Time seemed to slow down.
Astrid gazed at the three human cultivators leaping towards her with an odd feeling of happiness.
This was it.
This was her true purpose in life.
Battle.
Get stronger.
And more battles.
"Da mihi substitutum," she chanted softly as the first attack reached her location.
Moonlight Sword Dance!
A sword glowing with an eerie light slashed forward in a crescent arc while the vague shadow of a moon could be seen in the background.
Sakura Petal Rain!
A sea of beautiful pink flowers floated gently in the air as beams of sword qi swirled menacingly around a thin blade.
Blood Storm Pierce!
A crimson red ocean of blood rose eight feet off the ground as the savage war cries of the souls trapped within gave this sword style an evil feeling.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Astrid's body was split in multiple pieces as her separated corpse fell onto the ground.
Blood stained the sands of the desert and her attackers froze in shock.
Had they… killed her?
Why had the barrier device not activated?!
One of the boys could not help throwing up when he smelt the metallic tang of blood and saw the internal organs sliding out of the body.
"Fuck man you got to pull yourself together," Louisa knelt down and comforted Vijay who was now holding back a sob.
"How could we have known that the barrier device would fail," Finely placed a warm hand on Vijay's back and tried not to look at the corpse.
"All we can do now is to enter the elite class and dedicate that honour to our fallen classmate."
"Guys…" Vijay teared up as he felt the love and concern of his friends.
These were his true brothers!
He was feeling sick when viewing the death of this nameless Mendolesa girl but the path to cultivation would always be bloody.
At least with his trusty friends by his side… nothing could stop this dynamic trio!
"Awww that's actually pretty sweet," came a feminine voice from behind them.
"Thank you," Finely smiled as he continued to lend support to his friend.
Wait a minute….
Whose voice was that?
And why was it so familiar?
He was struck by a terrible thought as he slowly turned around to see who the person behind the voice was.
There she was.
A grinning Mendolesa warrior with magic runes pulsing with the flow of mana.
"Holy shit the mage is alive!" Finely screamed in shock as he jumped back.
He hurriedly withdrew his weapon and pushed Louisa and Vijay out of the way.
His other two friends were still confused about what was happening, so they were far too slow to react to the incoming spell.
"Adducam asino hic spatium magicae!" Astrid yelled as the runes on her back lit up.
Finely found himself losing control of his body as a strange suction force brought him straight into the Mendolesa girl's grasp.
Her master specialized in spatial magic and the old archmage had taught his apprentice quite a few new tricks.
Punch!
Her tightly closed fist slammed straight into Finely's temple which knocked the poor boy out cold.
Violence was once again her favourite magic spell!
"Rush her before she can cast another spell," Louisa roared as she activated a movement skill and teleported to Astrid's side.
She swung her blade immediately at the Mendolesa girl, but Astrid simply ducked her head slightly and let the sword pass by her harmlessly.
Louisa was undeterred and she continued to launch strike after strike without fail.
Astrid grinned happily as she ducked and weaved through the flurry of blows.
This was a good fight!
It was clear that the two sword cultivators would no longer fall for simple tricks.
The girl was attracting her full concentration by attacking relentlessly while the boy was focusing on landing a critical hit if she showed any openings.
Sakura Petal Dance!
Louisa gathered her energy and began to dance gracefully as beautiful petals rained down on her figure.
Her eastern features, soft dark hair and delicate face made her seem like an image straight out of a painting.
Astrid wanted to stop and applaud but she discovered that every petal that touched her body turned into a hidden stream of sword qi.
Small cuts formed on her face and back as she frantically moved away to avoid the numerous petals.
"Ego postulo a scutum!" Astrid chanted as a silverish green barrier coated her body and prevented Louisa's attacks from reaching her.
"This is my chance," Vijay muttered as he carefully gripped his sword.
Right now, this mage's barrier would be fully absorbing the impact of Louisa's Petal Dance which left him one opportunity to strike and pierce the shield.
He trained and trained after being humiliated by the elite students at the camp.
Fortunately, his life seemed to have turned for the better as he discovered that an ordinary swordsmanship manual sent by his father contained a legendary method.
The God's Sword Art!
Each form would grant him strength above his peers!
Finally, it was his time to fight back and rise to the top!
Beauties, riches, and fame were all going to be his.
Vijay was not going to underestimate his opponent, so he decided to use form two of the style to unleash his strongest attack.
Deep breaths. Focus your will. Channel your inner tranquility.
A dangerous aura surrounded his body as the qi in his dantian flowed in a strange pattern.
The nearby insects and microorganisms started to shrivel up and lose their vitality as the aura got stronger and stronger.
Vijay closed his eyes as he thought about his experiences.
He remembered laughing and telling jokes with Finely and Louisa.
Flirting with Sasha during the long and lonely night in the desert.
A lone tear formed in one eye as he recalled the bond, he shared with his friends who stood by his side.
"I won't let you down," Vijay whispered in his heart.
"Believe it!"
Vijay opened his eyes and a white glow appeared. His aura shrank and concentrated on the tip of his blade as he entered his stance to attack.
God's Sword Art Form Two – Heavens Split!
Pierce!
"Wha…." Vijay whimpered in shock as a black dagger pierced straight through his back and exited the other side.
He shakily touched the dagger and felt its cold metallic edge stained in his blood.
His sword fell out of his hands as Vijay felt his strength slipping away..
Everything was slowly turning dark and he could make out the familiar golden glow of his device activating to save his life.
He could sense that the mysterious attacker withdrew her dagger from his chest and walked away quietly.
Who had done it?
God's Sword Art Form Two – Heavens Split was an attack that drew in the life energy from the surrounding area to enhance the lethality of the skill.
Any cultivator nearby would have been exposed and yet he could not sense the presence of anyone!
Vijay fought desperately to open his eyes one more time and he managed to see her.
A quiet, plain, unassuming girl.
The kind of girl who would fade into the background of any crowd.
She may have heard him making a noise as she turned around to shoot him one final glance.
Vijay pinched his hand to keep himself awake as he tried to search for the typical proud and arrogant look that cultivators had when they defeated an enemy.
Chills ran down his spine as he realised the horrifying truth.
No emotion could be seen in her gaze.
There was no pride.
Nor arrogance.
Nor happiness.
Nothing.
It was like defeating him was akin to a child stepping on an ant.
Comments