[Friday] [Time Lapse: 8 hours]
[Location: Military State of Godlana]
[Southern Forests][Eastwards]
Swoosh~!
In the snowy southern forests of Godlana, the chase continued as three figures zipped through the woods, leaving only the faint sound of a breeze as evidence of their presence. Leading the way, the Dragon Princess, formally known as Aurora, noticed something ahead, her face growing more alert as she began to slow down.
He’s fast.
“Mmh?” Aurora muttered, reducing her speed before coming to a sudden halt. She threw her head back just in time, her hair whipping forward with the momentum as a blade swerved past her face, grazing her forehead. She bent low, then sprinted backward swiftly.
“Huh?”
En, who was following close behind, quickly reached for his sword, drawing it in preparation to strike Aurora as she fell toward him. But in a remarkable display of agility, she twisted her body mid-air, raising her hand as if to strike.
“!?”
He dodged to the side, bracing for an attack—but none came. Confused, he watched Aurora land smoothly and give him a quick smile before suddenly dashing forward again, evading the assailant who had attacked her. But…
Swoosh~!
She was forced to stop just a few meters ahead. The assailant’s blade missed her face by inches again, but this time, the strikes continued relentlessly. His daggers slashed with deadly precision, each one aimed to kill. Aurora’s expression grew tense as she dodged repeatedly, but as if reaching her limit, she formed a fist, stepped forward, and launched it toward the assailant at blinding speed, forcing him to retreat.
KaBOOOOM~!
A deafening explosion echoed through the forest as a powerful shockwave sent trees bending and snow scattering in all directions, similar to a blizzard. Seizing the moment, Aurora kicked off the ground, preparing to run again. But after a few steps, she slowed down abruptly.
“Huh?” she muttered, looking down as she suddenly lost all feeling in her right leg just as she shifted her weight onto it, causing her to stumble. It felt as if her entire leg had been severed, and her body tumbled toward the ground. Quickly adapting, she bent her other leg, swerving to shift her weight onto it before springing forward. She flipped into a one-handed handstand, then launched into a high backflip, her body soaring into the air just as the assailant zipped through the spot she had stood moments before. His blade sliced through the air, emitting a menacing reaping sound.
The assailant's face twisted in surprise as he glanced up, watching Aurora seemingly float in the air, descending at an unnaturally slow rate, almost like she was falling from the heavens.
“Hahaha! So this is the power of the Dragnoks!?” he shouted, his expression morphing into an ecstatic grin.
He wore a hooded white cloak that nearly reached his feet, concealing his clothes. His face was disfigured, scarred brutally, with part of his lower lip missing and severe burn marks covering the left side of his face. A portion of his hair was also missing, exposing more burn scars above his forehead.
“Who the hell are you?” Aurora asked as she gracefully landed, the feeling finally returning to her leg. She frowned, touching her forehead and looking at her bloodstained fingers. It wasn’t his appearance that bothered her; she was more intrigued by the person who had inflicted such wounds on him. From their brief encounter, one thing was clear:
He’s strong.
“Hehehe, I haven’t introduced myself,” he said, pulling back his hood to reveal more of his disfigured face. Upon closer inspection, his left eye was milky white, seemingly blind. His long white hair was unkempt, as if he'd let it grow wild and only cut it haphazardly with scissors.
“My name is Zero, the Strongest Giant Killer. Nice to meet you,” he said casually, giving a slight bow, as if addressing royalty. Aurora’s expression hardened briefly before she turned to the side, her gaze shifting toward En, who was lurking in the shadows.
“Is it true?” she asked casually. En frowned in response.
He had been careful to hide his presence, planning to sneak up on her and take her out, but it seemed she had been aware of his movements all along. Realizing this, he stepped out from the shadows, slowly circling to position himself behind her.
Ah, wait… That woman…
He glanced quickly over his shoulder. The woman who had been tailing him was still there, hiding in the shadows. Just as he had been doing, she mirrored his movements, positioning herself directly behind him each time he moved.
She’s not even trying to hide it.
Her presence practically screamed, LOOK AT ME!
Is that how Aurora sensed me?
He thought, turning back to Aurora, who was still watching him, waiting for an answer.
