Jhio stood up, his eyes darting around as he assessed the situation, his guests' presence still lingering on his mind.
He cleared his throat, putting on a formal tone, "Good evening, gentlemen. My lady. How can I assist you tonight?" He added a slight grin to appear polite, though he knew the situation was anything but.
Judging by their impressive armor and accessories, they were likely dukes or even members of a royal family from the holy eastern lands. Their clothes were made from materials he couldn't even recognize, and their armor gleamed with pure Mythril—a rarity. It felt like they didn't belong in this world at all.
After a brief moment of silence, the woman in the center scoffed and gave her head a small shake. The Mythril earrings she wore clinked with each motion. Without saying a word, her companions dismounted their horses and approached Jhio. With each step, their presence altered the very ground they walked on, causing vibrant flowers to bloom and greenery to thrive under their feet.
Jhio felt the weight of their energy—an invisible force pressing directly onto him. He glanced at the two approaching figures. Their full suits of armor hid their faces, making them look like some kind of mechanical beings, devoid of humanity. Their stature didn't intimidate him, though. He had been built just like them in his prime. But their aura… there was something deeply unsettling about it. It didn't just feel overwhelming, it felt… alien, like it didn't belong here.
As they closed in, they unsheathed their swords in eerie unison. The bright blades gleamed as they leveled them toward Jhio, crouching into combat stances with mechanical precision. Not a single word was exchanged, almost as if they were programmed for battle.
At that point, Jhio had only just realized he was bare-handed. And with that, his assessment of the situation suddenly changed. He was the one in danger here. He had already started gauging his chances with them and of course realized there wasn't a chance he could win.
However, right now, he wasn't even going to get a chance to fight. There isn't an enemy that would allow you to go prepare yourself before coming to battle now is there?
Shit! Who the hell are these people? Suddenly showing up to someone's place and threatening him to a fight. How do I get out of this kind of situation.
His thoughts whirled, searching desperately for an answer. Sweat began to form on his brow, rolling down his face as he clenched his fists. His brain worked overtime, but nothing useful came to mind. Then, something unexpected happened.
"Haha..." The woman in the center finally moved, breaking the tense silence. Her laugh was soft but chilling. She lifted her hand, and without hesitation, the two armored men halted in their tracks, lowering their weapons as if controlled by some unseen force. They stopped dead, as if someone had hit pause on them.
She brushed her long silver hair aside, her fierce blue eyes locked onto Jhio, clearly amused by his reaction. He, on the other hand, kept his fists raised, every muscle tensed. Whatever game she was playing, it clearly wasn't funny to anyone but her.
The two men suddenly drove their swords into the ground with alarming force. The earth trembled as their blades struck, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The sheer display of strength was staggering. Even Jhio, seasoned as he was, felt a shiver run down his spine. His mind spun in confusion.
If this had been any other group of enemies, Jhio might have laughed it off, mocked them for their theatrics. But this was different. The current circumstances and the sheer amount of power they bore would make anyone panic and quiver mindlessly.
Jhio no longer able to contain his frustration, cried out "Hey!! Why won't you say anything?? What's your aim with all these games?? Just what do you want??" Jhio let out in a fit of anger and frustration. His true colors gradually letting out.
However, neither the lady nor the men uttered a single word in response. The armored men withdrew from their swords and returned to the woman's side, as though they had fulfilled some unspoken task.
The lady began to strut forward, resting her hand on the hilt of the sword at her side. Slowly, she began to unsheathe it. and with every inch it slid free, the air around her seemed to resist. as if the world itself was trying to prevent her from drawing the blade.
The force was unlike anything Jhio had ever witnessed. It wasn't just a gust of wind, it felt like nature was resisting her, as if the sword itself was too dangerous to be unleashed.
The severity of the situation had finally began to dawn on Jhio with this. He wasn't just facing a powerful opponent. This woman, whatever she was, represented something far beyond his comprehension. She was above nature, a walking calamity. And there he stood, powerless, staring into the face of a disaster he couldn't avoid.
