Woosh!
The Deathbird lunged abruptly, its sharp talons grazing past Frieren's ear as it flew by. Its gaunt frame granted it superior speed, growing faster and faster as it circled through the air, constantly watching its target on the ground below. An aura of death pulsed around it, radiating an oppressive presence from above.
Meanwhile, the Bell Bearing Hunter struggled back to his feet.
Driven by instinct – seeking advantage and avoiding harm – both powerful beings understood they had to eliminate the formidable third party. Her mana signature alone warranted a combined assault.
They fixed their gazes on the silver-haired girl, one in front, one potentially from above, their killing intent palpable, cutting sharply through the cold night air.
"Should you retreat?"
Watching this unfold, Melina felt her heart pound, prompting the question. She feared the Tarnished might be too reckless and fall here. After all, the combination of a Bell Bearing Hunter and a Deathbird was no easy fight; facing multiple strong opponents introduced too many variables.
"That won't work. One of them can fly."
"You maintain such calm judgment. Isn't there any magic that could cover a retreat?"
"Unnecessary. I can handle them tonight. Especially the Deathbird – it carries a valuable talisman."
Frieren held her staff horizontally in one hand, while her left gripped a plain, unadorned straight sword. However, once augmented with a powerful Magic Weapon buff, its edge gleamed menacingly. Not a shield; her focus now was purely on offense.
This shift in stance was immediately reflected in her aura as waves of mana surged outwards. Her presence alone overwhelmed the combined pressure of the Bell Bearing Hunter and the Deathbird. It was the air of a warrior tempered through countless trials, unyielding, forged in iron and fire.
Even the most inept warrior could sense the danger.
But neither the Hunter nor the Deathbird would let their prey escape so easily. Besides, enmity was already established; the conflict wouldn't end until one side was utterly destroyed.
Homing Crystal Mass.
The silver-haired girl abruptly swung her staff, launching numerous blue crystal shards into the sky, straight towards the Deathbird. The agile monster naturally dodged with a light flap of its wings, only to find the crystals still locked onto its tail.
Damn it, those crystals are still chasing me!
It considered trying to endure the barrage, but the mana Frieren had infused into them was terrifying. It dared not imagine the consequences of being hit. Dodging wasn't working perfectly, and tanking the hits was out of the question. That left only one option: keep moving constantly to mitigate their offensive power.
The Deathbird shrieked as it circled overhead, while the mage on the ground relentlessly pursued it with magic.
"Die!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Bell Bearing Hunter lunged forward, his greatsword whistling through the air. But he heard a sharp Clang! The mage had actually blocked his surprise attack cleanly with a lightweight weapon. He refused to accept it. The searing pain from his wounds only fueled his ferocity.
"Since I'm wielding a greatsword, you should be the one dodging!"
The enraged warrior swung his blade repeatedly. Facing him, Frieren, using her non-dominant hand, simply parried each blow. Her stance and technique caused his strikes to glance off every time, filling the air with the continuous ringing of metal on metal.
He couldn't fathom how she was doing it. What was even more humiliating was that she maintained her magical pressure on the Deathbird simultaneously. The messenger of death, usually sowing destruction from above, was pinned down, unable to execute its fatal dive.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The silver-haired girl sometimes held her sword horizontally, sometimes vertically, sometimes tapping the greatsword precisely at its point of impact to deflect its trajectory. Her skill was exquisite, reaching the pinnacle of pure technique, creating an impenetrable defense.
Impressive, truly impressive. If this weren't a life-or-death struggle, he would be singing her praises endlessly.
The battle-hardened Bell Bearing Hunter gradually discerned the secret: she was using her weapon with finesse, striking the weak points of his own weapon with minimal force to achieve a perfect parry, leveraging technique over brute strength!
He knew he had to be cautious. This technique wasn't purely defensive. With each clash of weapons, his stance was likely accumulating imbalance; a critical opening could appear at any moment. Yet, whenever he tried to pause and recover his posture, she pressed her attack relentlessly, giving him no quarter.
"Hey, what is this technique? Where did it come from?"
"Deflection. It comes from Ashina."
Taking advantage of the brief exchange, Frieren slightly eased her offensive, reapplying the Magic Weapon buff to her sword. She had drawn out the exchange partly because she wanted to witness the fighting style of a skilled warrior from the Lands Between.
Her ready stance, blade held horizontally, appeared flawless in the Bell Bearing Hunter's eyes. The moment they engaged, he faced a barrage of airtight parries.
"I heard that beyond the Lands Between lies the Land of Reeds, which produced a great master swordsman known as the Old Man," Frieren remarked casually. "The world is truly full of strange connections."
"Honestly, I'd rather hear about formidable sorcerers."
"Look closely at this swordsmanship, this footwork! You're clearly a first-rate warrior!"
At this, the Bell Bearing Hunter felt his blood boil, a sense of resonance rising within him. Though the constant bleeding drained his warmth, he felt exhilarated. To face such a strong opponent in a duel to the death was its own form of satisfaction. He steeled his resolve.
Boom!
The sound of a magical explosion accompanied the Deathbird's screech. The monster that had been posturing menacingly moments ago was now plummeting from the sky. Believing it could evade the Homing Crystal Mass, it had dodged left and right, but it could never escape the wide net of firepower. It finally took a direct hit, its wing shattering.
"Grraaaaaawww—"
Agony overloaded its senses, causing the Deathbird to descend fully into its monstrous instincts. Crashing to the ground and carving out a large crater, it began clawing frantically, attacking everything around it – including, naturally, the Bell Bearing Hunter, whose back was turned to it, blocking its path to its primary target.
He was acutely aware of the terrifying presence behind him, but his body couldn't move. All he could muster was one final, desperate swing of his greatsword.
Predictably, it was parried. The repulsive force was so strong it threw him off balance, forcing him to kneel.
The next moment, Frieren's straight sword pierced his chest in a critical strike.
As she withdrew the blade, a fountain of blood erupted. The Bell Bearing Hunter, responsible for countless deaths, finally met his end. His last gaze held a trace of contentment – at least he hadn't died at the claws of a monster. A small mercy in his misfortune.
[Received Bone Peddler's Bell Bearing - unlocks shop items.]
There was no time to mourn the Bell Bearing Hunter's demise; the Deathbird was next.
"ROAR!"
Ignoring any assessment of the power difference, it charged recklessly forward, opening its skeletal maw to unleash waves of roaring energy imbued with the absolute essence of death.
Faced with a power of unknown properties, Frieren's first instinct was to evade while simultaneously layering several resistance-boosting protections onto herself – magical techniques from her own reality, capable of weakening almost anything except certain inescapable curses wielded by demons.
Her cautious actions were misinterpreted as fear. The already maddened Deathbird threw back its head and laughed, seemingly mocking its enemy's pathetic attempt to flee. Therefore, it should press its advantage.
"You've shown me your power. Not bad," Frieren stated calmly. "But I need to rest early tonight."
Immediately following her words, a flash of light sliced through one wing, and the creature's emaciated flesh instantly disintegrated. Another cut severed its talons, causing it to collapse, completely off balance.
The rapid succession of attacks stunned it. It couldn't comprehend how the tables had turned so quickly. It didn't know that Frieren had absolutely no patience for communicating with monsters. Humans could be reasoned with, perhaps, but hostile entities of other species were simply meant to be eliminated.
Crack!
A final flash of light illuminated the night sky, eradicating the Deathbird. From this night on, the skeletal bird would no longer haunt Limgrave.
____
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