Chapter 559: Butterfly Storm

Azrynn continued to exchange blows with Iki, her two daggers moving in precise, calculated motions.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks scattered whenever their weapons collided. Iki’s swordsmanship was undoubtedly impressive. His attacks were fast, powerful, and seamlessly connected, leaving very little room for his opponent to counterattack.

However, Azrynn was gradually becoming accustomed to his movements.

She had already noticed something about his fighting style.

Every time Iki performed a horizontal slash, he followed it with a reverse strike from the opposite direction. When he used an overhead attack, he would shift his weight forward before transitioning into a thrust or another sweeping slash.

His techniques were well-developed, but they followed a relatively predictable sequence.

Azrynn’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’I’ve seen enough.’

She suddenly pushed away from Iki’s sword, creating several meters of distance between them.

Iki immediately followed her movement, but then noticed the purple runes appearing along her arms.

They began glowing one after another, spreading from her wrists toward her fingertips. The intricate patterns seemed to pulse with mana, releasing tiny particles of purple light into the air.

"...What are you planning now?"

Azrynn raised her left hand.

"I’m afraid I’ve spent enough time playing around."

Several runes detached from her fingers, floating around her body like small fragments of light.

"Rune Art: Butterfly Swarm."

The particles suddenly transformed.

Dozens of delicate purple butterflies emerged from the glowing runes. Their translucent wings carried intricate patterns, each one resembling a miniature magical formation.

They fluttered around Azrynn for a brief moment before spreading throughout the chamber.

But instead of flying randomly, the butterflies were carried by Sylphy’s storm.

The powerful wind currents scattered them in every direction, allowing the tiny creatures to move throughout the battlefield with remarkable speed.

Some disappeared into the thick dust, while others flew close to the stone pillars and walls.

Iki watched the spectacle with growing unease.

’What kind of ability is that?’

He had encountered many different kinds of magic throughout his life, but this was something unfamiliar.

Those butterflies didn’t seem particularly threatening individually. Yet their sheer numbers and the way they moved through the storm made him increasingly uncomfortable.

He tightened his grip on his sword.

’I don’t know what they’re capable of. I have to stop her before she can use them.’

"Don’t think I’ll let you do whatever you want!"

Iki suddenly lunged forward.

His golden aura surged around his body, concentrating along the length of his sword.

"Crescent Fang!"

His blade swept horizontally, producing a powerful crescent-shaped slash.

Azrynn leaned backward, allowing the attack to pass just above her chest. Before Iki could retract his sword, she stepped forward and struck his wrist with the edge of her dagger.

Clang!

Iki immediately twisted his wrist, redirecting her attack before following up with another strike.

"Second Stage: Hunting Moon!"

His sword reversed direction with frightening speed, sending another crescent slash toward Azrynn’s exposed side.

But she was already moving.

Her left dagger intercepted the blade while her right dagger swept toward his ribs.

Iki hurriedly twisted his body to avoid being struck.

’Damn it!’

He retreated half a step before immediately launching another combination.

"Third Stage: Severing Talon!"

His sword rotated in a powerful circular motion, producing a sweeping golden arc that forced Azrynn to withdraw.

Iki pressed forward, unwilling to give her any opportunity to recover.

"Fourth Stage: Golden Fang Barrage!"

A series of rapid slashes erupted from his sword.

The attacks came from different angles, each one following the previous strike with almost no interruption. His sword seemed to multiply through the sheer speed of his movements, creating overlapping golden arcs that covered the space around Azrynn.

However, something unexpected happened.

Azrynn didn’t retreat blindly.

She moved between the attacks.

Her body shifted just enough to avoid the first slash, while her daggers redirected the second and third. When Iki attempted to change the trajectory of his sword, she had already anticipated the movement.

Clang!

Her right dagger struck the flat of his blade.

Clang!

Her left dagger followed, pushing his sword slightly off course.

Before Iki could complete his combination, Azrynn stepped inside his reach and brought her dagger toward his chest.

