Mikoto stirred at the sound of a sudden noise.
Rising to her feet, the masked gunslinger scanned her surroundings, only to find that the others were nowhere in sight.
What's going on?
A hint of confusion crossed her mind. She lifted her mask slightly, rubbing her eyes before looking around again.
Her gaze soon settled on Noah, who was seated at the edge of the spine.
But something about it felt off.
The Pathfinder was rapidly turning his head from side to side, as if watching something intensely and actively trying to adjust to the momentum.
This only deepened her confusion, prompting a faint frown beneath her mask.
Slowly, she began to approach him. Even as she closed the distance, Noah showed no signs of acknowledging her presence whatsoever.
…At least, not until she spoke.
"Hello."
"Oh, it's you. I thought you'd sleep a little longer."
"I'm fine. What are you looking at?"
"See for yourself."
Noah tilted his chin downward, and Mikoto followed the direction of his gaze.
Below them, Jasmine and Kevin were locked in a fierce clash.
Kevin pressed forward with aggressive momentum, forcing the pace with powerful strikes while Jasmine met each strike with controlled defense, redirecting his attacks with considerable effort.
The exchange was intense.
The Shrouding had already receded some time ago, and the rising sun now cast faint light across the desolate landscape, making the scene below clearly visible.
But that still didn't explain why the two of them were going at each other so seriously. More importantly,
"Oi, oi! Are those two trying to get us killed? What about that...what was it, the giant, mean-looking thing just right below us?!"
"Miss Jasmine already took care of it a while ago."
"…Eh? She did what?"
"While you were asleep, she went down there and handled it," Noah explained casually, as if it were nothing worth dwelling on.
Skeptical, Mikoto shifted her gaze downward only for her eyes to widen.
She finally understood what Noah meant by "handled."
The mighty Tyrant — the Centurion Knight — was dead. Its head was gone, severed cleanly as though removed in a single, flawless swipe. The rest of its massive body lay motionless beneath the skeletal remains, its once-imposing frame now nothing more than a lifeless husk.
It was dead. Simply put, it had been slain.
Could such a formidable foe be killed without them realizing it until they saw it with their own eyes? Wouldn't they have been awakened by the noise? Or had the battle ended so quickly that even if there had been sound, they simply wouldn't have registered it in time?
The thought alone was enough to send a faint tremor through her body.
Noticing her stiffened posture, Noah decided to speak.
"I think you're misunderstanding something. According to what Kevin told me, the Tyrant was already severely injured. Two of its hind legs were nearly destroyed, so its combat capability was reduced by more than half."
He paused briefly then added:
"Even then, it was still a Tyrant-class entity. Under normal circumstances, a single Lancer would not be enough to handle it cleanly."
"…Then how?"
"That's the strange part. It didn't look like a prolonged fight. As far as I can tell from just observing the corpse, it didn't seem to have put up much of a fight."
A brief silence followed.
The implication was as clear as day.
Despite being reduced and broken, the Centurion Knight had still been dangerous enough to wipe out an unprepared squad. And yet it had been ended so cleanly that none of them had even awakened during the process.
No matter how they thought about it, this was beyond ridiculous.
Noah smiled gently.
"It seems we have been underestimating Miss Jasmine a great deal."
Meanwhile, on the ground below, the two Hunters continued to clash; one barehanded, the other wielding a sheathed sword.
Damn it… curse my big mouth, Kevin grumbled inwardly.
He had only asked for a simple spar, so why did it feel like this woman was fighting in earnest?
Then again… perhaps he should have expected this.
It was now their fourth day in the Forgotten Lands.
After witnessing Jasmine dispatch the injured Centurion Knight with such overwhelming ease, Kevin had begun to wonder if he could replicate that feat himself. With a high-output Dismantle, he could likely achieve a similar result, and if he managed to close the distance, Shred would serve well as a finishing blow.
But that was under ideal conditions.
Close combat was a different matter altogether.
To be honest, it wasn't his area of expertise. Before his transmigration, he had never been in a proper physical fight. It was only natural that he would lack experience in direct combat.
Fortunately, he was a quick learner.
Upon suffering two crushing defeats, he had already begun adapting to Jasmine's fighting style, slowly adjusting his movements and timing with each exchange.
Swish—!
Accompanied by an ear-piercing sound, the sheathed blade came crashing down toward his head.
Gritting his teeth, Kevin twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the descending strike. Even then, the pressure from the swing grazed past him like a violent gust, sending his balance teetering for a brief moment.
