Elliott stood at the top of the mountain road, while Codey stood on top of a large fir tree, looking down into the forest beneath the mountain. They looked around, but couldn't see the conflict in the distance, nor could they find the girl who had gone missing.
"Now that we're actively looking for the girl on such a large island, it's difficult and exhausting. We've looked at a lot of places and haven't found a single human."
He was disturbed, but he realized he had no choice but to find the girl. He realized the small girl's mother must be concerned, and as he looked into the distance, he observed a black silhouette of a young girl hopping inside of a cave.
"Is that the girl? What does she have to do up here? What is she looking for and how did she come up here by herself?" Before asking, he sent a big wave to Codey and then dashed to the front of where the girl had gone, only to come to a wall with no cave entrances.
"What in the world just happened?! Am I Imagining things?! I'm pretty sure I witnessed someone walk into a cave, or so it seemed!" His perplexed countenance was obvious, and the scratches on the head, away from the point, indicated more emotion.
After seeing a girl's shadow vanish in a shallow cave beneath the mountain and gigantic trees, Codey had a similar experience. Something didn't feel right to him, but he had a lot of questions that easily supported the veracity of what was going on.
"This cave has a built-in wall, allowing anyone to readily be spotted or trapped at its entrance, but the girl isn't here..."
Jawjack's never-ending laugh scared and worried people even more. Jawjack's incredible strength was unmatched by any of them, and any armament they had would most likely be smashed by his impenetrable mouth.
"Are we still not done? Because you ingrates are hopeless in fighting, would you mind sharing the location of our visitor with me before I slay you? That ice looked delectable to my stomach!"
Hidd declined his threat and did not expose it, and neither did Elder Rai or Karisa; they were all trying to avoid revealing their positions in order to avoid getting the rest into trouble.
"Do you think we'll actually tell you where they are? Even if you were torturing us, we wouldn't do it!" Karisa's voice boomed throughout the town's front, and she risked her life on the spot to keep others' locations disguised.
"That's inconvenient, and I was just going to greet them when they arrived on the island! I'm sure I'll find them on my own!"
"You're useless to me if you won't tell me where they are! You'll get a well-deserved death as a reward!" With a nasty chuckle that reeked through the field, he raised the hook high above his head. He began releasing massive amounts of pressure, which caused the walls of the building where people lived to crack.
But, in the midst of his wicked laughs, an unexpected feminine voice echoed from the building's rooftop, stopping Jawjack in his tracks as he attempted to attack the rest.
"I'm right here,"
He paused to lighten his laugh and cast a peek at Ayuka's corpse, which had arrived out of nowhere. His eyes was taken aback; he hadn't expected a girl to be the architect of such a gigantic iceberg.
"What a pleasant surprise of snowflakes. The warrior who used ice to decimate that area is a woman? I came seeking for you because I couldn't leave such a powerful prey alone. You've got to be one of the ship's pirates."
"I'm not a pirate, believe it or not. But if that's how you want to refer to us, then so be it. I've heard that you've had some ruthless moments on this island. What is the point of destroying their peace? Is it for the sake of your own good?"
"Yes, it is correct. I'm not a peacemaker and would rather cause mayhem. It's amusing to see the individuals struggle. They will perish if they do not pay on time. They will perish if they disobey me. They will perish if they attempt to flee. It's simple to comprehend, but if they accomplish all of this, I'll consider keeping them alive. It's only fair."
"Neither of the things you counted down are fair. It's plain and simple cruelty. If they can't pay, you don't even consider giving them another chance? Even though I dislike neither and disagree with the way you go about things, I still have a responsibility. Look what I found, your poster of a bounty of 25 million."
"So, you're a bounty hunter, right? What's more, that's much better. Now I'll have even another motive to murder someone like you."
Ayuka extended her arm outside as she grabbed for her blade. Jawjack looked bewildered at Ayuka as the paper began to wave in the wind. It wasn't long before Ayuka slashed the paper with her sword. She then grabbed the sword with both hands and began repeatedly cutting the paper, leaving only small fragments to float in the sky.
