded the swords with apparent ease. They had never witnessed such agility and skill, not even from the most seasoned Aeromancy masters.

"How... how is he doing that?" a guard whispered in disbelief.

"He's like a... like a leaf dancing in the wind," another replied.

"He's toying with them!" Daichi exclaimed with a surge of hope returning.

Warden Poahf, peering out from behind her rubble shield, felt a gnawing sense of unease. This old man... he was more than just a skilled martial artist. He possessed a power that she couldn't comprehend, a connection to the elements that defied explanation.

'What is he?' she wondered.

…

“Damn him for being so swift!”

“We’ll see how long he last!”

Frustrated by Sorah's evasive manoeuvres, Hamal and Yamul increased the intensity of their attack. They commanded the swords to spin and twirl, creating a whirlwind of blades that threatened to shred Sorah to pieces.

With fresh violence, the swords tore through the air, their movements growing more irregular and unpredictable. Sorah continued to evade with grace and skill, but he was starting to tire.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

‘These swords… they’re fast, too fast for me to attack them directly.’ He thought to himself.

He decided to lead them away from the courtyard, to draw them into the labyrinthine corridors of the prison, where his agility and knowledge of the layout would give him an advantage.

Whoosh!

He dashed towards the entrance to Sector C as the swords followed closely behind him. He weaved through the narrow corridors, dodging and ducking as the swords sliced through walls and doors, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Boom! Boom!

He leaped over a fallen beam, narrowly avoiding a sword that embedded itself in the wall with a resounding thud. He slid beneath a closing gate, feeling the wind from another sword brush against his back.

He emerged into the central hub of Sector C, a large, open area with a staircase leading up to the next level. He took the stairs two at a time while the swords were still in hot pursuit.

Slash! Clang!

He reached the top of the stairs and emerged onto the walkway of Sector D. With his garments grazed by the swords' edges, which left small cuts behind, he ran across the walkway.

As he neared the edge of the walkway, he realized he was trapped. The swords had cut off his escape route, and he had nowhere to go.

'A dead end,' he thought, but then, with a surge of adrenaline, he leaped over the railing, twisting and turning as he plunged towards the courtyard below. He spun in mid-air for a few seconds then he landed safely on the steel floor of the lower level.

Thud!

Just as his feet touched the ground, a sword came crashing down behind him, missing him by a hair's breadth. The force of the impact sent tremors through the floor, and Sorah stumbled forward, barely catching his balance.

'That was close,' he thought, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. He couldn't risk staying on the steel floor any longer. The vibrations from the swords' impacts could cause the structure to collapse, endangering the prisoners who were still secured in their cells.

He leaped over the railing once more, this time landing on the sandy ground of the courtyard. He sprinted towards the centre of the courtyard as the swords chased after him

"Damn you, old man!" Yamul roared from his Titan form. "You can't escape us!"

“Why you little...” Hamal was very frustrated to the point of breaking elemental veins. “Stop running, you coward!”

The two Titan Avatars continued their relentless pursuit, unleashing a variety of attacks - blasts of earth energy, showers of razor-sharp rocks, and even attempts to crush Sorah with their massive bodies. But he evaded them all with his ZenFlow Kana assisted movements like a leaf dancing in the wind.

…

Unknown to his pursuers, Sorah's evasive manoeuvres served a hidden purpose. With each step, each twist and turn, he was gathering energy, drawing upon the power of the wind that swirled around him.

If you zoomed in on the tip of his Dawn Sky Crusher, you would see a small, swirling sphere of air forming; its size slowly increasing with each passing moment. Sorah was compressing the air, gathering it into a concentrated ball of energy that pulsed with a faint, ethereal glow.

'I have to end this quickly,' he thought as he continued to evade the Titan Avatars' attacks. 'I can't keep running forever. The Sage Curse is burning through my life force, and my strength is waning.'

He had a plan, a risky one, but it was his only chance. He needed to subdue both Titan Avatars with a single, devastating blow. And to do that, he needed to compress even more air.

The staff in his hands vibrated intensely, threatening to shatter from the immense pressure building within the compressed air sphere. But Sorah held firm with an unwavering grip as he channelled his will and his ZenFlow Kana into his Vayrukumer.

'Just a little more,' he thought, his teeth gritted in determination. 'Just a little more...'

…

“Tsk, this old bastard is pushing us!”