His foot dug into the ground as he pivoted, driving his shoulder forward in a counterattack aimed straight at her torso.
But Jasmine did not retreat.
The moment Kevin's shoulder was about to connect, the flat of her sheathed sword intercepted him, redirecting his momentum off-course. At the same time, her knee rose slightly, threatening to crash into his midsection.
Kevin clicked his tongue and withdrew, barely avoiding the follow-up and sprinted away.
Seeing this, the Lancer did not relent and chased after him.
The scabbard crossed the air mercilessly, aimed for his wrists and ankles. Whereas, the inexperienced Slayer could only dodge desperately.
It was always like this.
Everytime he initiated an attack, she would block them counter, forming a repetitive pattern. It was as though she had already seen through his Intent before he even acted.
But if his attacks were anticipated before he even landed them, then what would be the point?
What could he do?
'Screw it.'
Certainly, there was no point in holding back his output. As a Lancer, she should be durable enough to withstand his strikes, or so he believed.
Taking a deep breath, Kevin activated his demonic circulation technique and shot forward explosively, like a rocket tearing through the air.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
"…!"
Startled, Jasmine instinctively shifted into a defensive stance. But Kevin was already inside her range.
Boom!
His fist crashed into the scabbard, the sheer force of the impact sending a violent shock through her arms. The Lancer's grip tightened as her muscles trembled in protest.
He didn't give her time to recover.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Three more hits landed in rapid succession, causing her arms to tremble further. Then the right hook came with even greater force, sending her body skidding powerlessly through the air, a groan tearing out from her pretty lips.
Of course, Kevin didn't stop there.
The air split beneath his feet as he accelerated.
In an instant, he closed the gap again, refusing to give her even a moment to regain her footing.
Clenching his fist as he drew his arm back, Kevin prepared to deliver the finishing blow, one that would bring the sparring match to an end.
Just one hit.
He only needed to land a single clean hit. That would be enough.
However, Jasmine did something unexpected.
"...!?"
Logically speaking, evading in midair was impossible. She had no footing, no leverage, and no way to change direction.
Even so, her body twisted somehow, as though she had found an invisible foothold in the air.
No... It was as though she was one with the wind.
Kevin's pupils shrank.
His punch tore past her by mere inches.
'What?'
Before he could even process it, Jasmine's scabbard moved aggressively and the blunt end struck directly into his ribs.
"Ghk—!"
A dull shock exploded through his body as the force drove the air out of his lungs. His accumulated momentum faltered for a split second.
And that was all she needed.
Using the recoil from the strike, Jasmine flipped backward, landing lightly on the ground with a soft tap. Then, just as quickly, she proceeded to launch a barrage of assaults.
Fast.
So fast that it was impossible to evade all of them.
With no way out, Kevin raised his guard and received all her hits. But it was nothing to scoff at.
Each impact landed with a dull, crushing force.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
...Though the sword blade remained sheathed, the weight behind every strike was anything but soft. In fact, it felt as though he was being hit by sledgehammers. The vibrations traveled through his arms, rattling his bones and forcing his stance to give way inch by inch.
Another strike slipped through his guard and slammed into his shoulder.
Bang!
His body twisted from the impact.
Before Kevin could recover, the blunt edge of her scabbard drove into his abdomen.
"—Khh!"
The air in his lungs vanished completely as his body folded slightly from the force. His vision blurred.
But his instincts screamed danger.
Forcing his body to move, Kevin stomped his foot into the ground and dragged himself out of her range just as another strike sliced past where his neck had been a moment ago.
He stumbled back several steps before regaining his footing.
Breathing heavily, Kevin raised his head.
Jasmine stood where he had just been, her expression calm and composed, as if everything that had just transpired was nothing out of the ordinary.
"…You're not even using your full strength, are you?"
"Neither are you."
"…Tch."
Kevin clicked his tongue, rolling his shoulders despite the dull ache spreading through his body.
She was right.
He still hadn't used his abilities. But that wasn't the point.
This wasn't about overwhelming her with raw power.
In the end…
"Let's end it here."
There was no frustration in his voice, nor reluctance either.
Only clarity remained.
Kevin had reached his limit. Not physically; his stamina remained, and any energy he had spent could be recovered. But continuing this exchange any further would yield nothing new.
He had already grasped what he needed to.
Jasmine studied him for a brief moment before lowering her scabbard.
"I see."
It was the logical decision in every sense.
They needed to conserve their strength for whatever threats lay ahead, and unnecessary exhaustion could very well cost them their lives.
Still, why did she seem… disappointed?