Both Alexander and Lioness stood with their backs turned to one another in a combat-ready stance, covering each other's flanks.

They were positioned in the center of multiple passageways, avoiding a choke point that would limit their options if they needed to retreat. Both had their weapons drawn—Alexander's expression was focused and stoic, while Lioness's was ferocious and eager.

Alexander wielded his short sword, while Lioness brandished a familiar weapon. She had transformed her metal into the same sword design she had used in her duel against Alexander, wielding two of them simultaneously. The swords were slightly smaller to compensate for the confined space.

Neither of them could see what lurked in the mist, but it mattered little. Both were highly trained combatants, capable of adapting to unpredictable circumstances.

From within the fog, something lunged at them. Without hesitation, both responded with decisive slashes, forcing the creature to retreat back into the mist.

Lioness examined her blades, now coated in a viscous pink liquid. A thought crossed her mind—whatever that thing was, it wasn’t an animal.

She had no time to dwell on the thought as another creature lunged at them.

This time, Alexander dealt with it, thrusting his sword forward while channeling his Soul Incantation. The creature was impaled, appearing to levitate for a brief moment before being unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

In that fleeting instant, Alexander managed to make out the creature's form.

In an informing tone, Alexander relayed his findings to Lioness. “These creatures resemble dogs with massive heads.”

Lioness nodded in confirmation before lunging forward, delivering a diagonal slash to an approaching creature. Without hesitation, she followed up with an upward diagonal slash to another, splitting them both in half. As another lunged at her, she swiftly impaled it on both of her swords.

This allowed her to get a much clearer look at the creature—and so did Alexander as he glanced at it. Its dog-like body was composed of tendril-like vines resembling musculature, while its massive head took the shape of a Venus flytrap, secreting a thick purple fluid.

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Alexander delivered two rapid horizontal slashes, both amplified by his ability. The lingering arcs of Soul Energy in the air momentarily prevented four of the creatures from advancing. However, one managed to slip through, leaping at him from above.

Reacting instantly, Alexander shot out his hand, catching the creature by its strange, sinewy neck before driving his blade into its midsection with two quick thrusts. Without missing a beat, he executed an overhead throw, hurling the creature into a group of its approaching brethren, causing them to stumble as their bodies collided.

As Lioness cleaved through another creature, a faint concern crossed her mind. There’s no end to these things. For every one I cut down, more take its place! Despite this, she spoke with confidence. “The two of us are just going to have to hold out, I suppose.”

With a quick glance, she spotted another creature rushing toward Alexander’s exposed side. Reacting swiftly, she spun to his left, delivering a wide, sweeping slash. Instinctively, Alexander ducked under her strike as her blade tore through the creature, sending it careening backward.

From his kneeling position, Alexander lunged forward with an upward strike, impaling another creature through its gaping maw.

Lioness smirked in appreciation—without his intervention, the creature would have likely bitten her leg. After that moment, the two began fighting in greater synchronization, adapting to each other's movements to put up a stronger attack.

As a wave of Venus flytrap mutts descended on them from all sides, an idea popped into Alexander's head about how best to deal with them.

While eyeing the rapidly approaching enemies, he made his plan known. “The best defense is a good offense.” He then used his Soul Incantation to deliver a wide, sweeping slash, dispatching many of the creatures on one of the approaching sides. However, in doing so, he left himself wide open to a follow-up attack.

Seeing this, Lioness covered the gap in his defense by moving in on his exposed side, cutting down any approaching creatures. Just then, Alexander’s words suddenly clicked in her mind. She flashed him a wolfish smile—an acknowledgment of her understanding.

With several wide, sweeping, flourishing slashes, Alexander proceeded to create an imperfect dome-like sphere of protection around them, reducing any creatures unlucky enough to be caught within it to mere cleanly severed chunks.

Lioness, for her part, covered all the gaps in the dome during the brief inactivity of Alexander's Soul Incantation, by delivering an onslaught of attacks which showcased her bestial fury. With flourishing sword strikes, the two danced alongside one another, creating a spectacle of carnage.

Though many of the creatures fell to their blades, it was uncertain how long they could maintain such a grueling battle. Their enemy was both numerous and unrelenting.