Chapter 93: Sword Battle

Alina walked down the narrow, shadowy corridor of the labyrinth, the echoes of her footsteps reverberating off the rune-covered walls. Her sword rested at her waist, a familiar, comforting weight, like an extension of her very being. She could feel the tension in the air, thick, each step slower and more cautious. The humidity of the place clung to her skin.

The mist around her seemed alive, almost malleable, wrapping around her ankles like cold tentacles, as if watching her with an ancient intelligence.

As he turned a corner to the right, the space expanded abruptly, revealing a circular arena of smooth, icy stone, with glowing runes around the edges that pulsed with a cold, blue light.

In the center, a spectral warrior, translucent but emanating an aura of concrete power, incredibly imposing, held a black longsword that sucked in the light around him.

"Defiant," the specter said in a deep, echoing voice, each syllable vibrating in the bone.