As Leo meditated, he focused intently on deepening his connection with the first dimension. The air around him vibrated with energy, the towering trees' leaves rustling softly in the breeze. Attempting to absorb the newly created energy within, his body reacted violently, bursting into a cloud of bloody mist. The sudden and painful reaction startled him, highlighting the danger of harnessing such potent energy. The sound of his body's violent reaction echoed through the forest, a stark contrast to the peaceful atmosphere.
The sudden commotion drew Maya's attention, disrupting her sleep. She sat up, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "What's happening?" she asked, her voice laced with concern as her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword.
Leo smiled wryly, trying to mask the pain and turmoil within. "Something went wrong during my regeneration. No need to worry yourself, I will deal with it."
Though in doubt, she knew she had limited time to recover. Reluctantly, she accepted his answer and returned to her rest, trusting that Leo could handle the situation.
Leo, meanwhile, was struggling with the violent reaction of his body. The sword energy from the first dimension was potent, almost too much for his current state to handle. He realized that his body was too weak to bear the energy. As Lin had mentioned, although humans were in the third dimension, they were not even on the first plane of the third dimension. This left their physical bodies weak and fragile.
This revelation did not disappoint Leo. He had been expecting it. Still, his eyes glinted with determination as a grin spread across his face. During his futile attempt to absorb the energy, he had seen a possible path to wield it. His smile widened in joy as he thought to himself, 'It looks as though I'm a bit of a cheat myself!'
An hour later, both Leo and Maya had recovered. They sat facing each other, strategizing their upcoming battle with the 'Terragrim,' as she called it. According to Maya, her family was mostly affiliated with phantom-like abilities, and they were mainly stealth-type masters. So upon encountering the beast, she quickly knew that was what she wanted.
Leo couldn't blame her for setting her sights that high. After all, he was planning on going after something possibly even worse himself. But as he remembered his recent progress, his eyes shone with a mischievous glint. Didn't the beast like giving surprises? Well, it was about to receive one itself.
As they finalized their plan, Maya started tracking the beast. Apparently, even in their desperate situation, she still had the presence of mind to implant a tracker on it. The forest floor crunched beneath their feet as they ran, the sound echoing through the trees. They encountered other monsters along the way, but they were extra careful, sneaking through the forest at speed. The trees blurred together as they moved, their branches whipping past their faces.
As they entered a rocky clearing, Leo's instincts screamed at him to act. He grabbed Maya's collar, dragging her back as he followed suit. Before she could question him, an earth spike shot out at the place both Maya and Leo were meant to be. The sound of the spike's impact was like thunder, and the ground shook beneath their feet. Gulping, Maya felt a chill down her back as she looked at the protrusion, which liquefied and returned to its normal form.
The air was thick with tension. They had barely landed when Leo's instinct screamed at him once more. Reaching for Maya's waist, he grabbed her and leaped onto a sturdy branch of a nearby tree, just in time to avoid the attack.
Faint undulations spread as an energy beam shot out, ten times stronger than it was before. The beam's power was like a living thing, pulsating with energy. If they had been hit by it, they would have surely been vaporized. As expected, the Terragrim had been holding back during their last confrontation. The full power of the beast surprised Leo, but he wasn't fazed. After all, he had a surprise to deliver to the vile beast himself.
Maya finally regained her composure, gripping her sword tighter, prepared to retaliate if the beast took action once more. Catching a surging mass of earth at the corner of her eyes, she quickly jumped and used the momentum to swing her sword hard.
The beast lunged out, throwing itself towards the path of her sword. Quickly noticing this, the beast shrank, turning into a little kitten. Her attack barely missed it. Normally, when the beast shifted forms like this, it would be a moment of vulnerability, but the Terragrim's agility and cunning made it a dangerous foe even in its smallest form.
In most cases, when someone makes a swing in the air, it is almost impossible to change trajectory without an outside force or stopping the action. The problem is, the moment you stop, all the built momentum dissipates, weakening the force behind the action.
This was common knowledge. But Maya was different. She came from an elite family known for performing the impossible. As her foot touched the ground, she did the impossible. Using the earth as support, her attack took a ninety-degree turn, landing a vicious cut on the now-shrunken beast, which had yet to land. The force from the attack swung the beast directly towards Leo.
The beast, demonstrating its intelligence, morphed into a scaly flying creature. If it had been up against anyone else, it might have had a chance to escape. But as it tried to flap its scaly wings to gather momentum, it couldn't continue its actions. Leo had already arrived, unleashing a cut that could only be described as too fast! The sound of his sword slicing through the air was like a whip cracking, and the beast's body seemed to freeze in mid-air before it fell.
Though this exchange seemed long, in truth, barely four seconds had passed from the first earth spike attack till now. As the beast fell, reverting back to its true form, it landed on the ground in two separate halves. This time, the ground didn't accept it as before. The strike Leo had delivered granted it instantaneous death. The air was silent for a moment, the only sound the heavy breathing of Leo and Maya.
Looking at the corpse of the beast in shock, Maya glanced at Leo and exclaimed, "How did you do that?" Her voice was laced with a mix of awe and concern.
Leo's eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief as he smiled, but his expression quickly turned serious. "It's a technique I've been working on," he said, his voice low and even. "I call it 'Momentless'."
Maya's eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing. "What does it do?" she asked, her voice firm.
Leo hesitated for a moment before answering, "It allows me to cut without swinging, dealing damage at will." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "I've not perfected it yet thus the act of me still having to swing, But it's not just that. The attack also injects violent energy into my opponents, which can be... devastating."
Maya's expression turned thoughtful, her eyes never leaving Leo's face. "I see," she said, her voice soft. "That's a powerful technique."
Leo nodded, his eyes locked on Maya's. "I know. That's why I need to be careful with it." The air was thick with tension as they stood there, the weight of their conversation hanging in the balance.
As they stood there, the forest around them seemed to grow quieter, the trees looming above them like sentinels. The only sound was the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze, a gentle reminder that even in the midst of danger and uncertainty, there was still beauty to be found.
But for Leo and Maya, there was no time to appreciate the scenery. They had a mission to complete, and the road ahead would be fraught with danger.