The forest was eerily quiet, except for the crackling sound erupted from leaves underfoot and the distant rustle of branches swaying in the breeze.
Ryan’s eyes widened as he watched Freya taking down the beast quite gracefully and elegantly effortlessly.
"Woaaah!She looks just wow."
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As he spoke, he looked back at boy sitting lesiruly seeing which, his anger flared up.
’Fuck!If not for this bastard, I might be one who get Miss Freya attention but this fucker was using reverse psychology using argument to draw her attention.’
In the midst of this, a swishing sound echoed drawing his attention.
Ryan tightened his grip on the massive hammerhead resting on his shoulder. His eyes darted around, scanning for movement. Then it came fast, sleek, and with fiery eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light. The flame panther.
It moved like liquid fire, darting from shadow to shadow before lunging at Ryan. He swung his hammer with all his strength, the weapon whistling through the air and slamming into the ground where the panther had been a moment earlier.
"Damn it! Hold still!" Ryan growled, sweat dripping down his forehead.
The panther circled him, its low growl sending shivers down his spine. With a sudden pounce, it lashed out with razor-sharp claws.
Ryan barely blocked with the handle of his hammer, the force knocking him back. His arms trembled from the impact, but he swung again, this time managing to graze the panther’s side. The beast hissed, more annoyed than hurt, and retaliated with a slash that caught Ryan’s side.
"Agh!" Ryan stumbled back, clutching his bleeding ribs. The pain was searing, and he could feel his strength waning. He tried to keep his footing, but his knees buckled, and he fell to the forest floor. The panther crouched, with its eyes locked on him as it prepared to strike.
Ryan’s breaths came in ragged gasps. His body felt frozen, paralyzed by fear as the panther leapt. Its claws were inches away, and all he could manage was a desperate, "HELP!"
Out of nowhere, a shadow darted behind the panther. A flash of steel caught the dim light as Talia, silent and precise, drove her dagger into the beast’s flank. The panther let out a guttural scream, backing off as blood dripped from its wound. Talia didn’t say a word, her piercing gaze focused on the panther as it retreated into the shadows.
Ryan scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt off his pants and clutching his hammer like it was the only thing keeping him upright. He avoided looking at Talia and instead grumbled, "I didn’t need your help."
"I was just feinting."
Talia froze and her expression hardened. She turned to him, eyes narrowing slightly, as if to say, Are you serious right now?
But Ryan didn’t notice. His attention had already shifted. His face lit up as he spotted Freya in the distance, her sword gleaming as she cut through a small group of lesser beasts.
"Miss Freya! That was amazing!" he called out, waving as if he hadn’t just been inches from death but Freya didn’t even looked at him rather she turned towards Lukas.
Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before changing.
Ryan’s fists clenched as he spotted Lukas sitting cross-legged under a tree, his eyes closed in serene meditation. The faint glow of sunlight highlighted Lukas’s sharp features, making him look effortlessly handsome. Ryan scowled, his chest tightening with frustration.
’Why does he have to do things like that?’ Ryan thought bitterly.
’Freya barely notices me, and it’s all because of him.’
The ugly idea crept into his mind before he could stop it. If only I could get rid of him... But the thought faded as quickly as it came. He knew he couldn’t harm Lukas, not with his skill.
Suddenly, movement caught his eye a flame bob cat prowling silently toward him.
Ryan’s eyes glinted as he came up with a plan.
Ryan was struggling with the bobcat, its sharp claws tearing into his arm. He gritted his teeth, trying to shake it off, but his attention was divided. As the bobcat snarled, his eyes flicked to Lukas, who was sitting calmly nearby, meditating.
An ugly thought twisted inside Ryan’s mind. It’s because of him that Freya doesn’t even look at me. If he weren’t here... His frustration boiled over. He couldn’t harm Lukas directly but he could push the bobcat toward him.
With a grunt, Ryan shoved the bobcat, sending it tumbling toward Lukas. The creature, disoriented for a moment, regained its balance and charged at Lukas, its claws ready to strike.
Lukas, still unfazed, calmly rose to his feet, drawing his blade and then without much difficulty he finished off the beast.
"Fuck!"He cursed seeing him managed to reach on time.
"Huh!"
His loud words drew Talia attention seeing which Ryan pretended,"I mean Fuck!That was cool Miss Freya."
