The mont Jembook uncoiled his whip, the rhythm of the fight changed.
The sound of leather slicing through the air cracked like lightning, sharp and rciless.
Austaire braced herself, but even her sharp reflexes could not prevent fresh red lines from appearing across her arms and shoulders.
Each lash kissed her skin with pain, forcing her to retreat another step.
WhiPash!~Clang!
"Hahaha! Co on! Keep up, lady!"
Jembook’s laughter ricocheted wickedly off the stone walls, each crack of the whip lashing out like a serpent’s tongue- shattering whatever it kissed, be it iron bars, cold stone, or bare flesh.
Using the whip’s flexibility, Jembook pressed his advantage.
WHIPASH!
His strikes lashed out from unpredictable angles, forcing Austaire to block or deflect each blow at the very last second.
With every flick of his wrist, he alternated between long-range lashes and sudden stabs of his spear, a brutal combination that pushed her onto the defensive.
"You thought you could disrespect that easily? Now suffer!" His voice dripped with arrogance, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of dominance.
But Austaire’s expression remained calm. The cut across her cheek stung, the bruise on her forearm ached, but her eyes were steady and resolute.’As long as I minimize the damage and protect the bracelet, my cover won’t be blown.’
Every step she took backward was deliberate. Jembook thought he had cornered her, but she was guiding him, step by step, deeper into the dungeon’s bowels.
The walls around them grew narrower, the ceiling lower, until the clash of steel and crack of whip carried into the labyrinthine cells of the first floor.
The stench of rusted iron bars, mold, and human sweat filled the air. Torches burned dimly, casting shadows that danced across gaunt faces pressing against the bars.
The mont the prisoners noticed the battle, the silence of despair turned into a frenzy of noise. Shouts, curses, and laughter erupted all at once."Hey! Are you here to save us?""What an impressive knight! To stand against soone ten levels higher- it’s like a miracle!""Hahaha! Do a favor! Hand the keys and then kill each other already!"
"I think she’s with the other guy before!"
The wild bellow of voices filled the chamber, each one clawing for attention.
Jembook froze for a heartbeat. His gaze shifted, narrowing at the last prisoners’ words."So you’re not alone, huh."
Silence fell briefly between the fighters, broken only by Jembook’s chuckle. A wicked smirk curved his lips."Then I should call so backup too."
His hand darted to his pocket. The glimr of a crystal caught Austaire’s eye.
’A communication crystal?’ Her grip tightened.
"I can’t allow that."
In that instant, her restraint snapped.
A fiery aura burst from her fra, spilling out like wildfire. The air shimred with heat, and her eyes burned with killing intent.
WOOOSH
She charged, her figure cutting through the haze like a predator finally baring its fangs.
’What the?-’
Jembook’s instincts scread at him. He leapt backward, pouring mana into the crystal even as he sneered.’I doubt she can reach in ti- ’
But then he saw it. Her sword flared gold, flas racing along the blade like a living beast.
His heart lurched.’Wait... sword aura?! Only an awakened Swordmaster can do that!’
Austaire’s strike split the air. A crescent of golden energy tore free from her blade, screaming toward him.
Jembook whipped his weapon desperately, summoning an ice wall in front of him, layer upon layer of mana reinforcent. The whip cracked against the light, sparks bursting.
The ice glowed with frost.
But the golden slash carved through both as if they were parchnt.Shaash!~
"AAAAHHHkk!"
His scream rattled through the dungeon.
Blood sprayed, pattering against the stones.
His arm- the one clutching the crystal- was severed cleanly, dropping to the ground with a dull thud.
He stumbled, pale as parchnt, clutching his shoulder. "No! No! You- You bitch!" Rage and terror fought for control on his twisted face.
Austaire raised her sword, leveling the blade at his brow. Her voice was calm, cold, rciless."This is your last chance to leave."
His lips curled back in fury. "You’re just lucky I wasn’t prepared! Now you’d better die- "
Desperation fueled his mana. His remaining hand sparked with energy, summoning frost into a crude weapon. But Austaire was already gone from his sight.
In a blur of motion, she slipped behind him, her form ghostlike, her sword whispering through the air.
Slash!
Her voice followed, low and final."You should have listened while I was rciful."
Thud. Squirt.
Jembook’s head rolled across the stones, eyes still wide with disbelief.
His body collapsed monts later, blood fountaining in crimson arcs.
The prisoners roared with manic delight."That was a nice move, lady!""Good for that cocky bastard! Hahaha!""Hey beautiful! Want so company later? Just cut these bars first!""Don’t listen to that snake, lady. He’s a rapist and murderer!"
Austaire ignored them all. Her sword swung once in a practiced arc, flinging the blood from the blade in droplets that hissed when they struck the floor.
Her eyes were different from theirs.
While the prisoners reveled in violence, hers burned with turmoil. Her lips pressed tight, her brows drawn. She hated this.
And Ovan’s voice ca, echoing softly inside her mind.’I know you hate killing, princess. But you must get used to it. Rember, you will not be facing innocents. You will face monsters in human skin, n who enslave and butcher without remorse.’
