She took a step back.
The vice leader tightened his grip on the axe.
Without a word, he charged.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
His axe descended like a falling boulder.
She stepped aside.
The blade smashed into the earth, sending dirt and shattered stone into the air.
She slipped into his reach.
Her short sword flashed.
CLANG!
The shaft of the axe met her blade.
The vice leader twisted his wrists and shoved forward.
The sheer force pushed her back a single step.
He didn't stop.
Another swing.
Then another.
Each one was heavier than the last.
The clearing echoed with deafening impacts.
Kael watched from a distance.
Unlike the other bandits...
The vice leader gave her no room to attack.
Every swing forced her to move.
Forced her to defend.
He raised the axe over his head.
With a roar, he brought it down.
She met the strike.
CLANG!
The impact rattled her arm.
Her feet slid across the dirt.
The vice leader stepped forward, refusing to let the pressure ease.
He swung horizontally.
She ducked beneath it.
The blade tore through the trunk of a nearby tree.
CRACK!
The massive tree crashed to the ground.
For the first time...
She attacked.
A slash.
The vice leader barely pulled his shoulder back.
A thin line of blood appeared across his chest.
He swung again.
She was already gone.
Another cut opened across his forearm.
He turned.
A third cut traced across his side.
Each wound was shallow.
None were fatal.
But with every cut...
His defense grew weaker.
The vice leader's breathing grew heavier.
His swings became wider.
Rougher.
Less controlled.
She had found his rhythm.
She slipped inside another swing.
Her short sword knocked the axe aside.
Before the vice leader could recover—
She let the sword fall.
Her bow was already in her hand.
An arrow rested against the string.
The vice leader's eyes widened.
At this distance?
She drew the string to its limit.
The arrowhead settled on his chest.
His body refused to move.
He knew.
If that arrow was released...
He would die.
FWIP!
Two knives tore through the air.
Her instincts screamed.
She twisted.
The first knife missed her by a hair's breadth.
CLANG!
The second slammed against her sword, knocking the arrow off the string.
At the same moment—
A third knife spun toward Kael.
His eyes widened.
He raised his sword.
CLANG!
The impact exploded through his arms.
"Argh!"
Kael was hurled backward, crashing into a tree.
His sword flew from his grasp.
Silence.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the clearing.
Step.
Step.
Step.
A figure emerged from between the trees.
A knife rested between his fingers.
She looked up.
For the first time since the battle began...
Her eyes sharpened.
"...Silver Rank."
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