“It’s as he said. He’s the Giant Killer,” En answered casually. Aurora turned back to the smiling man, who bowed once more, as if reaffirming his introduction.
Godlana’s Giant Killer.
A slayer of giants in a military state where the people’s strength far surpassed those in most of the human kingdoms—a product of true power. Seeing his injuries again, Aurora vaguely understood how he had become this way, but it only heightened her anxiety. She turned to En again.
“Then how about we team up? This guy’s a wanted criminal, right?” she asked nonchalantly.
En stared at her, dumbfounded. To him, both were threats that needed to be eliminated. The sudden appearance of the Giant Killer was unexpected, but he doubted it was a coincidence.
Siddy probably leaked the info, he thought.
That seemed like the most plausible explanation. If Siddy was pulling the strings, he didn’t need to overthink it. If he was lucky, the two might even take each other out, giving him the chance to swoop in and finish off whoever survived.
Unlike when fighting alongside an ally, En didn’t have to worry about his attacks accidentally hurting either party. With no concern for Aurora overpowering her opponent either, this was the most ideal combat situation he could have hoped for. With this in mind, his expression grew serious as he stated bluntly,
“I’m going to kill both of you here.”
He raised his sword but made no immediate move to attack. Despite his calculations, the question of whether his attacks would be strong enough to kill either Aurora or Zero didn’t seem to cross his mind.
Aurora let out a sigh, turning her gaze back to Zero, who continued to watch them with a smile. One might even say he looked a bit disappointed that they hadn’t teamed up to face him together. However, such an idea was borderline insanity. Aurora reached into her side pockets, pulling out two leather gloves and slowly putting them on.
Impact gloves? Is she planning on fighting up close?
En thought as he watched her, but Zero seemed unfazed. Impact gloves were a magical tool designed to harden on contact with mana that didn’t belong to the wearer, exponentially increasing their mass and making them difficult to move. They were notoriously hard to master, typically used by those who fought exclusively with their fists. On attack, the moment they made contact with an opponent's mana, the gloves would harden just before impact, delivering a blow stronger than steel. On defense, the gloves would harden in the instant before an opponent's strike landed, absorbing the force.
After Aurora finished putting the gloves on, Zero let out a crazed chuckle, holding his two white daggers and dropping into a low stance.
“Now, prepare to die, Dragon Princess!” he shouted, kicking off the ground at incredible speed and closing the distance in the blink of an eye. As he closed in, his body sprang upward, his blade slicing toward Aurora’s head. However, her expression didn’t change. She also remained perfectly still.
Thwick~!
A small shockwave rippled past Zero’s face, his hair fluttering backward as his blade suddenly stopped in mid-air, as though it had collided with something invisible.
“Oh?” Zero murmured in surprise as he pushed his blade forward, only to have it repeatedly recoil with light clicking sounds, unable to penetrate the invisible barrier surrounding Aurora. Seeing this, Aurora scoffed.
“I know, it’s an annoying skill, right?” she said, her face twisting into a bone-chilling smile as she stepped forward, forming a fist and striking toward Zero. He quickly jumped back, dodging by inches. Unlike Zero's previous assault, however, Aurora didn’t press the attack; she simply remained in place.
“Hehehe, an impenetrable defense?” Zero mused aloud, seemingly unbothered.
The Defense King’s move?
En, watching from a short distance, seemed surprised by the brief exchange. During the Dragnok succession incident, he had met a man with blue-colored hair who used a similar skill.
She’s gotten even stronger, he thought, stepping into Aurora’s blind spot.
Thwick~! Thwick~! Thwick~!
Zero’s attacks came in quick succession, each strike powerful enough to split a human body. But each blow met the same fate, stopping just short of Aurora as her barrier held strong. With every failed strike, Zero was forced to retreat once again. Aurora, seeing his struggle, smiled and opened her palm. A small breeze gathered above it, forming a tiny whirlwind.
“It’s not as powerful as that man’s, but it was strong enough to manifest as a Unique Skill,” she said, her voice calm as she slowly closed her hand. The whirlwind grew more violent, the pressure making her hair flutter.
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Boom~!
