CHAPTER 107: MYTHICAL HUNT (2)

"Yo, human S-rankers. Fancy meeting you two here, huh?" Halphar greeted with a fiery grin.

But neither Daru nor Iris replied. The two simply glared at the approaching Veshari party, swords pointed forth in warning.

Halphar, the A-rankers—Asipha and Ankara, along with Ahfa, Akri, and three other B-rankers, also pulled their swords.

Halphar was still assigned as the leader of this human extermination party, despite his previous blunder.

He naturally wouldn’t let his willful side run too rampant this time.

Elder Alshar would truly end him if he did, and not even his family would be able to do anything.

"Ahfa, Akri, assist me. The others, send Edelweiss back to her continent."

The small Veshari party split in the next moment, getting into position and encircling their target.

On the other hand, Daru glanced at his comrade. It seemed that she was a bit nervous and needed to work on her confidence more.

He knew there was no need to worry, though.

She was even going on a fierce offensive against him. These Veshari A-rankers shouldn’t be a problem for her.

It was just that she was yet to figure that out for herself.

Knowing she would be fine, Daru shifted his focus to the grinning, tall, and muscular Veshari in front of him.

He had fought and defeated Halphar before.

But this time, it wasn’t a duel. An addition of two B-rankers would definitely make the battle more difficult.

But also more fun.

"Come, Vesharis." Daru taunted, fighting spirit ablaze.

It was Iris who glanced at her companion this time, a bit disoriented after noticing the faint smile on his face.

She shook her head slightly, snapping herself back to focus.

She didn’t have the luxury of spacing out now.

Another moment later, swampwater splashed everywhere as the Vesharis advanced, all coming from crafty angles.

Iris was forced to reposition away from Daru to ensure she wouldn’t have to fight the two A-rankers simultaneously.

A cacophony of clangs, splashes, and grunts then filled the corners of the cavern as Snowflower stood her ground, resilient and stoic yet still graceful and beautiful.

Strangely, she wasn’t emitting a raging, icy-blue aura this time. She was all sweat and focus as she repelled the five enemy bladeborns trying to take her life.

Halphar, Ahfa, and Akri watched the ongoing battle for a moment before returning their attention to their target.

"Your little girlfriend’s pretty tough, huh? I wonder if you’re the same, Onimaru Kunitsuna?"

Daru’s eyes narrowed, clearly a bit displeased.

"She’s my training partner, nothing more," he explained, reprimanding the next moment: "Instead of dallying and spouting senseless words, why not just attack? In situations like these, even a fraction of a second would mean a difference."

The grin on Halphar’s face froze, then vanished.

He couldn’t even be angry at Daru.

If Ae’shkar and Lothara noticed that he was indeed wasting time again and they reported him to Elder Alshar...

Halphar shuddered at the thought, waving his blade once before dashing forth. He snapped back:

"Fine, since you’re so eager to die, allow me to send you back to Valmaris."

The faint smile finally returned to Daru’s face.

He then assumed the appropriate stance, slashing twice and firing a gray, spinning cross-slash projectile at the approaching Veshari S-ranker.

Halphar was forced to a halt, bewildered as he, too, performed the motions, countering with the exact same projectile.

*FWING!*

The two spinning cross-slashes clashed, filling the air with an ear-piercing screech before vanishing together.

But Daru couldn’t see the results. Two blurs were moving from his left and right.

Ahfa and Akri, while inferior to Halphar in raw talent, were far more Veshari-like than he —logical and opportunistic.

They quickly followed up with a simultaneous attack.

To their bad luck, Daru rarely lacked focus. He was also quick and decisive when making combat decisions.

Daru dashed right back at Ahfa, leaving Akri gritting her teeth as she tried to catch up and punish the audacious move.

But her comrade was already sent flying with a single clash.

Ahfa’s strength attribute was far too low.

Almost immediately after dealing with the first Veshari, he back-kicked the desperately pursuing Akri.

She was able to block the sudden attack with her sword, but she was sent staggering and falling on her behind, drenching her with mud and swampwater.

Daru would’ve finished her right then and there if not for the need to deal with the main threat.

He felt a cold sensation approaching from behind, so he swiftly turned and angled his tachi.

A stinging, metallic clang sounded in the next moment as their swords clashed, gazes locked as their faces halted a few centimeters away from each other.

"Your race has quite a lot of dangerous individuals this year, huh?" Halphar gritted, pupils constricted like a predator. "Tell me, how did you get your hands on my sword skill? Are you really that lucky to obtain a sword skill talisman on your short stay here? That’s a bit too unfair, isn’t it?"

Daru’s skills in combat reminded the Veshari S-ranker of the defeat he suffered a couple of days prior, and he couldn’t stop himself from snapping in a mix of humiliation, pent-up anger, and envy.

The thought that an S-ranker human somehow got his hands on a Veshari Sword Skill in probably less than a week infuriated him.

"Hey. Pay up. With your life! RAAARGH!" Halphar erupted, mustering every bit of strength he could to slightly push Daru back.

However, to his embarrassment and further anger, the crossed position of their swords only shifted slightly.

The slightly shorter human S-ranker didn’t budge.

"Damn it!" he cursed, pulling back slightly and attacking again.

Daru and Halphar clashed a few times before the former was forced to step back and reposition.

Ahfa and Akri had recovered their footing and were back to help.

However, the two didn’t dare initiate, fully aware that they might lose their life if they overstepped.

Halphar must be their main attacker.

The two B-rankers were only there to help and force Onimaru Kunitsuna into a bad position, one enough for their S-ranker to finish the job.

A brief stalemate ensued, and pairs of eyes glared daggers.