Larissa's eyes sharpen the moment the black figure lands before her.
No greeting.
No words.
Her wrists flick.
Two slim knives slide into her palms as if summoned from shadow itself.
Opposite her, the figure draws a short sword in a single smooth motion.
Steel glints faintly beneath the moonlight filtering through the forest canopy.
Neither hesitates.
They charge.
The distance between them vanishes in a breath.
The figure's sword arcs downward in a swift diagonal slash aimed at Larissa's shoulder.
Larissa raises her right-hand knife.
Metal strikes metal.
A sharp clang rings out.
Before the blade can recoil, Larissa pivots on her heel.
Her body twists like a coiled serpent.
Her left-hand knife flashes toward the figure's exposed ribs.
The figure anticipates it.
He shifts her weight backward, spine bending just enough for the blade to slice through empty air.
They are separated by a step.
Circle.
Then collide again.
The short sword thrusts forward, precise and direct.
Larissa's twin knives weave a defensive pattern, deflecting the thrust and redirecting its angle.
She ducks low, attempting a strike at the figure's thigh.
He lifts her leg, narrowly avoiding the cut.
Their movements are sharp.
Measured.
Silent.
No wasted motion.
They exchange blows in rapid succession.
Sword.
Knife.
Knife.
Sword.
Each strike met.
Each feint answered.
Neither touches flesh.
Only weapons clash.
Without a word, they drift deeper into the forest.
It is unspoken.
An agreement.
No noise must reach the town.
The forest floor absorbs their footfalls.
Branches snap softly beneath swift steps.
They continue.
Strike.
Deflect.
Turn.
Spin.
Larissa lunges, both knives crossing in a scissor motion toward the figure's neck.
The sword rises horizontally, blocking both blades at once.
Sparks flicker briefly in the darkness.
They break apart again.
Breathing remains steady.
Controlled.
They move deeper still.
Their speed increases gradually.
Not yet cultivated.
But the limit of refined physical mastery.
Every attack seems anticipated.
Every angle calculated.
As if each reads the other's intent before movement completes.
Time stretches.
Moonlight fades beneath a thicker canopy.
The forest grows darker.
Finally, something shifts.
Their steps accelerate beyond ordinary human capacity.
Muscles tighten.
Veins pulse faintly beneath the skin.
Cultivation seeps into motion.
Not overt.
Subtle.
Strength increases.
Speed sharpens.
The figure's sword slices faster, the air whistling with each swing.
Larissa's knives blur in arcs of silver.
She darts forward with explosive force, blades descending in twin strikes.
The figure parries high with the sword, then counters with a low sweep.
Larissa leaps lightly, clearing the blade and landing behind him.
She thrusts toward her back.
She twists sharply, sword intercepting just in time.
The impact pushes them both backward several steps.
Their eyes lock briefly.
Recognition.
Equality.
Still matched.
They move again.
Faster now.
The forest becomes streaks of shadow.
Trees flash past as they continue deeper.
Then,
A subtle change.
Black energy begins to seep from the edges of their weapons.
Thin tendrils at first.
Then thicker.
When sword meets knife again, the clash carries a deeper resonance.
A faint distortion ripples outward.
The air feels heavier.
The black energy pulses along steel.
Each collision produces a low hum.
Not ordinary cultivation.
Disaster energy.
Dark.
Condensed.
Larissa thrusts forward, channelling the black aura into both knives.
The figure blocks with her sword, but the impact sends a shock through the ground.
Leaves scatter.
The earth cracks slightly beneath their feet.
They disengage once more.
Both weapons are now shrouded in swirling black mist.
Larissa's breathing remains steady.
Her gaze is sharp.
She tilts her head slightly.
"What number are you?"
Her voice is calm.
"I am number fifty-six."
The figure remains silent.
No response.
Only the black energy intensifies.
It erupts from the sword like smoke feeding a flame.
The blade darkens further.
The aura thickens.
Without warning, the figure steps forward.
Her strike comes heavier than before.
The sword descends with amplified force.
Larissa crosses both knives to block.
The collision explodes with a pulse of black energy.
The force drives her backwards.
Her boots carve trenches in the soil as she resists.
But the figure presses forward.
Another strike.
Then another.
Each blow is heavier than the last.
The black aura surges outward violently.
Larissa is forced back several meters.
Her arms tremble slightly beneath the pressure.
The figure's sword pushesSher guard aside in a final forceful strike.
She slides across the forest floor before regaining footing.
The distance between them widens again.
The black energy continues to churn around the figure's blade.
She remains silent.
Unyielding.
The forest stands witness.
The battle has only escalated.
Black mist coils thicker around their weapons.