A shockwave erupted as she clenched her fist, the violent wind spreading across the battlefield. Everyone looked on in awe, astonished by the sheer power of such a small display of her magic. Yet none of them appeared discouraged; instead, they processed this new information as a variable to watch out for.
“Heh, so that’s how you blocked,” Zero muttered, glancing at the tip of one of his blades, which remained in perfect condition. Aurora, noticing his reaction, raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, deciding to leverage Zero’s talkative nature for more information.
"It’s simple. For my next attack, I’ll be taking your eye," Zero said, pointing to his right eye. His pupils dilated, and his lips trembled, barely containing his excitement. Seeing this, Aurora’s senses went into full alert. She didn’t want to downplay the threat, but she couldn’t help thinking to herself.
He’s bluffing.
There was no way he could have figured out how her skill worked after seeing it only a few times. Still, Aurora remained cautious. If she played her cards right, she could use his misread of her ability to kill him with a single strike and end the fight.
As if reading her mind, Zero smiled, lowering his body and pacing forward with alarming speed.
Swoosh~!
He closed the distance in an instant. Aurora raised her fists, preparing to counter the moment he made a mistake. But something unexpected happened. A sudden, eerie silence enveloped her, her head feeling light. She wobbled to the side, her limbs weakening as her body lost balance.
I can't hear!
She thought, trying to coordinate her movements as though someone had switched her controls. Zero entered her personal space, his dagger aimed at her head, moving with frightening speed. But just as Aurora braced for impact, his attack suddenly slowed down—so much that even a low-ranked fighter could have seen it coming.
Huh?
Thwick~!
His sword still connected with the barrier, the force creating a shockwave that lifted his hair. But at that moment, Aurora's eyes widened in surprise. In a dazzling display of speed, Zero pushed his blade against the barrier, multiplying his momentum tenfold.
The invisible barrier finally gave way.
Swoosh~!
A shockwave exploded in all directions, but before the sound could even reach Zero’s ears, his dagger was already inches from Aurora’s eye.
Thwick~! Boom~!
A powerful gust of wind tore through the battlefield, far stronger than any Aurora had unleashed before. En, standing a few meters away, was swept off his feet, his body colliding with a nearby tree, which split apart from the impact. As he hit the ground, En quickly dug his sword into the earth, shielding his eyes from the intense wind, which felt like countless small blades slicing into his skin.
“D-damn it~!” En shouted, looking ahead as several uprooted trees rushed toward him. He raised his hand, forming a chopping gesture, a golden light enveloping it as he swung forward. The light whipped through the air at intense speed, slicing cleanly through the incoming trees, causing them to fall to the sides.
Bang~!
As the trees crashed down, the impact shook the area, the repeated sound reverberating as though someone else was also knocking down some trees in the short distance ahead. Immediately after, the winds suddenly died down, plunging the forest into an eerie silence. En strained to look ahead, a whitish mist blanketing the area as dust and snow mixed in the air. Just as he began to worry about the two escaping, another gust swept through, lifting the dust upward and revealing the full scene.
Most of the trees in the area were uprooted, and in the center of it all stood a woman. Her hair remained unnaturally still, despite the occasional breeze blowing around her. Sensing his gaze, the woman turned, meeting En’s eyes as he muttered in surprise,
“He got her…” He said to himself. Despite the blood streaming from one of her eyes—now closed—her expression didn’t show displeasure. Instead, a small smile curled on her lips.
“Heheheheheh, looks like I missed?” A voice echoed through the area.
Just ahead of Aurora stood a white-haired man, smiling despite the pool of blood beneath him, dripping from one of his hands, a few of his fingers cut in half.
He escaped from that range?
En was more shocked by Zero’s survival than Aurora’s attack. From that distance, the man should have been dead.
“Four fingers for a light scratch on the eye. Are you sure you want to continue this fight?” Aurora scoffed, eyeing Zero, who seemed unfazed. Her hearing had returned the moment she released her attack, allowing her to understand Zero’s Authority, even if only slightly. Yet, what concerned her more was his perception—unfathomable and beyond anyone she’d ever encountered.
