Volume 2 Chapter 138: The Dance Of The Hurricane
Corvina smiled.
The expression was almost gentle.
That was what made Kiraya uneasy.
There was no rage in the purple-haired girl's face. No desperation. No excitement at finally encountering a worthy opponent. Instead, Corvina looked almost pleased, as though the battle unfolding before her was proceeding exactly as she had expected.
Kiraya tightened her grip around Lionheart.
The flames produced by [Lionheart Enhancement] continued to crawl along the weapon's surface, their golden light flickering against the walls of the mountain passage. The skill had strengthened her next attack by three percent, and only moments ago, Kiraya had intended to use that enhanced strike to finish one of the remaining enemies.
Now, however, she couldn't bring herself to attack recklessly.
Corvina had changed everything.
This girl wasn't normal.
Kiraya had already learned that much.
Before she could make another decision, Corvina suddenly stepped forward.
And disappeared.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"Again—?!"
A purple blur flashed across her vision.
Corvina reappeared directly in front of her, her armored fist already driving toward Kiraya's shield.
Kiraya barely managed to raise it.
CLANG!
The impact reverberated through the entire shield and traveled straight into her arm. Her shoulder jolted backward, and the force pushed her several centimeters across the stone floor.
Her boots scraped loudly against the ground as she struggled to regain her balance.
Corvina smiled.
Then she vanished again.
Kiraya immediately turned, following the faint movement she had barely caught from the corner of her eye.
There.
Above her.
Corvina had already jumped into the air.
Wind began gathering around her feet.
At first, it was nothing more than a swirling current, but the air rapidly began twisting beneath her boots. A faint green-blue glow appeared around her legs as the surrounding wind compressed until it seemed almost solid.
Kiraya narrowed her eyes.
"An aerial skill..."
Corvina's smile widened.
A system notification appeared.
[Assassin Skill: Wind Step]
The wind exploded beneath her feet.
BOOOOOOM!
Corvina launched herself upward.
The movement wasn't a conventional jump. She didn't move forward or backward. Instead, the force of the skill propelled her straight into the air, sending her several meters above Kiraya's head.
For an instant, Corvina appeared suspended against the dark ceiling of the mountain passage.
Then she twisted her body.
The wind surrounding her feet continued spinning.
She used the momentum created by [Wind Step] to propel herself into another movement, rotating her entire body while the surrounding air compressed violently around her.
Kiraya's instincts screamed.
"What is she doing...?"
Corvina spun faster.
The air around her became increasingly violent, forming spiraling currents that followed the rotation of her body.
Then she activated another skill.
[Assassin Skill: Shear Whirlwind]
The air exploded.
Two concentrated streams of wind formed around Corvina as she spun through the air. The currents curved outward like enormous blades, tearing through the dust surrounding her.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
The two wind blades descended toward her.
They moved horizontally through the passage, screaming through the air with enough force to send loose stones skittering across the floor.
Kiraya immediately raised her shield.
"Come on!"
The first wind strike collided with Lionheart.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The impact shook her entire body.
Before she could recover, the second wind blade struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Kiraya's boots dug into the stone as she fought against the tremendous force.
Her shield vibrated violently in her hand.
The pressure was absurd.
"NGH!"
She gritted her teeth and leaned forward, using her entire body to brace herself against the attack.
Corvina remained airborne above her.
And she was smiling.
That smile bothered Kiraya more than anything else.
Corvina wasn't simply watching Kiraya struggle.
She already knew what was going to happen.
Then Kiraya felt something beneath her feet crack.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait..."
Tiny fractures appeared across the stone floor.
They spread outward from the point where the wind strikes were being absorbed, branching across the ground like a spiderweb.
One crack became several.
Several became dozens.
The stone beneath Kiraya groaned under the pressure.
Then the cracks widened.
CRAAAAACK!
The ground beneath her shattered.
A section of stone collapsed, causing Kiraya to drop several centimeters before she managed to catch herself.
Her shield was still holding.
Barely.
The wind continued tearing against it, and the sheer force being transferred through the shield was grinding the stone beneath her boots into fragments.
Kiraya stared at the destruction in disbelief.
"This much power...?"
The shield trembled violently.
Kiraya's arms shook.
She forced herself to hold it.
Then—
CRACK!
The shield shattered.
The lion emblem split apart.
Fragments of metal and magical energy exploded outward, scattering across the passage.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the empty hand where her shield had been.
Speechless.
Her shield.
The defensive equipment she had trusted through countless dungeon raids had been destroyed in a matter of seconds.
Kiraya slowly looked down at the shattered pieces surrounding her boots.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
Not this quickly.
Not from a single skill.
She had fought bosses.
Raid monsters.
Guild wars.
Elite players.
She had endured attacks that would have killed ordinary adventurers instantly.
