"Yin Zhu?!"
Ming Yue immediately recognized the daggers and the style of fighting. Yin Zhu, a quiet cultivator, who had been her teamate during the group battles. Unlike her, he was focused on the Dao of Assassination and excelled in the Dao fo Shadows. He was truly talented in stealth and execution.
"Where are you?! Come out of here!"
The Elite Disciple had lost her calm, she could do nothing but see her own fellow disciples get killed.
"What are you waiting for?" Yin Zhu's cold voice spoke into Ming Yue's ears.
She saw his daggers peeking from the ground, understanding what he wanted to do.
The Elite Disciple looked around, turning non-stop as she waited for something to happen. She gripped her weapon tightly, readying herself to attack. To the left of her was glint of light as Ming Yue rushed forward with her dagger at hand.
"There you are!"
Her Zhua glowed as she began her attack.
"Torrential Gra-"
Both daggers moved, Yin Zhu's stabbed into her back, pushing her forward where Ming Yue's dagger stabbed into her neck. A single moment was all it took to kill, not even enough time for this unlucky disciple to finish her technique.
But the battle was not done.
Ming Yue spun around, using the white dagger in her hand to block Yin Zhu's sneak attack. The dagger slinked away but she had locked onto his presence and chased after him.
As they were both skilled in hiding their presence, doing it against each other had little effect.
Ming Yue expected the attack. For him to have taken the initiative to help her meant that he had a plan. Furthermore, it meant that he had been watching as well. Yin Zhu was not here to help but to take advantage and get rid of the competition.
He was a shadow and she was a ghost traversing the forest. Every several seconds, the sound of blades clashed against each other.
Yin Zhu's daggers were hard to catch, appearing wherever darkness showed itself. Ming Yue's fighting style made it difficult to predict and defend. She attacked without rhythm nor pattern. Even then, they were at each other's throats, each strike from both were killing blows aimed for the vitals.
Neither spoke as they were immersed in their fight, not caring for whoever came their way or spotted them. In fact, some were caught in the fight, killed by an umbral dagger or a swift wind.
It was a game of cat and mouse where the roles switched constantly.
"Shadow Play, Full Act."
Yin Zhu's figure began to blur and transform, splitting into numerous shadows that carried a number of weapons. From swords to knives, there were nine others copies of him that followed after.
As a group, they melded into the silhouettes of the trees and Ming Yue found herself surrounded at all sides.
With Yin Zhu, these shadows attacked in coordination with each other. Like a practiced performance, they moved with grace and accuracy.
A sword coming from the left and right, a knife coming from above, a saber from below.
Ming Yue dodged as best she could but was given some small cuts. She could barely keep up with Yin Zhu, much less these shadows. Knowing this, the young cultivator looked for a way out, a way to break this formation.
But this was not just one part of a performance but the full act. The attacks became increasingly faster and harder to deal with. Yin Zhu had yet to make his move, leaving the shadows to keep her occupied. The first act was underway and far from ending.
"Zephyr Claws!"
With her clawed hand, she pierced the chest of one shadow, which melted away and began eliminating each one as they came. But it was futile, those that she destroyed would reform and rejoin the group.
Her Zephyr Claws slowly disappeared as she tried a new strategy. She focused on defending as power gathered within her.
The attacks became even more ferocious as the shadow's pace quickened. The weapons in their hands morphed as they now held two daggers, resembling that of Yin Zhu's. It was the next act.
Eighteen knives in total and nine figures that she had to keep up with. She did her utmost to deflect each attack, moving at her highest speed but even then she was barely able to deal with them. However, Ming Yue was still calm and concentrated, the energy within her slowly seeped into Drifting Sky.
"Second Wind: Tempestuous Storm."
Each time her blade made contact, it created a blast of wind that pushed the shadows back, disrupting the pace. It gave her a second to relax but just a second more was good enough.
The pressure on her slowly lessened but his technique had yet to end. Yin Zhu had not made his move and Ming Yue knew what this technique would lead to. None of these shadows were created to kill her but to distract her, an elaborate way to kill but one that would be hard to escape.
Her only chance at victory would be when he makes his move. It was sure to be the killing move and she had to prepare for it.
"Where are you? When are you going to appear?"
Ming Yue closely watched her surroundings. In this dark forest, Yin Zhu could strike at any moment from any position. She kept her dagger close, ready to pull it out when he appeared.
As for the shadows, they stopped their assault, retreating into the darkness of the forest. Ming Yue stopped moving and descended from the tree branches to ground below. Yin Zhu's voice then echoed through the trees.
"Final Act, Eternal Rest."
The nine shadows leaped forward from all directions, their daggers were poised to strike. All of them were the same, aiming for her heart at every side but Yin Zhu was nowhere to be found.
Ming Yue spun around, creating a veil of wind that impeded their lunge. A tenth shadow appeared and attacked her, the two knives shone in the light.
"Yin Zhu!"
It was different than the others and Ming Yue released a burst of energy. The nine shadows were pushed back and she charged forward, not allowing any time for him to get away. He began to slink back into the darkness but he was too slow and Drifting Sky pierced his chest.
Behind her, another shadow emerged, melting away and revealing Yin Zhu's true figure as he drove the dagger into her back.
Ming Yue let go of Drifting Sky and turned around, revealing the dagger in her hand and attacked him.
At the same moment, their daggers pierced each other, stabbing deeply into their flesh and cutting the heart. All of this happened in seconds and the pair dropped to their knees but they did not let go of their daggers. They pushed further, driving their daggers deeper into each other. Ming Yue could feel excruciating pain from her chest as the dagger pressed down. It was a sharp and burning sensation as the cold dagger punctured her heart.
"That was...entertaining..."
Yin Zhu was the first to let go as he strength left him. He struggled to stay upright but ultimately fell to the ground.
Ming Yue's grip on her dagger loosened as she let him fall and transform into light. But she would soon follow him. She knew something was strange and realized as soon as she stabbed the tenth shadow. It was not him and she immediately understood that he would attack now. But with Drifting Sky thrusted into that shadow, she could only use her dagger to retaliate.
In the end, they both managed to kill each other.
"Damn..."
Ming Yue muttered that final word before her body turned into light. Moments later, she found herself somewhere else, another part of the forest. Looking around, there was no one close by and Ming Yue hid, checking her weapons and body.
"Now, I only have two lives."