“Drawing blood from the Dragon Princess at the cost of four fingers? Sounds like a fair trade to me, don’t you think?” Zero said casually, glancing toward En, who remained in the shadows, frowning but saying nothing.
Do they think I’m some kind of referee sent here to watch their fight? En thought to himself. As if sensing the same thought, Zero's face lit up with a sudden realization.
"Ah, right. It's only fair that everyone knows," Zero said, pausing for a moment and looking up, causing the two to glance at him in confusion. After gathering his thoughts, he began to explain, "Reactive counterwind, that's what she used." Aurora's expression darkened, confirming her suspicions. En, however, continued to stare in confusion, prompting Zero to elaborate.
"Mmmh, think of it this way," Zero said, raising one of his daggers and moving it slowly through the air. "When an attack gets within striking range, the skill measures the incoming momentum and releases an instantaneous counterwind at the point of impact. The wind matches the power of the strike, canceling it out." He brought his other dagger up, touching the tips of the blades together.
"It feels like hitting a barrier, but it's actually a short burst of wind that kills your momentum, followed by a steady stream of wind that pushes against your attack," he concluded, glancing at Aurora to confirm his theory. She gave a wry smile, then turned to En, saying,
"You know he's lying, right?"
En shrugged in response. Does she think I’m stupid? he thought, turning back to Zero and asking,
"How did you figure that out?"
"I believe pulling it off requires precise timing and control, which means it won’t be perfect every time. The giveaway was the direction of the shockwaves when my attacks hit the 'barrier.' Instead of scattering around us, they blew toward my face—as if the shockwave from my attack was being pushed back at me," Zero explained.
En frowned, but this time it wasn’t because he didn’t understand—it was because he did. Using Zero's logic, if the barrier created a counterwind based on the attack's momentum, then a slower, weaker attack would trigger a much weaker counter. By slowing his strike initially and then quickly increasing his speed at the moment of impact, Zero could bypass the wind barrier with a stronger follow-up attack.
At this rate, he might kill her before I do anything, En thought to himself. But as if overhearing his thoughts, Aurora suddenly muttered,
"Maybe I should go all out." Her words sent a slight chill down En’s spine as the wind around the area suddenly grew eerily still.
"Hehehe, that’s right! Let’s all fight at full power!" Zero shouted, his face lighting up with excitement as he reached into his pockets and pulled out multiple paper scrolls.
"Let’s see if you can handle this next one," Aurora said, extending her hand as a sharp wind spun around it before suddenly scattering.
Swoosh~!
Two long, thin, rapidly spinning tornadoes formed in front of her, resembling white ropes. They spun in opposite directions and began to move around her body as if they had a mind of their own.
[Wind Whip]
Aurora pulled her hand back and then swung it forward, still standing at a distance. As if it were a whip, one of the small tornadoes zipped forward, instantly reaching Zero’s head. He quickly ducked and dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the whip, which struck the ground where he had just been standing. But as Zero paused his movements, the second rope shot toward him, aiming for his stomach, making it impossible for him to duck again.
He thrust his dagger forward in an attempt to block the wind whip, but—
Swoosh~!
His blade slipped right through, and his hand was suddenly pulled forward as the whip suddenly phased through his stomach.
!?
In the next moment, the first whip struck his stomach too.
Entrainment.
The realization hit him instantly, and instead of resisting, he relaxed his legs, allowing his body to relax as if he were accepting defeat.
Bang~!
His body crashed against a nearby tree stump, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Despite the pain, he immediately stood, a smile forming on his face.
Aurora frowned as she looked at Zero’s stomach, where a small hole had appeared, but beneath it, multiple layers of clothing seemed to protect him. Her attack hadn’t been enough to pierce through completely. He had weakened his legs at the last second, allowing the blow to push him backward with minimal impact. The layers of battle suits he wore had added resistance, causing his body to shoot backward, effectively evading the full force of the attack.
Going with the flow.
Aurora’s face showed a hint of displeasure as she watched. The rate at which the man was adapting to the fight was uncanny, especially since his adaptation didn’t seem to have anything to do with his authority.
His instincts are abnormal.
