Duel in the dark

The wind howled through the trees as Ash stepped into the forest of Black Hollow Ridge. Shadows danced under the pale moonlight, and every crunch beneath his boots was muffled by layers of wet leaves. He was here for a Tier 4 Blood Wolf, a cunning and ferocious beast known to hunt best under moonlight.

But something felt… off.

> "Shen Mu, do you feel that?"

> "Yes. You're not alone."

The whisper of a warning tightened Ash's grip on his blade. His senses stretched outward—he felt something. Not a beast. A presence. A human. Or something close.

The trees grew dense. The stars above seemed to dim. The forest was pitch black.

Then—

> Clang!

A cold gust of steel flew from the darkness, and Ash barely raised his blade in time to block. Sparks lit the night for a brief moment before darkness swallowed them again.

> "Who—!" Ash started, but his voice was cut off by the hiss of another blade aiming for his side.

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Instinct Over Sight

There were no names exchanged, no questions answered. Only metal.

Steel rang against steel in a symphony of instinct. Every blow was fast, each step perfectly timed. It was not a battle of sight—but of feeling. Of breathing. Of reading movement in the air.

Ash's heart pounded.

His blade moved not because he saw—but because he knew.

And so did his opponent.

> Who is this? Not the Blood Wolf… this is no beast.

This is a warrior.

The figure in the dark was fast. Controlled. Calculated. They moved like a shadow with the rage of a storm. Every strike forced Ash to dig deeper—into his body, his training, his spirit. This wasn't about survival anymore.

This was pride.

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Clash of Equals

Hour after hour passed. Their feet left deep cuts in the ground, the trees bore gashes, the earth was scarred. Neither gained the upper hand. Both refused to fall.

Ash summoned Mrit's strength, his muscles bulging with layered force. His blade began to glow faintly under the spiritual energy he poured in. And yet, his opponent matched it stroke for stroke.

Blades crashed mid-air again and again.

Grunts. Heavy breathing. Blood dripped into soil.

Time blurred.

> How long have we been fighting?

Only when the blackness of night slowly bled into dawn did Ash realize how long the duel had lasted.

And in the moment before the sun's first ray touched the sky—

—both warriors struck one final blow.

> Clang—thunk!

Both stumbled back, bleeding from shoulder and side. The figure in the dark faltered… then slowly stepped back into the shadows.

> "You're strong," the figure said—voice low, ragged, and unfamiliar.

"We'll meet again."

And with that, they vanished.

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Alone Again

Ash remained standing. Barely.

Sweat poured from his brow, blood from his wounds. But he hadn't retreated. He hadn't fallen. He had endured. That mattered more than victory.

> "That wasn't the Blood Wolf…"

He gritted his teeth, looking toward the deeper part of the forest. He still had a mission.

But now he had something else too—

A rival. An unknown warrior whose power mirrored his own.

And Ash knew… this was not the last time their blades would meet.

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