Yet Corvina had destroyed her shield as though it were nothing more than a fragile piece of glass.
Kiraya's expression hardened.
"Fine."
She raised Lionheart.
"Then I'll fight without it."
Corvina's eyes gleamed.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Wind suddenly began gathering around Corvina's entire body.
At first, it was only a gentle current, but the air rapidly grew stronger. Her purple hair lifted from her shoulders, while her twin ponytails whipped violently behind her.
Dust began spiraling around her feet.
Small pieces of rubble rose from the ground.
Even the air seemed to bend around her.
Kiraya took a cautious step backward.
Corvina lowered her body slightly.
Then she whispered the name of her next skill.
[Assassin Skill: Dance of Hurricane]
The wind erupted.
WHOOOOOOOOOSH!
A powerful whirlwind formed around Corvina.
Her entire body disappeared inside the swirling currents.
Only her silhouette remained visible through the violent storm.
But Kiraya quickly realized something.
The wind wasn't simply surrounding Corvina.
It was moving with her.
Every step.
Every movement.
Every twist of her body.
The hurricane followed.
Kiraya's eyes narrowed.
"So that's your fighting style..."
Corvina disappeared.
Kiraya immediately raised Lionheart.
Too late.
Corvina appeared directly in front of her.
Her fist was already coming toward Kiraya's chest.
Kiraya crossed both arms in front of herself.
BOOM!
The punch struck her armor.
The force drove her backward.
Wind wrapped around Corvina's fist and scraped violently against Kiraya's armor, producing a horrible metallic shriek.
SKRRRRRRT!
Tiny sparks flew through the air.
Kiraya felt something warm against her skin.
She glanced down.
Blood.
The attack hadn't completely penetrated her armor, but the compressed wind had torn through enough of the metal to cut the skin underneath.
A thin line of blood ran down her arm.
Kiraya gritted her teeth.
"That wind..."
Corvina attacked again.
Kiraya raised her arm.
CLANG!
She blocked the strike.
Another attack immediately followed.
BOOM!
Another.
CLANG!
Corvina didn't give her even a second to breathe.
Her movements were almost impossible to follow.
She stepped forward, twisted, disappeared into the wind, and reappeared from another angle. Her body flowed between attacks with unnatural smoothness, as though the hurricane itself was carrying her from one position to another.
Every strike carried the force of her body and the additional power of the wind surrounding her.
Kiraya blocked one attack with her forearm.
Another struck her shoulder.
A third grazed her ribs.
Her armor began accumulating scratches.
The pressure never stopped.
Kiraya swung Lionheart.
The blade cut through the air.
Corvina ducked beneath it.
Kiraya immediately followed with a punch.
Corvina leaned backward, allowing the attack to pass harmlessly over her head.
Kiraya's fist cut through empty air.
Corvina remained crouched.
For the briefest moment, the wind surrounding her body changed.
Kiraya noticed it.
Her eyes widened.
"What...?"
The entire whirlwind began collapsing inward.
Every current of air surrounding Corvina was drawn toward her left arm.
The wind became denser.
Faster.
Stronger.
The pressure concentrated around her fist until the air itself seemed to distort.
Corvina smiled.
"Found you."
She drove her fist forward.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The attack struck Kiraya directly in the torso.
The wind exploded outward.
Kiraya's feet left the ground.
"GH—!"
Her body was launched backward as though she had been struck by a cannon.
She flew across the passage before her back slammed into the mountain wall.
CRAAAAASH!
Stone shattered around her.
Kiraya's body disappeared into the collapsing rock.
A cloud of dust erupted through the passage, and large pieces of stone continued falling around the impact site.
Corvina remained standing calmly in the center of the passage.
The hurricane surrounding her slowly settled.
Her smile remained.
Then she raised one hand.
A system notification appeared.
[Assassin Skill: Wind Slicer]
A dagger materialized between her fingers.
It looked almost ordinary.
Small.
Light.
Almost insignificant compared to Lionheart.
Corvina rotated it casually between her fingers before swinging it through the air.
A thin line of wind formed along the blade.
Then another.
Then another.
Invisible edges began accumulating around the dagger.
Corvina flicked the weapon forward.
SHHHHKK!
A barrage of invisible wind blades tore through the passage.
The attacks struck the mountain wall where Kiraya had disappeared.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Stone exploded.
More wind slices ripped through the rock, carving deep grooves into the mountain.
The entire section of the wall began collapsing.
CRAAAAASH!
Stone poured downward.
Dust filled the passage.
Kiraya was buried beneath the rubble.
Corvina lowered her dagger.
She waited.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
Then a faint shift came from inside the collapsed wall.
Corvina smiled.
She hadn't been surprised.
A hand emerged from between two broken stones.
Then another.
