A beautiful female figure emerged from the darkness, a glowing silver blade resting in her hand. Moonlight reflected off the weapon, making it shine like liquid metal.
"It was foolish of you to come out here alone," she said coldly. "Keep hiding. Conceal your presence all you want, but you won't escape from me, Jianya."
The moment she finished speaking, she swung her blade.
A wave of light tore through the forest.
I instantly leapt onto a nearby tree branch, narrowly avoiding the slash as it cut through everything below. Another wave came immediately after. I reacted quickly, but not quickly enough.
A sharp pain burned across my arm.
It was only a small cut, but it stung badly.
Jianya didn't stop attacking. Her blade moved violently, releasing slash after slash without pause. I pushed myself into the air, my body drifting like a falling leaf as I dodged each attack. Her strikes were terrifyingly fast—more than twice the speed of an arrow.
Even so, I forced my way toward her, trying to close the distance.
But she wouldn't let me.
Every time I got close, another attack pushed me back. Still, I managed to slip through her defenses and reach her. Just as I was about to strike, sharp spikes suddenly covered her body.
"Do you really think I can't see you?" Jianya sneered.
She grabbed my wrist instantly. The spikes on her hand pierced into my skin as she pulled me closer.
Before I could react, her knee slammed into my abdomen.
Pain exploded through my body.
I coughed violently and staggered backward, barely managing to land on my feet after escaping her grip. Jianya smiled as her glowing eyes locked onto me.
"What exactly are you?" she asked.
She rushed toward me again. Her long blade suddenly shortened while another blade extended from the spikes on her arm. In the next second, she engaged me in close combat.
She was fast. Too fast.
Every attack I launched was either blocked or avoided effortlessly, while her own strikes came endlessly. The battle dragged on far longer than I expected.
Then the flashbangs started.
Bursts of blinding light exploded from her blades repeatedly, forcing me to keep my distance. I reached for a ninja star, preparing to throw it—
Suddenly, sharp pain spread across my body.
I looked down and saw glowing needles embedded in my skin.
"She's no joke…" I muttered.
Ignoring the pain, I threw several ninja stars toward her. Jianya blocked every single one with ease, but the moment she destroyed the last star, I appeared behind it.
BOOM!
I slammed her hard into the ground. Before she could recover, I raised my foot to crush her face—
But someone grabbed me from behind.
It was Kenshi.
"Did you miss me?" he asked with a grin.
Without hesitation, I grabbed him and flipped him over my shoulder just as a surge of purple light shot toward us.
"ARGHHH!"
Kenshi screamed in pain as the attack struck him directly. I was hit as well, but unlike before, the light neither reflected nor bounced away. Instead, it felt like thousands of electric needles stabbing into my skin.
When the light finally faded, I saw them.
A strange-looking old woman stood beside Master Liming and May.
The moment May saw me, she rushed forward and hugged me tightly while Master Liming moved in to assist.
"YOU FORGOT YOU WERE BUSY!" Jianya screamed furiously.
Another massive wave of light shot toward us.
An evil smile spread across her face, but before the attack could reach us, Master Liming raised his kunai. A brilliant wave of light burst from it and collided with Jianya's attack, destroying it instantly.
I didn't waste the opportunity.
Grabbing May's twin swords, I dashed forward at full speed and drove both blades straight into Jianya's chest.
Silence fell.
Blood flowed from her mouth as she stared at us with trembling eyes.
"It's… not over…" she whispered.
Then her body went limp.
We gathered our weapons while Jianya's and Kenshi's corpses were taken back to the temple. May, Master Liming, and the old woman headed inside with the bodies while I slowly returned to my room.
The pain throughout my body worsened with every step.
I sat down and began pulling the spikes from my skin one by one. A few moments later, May and the old woman entered the room carrying ointments and medicine.
The old woman knelt beside me silently and carefully removed the remaining spikes lodged in my body. After treating the wounds, she quietly left the room.
The moment she was gone, May wrapped her arms tightly around me.
"Don't ever run off to fight alone like that again," she whispered shakily. "What if you hadn't been lucky?"
I tried to respond—
"AHHHHH!"
A scream escaped my mouth as an unbearable pain exploded inside my head.