Larissa steps forward again, knives slicing in twin arcs toward the figure's shoulder and thigh simultaneously.
The figure meets her mid-stride.
Steel clashes.
A ripple of disaster energy bursts outward.
For a fleeting moment, behind each of them, a phantom image flickers.
A hound.
Massive.
Burning eyes like twin embers in the dark.
Its jaws open in a silent snarl.
Then the image vanishes.
Both of them suppress it instantly.
They are not here to unleash their full manifestation.
Not near the town.
Not near the castle.
They tighten control.
Their breathing synchronises with their movements.
Minutes pass in relentless exchange.
Larissa lunges low, rolling beneath a horizontal slash, and rises with a knife thrust toward the figure's ribs.
The figure pivots sharply, deflecting with the flat of the blade and countering with a backhand strike.
Their weapons collide again.
This time, neither yields.
They push.
Black energy grinds between steel edges.
Then,
A violent shockwave erupts.
The ground trembles.
Both are thrown backwards several meters.
Their boots drag deep furrows in the soil as they fight to stabilise.
They come to a halt simultaneously.
Facing each other.
Larissa's chest rises slowly.
She studies the figure.
"You must be my senior," she says evenly. "You follow the Pope."
The figure remains silent.
The sword lifts slightly.
Ready.
Larissa exhales softly.
"Senior, shall we call this a draw? We cannot overpower one another. If we release our full strength, the town will notice."
The forest is still.
For a brief second, it seems the figure might consider it.
Then, disaster qi erupts violently from the sword.
It touches the ground.
Black cracks spread outward in thin lines.
The figure answers not with words, but with action.
She charges.
Larissa clicks her tongue softly and meets the attack.
Their weapons clash again.
Faster.
Harder.
The restraint loosens slightly.
Black energy spills more freely now.
Steel flashes in tight arcs.
Larissa ducks beneath a thrust and slashes upward.
The figure twists mid-air, avoiding the blade by inches and descending with a crushing downward strike.
The earth splits where the sword lands.
Larissa rolls aside, coming up in a defensive stance.
Before either can continue,
The forest trembles.
A heavy growl vibrates through the trees.
Both freeze momentarily.
From the darkness, something massive emerges.
A Crocodile Tiger.
Its body blends reptilian armour with feline muscle.
Scaled hide glistens faintly.
Massive jaws lined with jagged teeth.
Golden eyes filled with predatory hunger.
Its cultivation aura surges outward.
Earth Knight level.
As a spirit beast, its raw strength exceeds that of its human counterparts.
The tiger roars.
The sound shakes leaves from the branches.
It charges.
Without discussion, Larissa and the figure move together.
Instinct.
Coordination.
Larissa darts left.
The figure moves right.
The tiger swipes with a claw the size of a shield.
Larissa leaps, knives slicing across scaled hide.
Sparks fly.
The figure's sword plunges toward the beast's flank, disaster energy carving a shallow wound.
The tiger retaliates with terrifying speed.
Its tail whips, striking the figure and sending her crashing through a tree.
Larissa lunges forward to draw its attention.
Her knives flash, aiming at the eyes.
The tiger snaps its jaws, narrowly missing her arm.
The ground quakes under its weight.
The battle intensifies rapidly.
Black energy flares.
The figure rises again, sword blazing with dark qi, and drives forward with a precise thrust at the tiger's throat.
The beast twists, biting at the blade.
Larissa slashes at its hind leg.
Scaled flesh tears slightly.
Blood seeps.
The tiger roars in fury.
Its aura surges.
Pressure mounts.
Larissa feels something shift inside her.
Her pulse spikes.
Her disaster energy begins to churn unpredictably.
Not stable.
Not fully under control.
She realizes.
She cannot remain.
Not if the fight escalates further.
She leaps backwards, distancing herself from both combatants.
"Senior, take care," she calls sharply.
Without waiting for a response, she turns and runs toward the castle.
Behind her, the clash continues.
Roars echo.
Steel strikes flesh.
She races through the forest.
The roar of the Crocodile Tiger follows her.
Louder.
Then mixed with another sound.
A hound's howl.
Deep.
Nether.
She reaches the rock wall behind the castle.
Climbs swiftly.
Her fingers find familiar holds.
She pulls herself over.
Drops silently into the shadows.
The battle's echoes fade slightly as she moves.
She scales the outer wall, slipping toward her chamber.
She climbs to her window and slips inside unseen.
Moments later,
A howl splits the night.
Followed by a thunderous explosion.
The castle trembles.
Lights ignite in distant corridors.
Voices shout.
Commotion erupts.
But the sounds of battle in the forest,
Disappear.