Chapter 8: Gale Arc Slash

With Commander Tiger Might's order, the battle officially began. Hei Nu brandished his axe and charged at the blue-clad girl with an intimidating presence. However, she remained calm, raising the massive greatsword high above her head with both hands. I doubted whether she could even swing such a heavy weapon, but before I could dwell on it, Hei Nu had already closed the distance to within three or four steps.

At that moment, the blue-clad girl suddenly kicked the sword tip, sending a spray of dirt flying straight at Hei Nu's face. Simultaneously, she used the momentum of her body's rotation to swing the greatsword in a low arc along the ground. At first, the sword moved slowly, seemingly with great effort.

Just as the greatsword was about to complete its first revolution, Hei Nu reached her and swung his axe horizontally. The strike appeared powerful, but the girl's sword happened to spin into place at the perfect moment, blocking the axe handle precisely. This maneuver was executed flawlessly—not only was the timing impeccable, but she had also chosen to parry the axe handle rather than the blade itself. Given the disparity in strength between them, if the axe head had struck directly, she might not have been able to withstand it. The greatsword caught the axe, and she swiftly slipped to the opposite side of the weapon.

Hei Nu grew even more furious, while the blue-clad girl continued to rotate, guiding the greatsword's movement. Unlike before, she no longer remained stationary; instead, she began moving in all directions. Strangely, what appeared to be random footwork allowed her to evade Hei Nu's axe at critical moments. Aside from the initial strike that was blocked, all of Hei Nu's subsequent attacks missed entirely. At the start of the battle, the orcs watching from the sidelines had been cheering enthusiastically. Now, they had fallen completely silent, focusing intently on the duel before them.

The greatsword's spinning speed increased, lifting off the ground and producing a sharp "whoosh" as it cut through the air. I couldn't help but wonder—was this the legendary 'Sword Qi'?

Suddenly, the greatsword traced a fierce arc through the air, slashing directly toward Hei Nu. In response, Hei Nu swung his axe to meet the strike head-on.

"Clang!" A deafening impact echoed as the sheer force of the greatsword sent Hei Nu's axe recoiling. The crowd erupted in astonishment. Before Hei Nu could recover, the second slash was already upon him. This time, he dared not block it directly and quickly stepped back. But at that very moment, the greatsword abruptly halted, its tip plunging into the ground. The immense force behind it came to an abrupt stop, propelling the blue-clad girl forward like an arrow released from its bow.

"Bam!" She shot forward, delivering a vicious double-kick to Hei Nu's abdomen. Despite his towering physique, Hei Nu was forced back a step by the impact. Before I could even process what had happened, the girl had already landed gracefully. She crouched slightly to absorb the impact, her hands never loosening their grip on the greatsword. Using the momentum, she suddenly lifted the weapon and swung it down toward Hei Nu.

The spectators gasped in shock—she had actually lifted the greatsword!

"Gale Arc Slash!" she shouted.

Hei Nu, still reeling from the previous attack, barely had time to react before the sword came crashing down. Panicking, he raised his axe horizontally to block it.

"Aaah!" A scream tore through the air. The greatsword cleaved through the axe handle, and Hei Nu's arm was severed along with it. He had ultimately failed to withstand the force of the strike.

I was completely stunned. This was the most breathtaking battle I had ever witnessed. I stood frozen until Zhang Yi punched me in the back four or five times, shouting excitedly, "We won!"

A wave of cheers erupted from the orc crowd. Despite Hei Nu's defeat, they bore no resentment toward us. Instead, they roared in admiration and respect for the blue-clad girl's incredible performance. Perhaps, to them, honor was about strength and fair combat.

Commander Tiger Might remained expressionless, showing neither joy nor sorrow. He merely gave a simple order for a few orcs to carry Hei Nu away for treatment.

The blue-clad girl glanced down at the severed hand and spoke coldly, "Consider this payment for Er Bai." With that, she crouched and retrieved two objects from the severed hand before walking toward us.

She first glanced at the ebony sword hanging from Zhang Yi's waist, then handed him a green bracelet. "Judging by your stance and movements, you haven't even mastered basic swordsmanship yet. This will suit you."

"What is it?" Zhang Yi asked curiously.

"Iron Bracelet. Thanks for finding my shoe."

Zhang Yi beamed as he took the bracelet. "Oh, no problem, no problem. Happy to help." The girl gave him a strange look, as if he were some kind of lunatic, before turning to Lu Xi. "Among you three, you seem to be the best at swordplay. This is for you." She handed him an ancient bronze ring.

"What does it do?" Lu Xi, as direct as ever, forgot to even say thank you.

"Try it on."

"But… it's so big. How am I supposed to wear it?" Lu Xi hesitated. After all, it had been taken from an orc's hand, and our fingers were clearly much smaller.

"Just put it on," the girl urged impatiently.

Lu Xi stopped hesitating and slid the ring onto his middle finger. To our amazement, the ring shrank to fit him perfectly. The moment it did, his whole body shuddered slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

"I… feel like I just got a little stronger," Lu Xi muttered, scratching his head.

"Seriously? That's incredible!" I was astonished.

"You guys have never seen enchanted equipment before?" The blue-clad girl looked at us in disbelief. "You've never worn magic gear?"

"No," the three of us answered in unison.

"Then hurry up and test out your bracelet," I urged Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi put on the bracelet and closed his eyes to sense its effects. After a long pause, he finally opened his eyes and, with a miserable expression, said, "I feel nothing."

"How is that possible?" He turned to the blue-clad girl for an explanation.

"This thing activates when you attack. It helps improve your accuracy," she replied, amused. "You're so dense."

"Oh, I see! Thanks, thanks!" Zhang Yi's face lit up as he grinned like a fool. This was far from the first time he had acted this way in front of the blue-clad girl.

I couldn't help but wonder—both of them had received something. Would she give me something too? But she had only taken two items from Hei Nu's hand, and the only thing left in her possession was the greatsword. That thing was far too heavy for me to wield.

As I was lost in thought, the blue-clad girl turned to Commander Tiger Might and asked, "We can leave now, right?"

Tiger Might nodded. "Chi Nu, take the sword back."

I… had really overthought it. Sigh.

"Let's go." Returning the greatsword to Chi Nu, the blue-clad girl beckoned us to follow.

Under her lead, we reclaimed our belongings and bid farewell to Commander Tiger Might before swiftly departing from the orc territory. It seemed like Tiger Might wanted to say something to the blue-clad girl but ultimately held back.

On the way, Zhang Yi bombarded her with questions. In truth, I was just as curious. Who exactly was this enigmatic girl? Why had the orcs captured her? How did she become so skilled in swordsmanship, understand the orcish language, and even recognize magical equipment? As Zhang Yi persisted, we gradually uncovered pieces of her story.