Talia exhaled sharply, her lips pressing into a thin line. She slipped her dagger back into its sheath and turned away, disappearing into the forest shadows without another word.
Talia’s eyes fixed on Freya, who stood alone in the middle of the clearing.
Soon,a pack of flame-sabered tigers surrounded her, their molten claws glinting in the faint light as they growled and roared. Freya didn’t move at first, her icy expression unchanging as if she didn’t consider them a threat. Then one of the tigers lunged.
In an instant, her sword flashed. The tiger’s roar turned into a dying scream as it fell, cut cleanly in mid-air. Freya stepped forward, calm and steady, even as the other beasts snarled and charged at her.
The next tiger leaped, swiping its fiery claws, but Freya swung her sword, cutting it down with one precise strike. Another tried to flank her, but she raised her hand, summoning a powerful gust of wind. The air shot forward like an invisible hammer, slamming into the tiger and throwing it against a tree with a loud crash.
Suddenly, a flame panther stepped out from the shadows, letting out a deep growl. Its molten eyes burned with rage as it unleashed a massive fireball toward her. Freya barely flinched. She raised her hand again, and a wall of wind spiraled up in front of her, absorbing the fireball completely. The panther growled louder, angry its attack had failed.
"Is that all you’ve got?" Freya said, her tone cold and unimpressed.
The panther roared and charged at her, swiping with its fiery claws. Freya spun to the side, the wind swirling around her legs to boost her movement, making her faster than the beast. She swung her sword in a wide arc, and the blade, coated in a sharp gust of air, slashed through the panther’s tough hide.
Another tiger tried to attack from behind, but Freya unleashed a tornado-like wind blast from her palm. The swirling force caught the tiger mid-leap and threw it into another beast, both of them tumbling to the ground with loud snarls.
The tiger didn’t give up. It shot another fireblast, but Freya countered with a concentrated wind beam, cutting through the flames and striking the beast directly. It roared in pain, its molten fur scorched by her attack.
The remaining tigers roared and pounced together, trying to overwhelm her. Freya leaped into the air, the wind lifting her effortlessly. From above, she extended her arm, summoning a wave of cutting winds that rained down on the beasts. Their roars turned to screams as the wind blades tore through them.
When Freya landed, all the beasts lay on the ground, defeated. The tigers let out one final growl, weak and defiant before Freya ended it with a single thrust of her sword.
The wind around her settled, silent now, matching her unshaken demeanor.
She stood still for a moment, wiping the blood off her blade.Her face was calm and emotionless, as if the brutal fight had been nothing more than a routine chore.
The wind around her settled, fading into an eerie silence that matched her composed demeanor. She flicked her hair back with an air of arrogance, her lips curling into a faint, annoying smirk that seemed to say, Look at the difference between them and me.
But just as she basked in her victory, her smirk froze. Her eyes widened as she caught movement ahead of a figure with cold emotionless eyes abruptly stepping forward that made her speak instinctively.
"Hey, commoner what d.."She didn’t even finish the sentence when he moved and the figure’s blade flashed in his hand before being hurled at her with precise force.
"What the—?!" Freya blurted out in shock as the sudden movement of the purple-haired boy cut through her composure. She instinctively moved aside, her heart racing as the blade spun through the air. But her confusion turned to alarm as she caught sight of movement in the bushes behind her.
SWOOSH!
A panther leaped out of the shadows, and seeing the spinning blade coming at him slashed it.
CLANG!
The blade was deflected and bounced off towards the back.
Its fiery eyes burned with feral rage as it landed, claws scraping against the ground. It snarled, preparing to attack.
But before it could move, the purple hair figure suddenly appeared silently and swift, as if stepping out of thin air. In one fluid motion, the blade that was shot back was caught by his hand and he swung it down with a sharp strike.
The panther growled and lunged, its claws aiming for the figure’s throat. The moment seemed to stretch and the world slowed down.
The blade cut through the panther’s fiery figure in a single decisive strike and the beast’s growl broke into a choked scream before it fell motionless to the ground.
Blood erupted and a head flew in the air.
Freya stood, frozen in place, as her arrogance replaced with disbelief. The wind stirred faintly around her, as if echoing her unease. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, the cold, ruthless efficiency of the scene leaving her stunned as a voice screamed in her mind.
’What happened just now?’