The whip she had just used employed an entrainment mechanic to bypass defenses, meaning that when someone tried to attack it, the whip would simply create a tailwind. This meant any attack directed at it would phase through, flowing with the wind and even accelerating forward since the direction of the attack and the tornado were aligned. This created a small opening to exploit, using the second tornado, which spun in the opposite direction, to strike the opponent down. However, after seeing the first wind phase through his attack, Zero seemed to realize it couldn’t harm him. When he saw the second whip coming toward his stomach, he confirmed his theory.
If he had tried to strike this second whip as he had the first, his entire hand would’ve been shredded into a bloody mix of bone and flesh, splattering across him. Instead, he let the whip hit his stomach, using the momentum from the attack to blow himself back, out of its range.
"Hehehe, don’t give me that face. This isn’t the best you can do, is it?" Zero said, standing up and grabbing his daggers again, his smile as confident as ever.
"I see," En suddenly muttered, causing Aurora to glance behind her with sudden alertness.
"I guess I’ll try," En said, as if reminding them that he was still there. It seemed he had just come to a sudden realization.
He formed a chopping gesture with his hand, the same golden light from before wrapping around it, as both Aurora and Zero cautiously watched him. En then casually pointed his hand toward Aurora, causing her to give him a side glance, a worried smile forming on her face as she kept Zero in her field of view.
Zip~! Thwick~!
In the next moment, a golden streak of light dashed toward her head, colliding with the wind barrier as it struggled to pass through. Just as Aurora's face began to relax, another streak of light suddenly rushed toward her. Glancing to her side, she saw En had raised his other hand while still holding the first one in place, continuing to push against the wind. Yet, Aurora’s barrier showed no sign of weakening.
Is he trying to put more pressure on the barrier? That won’t w—
She suddenly paused her thoughts. Like Zero’s attack earlier, the streak of light rapidly slowed down as it neared her, and the moment it touched the barrier, Aurora, having anticipated the same attack pattern, prepared another barrier just behind the first. She accounted for the sudden increase in momentum that would come once the light slowed. But what happened next was beyond her imagination.
Thwick~! Thwick~! Thwick~!
The streak of light split into multiple streaks, all of which quickly surrounded her and attacked at intense speeds. A few streaks grazed her face as she agilely tried to avoid them, stepping back with each dodge, now forced to retreat.
Swoosh~!
She swerved as even the streaks she had already dodged circled back to attack again, overwhelming her by sheer numbers. Finally, as if surrendering to the pressure, she concentrated her mana.
Swoosh~!
A powerful whirlwind surged around her, sweeping across the area. But to her surprise, the streaks of light were unaffected by the winds and continued to pursue her relentlessly. Forced to dodge again, she suddenly vanished from sight.
“Oh? Hahahaha, that’s it! Now we’re having ourselves a fun fight!” Zero’s crazed voice reverberated across the area as both of them turned to look at Aurora. She had covered a great distance in a split second and now stood far off, watching the two of them.
The streaks of light are all moving at different speeds...
Aurora thought to herself, touching her cheek, now smeared with blood. She had a few scratches from En’s attack, but since none had hit her directly, she was able to avoid most of the damage.
Since her skill estimated a large enough area to use a counterwind, it became difficult to control when multiple forces, all with different speeds and strengths, hit the barrier at the same time. Some of the light streaks used each other—the first slow, and the next quickly slipping through—easily penetrating her defenses. Due to their sheer numbers, it became exhausting to constantly maintain a new barrier, especially when some attacks weren’t even meant to hurt her but simply to wear her down.
The first straightforward attack from En wasn’t a distraction but rather a way to measure the area where the barrier would appear. This allowed him to split the light at the right moment with his next attack. Unlike Zero, who had to attack her multiple times at close range to figure this out, En simply observed and used his Authority to gauge the range of her barrier.
"This might work," En said, now holding his sword up as he looked at Aurora, his face serious. Unlike earlier in the battle, this time En kicked off the ground, rushing straight toward her. On the other side, Zero saw this, turned, and glanced at Aurora before charging toward her as well, matching En’s pace. Seeing this, Aurora’s expression darkened, her two wind whips floating around her as she prepared to counter, but—
“!?”
I can’t see!?
Her vision darkened.
~