Kiraya pushed herself upward.
Her breathing was rough.
Blood covered one side of her face.
Her armor was cracked and damaged, with several pieces torn away completely.
Yet she still stood.
Barely.
Kiraya looked around.
Her vision blurred for a moment.
She blinked several times before forcing herself to focus.
"Not..."
A cough escaped her.
She wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.
"...done yet."
Corvina's smile widened.
"I know."
Kiraya's eyes focused on her opponent.
Then she saw the wind gathering once more.
Every instinct in her body screamed at her.
Corvina raised one hand.
[Assassin Skill: Sheer Force]
The air above Kiraya distorted.
At first, Kiraya couldn't see anything.
Then the distortion became visible.
A massive sphere of compressed wind formed above her.
It hovered directly over Kiraya's head.
Her expression changed.
"...Oh."
The sphere suddenly activated.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A tremendous suction force erupted from its center.
Kiraya's body was pulled upward.
"What?!"
She immediately tried to move.
Her body refused to respond.
The rocks surrounding her began sliding across the ground.
Loose stones lifted into the air.
Broken pieces of her armor rose from the floor.
Everything around Kiraya was being dragged toward the center of the sphere.
Kiraya desperately reached for a large piece of stone.
Her fingers wrapped around it.
She dug her nails into the rough surface and held on with everything she had.
For a moment, it worked.
Then the force increased.
The rock tore free from the ground.
Kiraya was pulled upward with it.
"NGH!"
Her body slammed against several pieces of rubble as they were dragged toward the sphere.
Pain shot through her ribs.
The pressure continued increasing.
And increasing.
And increasing.
Kiraya could barely breathe.
Her lungs felt compressed.
Her body was being pulled in multiple directions at once, while the invisible force above her grew stronger by the second.
Then—
the sphere suddenly compressed.
All the gathered wind collapsed inward.
For one brief instant, everything became completely silent.
No rushing air.
No falling stones.
No cracking rock.
Nothing.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The sphere exploded.
A massive shockwave of compressed wind tore through the mountain passage.
Stone shattered.
Dust erupted.
The walls cracked.
The remaining rubble was blasted apart.
Kiraya's body was thrown violently across the floor.
She slammed against the stone.
Rolled once.
Twice.
Then several more times before finally coming to a stop.
Silence returned.
For several seconds, Kiraya didn't move.
Blood covered her armor.
Small cuts covered her arms and legs.
Bruises darkened beneath what remained of her armor.
Tiny fragments of shattered metal had pierced into her body.
Her armor was almost completely destroyed.
Lionheart remained in her hand.
Barely.
Kiraya's fingers trembled around the weapon.
She tried to stand.
Her first attempt failed.
Her knee struck the ground.
She lowered her head and breathed heavily.
Every part of her body screamed at her to stop.
She ignored it.
Kiraya planted her hand against the ground and pushed herself upward.
Her legs trembled violently.
She nearly collapsed again.
But she forced herself upright.
This time, she managed to stand.
Barely.
Her vision blurred.
The edges of the cavern seemed to sway.
Her entire body screamed in pain.
Yet she remained standing.
Across the passage, Corvina watched.
Her purple hair swayed gently in the lingering wind.
Her expression hadn't changed.
She was still smiling.
Kiraya slowly raised her head.
Their eyes met.
Corvina looked almost delighted.
Not because Kiraya was suffering.
Because she was still standing.
Kiraya wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
Her hand trembled.
Her shield was gone.
Her armor was broken.
Her body was covered in wounds.
And yet—
Lionheart was still in her hand.
Kiraya slowly raised the sword.
The flames surrounding the weapon flickered weakly.
Corvina's smile widened.
"You're still standing."
Kiraya breathed heavily.
"...I don't give up that easily."
Corvina's eyes narrowed with amusement.
"Good."
Wind began gathering around her again.
Kiraya tightened her grip around Lionheart.
The battle had already pushed her farther than she had expected.
Her shield was gone.
Her armor was nearly destroyed.
Her body had taken attack after attack.
She didn't know how many more times she could get back up.
She didn't know how much longer she could withstand Corvina's relentless assault.
But she couldn't fall.
Not yet.
Ryota, Fayzan, and Ayame were somewhere inside that cave.
Ramos was still missing.
And Kiraya had promised them that she would hold the entrance.
That promise mattered more than her pain.
So even as blood dripped from her damaged armor, even as fragments of broken metal remained embedded in her body, Kiraya raised Lionheart once again.
The flames around the blade flickered against the darkness.
She took a slow breath.
Then another.
Her legs were shaking.
Her arms were trembling.
Her entire body was screaming for her to stop.
But Kiraya refused.
Because the Lionheart Knight had one rule she would never break.
If her allies were still moving forward, then she would keep standing.