As the fight began, the woman with the golden staff didn't waste a single second.
She ducked low—
FWSSH!
—and vanished, dashing forward with terrifying speed. In an instant, she was right in front of Yuki.
Before Yuki could even react—
CLANG!
The golden staff swung like lightning, smashing into the left side of Yuki's neck.
CRACK!!
The impact was brutal—Yuki's body was launched backward, crashing through trees as she flew deep into the forest.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Everything around them shattered from the sheer force of the blow—branches snapped, rocks split, and dust exploded into the air.
The golden staff woman stood where Yuki had just been, her posture calm, her grip steady. That attack had weight. Power. Precision.
Yuki was still in mid-air, her body momentarily frozen from the devastating blow to her neck.
She couldn't move—just for a second.
But in a fight like this, a second was all it took.
Just as she regained control—
FWSSH!
A blur appeared beside her. The twin-swords woman.
Yuki's eyes widened—but it was too late.
SLASH!
Both blades cut into her side, striking her already wounded stomach. Flesh tore, and fresh blood burst out, the wound ripping open wider.
"Ghh—!"
Yuki clenched her teeth—but she didn't scream.
She didn't slow down either.
Mid-air, she twisted her body and spun—
CRACK!
A vicious roundhouse kick slammed toward the swordswoman's face.
CLANG!
She barely managed to block with one of her blades, but the force of the kick still sent her flying several meters through the air, crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.
That gave Yuki just enough time to steady herself.
She hit the ground hard, knees bending as she tried to stand—
But—
BAM!!
A powerful punch landed square on her back.
"Kh—!!"
Her body jolted forward from the impact. The air was knocked from her lungs.
It was the man with the knuckle gauntlets.
His punch landed with terrifying force—
BOOOOM!!
Yuki's body was launched like a missile, crashing into the side of the mountain. The ground exploded from the impact—rocks shattered, dust burst into the sky, and the mountain shook.
CRRRKKK!
Yuki's body slammed into the mountain with brutal force—
BOOM!
The stone shattered as she crashed deep into the rocky surface, carving a hole into the side of the mountain. Dust and debris exploded outward, blanketing the area in gray mist.
Down below, the man with the knuckle gauntlets ducked low, muscles tightening.
Then—
FWSSH!!
He vanished in an instant, the sheer force of his movement leaving a crater behind. Trees bent from the wind pressure as he launched himself toward the mountain like a human missile, aiming straight for where Yuki had been crushed.
High above, his silhouette cut through the air—arms pulled back, ready to strike again.
But inside the crater—
Yuki moved.
Her body trembled slightly as she stood, blood dripping down her side. Her black hair was matted with dirt and sweat, eyes half-lidded in pain—but not fear.
She looked up and saw him descending.
Fast.
Without wasting another heartbeat, Yuki gripped her sword with both hands—her knuckles white from the pressure. She exhaled slowly… then closed her eyes.
Everything grew quiet.
The falling man.
The mountain.
Even the air itself seemed to freeze.
Then—
Her body turned.
In one fluid motion, she spun.
SHHHK—
A flash of silver light erupted from her blade, and in that single heartbeat—
Zan'ei Requiem.
The world split.
The knuckle man's eyes widened—but he had no time to scream.
SHLKT!
He was cut cleanly in two, his body silently separating mid-air. There was no blood spray. No chaos. Just… stillness.
The clouds above were sliced in half.
The mountain beneath them cracked down the middle.
The ground surrounding the mountain—trees, rock, earth, everything—was split in a perfect, silent circle spanning kilometers.
No explosion.
No wild destruction.
Only a flawless cut.
As if reality itself had been sliced.
The wind finally caught up.
FWOOOOSH!!
A wave of pressure spread outward from Yuki's position, tearing through the trees and shaking the sky, but the damage remained clean. Sharp. Controlled.
Yuki stood motionless at the center, sword lowered, her eyes slowly opening again.
The wind whispered through the cut world.
She exhaled.
And the silence returned.
Then Yuki spotted the twin swords woman sprinting up the mountain, her blades gleaming as she climbed with speed and precision.
Yuki gripped her sword tightly in her right hand. With a calm yet deliberate motion, she raised her arm—
And slammed the blade down into the mountain beneath her.
KRKKK!
The ground split with a deafening crack, veins of destruction racing outward as the mountain began to tremble violently. Rocks shifted, the terrain quaked—and the twin swords woman stumbled, her footing thrown off by the sudden collapse.
She lost control—just for a moment.
But that was all Yuki needed.
FWSSH!
In an instant, Yuki appeared right in front of her—silent, ruthless.
SHUNK!
Her sword flashed in a clean, deadly arc.
The twin swords woman's head flew into the air—eyes still wide in shock—before her body collapsed backward onto the crumbling slope.
Yuki didn't even blink. Her blade was already dripping red, her stance unshaken, her eyes still locked forward.
"Whoa… you really are as cold as your name," the golden staff woman said, stepping forward with calm confidence. She stopped a short distance in front of Yuki, her eyes locked onto her.
Yuki didn't blink. "What was that thing just now?" she asked, her voice sharp, unwavering.
"What thing?" the woman replied casually.
"You know what I'm talking about," Yuki said, her tone slicing like a blade. "Right before you attacked me… my body stopped moving for a few seconds. That must be your ability."
The golden staff woman smirked, tilting her head slightly. "Where's the fun if I tell you everything?"
"Is that so?" Yuki muttered coldly.
Then—her breath turned visible, like steam in winter air. Her wounds, still open moments ago, stopped bleeding as a soft layer of frost formed over them. Ice crawled gently across her skin, sealing the cuts. The air grew cold—unnaturally cold.
The temperature drop wasn't natural—it was sharp, almost controlled. Her body was manipulating moisture in the air, freezing it at will. Even the ground beneath her feet started to frost over, cracks forming in the rocky surface.
The golden staff woman's smile didn't fade. She gripped her staff with both hands, and a fine shimmer of golden dust began to gather around the weapon and her arms.
The particles moved unnaturally, swirling with purpose, as if alive.
They weren't just floating—they were binding, dancing around her like tiny autonomous needles waiting for a command. Nano-scale particles… gold manipulated at the atomic level. That's why it could bypass armor, even skin—disrupting from the inside out.
"Let's get this over with," Yuki said, her voice like a blade of ice.
[Chapter 15 end]