The night air hit Yoshiya's lungs like ice as he and Omina burst out of the fortress cave. Behind them came the thunder of clawed feet, guttural howls, and the screech of horns. Dozens of goblins poured from the darkness, their torches flaring like fireflies in a swarm.
Yoshiya's battered shield felt heavier with every step, his arm trembling from strain. In his other hand, his wand glowed faintly as he whispered, "Protect." A pale shimmer surrounded both him and Omina, warding off the arrows whistling through the trees.
"Don't stop!" Yoshiya shouted, his breath ragged.
"I wasn't planning to!" Omina snapped back, already drawing her dual blades. One gleamed with steel, the other hummed with faint arcs of lightning.
The goblins were faster. A vanguard caught up, snarling as they lunged from the underbrush. Yoshiya planted his shield in the dirt, bracing as two spears struck against it. The impact nearly threw him back, but he held firm, his voice rising in a chant. "Blessing!" A warm surge of mana flowed through Omina, strengthening her limbs.
She dashed forward, blades flashing in a Dual Strike that cut two goblins down before they realized what hit them. Their shrieks echoed as she spun back beside Yoshiya, chest heaving.
Still, more came. Always more.
They tore through the forest, branches slashing at their faces. Every few breaths, Yoshiya would cast a quick Heal to knit shallow wounds and reinforce Protect, but his mana pool was thinning. Omina carved their path open with Aura Blade, her thunder sword glowing as it slashed through a goblin's torso and seared the next. Blood sprayed the bark of the trees, but there was no time to stop.
Ahead, armored goblins blocked the path with crude shields. Their yellow eyes gleamed with malice as they formed a wall.
"Move!" Omina snarled.
She surged forward, her twin blades crossing in a crackling arc. Guard Break. Her thunder sword shattered the first shield into splinters, while her steel blade drove through another goblin's chest. The path burst open in screams and blood, but more goblins poured in from the sides, clawing, shrieking, desperate to overwhelm them.
Yoshiya slammed one back with his shield, thrusting his wand forward. Mana erupted in a burst of light, blasting two goblins off their feet. But the recoil staggered him; his legs trembled, drained from the constant casting.
"Yoshiya!" Omina's voice was sharp with panic. She could see it too—they wouldn't last much longer.
The horde pressed in. Claws tore at Yoshiya's shield, fangs snapped inches from his face. Omina's arms felt like lead, her chest burning with every breath. Still she swung, cutting down another, but more replaced them.
They were being buried alive.
"Damn it… I won't die here!" Omina roared. Her blades shook, her whole body trembling—not from fear, but from something breaking free inside her. A storm of energy surged through her veins, igniting every nerve.
Her eyes flared with a wild light.
Sword Frenzy.
Her arms moved faster than her mind could follow. The dual swords blurred, each strike chaining into the next in a relentless storm. Steel flashed, lightning cracked. Goblin flesh split apart in showers of blood as her blades ripped through them in savage arcs. Three fell in an instant. Then four. Then six.
Yoshiya froze for half a heartbeat, awestruck. She's… faster than before!
The goblins hesitated, fear flickering in their eyes, but Omina gave them no chance to retreat. She became a whirlwind of flashing steel, cutting a bloody path through the swarm. Her thunder sword carved glowing arcs in the air, each swing leaving afterimages as goblins fell screaming. The forest floor turned slick with their blood.
Yoshiya clenched his jaw and threw his remaining mana into her, raising his wand. "Blessing!" Golden light burst over Omina, amplifying her frenzy even further. Her movements grew impossibly fast—slashes raining like a storm until even armored goblins crumbled before her, their defenses ripped apart.
But the price was brutal. With each heartbeat, her body shook from the strain, muscles tearing under the pressure of her own speed. Her face twisted with both agony and rage, but she refused to stop.
At last, the goblins faltered. Those still standing shrieked, stumbling back in fear. The horde hesitated, and in that moment of reprieve, Yoshiya seized Omina's arm.
"Enough! Move!" he barked, dragging her toward the river's roar.
Her frenzy began to fade, the unnatural speed vanishing, leaving her gasping, drenched in sweat, blood spattered across her face and blades.
They reached the riverbank just as another wave of goblins emerged from the treeline. Without hesitation, Yoshiya grabbed Omina tighter and leapt into the black waters.
The current seized them, dragging them downstream. Goblins shrieked from the shore, but none dared follow into the rushing torrent.
Yoshiya's shield slipped from his hand and vanished into the dark. He kicked furiously, struggling to keep Omina afloat as she clutched the sodden map to her chest.
They slammed against rocks, scraped by branches, but finally washed up on the far side of the river. Both of them collapsed, coughing, choking, barely conscious.
Omina's trembling fingers still held the map, knuckles white. She whispered hoarsely, "This… this shows more than treasure routes. There's something deeper… hidden in the mountains…"
Yoshiya's breath rattled as he rolled onto his back, staring at the stars through the canopy. His heart still pounded with the echoes of her frenzy, the image of goblins shredded under her blades burned into his mind.
The fortress had been only the beginning.