Kyle's whistle cut through the still air like a blade, sharp and commanding.
Almost imdiately, Queen responded, soaring into the sky and taking a wide arc over the valley.
Its feathers shimred in the sun, casting a brief shadow over Kyle as it circled above the direction of the incoming threat.
He didn't have to wait long.
From the disturbed dust and rhythmic tremors in the ground, it was clear the beasts were getting closer.
Kyle raised his hand, fingers flashing through a silent signal. It was lissa's cue.
She caught the motion from her vantage point near the edge of the village and gave a sharp nod before turning to move.
But before she could fully break away, a few worried villagers rushed toward her.
"Please, you don't have to go! It's not worth risking your life for us!"
One of the older won pleaded.
lissa offered them a calm, soft smile that sohow made her look even more determined.
"I'm not risking my life for you. I'm doing it because my young master ordered it. It's my duty as his knight. Besides—"
She said, her voice firm but kind. lissa raised her hand and gently patted the poml of her sword.
"—I'm stronger than I look."
Before any more protests could co her way, lissa was already sprinting after Kyle.
They t just beyond the far edge of the farmland, where the terrain turned harsh and cracked, almost desert-like. Kyle stood with his sword unsheathed, his eyes locked forward.
As lissa joined him, her breath caught for a mont—six beasts the size of wagons were thundering toward them, snarling and tearing up the earth in their wake.
"Monsters…?"
lissa muttered.
"No. Natural-born horrors."
Kyle replied, narrowing his eyes.
He took a single step forward and released a pulse of mana—sharp, calculated, and brimming with authority.
The creatures faltered mid-charge, their monstrous instincts warning them of the danger that stood ahead. Their pace slowed, claws digging into the ground, nostrils flaring in confusion.
That was enough.
Kyle's fingers flicked again, activating one of the techniques he had copied.
A set of translucent mana-filled mist shimred into existence around the beasts, making them confused and their senses dull.
The creatures howled, confused and angered, turning in circles as Kyle moved with deadly precision, striking from their blind spots.
But the beasts were built like fortresses.
Their thick fur and dense muscle made it hard for even Kyle to pierce through.
Each strike of his blade t resistance, and though he funneled his mana through the weapon, sothing felt off.
A subtle vibration ran through his sword, trembling violently with each blow.
'It's about to give out. This sword wasn't made for mana infusion… it's already past its limit.'
Kyle realized grimly.
He was right.
As he landed another strike, a sharp crack echoed through the air.
His sword's edge warped slightly, the hilt vibrating against his palm like a desperate warning. Kyle grit his teeth.
There was no ti to swap weapons or think of an alternative.
Not with beasts this size and this fast.
Then it happened.
One of the monsters, seeing a montary opening, barreled toward him at full speed.
Kyle reacted instantly, raising both arms as his mana surged outward in a desperate burst.
The beast collided with him, the impact sending him flying—but his mana, shaped into an ergency shield, softened the blow.
Instead of slamming into a boulder with bone-shattering force, he rolled with the impact, landing in a crouch several ters away, breath sharp but body mostly intact.
"Damn. That one almost got through."
Kyle muttered, touching his ribs. The pain throbbed but didn't overwhelm him.
lissa was by his side a mont later, sword drawn and eyes alert.
"Young Master, are you okay?"
She asked.
"I'll live. But my sword won't."
Kyle said, rising to his feet.
lissa's gaze shifted to the beasts still trapped within the barriers, now more enraged than ever.
"What now? Should we retreat to treat your wound?"
Kyle took a breath, adjusting his grip on the failing weapon.
"We end it quickly."
"Understood."
As Queen circled above, letting out a piercing screech, the air began to shift. Kyle's mana flared again—controlled, potent, and much denser this ti.
Despite the sword's protests, he funneled everything he had left into one last strike.
'Just hold together a little longer.'
He thought.
And then he charged.
Kyle felt the hairline crack along his sword's hilt snap as he held it.
Without hesitation, he let the weapon back into its original place. Its use was finished for now.
'If the sword can't handle it, I'll just do it the old-fashioned way.'
He thought.
He clenched his fist and allowed his mana to surge through his arm like fire racing through his veins.
Energy condensed and wrapped around his knuckles, forming a faint glowing shell that humd with power.
He moved like a blur—too fast for the monster in front of him to react.
With a roar and a well-tid leap, Kyle drove his fist into the soft, vulnerable spot just beneath the beast's shoulder.
There was a loud crack, followed by a guttural screech from the monster.
The impact lifted the colossal beast off the ground and sent it crashing to the dirt in a heap of limbs and fur.
It didn't get back up.
Kyle straightened, exhaling slowly as dust blew past his boots.
"One down."
His eyes flicked to the remaining five. He didn't wait for them to act.
"lissa, distract two of them. Don't worry about killing them for now."
He called, his tone calm but firm. lissa grinned at the challenge.
"Yes, Young Master! I'll show you what I'm capable of!"
With her sword gleaming and her mana surging, she dashed off in the opposite direction, catching the attention of two monsters. They charged after her, lured away just as planned.
Kyle shook his head slightly at her energy, but he didn't have ti to dwell on it.
Three beasts remained, and they now hesitated. The death of one of their kin and the overwhelming force Kyle radiated made them wary.
Good.
He stepped forward, mana rippling off him like waves.
The beasts scattered in response, trying to surround him with feints and sudden shifts.
Kyle's eyes narrowed. He watched, not the bodies—but the shadows and the shifting dust underfoot.
The mont one lunged at him from behind, he twisted and ducked low, letting the beast fly overhead before striking upward with a mana-charged palm.
The blow caught it square in the chest and sent it spiraling, legs flailing helplessly until it thudded against a boulder and lay still.
Another down.
'A few more to go and we will be done for. This is good practice at least. I should send more people on hunt once I begin training them.'
Without pausing, Kyle leapt into motion.
The third beast tried to catch him mid-step, but Kyle feinted left, rolled under its massive claws, and struck from below—right beneath the chin where the hide was thinner.
His mana struck like lightning.
The beast collapsed, twitching, and didn't rise again.
Kyle turned to target the fourth, only to realize too late—it wasn't heading for him anymore.
It had shifted its course mid-run, aiming directly for lissa.
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