Golden Darkness, one-sword style...

Aeris was the first one to witness Shizuna's new ability. The ability to change her main weapon. Her bow didn't just change into a sword, it also generated a sheath to anchor the sword in. It seems that Shizuna doesn't have to change it to a bow.

The change remains if she willed it mentally.

"Shizuna…" Aeris murmured to himself, fascinated by the length and the shape of her new sword. A golden darkness Nodachi. A variation of Katanas, forged to be held by two hands. Heavy as stones, hard as steel, and sharp as obsidian.

"A Nodachi… Hehe, I didn't think the first Katana I saw in my life would be in my hands now." Shizuna laughed as she extended her Nodachi forward. The sword was 1m in length, a slight curve on the blade made it sharper and deadlier.

At the same moment, Nyro barely had time to finish off the Hollowbane before it could adapt to his invisible assault.

Shizuna watched from afar, waiting for the right moment to barge in and deal such a surprise devastating slash.

Nyro took a glance at her position and noticed she was wielding a sword instead of a bow. A change of plans came to his mind, his assassin mentality taking place as he focused on disturbing the Hollowbane rather than actually killing it.

He knew Shizuna would be unstoppable with a sword, let aside being one of the most deadliest swords.

Just as that, Nyro began running with full speed around the Hollowbane, making some noises around it randomly without any rhythm.

Unfortunately, the Hollowbane took the chance and found Nyro. It was the signal it was waiting for.

The Hollowbane caught Nyro, gripping his neck with sheer force. Nyro couldn't breath and the Hollowbane increased its force with each second.

"Hehe..." Nyro laughed? Yes, he laughed, though his voice was so low. A smile, close to a grin, arched on his face.

"Good... Bye... Rabbit!" Nyro barely said as his grin was growing more menacingly on his face.

"Kinkuro, Ittoryuo... Ougon no Uro!" ("Golden Darkness, one-sword style... Golden Hollow!")

A second later, Nyro fell to the ground, coughing so hard as he was close to being choked till death.

Shizuna stood behind him, her Nodachi nearly-fully anchored in her sheath. With a click that resembled the sword's full anchor, a sudden slash resonated in the area.

A chunk of white fur and flesh dropped to the ground, soaked in azure blood.

The Hollowbane staggered backward as it has just lost its arm, the arm that it held Nyro with. The creature writhed in pain and dropped on his knee, with one hand remaining to support his weight.

"Owari da..." ("It's the end...") Shizuna said nonchalantly. This time from behind the Hollowbane, unsheathing her sword like the last time.

Another slash resonated, separating the Hollowbane's head from its entire body.

"Hehe, my speed increased so much! Only level 5 and with this much increase in power?!" Shizuna wondered, fascinated by her increased strength and agility.

The last slash of her Nodachi finished off the Hollowbane in sight. They have to go and join Ash in his assault before it was too late for him.

Or so she thought.

"SHIZUNA!! BEHIND YOU!!" Aeris's scream resounded in the whole area, warning Shizuna of something behind her.

'What! Was the Hollowbane not dead ye--' Shizuna's thoughts cut off as she rotated and saw a claw right before her eyes, endangering her sight and her life generally.

The Hollowbane adapted so quickly to her slashes, blocking the last slash with a bit of difficulty. Still, the Hollowbane could deflect the attack and barge toward her from a blind spot.

"Too obvious, Rabbit!" Nyro emerged from behind the Hollowbane, wielding his daggers from the opposite side of his knuckles, and stabbed the Rabbit in the head by his blades.

The Stab was fatal, his blades penetrated the other side of the Rabbit's head from the two sides simultaneously.

The corpse of the Hollowbane laid lifelessly on the ground as Nyro pulled his daggers out.

Aeris from afar sighed and calmed down as none of them was injured after a fight against a Lv.12 Hollowbane.

Shizuna held her weapon in her sheath with her left hand and raised her head in the sky while closing her eyes. A moment of true victory. Not because she was able to help in killing the Rabbit, but because she was finally back to her true self.

As soon as Nyro unsheathed his daggers, Aeris from afar sensed something wrong in the atmosphere. A signal of devastating danger roaming around the area.

Aeris's ability was already activated, he heightened his senses further and was left shocked.

A group of Hollowbanes stood in a circle, surrounding the four travelers who stood inside.

'Damn it! My scream was so loud!' Aeris cursed as he was the reason for that ambush. Still, what he did was right. Other wise, Shizuna would be dead. Well, not actually, Nyro foresaw what the Hollowbane would do so it didn't matter.

Nyro didn't even got the chance to let go of his daggers after he sheathed them, he was forced to pull them out again and ready himself for the massacre. The traveler's massacre.

Shizuna unsheathed her Nodachi with the efficiency of someone who spent countless hours training.

Aeris had just finished healing the girl they came to rescue and summoned his... sword? Did Aeris had another sword? Apparently, Aeris was the only one of them who hid his true weapon the system gave for him.

Yet, with that short time, there was no time to administrate the beauty of his sword.

The trio stood with their weapons high, ready for any Hollowbane to go on its hollow shift attacks.

Suddenly, the Hollowbanes turned their heads to one specific direction. The trio also followed their gazes in bewilderment. Even the girl they had saved looked at the same spot.

It was at this moment that Aeris realized two silhouettes coming closer from that direction. One fallen and one Risen. Aeris's eyes widened and felt an immense pressure only he could feel.

It was a pressure that speaks of pure evil. A power that makes anyone writhe in fear. The Hollowbanes felt it too, a shiver ran through their spines in union.

'V-Vile... Warren?!' A pressure so immense that the air became heavy around them all. The first one who came to Aeris's mind was none other than the strongest Hollowbane.

'But... Still, it's not right! That pressure seems a bit different from the Vilewarren.' Aeris squeezed his brain, trying find any clue to the wrongness in that devastating evil pressure.

'There is something missing... Something more ominous than just murder and killing.' Aeris found the tip of the string of the unknown aura behind the risen.

A simple memory flashed in his mind, recalling something vital that explained the wrongness in that ominous pressure.

Aeris widened even more, his hands was shaking none stop, and his legs trembled. Not from fear, but from underestimation of a specific person.

As if to confirm his explanation, the fallen was thrown toward their area. Shizuna and Nyro dashed backward and stopped near Aeris. They were shocked when they saw his state.

The fallen crashed on the ground and kept rolling randomly.

It turned out to be a Hollowbane, devoured from within, several chunks of its flesh was missing and many many injuries were found on its corpse.

The risen, who threw the fallen Hollowbane emerged from the darkness with all of his glory. Another dead corpse of Hollowbane was laid dead in his other hand.

Aeris trembled and fell backward. His explanation turned out to be totally right.

The missing piece in the wrongness of the pressure was... torture! Something that Aeris only saw by one person.

The risen threw the other Corpse and landed where its brother laid dead on the ground. A smile so evil and cunning crossed his whole face before erupting into laughter.

The risen turned out to be their fellow traveler, Ash Verlane, who soloed... two entire Hollowbanes! All by himself!