Hamal and Yamul, growing increasingly frustrated with their inability to capture Sorah, decided to change tactics. They had chased him all over the prison, through corridors and courtyards, across walkways and rooftops, but the old man had always managed to stay one step ahead of them.

In the training ground, where the battle had started, they had Sorah cornered. They pounded the dirt with coordinated fists, releasing a deluge of TerraFlow Kana that tore through the ground.

Boom!

Massive stone walls rose up around Sorah, forming a cage that trapped him within its confines. Like the walls of a tomb, the walls were thick and impenetrable, with polished, smooth surfaces.

"Rock Coffin!" Yamul roared triumphantly. "Now you're mine, old man!"

"There's nowhere to run," Hamal added, exposing a sadistic glee.

The two Titan Avatars wasted no time. They began charging up a devastating Kana Beast Bomb as they overflowed with murderous intent. They would obliterate Sorah; reduce him to nothing but dust and ashes.

"Die, you Aerithran scum!" Yamul bellowed as he poured his energy into the attack.

"This is the end!" Hamal barfed out mouthfuls of steam.

Rumble!

Their combining Kana Beast Bomb were gaining in exaggerated explosive force.

‘Dammit, the wind has cut off.’ Now trapped within the Rock Coffin, Sorah felt a surge of despair wash over him. He had failed. He had underestimated his opponents’ tenacity, and now, he was about to pay the ultimate price.

But then, as he looked up at the towering stone walls that surrounded him, he noticed something strange. The walls were... cracking. Tiny fissures were appearing on their surfaces, spreading outwards like a spiderweb.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

"What the..." Yamul gasped in disbelief as he noticed the cracks as well.

"How is that possible?" Hamal was confused. “Rock Coffin is an impregnable technique that can even quarantine a low tier Cyclonus Adept.”

Rumble!

The cracks widened, and with a resounding crash, the Rock Coffin shattered into a thousand pieces. Sorah stood amidst the wreckage with a newfound resolve. He held the Dawn Sky Crusher firmly in his hands. The tip was now glowing with an intense amber light. The compressed air sphere had shrunk to the size of a soccer ball, pulsating with energy.

"I will not die here," Sorah declaration resonated with the power of the wind. "Not today."

He then swung the staff forward with all his might. The compressed air sphere at its tip was aimed directly at the oncoming Kana Beast Bombs.

“Air Break!”

Boom!

The air sphere exploded, releasing a devastating shockwave that ripped through the courtyard. Spiderweb cracks appeared in the very fabric of the air, as if reality itself were shattering. Then came a powerful gust of wind, carrying the force of a thousand storms, shot forth, obliterating the Kana Beast Bombs and sending the Titan Avatars flying backwards.

Surprisingly, Yamul and Hamal were brutally thrown from their Titan forms which evaporated into Aether Steam. Both of them landed in a heap on the ground, partially nude and covered in dust and debris. Their bodies ached, their pride bruised, and they moaned in agony.

Crackle!

The Air Break attack didn’t end there, no, it continued, its force was undiminished as it ripped through the steel dome, creating a massive hole that exposed the night sky above.

The observers were astounded by the windstorm's ferocity, which was greater than any elemental force they had ever seen.

Warden Poahf, still cowering behind her rubble shield, felt a primal fear grip her heart. This old man... he was a monster, a force of nature that defied comprehension.

The Sand Devils and Pyro Warriors, their weapons forgotten, stared in awe and terror as the windstorm subsided, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation. The courtyard was littered with debris, and the once-proud prison walls were scarred and broken.

The Aerithran prisoners and villagers, emerged from their hiding places. They had witnessed a miracle, the defeat of their oppressors and the partial destruction of their prison.

Shining with admiration, Daichi ran towards Sorah and embraced him tightly. "Master Sorah, you did it!" he exclaimed. "You saved us!"

Sorah smiled faintly but then he remembered where they were and said, “Calm down brat. We’re still in enemy territory.”

…

High above, on the balcony of Sector E, Duke Theodore watched the unfolding events with a look of disbelief. His carefully laid plans, his ambitions of power and glory, were crumbling before his eyes. This old Aerithran, this seemingly ordinary man with a wooden staff, had defied the might of the Dune Empire and was trying to shatter his dreams.

"No... This cannot be happening. It will not happen!"