Iki barely managed to pull himself backward.

His eyes widened.

’What...?’

Azrynn calmly lowered her dagger.

"I understand your swordsmanship now."

Iki’s expression stiffened.

"What did you say?"

"Your techniques are quite well constructed. Each attack flows naturally into the next, allowing you to maintain continuous pressure."

She tilted her head slightly.

"But once the sequence becomes familiar, your next movements are rather easy to predict."

Iki’s face twisted.

’She’s figured out my technique already?’

He had only exchanged blows with her for a short while, yet she had managed to understand the structure of his swordsmanship.

It wasn’t simply a matter of speed.

She was reading his movements, recognizing the transitions between his forms, and intercepting his attacks at the precise moments when his guard was weakest.

"Don’t underestimate me!"

Iki roared.

His white aura suddenly exploded outward.

The pressure around his body increased as he poured more energy into his sword. White light covered its entire length, making the weapon appear considerably heavier and more dangerous.

"Aura Release: White Predator!"

The stone floor beneath his feet cracked as he pushed forward.

He no longer cared about conserving energy. If his techniques were being read, then he would simply overwhelm Azrynn with greater strength and speed.

His sword descended in a powerful diagonal slash.

Azrynn raised both daggers to intercept it.

BOOM!

A shockwave spread through the chamber.

The impact forced her backward several steps, but she quickly regained her footing.

Iki’s eyes flashed with renewed confidence.

"Now let’s see if you can keep up!"

He raised his sword again.

But before he could continue, something strange happened.

The purple butterflies that had been drifting throughout the chamber suddenly stopped moving.

For a brief moment, their wings glowed simultaneously.

Then they changed direction.

Every single butterfly turned toward Iki.

His expression changed.

’Wait...’

The butterflies suddenly accelerated.

They swarmed toward his body from every direction, passing through the gaps between his sword strikes and slipping past his aura.

"What?!"

Iki swung his sword, attempting to scatter them.

A few butterflies were swept away by the wind, but the others continued approaching.

The moment they reached him, thin purple threads of light emerged from their wings.

The threads wrapped around his wrists.

Then his arms.

Then his legs and torso.

"GAAH! GET THESE THINGS OFF ME!"

Iki struggled violently.

He attempted to pull his arms apart, but the restraints tightened with every movement. More butterflies gathered around his body, producing additional threads that reinforced the bindings.

His sword slipped from his fingers and struck the floor.

CLANG!

"Impossible! What kind of magic is this?!"

He released another burst of aura, trying to force the restraints apart.

For a moment, the purple threads trembled.

But Azrynn simply raised two fingers.

The runes glowing across her arm shone brighter.

The butterflies responded immediately, their wings beating in unison as the restraints became denser.

Iki’s body was now completely immobilized.

His expression changed from anger to genuine panic.

’No... I can’t move!’

He turned his head toward Azrynn.

She was already approaching him.

"Your swordsmanship was good," she said calmly. "But you made one mistake."

Iki struggled to move his arms.

"What...?"

"You focused too much on defeating me with your sword. You never paid attention to what was happening around you."

Azrynn stopped directly in front of him.

"By the time you realized it, it was already too late."

Iki’s pupils contracted.

"W-Wait! Listen—!"

Azrynn didn’t respond.

Both daggers moved.

Two flashes of silver crossed through the purple light.

The attack was swift and precise, striking through the openings in his remaining defenses before he could do anything to protect himself.

His body went limp.

The white aura surrounding him flickered several times before disappearing completely.

A moment later, Iki collapsed onto the stone floor.

His sword lay a short distance away, its glow fading into nothing.

Azrynn watched him briefly before withdrawing her daggers.

She didn’t appear particularly excited or satisfied. To her, the fight had simply reached its conclusion.

However, as she turned away, she sensed another presence.

’...One more.’

Her perception had detected a remaining enemy somewhere within the storm.

Azrynn looked toward Sylphy.

