The two creatures leaped toward Fatheema with their swords raised overhead, ready to strike. Meanwhile, the other three charged forward with their blades held at their sides, prepared to stab.
Fatheema spun the chained blade above her head, attempting to attack from a distance, but the creatures skillfully evaded her assault. Catching the blade as it returned, she leaped backward and sprinted in a wide arc. She shortened the chain to a more manageable length and prepared herself for close-quarters combat.
The girl activated her Nirvanic Wind Technique, a body-lightening art that maximized her speed. Extending both blades to either side of her body, she dashed forward to meet the two Shadow Warriors. Their weapons collided with a sharp clang. But she did not stop there. She immediately broke past them and pursued one of the remaining three enemies.
Fatheema adopted a hit-and-run strategy against the creatures. Although her current speed allowed her to keep up with them, she still could not gain a decisive advantage. In fact, she was beginning to look overwhelmed.
Seeing the situation, Akane, who had been standing at the edge of the battlefield, drew her spear. Without hesitation, she charged at the Shadow Warriors attacking Fatheema.
For a while, the battle remained a two-against-five struggle with no clear outcome in sight. The fight seemed evenly matched until finally—
"I have to do something. This can't go on forever. This kusarigama is actually pretty difficult to use against multiple opponents, especially in close combat. Maybe I need more training. Fine... I'll switch weapons."
Fatheema jumped far backward, creating distance between herself and her enemies.
A moment later, her right hand gripped a small axe with a handle roughly two feet long, one of the tools she had acquired from the Demonic laboratory. In her left hand appeared a short dagger held with the blade pointing downward in a reverse grip, also known as an icepick grip. She lowered herself into a fighting stance, ready to burst forward at any moment while channeling her inner force into both weapons.
Then—
She shot forward like an arrow.
Her axe swept outward in a horizontal slash before flowing into a diagonal strike from above toward the left side of her body.
She did not stop there. Continuing her momentum, she rushed toward another Shadow Warrior.
One after another, she attacked three different enemies in rapid succession. The sounds of swords colliding with her axe echoed through the area. After completing her assault, she leaped away to maintain distance.
Suddenly, cuts resembling deep blade wounds appeared across the bodies of the three Shadow Warriors she had struck. Black liquid seeped from the wounds, accompanied by wisps of smoke.
The creatures roared furiously and charged at her in a frenzy.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Weapon after weapon collided. The deafening sound of steel crashing against steel filled the once-silent surroundings.
Moments later, the clashes ceased.
Fatheema stepped back and assumed a defensive stance, crossing her axe and dagger in front of her body.
"So that's how the Semar Pointing Dagger works. If I were fighting against it, I'd have trouble predicting its attacks too. It's only a handspan long, yet its strikes can reach over three feet. And it possesses its own awareness, so it won't injure its wielder. Grand Sage Bagaspati, thank you for your gift."
Meanwhile, the three Shadow Warriors stood frozen in place, as though preparing to attack again.
But more and more cuts began appearing across their bodies.
Even puncture wounds suddenly emerged on them.
The smoke pouring from their forms thickened rapidly until their bodies seemed to evaporate into black mist and vanish entirely.
Fatheema immediately turned toward the remaining two Shadow Warriors, who were still fighting Akane.
Then—
Slash! Slash!
Two swift axe strikes struck the fourth Shadow Warrior.
The creature instantly dissolved into smoke.
The last remaining Shadow Warrior suddenly realized the danger and jumped backward to escape. However, Fatheema was already too close.
A fresh cut appeared across its arm.
The creature let out a shrill scream, its voice resembling the bray of a donkey.
Without another moment's hesitation, it fled at full speed back into the giant dome cave.
"Hey! Don't even think about running away!" Akane shouted as she leaped forward to pursue it.
But Fatheema grabbed her arm and stopped her, "Forget it. Let it go. Let's continue our journey, Akane. We need to make the most of the time we have."
With that, Fatheema turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Akane simply nodded. Chasing the creature would only waste time and energy.
The three girls resumed their journey.
After traveling for about two hundred yards, they arrived at a dense wall of trees.
Towering trunks stretched high into the sky, their branches covered with thick foliage. Most of the trees resembled pine trees, though their needles were reddish in color. The rest consisted of shorter trees tangled together with dense undergrowth.
This was the forest Akane feared. A haunted woodland inhabited by mysterious bloodthirsty creatures. A forest that had already claimed countless lives. The dreaded Alas Roban Forest.
Inside the forest, conditions were somewhat dim because sunlight was blocked by the thick canopy overhead. Even so, there was still enough light to see the path ahead.
As time passed, the sun sank lower toward the horizon. Its reddish-orange rays filtered through the trees and foliage.
"Fatty, before it gets too dark, shouldn't we set up a campsite? Maybe a tent? Our little sister here looks exhausted too," Akane suggested while pointing at Nyx Merry, who was walking beside her.
"Yeah, you're right. Okay, let's set up camp. We'll find a safe place to rest," Fatheema replied, scanning the surroundings in search of a suitable location.
After some searching, they chose a spot beside several enormous boulders stacked together into a formation nearly the size of a house. Using a sheltered corner between the rocks, they pitched a tent they had—once again—obtained from the demon laboratory.
"Heh, we're really lucky we looted so many useful supplies from that bald spider's lab, aren't we? Hehehe..." Akane giggled as she remembered their earlier plundering.
Fatheema could not help laughing as well.
They set up the tent beside the giant rocks and cleared away the surrounding bushes to keep insects and small animals from bothering them. Once the tent was finished, they cleaned the ground in front of it and built a campfire.
The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon. The sky it left behind glowed bright red with streaks of orange. Stars shone more brightly with each passing moment, visible through the gaps between the trees.
Although night had only just begun to fall, the forest had already become bitterly cold.
The three girls gathered around the campfire to keep warm.
Using the fruit they had collected, they eased their hunger while chatting beside the flames.
"Fatty, what's your plan now? How are you going to save your friends? What will you do once we reach the Dead Star Tower?" Akane asked. She was curious about Fatheema's plans.
"I... hmm... I'm not entirely sure yet," Fatheema admitted while sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees.
"But first, I'll need to investigate the place and find out where my friends are being held. Then I'll free them, and of course, I'll have to find a way home."
"Getting back home won't be easy. I'll have to figure that out somehow. For now, the most important thing is rescuing my friends and then forcing Hanako to send us back."
"Hanako is deceitful, cunning, and cruel," Akane warned, "Be careful, Fatty, if you're planning to rely on that creature."
****