As the two males were starting their fights, the dragoness glided through the third-floor window, she landed silently, her wings folded neatly against her back.
Pressing herself against the wall, Mavislin cautiously peered around the corner, calculating the best approach to infiltrate the floor. Getting inside was the easy part; the real challenge lay in finding the quickest and most efficient way to eliminate her enemy's minions.
In the dimly lit room, the minions prowled—small, lion-like creatures with yellow fur and glowing red eyes. Their fluffy tails swayed softly, reminiscent of dogs, a stark contrast to the menace they exuded.
Just as Mavislin prepared to advance, a thunderous roar erupted from the back of the level. The ground quaked beneath her feet, a clear sign that time was running out before her foes fortified their defenses.
Without hesitation, she sprang from her hiding spot, lowering herself into a poised stance. Her blade, shimmering with black and purple mana, cut through the darkness as she lunged toward the lion creatures on the left side of the room, ready to strike with deadly precision.
"Sombre Dance... Raging Gibbet!" yelled Mavislin as she took up a high stance, in front of a bunch of cubs.
She unleashed a series of fluid, consecutive slashes, each strike coalescing into the form of a dragon made of black and purple mana. The spectral dragon roared silently, its swirling body slicing cleanly through the entire line of cubs, decapitating them in one swift motion.
As she reached the end of the room, Mavislin swung her scythe, hooking onto a nearby pillar and using it to pivot herself toward the right side.
With a fierce spring forward, she smirked as the remaining cubs lunged at her, their red eyes gleaming with feral intent. She raised her blade, brimming with anticipation.
This was going to be such a nice workout if it hadn't been the fact that the cubs were too easy to take down.
"Barrage of Shadows!" shouted Mavislin, her blade erupting in a dazzling explosion of violet and ebony energy.
She moved with precise control, her attacks flowing and weaving into each other like a deadly dance.
A flurry of nine consecutive strikes sliced through the air, each blow flowing seamlessly into the next. As they struck the charging cubs, the dark mana of their blades created a relentless blur, cutting them down with relentless precision.
Mavislin skidded to a halt, her feet scraping against the ground as she landed gracefully. She raised her scythe, the weapon still humming with residual energy, and turned just in time to face the true beast of the lair.
"By the heavens... You are one ugly thing," commented the dragoness as she blocked the charging Nian, allowing it to bite on her scythe instead of her head.
The Nian loomed before her, identical to its minions but far larger and more menacing. While the cubs slashed at Mavislin with their claws, the Nian preferred a more direct approach, lunging with its jaws wide open, sharp teeth glistening as it roared.
With a swift flick of her wrist, Mavislin's scythe exploded into pure darkness, a shockwave of dark energy sending the beast reeling back with a pained howl. Undeterred, the Nian reared onto its hind legs, letting out a deafening roar that shook the room.
Scarlet flames flickered within its gaping maw, coalescing into five blazing orbs. As the Nian slammed down onto its front legs, the fiery orbs shot towards Mavislin, blazing a path through the air.
The dragoness barely flinched, her expression one of mild boredom as she sighed and spun her scythe with both arms. The weapon moved like a flowing river, each spin smooth and deliberate.
She sliced through the oncoming orbs with effortless grace, as if her blade were a hot knife through butter. The remnants of the attack exploded behind her in a fiery burst, painting the dragoness as a harbinger of the Nian's worst nightmares.
Mavislin raised her scythe above her shoulder with one arm, then hurled it towards the enraged Nian.
Just as the beast prepared to swat the flying weapon aside, Mavislin appeared in a flash, grasping her blade mid-air and bringing it down with deadly precision toward the Nian's head.
Despite its size, the Nian displayed impressive agility, tucking its head and curling into a protective ball, narrowly evading the strike. Mavislin remained unfazed, seamlessly transitioning her momentum to drive the blade into the beast's lower body.
The Nian let out a shriek of agony as the scythe pierced through its supposedly impenetrable covering, its roar echoing in the chamber. Mavislin landed on the other side, her expression calm as the Nian writhed in pain, realizing too late that its defenses had been breached.
"How did you... Break my defense with such little effort?" asked the beast, who had a gruff male voice.