The battlefield had changed completely.
Only moments ago, the High Plains had been filled with shouting players, clashing weapons, and the chaos of battle. Now, an unnatural silence hung over the scorched landscape.
Magumo remained crouched where Rio's kick had sent him crashing into the dirt. He didn't rise immediately.
For the first time since the confrontation began, hesitation had appeared on his face.
His hand pressed against the ground as he slowly steadied himself. The dagger embedded in his shoulder throbbed painfully with every movement, and a thin stream of blood ran down the side of his face from the earlier strike.
He spat to the side before letting out a quiet laugh.
"So that's how it is."
Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Rio.
She stood several meters away, completely motionless.
Her white hair drifted gently in the night wind.
Her expression hadn't changed.
The slaughter that had just unfolded around her seemed to mean nothing at all.
Magumo's grin returned.
But this time, it wasn't the arrogant grin of a man who believed himself superior.
There was tension behind it.
Caution.
Perhaps even uncertainty.
"All units."
His voice cut through the silence.
The remaining members of Burning Pride immediately reacted.
"Formation."
The surviving players moved without hesitation.
Fourteen elite guild members spread across the battlefield with practiced coordination.
Each of them reached into their inventory and pulled out the same weapon.
Imperial Rifles.
The metallic clicks of loading mechanisms echoed through the night as they prepared their weapons.
Fayzan's eyes widened.
"Guns...?"
The players continued moving until they had completely surrounded Rio.
Every angle was covered.
Every possible escape route was blocked.
A perfect firing circle.
Rio stood alone in the center.
Magumo slowly exhaled.
"Let's see you dodge this."
He raised his hand.
Then brought it down.
"Fire."
The Bullet Storm
The moment the command was given, the battlefield exploded.
Gunfire erupted from every direction.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Fourteen rifles fired almost simultaneously.
Bullets tore through the air toward Rio.
There was no gap.
No safe angle.
No opening.
Even Fayzan instinctively took a step forward.
"RIO! WATCH OUT!"
But Rio never moved.
She didn't retreat.
She didn't dodge.
She didn't even shift her stance.
Instead, she calmly raised her Imperial Saber.
The first bullet reached her.
Clink.
The sound was small.
Almost delicate.
The bullet ricocheted away.
A second bullet arrived.
Clink.
Then a third.
And a fourth.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The rhythm began to build.
The riflemen continued firing.
A barrage of bullets flooded toward her from every direction.
Yet Rio's blade moved with impossible precision.
Each strike intercepted a bullet at exactly the right angle.
Each movement was clean.
Efficient.
Perfect.
Fayzan watched in stunned disbelief.
"She's... blocking them?"
Not avoiding them.
Not running.
Not relying on skills.
She was standing still and cutting down every bullet before it could reach her.
The sight felt impossible.
Even Magumo's expression changed.
His eyes widened slightly.
"That's..."
He never finished the sentence.
Because deep down, he already knew.
There was no explanation that made sense.
The Tide Turns
Then something changed.
One of the bullets struck Rio's blade and flew away at a different angle.
Instead of harmlessly ricocheting into the distance, it shot back across the battlefield.
THUD.
Magumo's head jerked slightly.
A shallow cut appeared across his cheek.
Blood slowly trickled down his face.
For a moment, he simply stared.
Then his expression darkened.
"You..."
His voice became low and dangerous.
"Bastard."
He tightened his fist.
"Fire faster!"
The riflemen obeyed immediately.
The volume of gunfire doubled.
The battlefield became a storm of bullets.
But Rio remained exactly where she was.
Her blade moved faster.
The metallic rhythm became continuous.
Clink-clink-clink-clink-clink-clink.
Every bullet was intercepted.
Every bullet was redirected.
Every bullet was controlled.
And now the shooters began to realize something horrifying.
Their own attacks were returning to them.
THUD.
One rifleman collapsed.
THUD.
A second fell.
THUD.
Then a third.
Confusion spread through the formation.
"What happened?!"
"He got hit!"
"From where?!"
Panic replaced discipline.
Some tried to reposition.
Others attempted to retreat.
It didn't matter.
Every bullet they fired became another weapon in Rio's hands.
A reflected shot pierced one player's throat.
Another struck someone directly between the eyes.
A third ricocheted through a shoulder before hitting a second target behind it.
The formation fell apart within seconds.
The Hidden Shooter
Then another gunshot rang out.
A single shot from above.
A concealed sniper.
One of Burning Pride's members had been hiding in the trees overlooking the battlefield.
Even Fayzan hadn't noticed him.
The bullet streaked toward Rio.
Her saber moved.
One smooth motion.
A single deflection.
The bullet changed direction instantly.
THUD.
The hidden shooter jerked backward.
His body tumbled from the tree and crashed into the ground below.
Dead before he landed.
Silence returned.
This time, it was absolute.
The battlefield was covered with bodies.
The fourteen riflemen were gone.
The hidden sniper was gone.
Nothing remained of Burning Pride's formation.
Only three people still stood.
Rio.
Fayzan.
Magumo.
Reinforcements Arrive
Fayzan stared at the devastation.
His mouth opened slightly.
"She..."
No words followed.
Nothing he could say would adequately describe what he had just witnessed.
Meanwhile, Magumo slowly wiped the blood from his cheek.
His grin had disappeared once again.
Not because he was frightened.
But because he was thinking.
Calculating.
Trying to understand.
"Now that's interesting."
Before anyone could respond, hurried footsteps echoed across the plains.
Fayzan immediately turned.
A familiar voice reached him.
"Fayzan!"
Relief washed across his face.
"Ayame!"
Ayame emerged from the darkness, breathing heavily but unharmed.
Odion followed close behind.
His injuries were still severe, but he was standing.
Healing magic and sheer determination had carried him this far.
They weren't alone.
Two additional members of ELEO accompanied them.
The first was a young woman with long crimson hair and polished armor. A large white shield accented with red patterns rested on one arm, while a sword hung at her side.
The second was much smaller.
A green hood concealed most of their appearance, and a black facemask hid the lower half of their face. Only strands of brown hair were visible beneath the hood.
The newcomer remained completely silent, carefully observing everything around them.
Ayame's eyes swept across the battlefield.
The bodies.
The destruction.
The eerie silence.
Then her gaze found Rio.
Standing alone at the center of it all.
Completely unharmed.
Completely calm.
As though none of what had happened required effort.
"We made it..."
Odion muttered quietly.
But Fayzan never answered.
His eyes remained fixed on Rio.
The relief he felt at Ayame's survival was real.
Yet another emotion had appeared alongside it.
Unease.
Because after witnessing everything Rio had done, a troubling thought had entered his mind.
She had wiped out Burning Pride's elite forces in moments.
She had dismantled an entire rifle formation without taking a single step.
She had done all of it while looking completely unbothered.
Fayzan knew she was an ally.
At least for now.
But as the cold night wind swept across the battlefield once more, carrying the scent of smoke and blood through the plains, he found himself asking a question he never expected to consider.
If someone like Rio ever became an enemy...
Who could possibly stop her?
Around them, the battlefield remained silent.
And for the first time that night, the fear present in the air wasn't directed at Burning Pride.
It was directed at the white-haired swordswoman standing beside them.