"Sylphy. Can you locate the last one?"

"Oh! You mean that big, noisy one?"

Sylphy immediately flew a little higher, looking around through the swirling currents.

"Hmm... There!"

She pointed toward the far side of the chamber.

"He’s over there! He’s moving around, but he hasn’t gone very far!"

Azrynn nodded.

"Good. Keep the wind around him from disturbing my aim."

"Leave it to me!"

Sylphy waved her hands.

The currents around Glenwind immediately changed direction. Rather than allowing the dust to scatter randomly, she redirected the wind to create a small opening through the storm.

For a brief moment, Glenwind’s silhouette became visible.

He was still standing, although his breathing had become increasingly heavy.

"Damn it... Where is everyone?!"

He turned his head repeatedly, trying to locate his companions.

He had already heard several screams, followed by the sounds of weapons hitting the ground. But the storm had prevented him from seeing what was happening.

His heightened senses could detect movements and vibrations, but the chaotic wind currents were making it difficult to distinguish individual targets.

’I need to find the others first!’

Before he could move, however, something caught his attention.

The wind around him suddenly became quieter.

Glenwind looked up.

Through the thinning dust, he noticed a faint purple light in the distance.

Then he saw her.

The white-haired dark elf was standing several dozen meters away, holding a bow.

’She’s aiming at me?!’

Azrynn had already retrieved her bow from her back.

She calmly selected an arrow from her quiver and placed it against the bowstring.

Purple runes began forming along the arrow’s shaft.

The intricate patterns spread from the base toward its tip, gathering mana into a concentrated point.

She raised the bow.

Her yellow eyes focused on Glenwind.

There was no hesitation in her movements.

The bowstring was gradually pulled back until it reached its full tension.

’What?!’

Glenwind immediately lowered his body.

"Damn it!"

He attempted to move sideways, but Sylphy had already altered the surrounding wind currents.

The air pressure shifted against his body, disrupting his balance for a fraction of a second.

It was all Azrynn needed.

Thrum!

The bowstring was released.

The arrow disappeared from her bow with astonishing speed.

Glenwind barely managed to turn toward the incoming projectile.

His pupils contracted.

’Too fast—!’

A flash of purple crossed the chamber.

The arrow pierced his body before he could evade it.

"Guh...!"

His entire body jerked from the impact.

He looked down at the arrow embedded in him, his expression frozen in disbelief.

He had survived the storm, endured the confusion, and even managed to avoid being ambushed by the other beastkin.

Yet he had never expected to be killed by an arrow fired from such a distance.

His knees gradually weakened.

A moment later, he collapsed onto the stone floor.

His body remained motionless.

The last enemy had fallen.

Azrynn slowly lowered her bow.

"That’s the last one."

Sylphy immediately stopped maintaining the storm.

"Okay!"

She brought her hands together, and the violent currents began to weaken.

The howling wind gradually faded. Dust and debris descended from the air, revealing the interior of the ancient chamber once more.

The scattered bodies of the beastkin became visible across the floor.

Some lay near the pillars, while others had fallen closer to the entrance. Their weapons were scattered around them, and none showed any signs of movement.

The chamber, which had been filled with shouting and the sounds of battle moments earlier, was now completely silent.

Azrynn looked around, carefully checking her surroundings.

She could no longer sense any hostile presence.

Only after confirming that the fight was over did she finally relax her shoulders.

Sylphy floated toward her, looking rather pleased with herself.

"See? I told you I could help! Those idiots didn’t stand a chance!"

Azrynn glanced at the little spirit.

"You did well. Your storm made things considerably easier."

"Hehe! Of course! I’m a spirit, after all!"

Sylphy puffed out her chest proudly.

Azrynn gave a faint smile before looking toward the other side of the chamber, where Adam was still fighting Lento.

She briefly examined the battlefield behind her.

"Well, at least the nuisances are gone now."

She returned her daggers to their sheaths and adjusted the bow on her back.

"Let’s see how Adam is doing."