Her grip on the hilt tightened. ’I know. It’s just that...’
’Rember who you fight for. You are bound to rule. rcy to the wicked is cruelty to the innocent. Even your father and brother- did they not order the slaughter of your household?’
Her throat constricted. She closed her eyes, letting his words burn into her soul."So this is what Auren carries inside him... I can’t falter now. If I do, I’ll only weigh him down."
She turned, resolve hardening, ready to follow him deeper into the abyss of the prison.
Then Ovan’s urgent cry shattered the mont."DUCK!"
Without hesitation, Austaire dropped low. A chilling whistle split the air, and an ice-forged sword streaked past where her head had been, embedding into the wall with a sharp crack.
The torches flickered. Frost spread across the stone.
’Don’t stop! Move!’ Ovan commanded.
She dashed forward, and instantly more blades of frozen death fell where she had stood, each impact bursting shards of blue crystal across the dungeon.
Shoosh! Shoosh!
At least three frozen swords whistled past her face, one grazing her cheek and leaving a line of frozen burn. Her lungs heaved.
Whoever this enemy was, his precision was monstrous.
’Where is it coming from?’ she demanded.
’The entrance. Tall man. Hooded. Probably using an artifact to mask his presence.’
Her eyes narrowed. She cast her senses wide, but the cloaking spell was perfect. No aura, no heat, not even footsteps.
Only Ovan’s warning saved her as another blade scread in from the left which she instinctively dodged.
’From the left...’
She pivoted and countered, unleashing a flaming arc. The golden slash collided with sothing unseen.
Poof!~
A voice followed.
"Interesting..."
It was calm, deep and amused.
From the darkness, a tall figure erged.
His hood fell back, revealing pale white hair, a face carved in cold perfection, and eyes of glacial blue. He stood around seven feet tall, his presence heavy and commanding.
The torchlight bent toward him, as if compelled.
Austaire’s gaze flicked up to the glowing letters above his head.
*
Na: MagnusLevel: 73Title: Frozen MonarchClass: Iceshroud Invoker
*
Her blood chilled.
The weight of his existence pressed down on her chest, every breath thick and icy. Even his gaze seed to pierce her, freezing her from the inside out.
"Interesting indeed." His lips curled into a slow, nacing smile."You not only survived my strikes despite your level... you resisted my ntal control as well. Tell , is it because of the mana shielding your true identity?"
The temperature dropped. Her breath turned white in the air.
Ovan shouted in her head again."Careful! Get out!"
[FREEZING THORN]
The ground split. Jagged spires of ice erupted upward in a storm of frost. Austaire darted away, but the ice chased her like living fangs.
Wherever she ran, frozen swords sprouted, slashing, stabbing, piercing. The prisoners scread in terror as the spikes impaled them through the bars."Aaagh!""Stop! Stop, you’re killing us!""This madman! Guards! Help!"
Blood and ice mingled across the floor, prisoners dying like insects under Magnus’s casual spellwork.
Her gaze shot to the lower passage- the only path forward, deeper where Auren had gone. But Magnus anticipated it. The doorway sealed shut with massive columns of frozen spikes, glittering like cruel glass teeth.
"Going sowhere?" Magnus spread his arms, his smile widening. The ice pulsed at his command.
Austaire’s sword hacked wildly at the barrier.
SLASH! SLASH!
But the ice regenerated faster, thicker, swallowing the doorway whole.
Her teeth ground together.’Damn it. If I want to escape, I have to defeat him.’
Magnus strolled closer, unhurried.
"Tell . How did you hide your identity? is it through an artifact? Or perhaps... from Gregorio?" His tone was smooth, mocking, curious all at once. Austaire on the other hand frowned. After all, she learned from the man himself that not many people knew about him and his unique class.
’He knows about Gregorio... Then this man...’
’Princess! Careful! That man is too powerful. Even with our ultimate form... unless- ’ Ovan’s voice trembled.
"Answer ," Magnus demanded. His hand lifted towards her while glowing as if preparing another ultimate skill.
Fifty blades of frozen steel shimred into existence, orbiting him in a deadly halo. Each one aid directly at her heart.
Making sure that there was no escape now.
Austaire’s back touched the frozen wall. Sweat beaded across her brow. Her heart thundered. She drew in a breath, steadied her soul.
"You want answers?" she spat. "Then over my dead body!"
Magnus’s smile widened. "Then so be it."
With a flick of his wrist, the fifty blades scread forward.
But at that instant, her body ignited.
A golden aura surged out, bright as the sun. Her sword blazed, her hair and eyes shone, and wings of fire unfurled from her back in a magnificent flare.
’This...’ even Magnus was shocked at her sudden transformation.
The storm of ice t her radiance and lted instantly, dripping into harmless water on the stone. And when Magnus blinked, his smirk faltered.
For Austaire was already before him. Her blade pressed to his neck, glowing with the wrath of the sun.
She had crossed the distance in a blinding flash.
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