His eyes widened as he shouted ferociously. As he screamed his displeasure, the sweat on the top of his head dripped down his face. "I'm not a bounty hunter, but to be honest, the prize for defeating you will be quite useful on the road, and there are plenty more of these around town, right?"
"Are you stupid?! Those posters are crucial; keeping them in excellent condition would encourage more individuals to try to depose me! Nobody will try to track me down if these posters go, and I won't be able to earn any more money!"
"Is that the end of it? Is it all about gold for you? That's a basic motivation to do villainous things. I'd say I did, you a favor. Now you won't need to worry about bounty hunters..."
"You were most likely reared in poverty throughout your youth. At the very least, I understand why you're attempting to defeat me, despite the fact that it's obvious that it's impossible."
Ayuka's arm was still cold from the ice discharge, and she couldn't move it, but her good will to help these citizens was a priority that she needed to accomplish. The desire to save them from the strife, to remove any criminals from the scene.
"A poor girl would wish to be wealthy, but how can she be wealthy if she is executed on the spot? We can give it a shot and see what happens. No, we *will* just have to wait and see what happens!"
The battle between Ayuka and Jawjack began in the midst of frantic discourse. After jumping off the roof and sliding to the ground, she was the first to strike. She used her sword arts, which she had mastered over the years, to avoid using ice, which was essential for her arm to warm.
She took a stride forward, her right foot pressing into the earth, and rushed to cleave the sword in a straight line across her chest. Jawjack acted fast, believing he could simply bite through the blade with his jaw, but it rapidly became clear that this was impossible.
He felt a stunning sensation run through his body after catching Ayuka's blade in his metal jaw. It was obnoxious and noisy.
Ayuka's blade appeared to be significantly more durable than any armament he had ever seen. After watching Ayuka remove the sword outside of his jaw, his eyes shook with anxiety. He was afraid of losing his teeth, so he swiftly opened his jaw and released the sword.
Jawjack dodged Ayuka's uppercut, but her sword's edge blasted a violent ice wall that coalesced into a spike. Even if the ice's reduced pressure wasn't much help against Jawjack's jaw, it was enough for him to avoid.
"While I won't be able to use as much ice as usual, I'll be able to reduce its size and worry less about my other arm freezing."
Karisa and her closest friends were all staring at Ayuka with amazement. They were astounded by her strength and couldn't believe her blade could hold up to Jawjack's teeth.
"That couldn't really be an ordinary weapon, can it? It wouldn't be able to hold Jawjack's jaws if it were. They're fashioned from the rarest metal in the planet! Either that sword is made of the same metal as the jaws, or it's the result of some other sort of magic." Hidd, who was formerly renowned as the island's blacksmith, claimed to be very knowledgeable about weapons.
"For a blacksmith you don't know much about Spiritual Blades, do you? Of course, this sword isn't constructed of the rarest and toughest metals, but it's tough enough thanks to the aura that it was forged from. Our designation as a Spiritual Duelist, you know, has a meaning that you probably don't like. We have a core within our bodies that can gather aura from our breathing, which we have acquired through extensive training. It is the most important component of our body's mobility. This aura is the only way we can manipulate the elements to our hearts' delight, and the sword is no exception."
"This center that gathers aura is called as Spiritual Force or 'Seikara'. It's a spirituality that we created on our own, with a little aid from others. The Spiritual Force's strength can be boosted or lessened, and regulating it is another job we must accomplish when dueling. The duelist's aura, as well as the blade's strength, grows stronger as the aura grows stronger. So, right now, my sword can withstand 25 tons of pressure, which is equivalent to the force of an attack or being crushed by a heavy object. The sword is also easy to wield because it is built of our aura. The tougher the metal, the heavier the sword would be, understand?"
"It's amazing how much a single sword can take. I never thought fighters like you existed." Karisa was enthralled by the explanation.
"Do you want to continue fighting now that you've heard the explanation, or do you want to flee? But either option is good, since if you flee, we'll track you down and kill you!"
Jawjack's terror was now obvious in his eyes, and even if he didn't want to believe it, the fear had gotten the better of him, and instead of running, he sweated in protest.
To be continued...