The Butcher

The tense atmosphere was quickly interrupted by a trail of blood in the air. Suddenly, Izumi was below the Gray Orc and pointing her saber to the side, where she had just made a cut on the daemon's chest.

Raising the cleaver, the creature brought the blade down on Izumi, who sank considerably into the ground using the saber to block. Quickly disappearing and appearing above the Gray Orc's head, Izumi attempted to pierce its forehead… But the Orc's resistance was overwhelming.

It was like hitting a rock with a small kitchen knife.

'He increased his resistance…' Izumi pondered.

Jumping back, he reconsidered his possibilities.

His [Mizu Style] card was just a way to manifest his weak aura. Enhancing his body by squandering his mana outward, enchanting his weapon with durability and sharpness to have effective cuts, but nothing more. The potential for evolution was huge if he reached Rank B, but at his current level, he is just a support card.

That's why he treated it this way. Using the [Mizu Style] to enchant his fighting style: Rain Blade, would amplify the potential of the attacks.

'If I use this, I can increase my constitution and mana drastically.'

First, he would need to adapt to the malleability of the mana property he possesses: the water element. Transferring energy to certain parts of the body - such as the feet, to improve speed - while needing it in other parts, is a great weakness.

So he took a chance.

Enchanting his feet with mana to gain speed—a 15% buff—he ran around the butcher. Leaping beside the creature, Izumi fled behind a tree.

The Gray Orc lost his way, waiting for Izumi to emerge from behind the tree; however, he appeared from a branch above, surprising the daemon and leaving him with few options. Retreating from the saber, Izumi landed on his feet on the butcher's right forearm, which he used to defend himself.

Shifting her body weight to her leg, Izumi pressed her opponent.

Returning to the ground, he pinned the butcher's abdomen and retreated again, dodging diagonally from the heavy, sharp cleaver. Taking a step back, he dodged another cut.

And so he continued to do. As if he was abusing his instincts and mocking it, Izumi forced the daemon into a scenario where it wouldn't have many attack options. The excessive dodging was gradually shaping the mentality of Izumi's fighting spirit.

Immersion in combat. Yes, his concentration was almost so perfect that only the Gray Orc in front of him existed.

Leaving only her heel in contact with the dry leaves on the ground, Izumi spun around her body and, with her left leg, landed a spinning kick on the Orc's injured arm.

The creature let out a soft grunt of pain, gripping the cleaver tighter. Swaying its body, it unbalanced Izumi and made him lose contact with the ground. With the cleaver in its grasp, it fell like a crumbling tree.

The clash of metals sent sparks flying into the air.

Izumi defended with his saber, adopting a surprised and desperate expression. The Orc's strength sank him into the ground, leaving him pressed against the ground with no way to dodge.

The weight of the cleaver was almost absolute.

He enchanted his feet with mana again and found a gap to try to push the Orc by the abdomen, but only managed to sink further into the ground.

'Quick, Izumi!' he thought mentally, trying to focus on enchanting the saber.

However, even as he tried to enchant his weapon, he was easily swallowed up by the Orc's brute strength. His concentration was waning and preventing him from accomplishing anything crucial.

He would like to judge himself at that moment, but he would be accepting defeat by doing so. It would be impossible; after all, he would not be able to understand his mistake in that situation. If he wanted to, if he changed his mind at that moment, it would be the same as accepting defeat.

And, according to the teachings of Izami Kairen - Izumi's father - accepting defeat is a fate worse than death.

Dying is dying; no matter what comes after it, everyone can get over it after a while.

But, Izumi considered, for a second, asking the Archangels for help.

That would be losing. He would leave his teammates alone for the sake of a second chance…

He wouldn't get second chances in reality.

Furthermore, for someone like Izumi, making that decision would hammer away at his mind until his heart stopped beating.

Izumi was running out of space. The cold blade of the cleaver was almost touching her skin, while her elbows being crushed struggled to maintain contact and strength to hold on.

Enough defending… Was his conclusion.

Hastily, Izumi switched the main enchantment: by taking away the resistance for a second and applying the sharpening, he managed to break the Orc's posture.

Izumi's small saber bit into the cleaver's blade.

The daemon's attention was caught by that action. For a single moment, the Orc stopped attacking. The pressure and force applied against Izumi wavered. Then, quickly, Izumi completely altered the saber's enchantment and split the cleaver in two.

Enchanting her body to move quickly and dodge the creature, Izumi mixed the [Mizu Style] card with the Rain Blade style; having as main objective clean and precise cuts in vital points, but capable of causing unbearable pain to the daemons.

Walking calmly beside the Gray Orc, carrying a small drop of blood on her cheek, Izumi quickly decapitated her opponent.

[You leveled up!]

'What a pain…!'

Before the Orc Butcher's head could touch the ground, a bolt of lightning struck Izumi, who at least had the ability to deduce the action. But, out of instinct, she blocked it with her saber.

For a second, he could see what happened; the Orc Spearman, who was just watching before, decided to attack.

The spear port was locked onto the saber, with Izumi being questionably at a disadvantage. However, the disadvantage became absolute with a simple move from the Orc: with a more abrupt thrust, the spear split Izumi's saber in half.

Shards of the blade flew into the air.

Izumi's eyes widened in despair. Not only because her saber had been broken, but because she was defenseless against the spear.

Unable to move from the attack, Izumi felt her chest being pierced by the spear. Her chest was pressed by the vest, while the protection system created a way to dissipate the force of the blade.

With a decent but somewhat ineffective result, Izumi felt his feet being ripped off the ground. When he realized it, he realized he was being dragged through the forest. The wind whipped his hair hard.

Suddenly, he was thrown backwards into a tree.

He grabbed the spear shaft with both hands and tried to fight against the Orc's brute strength. However, when he tried, the spear was brutally swung against the ground.

Izumi was cornered again.

The Orc Spearman pulled his spear up and then thrust it straight at Izumi's face.

Before the tip of the blade hit his skin, he reacted quickly.

[Mizu Style]

Enchanting her hands with her mana, she held the blade in her palms. Applying minimal force, Izumi shattered the tip of the spear.

Using his legs, he caught the spear shaft with his knee and twisted to stand up. The wooden shaft snapped in two as the aspiring Sefira spun across the ground and sought space to stay upright.

Izumi slid on the ground carrying a part of the shaft. As he stood up, he easily closed his fist and broke the small part of the spear.

A blue mana took over his eyes.

'Not even with the Mizu Style… I won't be able to deal with this one easily.'

Izumi knew this thanks to the aura that the Gray Orc emanated: the greater the aura of mana that surrounds the individual, the more powerful he is. On the other hand, if someone is powerful, but the observer of the aura is even more powerful, that aura becomes smaller.

It's a matter of perspective.

At that moment, the Gray Orc's aura wasn't exactly overflowing beyond extraordinary limits, but it was greater than ordinary.

He took a step back.

A shot from Erik echoed through the forest again.

'I need to take care of these two Orcs before I head back… I can't waste any more time…'

Grabbing her left forearm, Izumi snapped her wrist and prepared herself.

The clash of auras crackled in the surroundings; the Orc's gray and common mana tried to intimidate Izumi, but… A huge stream ran with the current to crush a small stone.