For the next several moments, An Fei became unable to differentiate between left and right.
The world around her flipped upon its sides, whirling and collapsing on its axis without pause nor conviction as the injured howls of wolves pierced into her ears.
Naturally, the young girl's vision was distorted due to her movements; the world remained perfectly intact, with its bafflingly stagnant vitality coursing throughout the various channels hidden underneath the earth.
Seven dreadfully injured wolves surrounded the young girl from all directions, their canines dripping with their own blood as they stared at the fragile figure.
Their eyes had become imbued with a scarlet haze, unable to determine that their vitality was clinging it their hosts with the strength of a candle's dying flicker.
An Fei's body gradually slowed to a halt, and the young girl stared at the grey wolves with an equal gaze of confusion and boredom, her stunning countenance revealing a trace of dissatisfaction.
A steel sword without a handle hovered above her head, the blade glaring towards its prey with a nefarious smile.
The grey-furred wolves had suddenly ambushed her… but how come the circumstance appeared as if she were the one bullying them?
An Fei knocked herself on the head, her gaze unconsciously flitting towards the pair of steel butterfly swords clenched in her hands.
The chilly surface of the blades that invited death gently pricked at the surface of her skin, inviting her to do battle with the seven, scraggly creatures of the world.
The butterfly swords slid in through their target without a hint of resistance, sweeping through bone, marrow, meridian, and flesh in a clean swipe.
The young girl clearly noticed that some wolves were missing a limb or two, barely retaining their balance through sheer, primal willpower and the desire to devour the delicate prey before them.
"Hah…"
An Fei released a light breath, her mind attempting to relish in the profound surprise of the
The handle-less blade above her head revealed a glum aura, desperately seeking the reaping of souls.
Aroo!
The seven wolves howled in bestial rage, their throats convulsing to muster the maximum potential of the dying embers of morale.
The creatures of the world surged towards the young girl in a last attempt of seeking glorification, their final threads of vitality burning in the sun's ardor.
Shing!
The handle-less blade dove downwards, knocking four wolves off their limbs through the mere shockwave of impact. The steel sword released a bloodthirsty light in the undergrowth of the forest, the inscriptions on its blade erupting with an increased desire for blood.
Similarly, An Fei did not tarry, reversing her grip on the right butterfly sword, the pair of scarlet irises focused on the three encroaching assailants.
The instant the nearest wolf pounced on its hind legs to rush towards An Fei, the young girl bent her knees to lower the center of gravity positioned on her body, the two blades in her hands transforming into a silver arc of death.
The twin butterfly swords cleaved directly through the wolf's head, slicing apart its cranium as though chopping through tofu.
The bisected wolf tumbled onto the earthen ground with a dull thump, and the young girl completed her half-moon sweep without resistance, the twin swords flashing towards the hindquarters of a maddened creature.
Arrr!
The wolf howled in agony as its hind limbs were severed in an instant, the unpleasant sensation of absolute cold surging through its body and sapping its meagre remnants of a consciousness.
The wolf clambered on the ground for a brief moment, before suddenly ceasing to move any further.
The plants underneath relished in the sudden, unexpected rainfall of vitality, their leaves and flowers extending to receive the world's baptism that was usually squandered and exploited by the mighty overgrowth.
The sea of scarlet quickly drained into the moist earth, streaming into the expansive life of the Wu Ji Forest.
An Fei allowed the twin blades to drop to her sides as she gazed at the phenomenon of the plants with interest, her consciousness reeling from the surprise.
Before the young girl's astounded gaze, the grasses and herbs drained the pool of wolf blood in a moment's instant, and she could faintly discern a thin line of red on the stems of the plants.
"The plants in the forest… are carnivores?" An Fei murmured in confusion, her mind completely forgetting that she remained in the midst of a battle.
"No… their physical structure doesn't appear to be designed for the consumption of meat… and the wolf's carcass remains on the ground. If then… are they desiring the vitality within the wolves' blood?"
The young girl tilted her head to the side, the pair of scarlet irises fluctuating as they attempted to comprehend the mystery before their inspection. An Fei leaned forward towards the ground, her right arm extended towards the stem of a nearby plant –
Grr!
A gentle warmth brushed at the back of the young girl's shoulder blades, and An Fei's body flung itself into motion.
Leveraging the force transmitted from the sudden blow, her feet alternated in their supplementary function as rotational pivots, and the young girl enacted in a full moon turn towards the right.
Her arms collapsed towards her chest, before expanding as she neared the completion of the revolution.
An Fei's body had positioned itself behind the grey wolf, the twin butterfly swords having enacted a horizontal bisection onto the pitiful creature.
A soundless howl reverberated throughout the Wu Ji Forest as the wolf clutched onto the ground, its precious vitality hunted and distributed by the plants underneath its body.
A mere moment afterwards, a resounded crash shook the trees in the vicinity, and the sonorous cry of a sword's jubilation struck the tensed atmosphere.
The handle-less blade returned to hover above the young girl's head, the inscriptions on its surface gleaming with satisfaction and anticipation.
With such a sight, An Fei could only release a resigned sigh, shaking her head at the carnage surrounding her on all sides.
Decimated wolf corpses, shriveled from having their vitality drained, littered the forest ground. The number of bodies scattered over the moist earth numbered only seven, but had been torn and slashed into numerous strips of flesh, muscle, and bone.
Though An Fei had butchered three wolves through her own hands, the corpses were relatively intact.
The carnage enacted by the handle-less sword, on the other hand, resembled ground meat dried into jerky.
The young girl allowed her body to shiver at the incredible malice and bloodthirst contained within the incomplete sword, before hastily fleeing from the scene.
The vicious reaper of death followed her every movement, tracing her heels as though a loyal sentinel.
"I didn't do it… I didn't do that…"
An Fei murmured to herself in bated breath as she ran underneath the forest. The young girl shook her head, an expression of pity evident on her beautiful countenance.
She felt pity for the gruesome death faced by the wolves that had encountered the acrimonious steel sword, but also a tinge of anticipation.
The handle-less sword was indeed fearsome and mighty, but the
The last attack enacted by the wolf towards her defenseless back, An Fei was fully cognizant of it. The instant she heard the soft growl of bitter resentment and the whistling of claws, the young girl had felt regret well up within her heart.
She hadn't expected herself to become careless within the middle of a battle, especially when wolves were not necessarily inclined to display mercy towards their prey.
However, instead of the cold, chilly sensation of numbness as the claws raked across the back, the wolf's surprise attack had been nullified, the only remaining component of the impact's force having been converted into the momentum necessary for the young girl to circle around towards the wolf's back, whilst dealing a serious wound with the twin butterfly swords.
Even at the end, the linen coat had not suffered a single fraying thread. The sharp claws of a wolf, or a weapon's mighty edge, all physical impacts required a modicum of resistance to inflict a wound or margin of damage.
If the target could effectively remove the resistance necessary for such phenomenon… then wouldn't the attack serve nothing than a mere transfer of force?
From the conflict with the wolves, An Fei had gleaned the key component of the
The removal of any resisting force towards an attack and allowing the body to react to any external displacement or force… had ultimately prevented her from receiving any form of injury.
In addition, the cyclic motions within the technique inflicted a grievous wound onto the enemy, the margin of injury grossly exacerbated by the deadly sharpness of the twin butterfly swords.
"I suppose… that investing the time and effort into learning this technique wasn't for naught…"
The young girl had permitted herself into getting greedy once again.