Jaune's mind whispered the truth, forcing him to acknowledge the grim reality. "I've got no choice. I can't move forward without killing them." He muttered, the words escaping his lips through gritted teeth, laced with a hint of frustration.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips, a weary exhale laden with the weight of his predicament. Slowly, he pushed himself up from the unforgiving ground, his body protesting the effort. Like silent specters, the three imposing beowolves encircled him, their predatory instincts writ large in their movements, effectively sealing off any avenue of escape.
They were a relentless pack, an iron-clad barrier to his freedom.
As he gazed at his adversaries, a fire ignited within Jaune's narrowed eyes. He adjusted his grip on the sword, angling it towards the right side of his body, its tip grounded in the earth. There was a tenuous calmness in his stance, an illusion of serenity concealing the storm about to be unleashed.
Jaune's thoughts resonated with a silent incantation. "Still like water, deadly like a tsunami."
In the blink of an eye, his facade shattered, his dormant power erupting like a dormant volcano. Muscles, once deceptively relaxed, swelled with unleashed might. A surge of energy propelled him forward, his every step imprinting the ground with explosive force.
One of the beowolves, mistaking his movement for aggression, lunged forward, teeth bared and claws poised to strike.
But Jaune remained unfazed, his focus honed through past encounters. Swift as a gust of wind, he twisted his body into an aerodynamic form, propelling himself even faster than before.
His velocity intensified.
Caught off guard by Jaune's sudden burst of speed, the beowolf missed its mark, its claws slashing through empty air. In that fleeting moment of imbalance, Jaune's sword sliced through the air with lightning precision, executing two swift and deadly cuts.
"Cross Sectional Slash!"
The first cut cleaved through the beowolf's arm in a single, devastating arc, while the second slice struck true, cleaving the creature's midriff from rib to rib.
A testament to Jaune's strength.
The sheer force behind his attack rent the beowolf's body asunder, its remains falling to the ground in a thunderous crash, dissolving into ephemeral wisps of smoke.
A triumphant grin curved Jaune's lips as he readied himself for the next Grimm to come.
But his smile faltered as his eyes settled upon the state of his weapon.
Cracks marred the blade's surface, threatening to shatter it into irreparable fragments. Jaune knew he had only one more opportunity to employ the Cross-Sectional Slash before the sword succumbed to its damaged state.
In truth, Jaune possessed the strength to dispatch his foes effortlessly. Alas, his weapon lacked the power to cleave through their formidable bodies. It was nothing more than a training sword, and a swordsman without his weapon was akin to a warrior stripped bare.
Worry crept into Jaune's thoughts.
The nearest town lay a week's journey ahead, and if his weapon were to fail, especially in the face of further encounters with Grimm, he would be naught but a broken and mangled corpse.
A low growl snapped Jaune back to the present danger.
"I have to focus. Concern about my weapon can wait until I kill these guys," he whispered to himself, his gaze keenly surveying the surroundings.
Regrettably, he found himself trapped within a small clearing, ensnared by the forest's pernicious grasp.
The beowolves, agile creatures far swifter than he, made retreat an ill-advised choice. His only option was to confront them head-on.
"Dammit. Fine," Jaune grumbled, his resolve hardening as he readied his cracked sword once more, waiting for the adversaries to take the initiative.
The two Grimm, weary of his presence, decided to launch a coordinated attack. They charged forward, claws extended to rend his flesh. With deft agility, Jaune evaded the first set of slashing claws, swiftly kicking his foot into the leg of the first beowolf, causing it to stumble past him.
Seizing the momentum, he executed a nimble forward roll, evading the second Grimm's assault. Harnessing the energy of his roll, Jaune twisted his torso, effortlessly facing the second beowolf. For a brief instant, his body seemed to surrender its tension, adopting a tranquil fluidity.
"Still like water, deadly like a tsunami," Jaune whispered his internal mantra.
Then, in an instant, the tranquility transformed into tempestuous power. His muscles surged, swelling with raw strength as if an electric storm raged within. Without a conscious thought, he exploded forward, his sword cutting through the air with blinding speed, executing two lightning-precise slashes.
"Cross Sectional Slash!"
The blade sliced through the beowolf, a symphony of steel rending flesh. The first cut cleaved through the creature's arm, severing it in a single seamless motion, while the second strike cleaved through its midsection, parting fur and sinew with uncanny precision.
A thunderous boom echoed through the clearing as the beowolf's shattered form crashed to the ground, dissipating into ethereal particles. Jaune's triumph soured as he inspected the shattered state of his weapon, reduced to a fractured hilt and jagged remnants. It now teetered on the brink of complete destruction, a mere shadow of its former self.
Cursing under his breath, he glanced at the broken sword, a sense of vulnerability creeping into his thoughts. It had become little more than a laughable stump, incapable of providing the means to safeguard his life. A menacing growl emanated from the remaining beowolf, sensing the opportunity to strike while Jaune was disarmed.
With heightened awareness, it lunged towards him, its predatory instincts urging it forward. Realizing the folly of engaging the beowolf with his fractured weapon, Jaune instinctively leapt backward, desperately trying to create distance between himself and the ferocious Grimm. His mind raced, seeking a new strategy to dispatch the creature before it could claim his life.
Caught in the grip of escalating negative emotions, the beowolf seized the opening and charged at Jaune, its momentum unyielding. Aware that his weapon was now an impotent relic, Jaune could only watch helplessly as the beowolf lunged, its jaws aimed at his vulnerable arm!