She swung the sword a few times, testing its weight, a confident grin never leaving her face. And then, in one swift motion, she tossed the sword toward Jhio.
"Catch" she said, her voice soft but commanding.
Jhio's instincts kicked in, his hand shooting out to catch the sword by its hilt, his mind racing towards all possible forms of ill-intent this gesture could harbor.
The woman and her armored guards remained motionless, giving him the space to prepare. Normally, he would have found such patience infuriating, but now, it was a lifeline.
As Jhio studied the sword, his fears began to worsen, all he could read from it was simply; beautiful.
The ether emanating from the blade was like nothing he had ever felt. Its white light was blinding, and the sword itself seemed almost... alive. It pulsed in rhythm with his own ether flow, as if the weapon had a soul.
As Jhio looked back at the woman, confusion deepened. What was she planning?
Just then, stretching her arms out wide, palms open, she mockingly invited him with a grin.
"Come," she said, daring him to attack.
Her words, though simple, shattered the last of Jhio's rationality. His feet moved on their own as if drawn toward her by some invisible force.
As for Jhio. The moment the sword handed in his hand, he felt like he had achieved his life's vision. As a swordsman, your pride is your sword. Mastering of countless techniques would all the meaningless if your sword could not keep up with your growth. As such, the hunt for the ultimate sword was the lifestyle of all swordsmen. Each finding a better sword than the last to coagulate their experiences in.
Jhio had thought he found the one he was looking for. Theodelis, the ultimate sword crafted by the best forge master alive, what Jhio had decided to be his heirloom. But now even that sword could only be considered a tree branch in the face of this beauty.
He didn't want to accept it. He tried to reject it. But this might truly be the pinnacle of his life.
As he gripped the sword in hand, taking the stance of his original sword technique, he poured every bit of his concentration into his stance. Taking a deep breath, Jhio gripped the sword tighter and dropped into his signature stance, the foundation of his Dawn Dragon technique. He couldn't let this weapon's power go to waste. He had to give it everything.
"This is it! This is the true essence of the dawn dragon technique!" Jhio whispered to himself as he completely enveloped himself with the essence of the sword.
Radix's image suddenly flashed through his mind, the last piece of worldly tether holding him from achieving perfection.
"I'm sorry Radix, I'm sorry for letting you down. I too know the pain of loneliness, and yet, I'm about to force you into that same pain."
With those words, Jhio emptied his thoughts, his mind merging with the essence of the sword. Achieving what every swordsman would agree to be. Perfection.
"Dawn Dragon!!!" Jhio roared before dashing forward at tens of times the speed of light. Tearing through space with a transcendent force. Just as he predicted, the sword truly was the pinnacle of all power. His technique didn't even feel like his technique any longer, it carried a force he could have never imagined.
Even though he knew his target would have the ability to dodge this move, to him, it didn't even matter if she parried it. She would never be able to escape unscarred. He could feel his life force withering away as he held onto the sword, but, none of that mattered. This joy was truly the pinnacle of Grandmaster Jhio.
However, calamity struck. And calamity struck in a way even Jhio would have never predicted. The blade made contact, it certainly did.
Had they not been enclosed by the wavering space their rip caused, the sheer force of his attack would have destroyed not only the entire forest, but even beyond that. His plan had been to even if it was a little, just a little bit, tip the chances of his success to his side.
Jhio had put all he had into that moment of contact, but without even a single warning, the blade shattered into a thousand pieces the moment he made contact with her.
The force of the blow sent Jhio flying backward, crashing through the walls of his home, his body smashing through wood and stone until he finally came to a stop inside.
He lay face down on the ground, blood pouring from his wounds, gasping for breath as his vision blurred. The last moments of his life flashed before his eyes.
The lady still outside, waved her hand as she slowly dusted off the remaining particles that had fallen onto her shoulder. Then, with a simple gesture from his index finger, the armored men began to move along with her towards the remains of their victim.
As they approached the house, she kicked away the shattered pieces of the sword she had once thought to be interesting, however, unable to hide her disappointment, she uttered her first full sentence. Her voice dripping with disgust and annoyance,
"How boring."