Chapter 558: Dance in the Dust

Sylphy, who was floating above the battlefield, watched the beastkin fall one after another. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she pumped both fists into the air.

"Yay! Yay! That’s it, Azrynn! Keep going! Beat them all up!"

She seemed to be enjoying herself far more than she should have, enthusiastically cheering as the storm continued to rage around them.

Azrynn, meanwhile, showed no sign of slowing down.

She moved through the swirling dust, her daggers flashing whenever an opponent came within reach. Every movement was deliberate. She never wasted an attack, nor did she give her enemies enough time to recover.

Suddenly, a loud metallic clash rang through the storm.

CLANG!

Azrynn’s dagger was intercepted by a sword that appeared in front of her. Sparks scattered as the two weapons collided.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Iki stood before her, his sword held firmly in both hands. His expression was tense, and his breathing had become noticeably heavier.

’Damn it... Almost everyone has been taken down.’

His gaze briefly shifted toward the fallen beastkin scattered across the floor.

’No... Glenwind is still alive.’

Iki gritted his teeth.

The storm had completely disrupted their formation. With the thick dust and violent currents obscuring their vision, they could barely distinguish their companions from their enemies.

’I have to get rid of this dust. Otherwise, we’ll all be slaughtered.’

His eyes shifted toward Sylphy, who was still floating above the battlefield.

’But the source is that spirit... If I can eliminate her, this storm should disappear.’

Iki immediately changed his approach.

He pushed his sword forward with all his strength, forcing Azrynn’s dagger away before following up with a powerful shoulder strike. His intention was to throw her off balance and create an opening.

Azrynn’s body shifted slightly as she was pushed aside.

’Now!’

Iki immediately rushed past her, heading straight toward Sylphy.

However, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Whoosh!

Iki’s eyes widened.

Azrynn had already recovered her footing and crossed the distance between them with astonishing speed. Before he could take another step, she was standing directly in his path, one dagger raised toward his chest.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Her voice was calm, almost indifferent.

Iki hurriedly raised his sword to defend himself.

’Damn it! She’s fast!’

He had thought that throwing her aside would give him enough time to reach the spirit. Yet Azrynn had reacted almost immediately, intercepting him before he could get anywhere near Sylphy.

Behind her, Sylphy tilted her head.

"Hmm? Where are you going? I’m not finished yet!"

The little spirit raised her hands again, and the wind around her grew even stronger.

Iki tightened his grip on his sword and took a deep breath.

He couldn’t afford to let Azrynn dictate the pace of the battle. If he continued defending himself, he would eventually suffer the same fate as the others.

"Don’t think I’ll let you have things your way!"

A faint golden aura spread across his blade. The beastkin lowered his stance, positioning his sword diagonally before his body. Unlike the reckless attacks of his companions, his movements were measured and disciplined.

Azrynn watched him carefully.

’His stance has changed.’

"Crescent Fang!"

Iki suddenly lunged forward.

His sword swept horizontally, leaving behind a crescent-shaped golden arc. But rather than aiming directly at Azrynn, the attack was directed toward the space around her, forcing her to retreat or risk being caught by its expanding edge.

Azrynn twisted her body sideways, narrowly avoiding the first slash.

However, Iki had already anticipated her movement.

"Second Stage: Hunting Moon!"

His sword reversed direction in an instant, producing a second crescent slash from the opposite angle.

Clang!

Azrynn crossed her daggers to block it. The impact forced her backward several steps, her boots scraping against the stone floor.

Iki didn’t give her time to recover.

He stepped forward, delivering a series of rapid sword strikes. Each slash followed a different trajectory, alternating between high and low attacks. His technique was surprisingly fluid, with every movement connecting seamlessly to the next.

Azrynn parried the first strike with her right dagger and deflected the second with her left. She then twisted her wrist, redirecting Iki’s blade just enough to create an opening.

Her dagger flashed toward his side.

Iki immediately pulled his body back, narrowly avoiding the edge.

’She’s dangerous even at close range...’

He had expected her to rely primarily on speed and assassination techniques, but her ability to adapt during direct combat was equally troublesome.

Meanwhile, somewhere deeper inside the storm, Glenwind was struggling to survive.

"Damn it! Where is everyone?!"

He swung his weapon through the dust, trying to keep anything from approaching him. However, every direction looked the same. The howling wind drowned out most sounds, while the thick clouds of dust made it nearly impossible to distinguish the silhouettes around him.

He couldn’t even tell whether the figures he occasionally spotted were his companions or enemies.

’I can’t keep fighting like this!’

Glenwind clenched his fists.

Unlike Iki, who specialized in swordsmanship, Glenwind possessed a more direct and aggressive fighting style. His enormous physique and beastkin strength made him particularly dangerous in close combat.

But his greatest advantage was his ability to track opponents through vibrations and changes in the surrounding air.

"Beast Instinct!"

His eyes briefly glowed amber.

The muscles around his shoulders and legs tightened as his senses sharpened. Rather than relying on his eyesight, he began concentrating on the vibrations traveling through the ground and the subtle disturbances in the air.

Footsteps, movement and Breathing.

He could detect them, even through the storm.

"There!"

Glenwind suddenly turned toward a faint vibration to his right.

He lowered his body and drove one foot into the ground.

"Thunderclap Pounce!"

BOOM!

His massive body shot forward with explosive speed, creating a small crater where he had stood.

His fist smashed into the ground where he believed an enemy was hiding.

However, he struck nothing but stone.

"Damn it! I missed!"

He quickly looked around, but the storm continued to obscure his vision.

’I need to be more precise. If I keep attacking blindly, I might hit my own companions.’

Glenwind gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t find Iki, nor could he determine how many of their people were still standing. The only thing he knew was that someone was hunting them within this storm.

And whoever that person was, they were moving far more quietly than he could track.

Back where Iki was fighting, another metallic clash echoed through the chamber.

CLANG!

Azrynn deflected a downward slash, then stepped inside Iki’s guard. Her left dagger aimed toward his ribs, forcing him to twist his torso to avoid being pierced.

Iki immediately used the momentum of his previous swing to rotate his body.

"Third Stage: Severing Talon!"

His sword came around in a powerful circular slash, forcing Azrynn to retreat before she could complete her attack.

The golden arc swept through the dust, briefly creating a clear path through the storm.

Iki took advantage of that moment and advanced.

His swordsmanship was clearly not ordinary. Each form was designed to connect with the previous one, making it difficult for an opponent to find a safe opening. Even when his attacks were blocked, the resulting momentum allowed him to transition into another strike.

Azrynn narrowed her eyes.

’He’s more skilled than I expected.’

She adjusted her grip on both daggers.

Unlike before, she no longer attempted to finish the fight with a single decisive strike. Instead, she began observing the rhythm of his swordsmanship, paying attention to the slight movements of his shoulders and the positioning of his feet.

Iki noticed the change.

’She’s studying my technique?’

His expression hardened.

"Don’t think I’ll give you that opportunity!"

He suddenly stepped forward, his blade glowing brighter.

"Fourth Stage: Golden Fang Barrage!"

A series of golden slashes erupted from his sword, each one following a slightly different trajectory. The attacks overlapped, creating a dense offensive that covered nearly every direction in front of him.

Azrynn’s figure disappeared into the dust.

Iki’s eyes widened.

’Did I get her?!’

But before he could confirm it—

A faint purple glimmer appeared behind his shoulder.

He immediately turned around and raised his sword.

CLANG!

A dagger struck the back of his blade.

Azrynn stood behind him, her expression unchanged.

"You’re quite skilled with a sword," she remarked.