Sky-high battle

Due to Razel's unusual skill, day turned to night, with only the three moons illuminating the sky.

And then, skeletons cloaked in shadow armor appeared from the mist behind Razel, the rattling of their bones deafening due to their sheer numbers. At least three hundred stood, shadow weapons in hand.

Razel spoke, his voice full of confidence.

"Do you see now, little girl? Only despair awaits the fool who dares to face me."

Well, he wasn’t wrong. We were only about twenty, and he had an army capable of seizing a small village. I glanced back—some of our soldiers cowered in fear, while others stood firm.

My eyes immediately fell on Lia and Weiz. There wasn’t a hint of fear on their faces.

I called out to them.

"Weiz! Lia!" Their eyes locked onto me. "I'll handle Razel. Figure the skeletons out on your own."

Without hesitation, I took off into the sky, the wind rushing past me. Surprisingly, Razel followed, flinging off his cape and flapping his wings. It seemed we had the same idea.

To kill the strongest quickly—before they became a problem.

***

We ascended rapidly, climbing so high that the ground was no longer visible. Only the two of us remained, suspended in the endless sky.

With [Thread Manipulation], I wove a white sword from my fingertips before grasping it tightly in my hand.

Razel’s expression remained unreadable as he shifted into a stance.

Then—

Silence.

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

A rush of movement—danger. He reappeared behind me, sword raised for an overhead swing. I reacted just in time, my threads blocking his blade with a metallic clang.

Pivoting swiftly, I countered with a slash aimed at his head, but before my sword could advance even an inch, he blocked it with his free hand. Sparks flew from the clash.

A black leather glove reinforced with iron had saved him.

But I didn’t stop.

I puffed up my cheeks and unleashed a fiery inferno. His eyes widened as he leaped back, barely avoiding the flames that seared his chest and a portion of his face.

His narrowed gaze locked onto me before he calmly removed his scorched shirt, revealing a well-trained body—now burned thanks to me.

But he barely seemed to care. His [Regeneration] activated, knitting his wounds shut in mere moments.

Then, he inhaled deeply, his cheeks puffing up. I knew what was coming.

But I was too slow.

Before I could react, a concentrated beam of black flames struck my shoulder, burning a hole clean through it.

Thankfully, [Regeneration] kicked in—slow, but effective.

I was surprised.

(Was that a skill?)

Razel clicked his tongue.

"I still need more practice. I aimed for your head—you’re lucky to be alive."

"Huh? Didn’t you just miss?"

He shot me a glare.

"You won’t be so lucky next time."

Again, he prepared the same attack.

But I didn’t give him the chance.

"Did you really think I’d let you use that again?"

I dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant. My sword thrust toward his head, but he deflected it with that strange glove of his and immediately fired another black flame beam—this time at point-blank range.

But I saw it coming.

Jerking my head to the side, I barely dodged the searing blast as it grazed my cheek. However, he was relentless. His sword followed immediately after, piercing straight through my chest.

Pain shot through me, but I reacted instinctively, kicking him back with a powerful blow before coughing up blood.

Yet—

A grin stretched across my face.

I wiped the blood from my mouth as [Regeneration] worked its magic, my heart pounding with exhilaration.

"This is fun~! More! Show me more!"

I didn’t know what exactly I was feeling, but emotions—every single one—seemed to blend together inside me. My heart pounded. My body trembled, urging me to keep fighting.

And I gladly listened.

[...]

I lunged, my sword cutting through the wind. Sparks ignited each time our blades clashed. He blocked every strike, his form unwavering.

Yet, his own attacks landed too. Thin, crimson lines decorated my body, proof of the hits he’d managed to get in.

But I didn’t stop.

Swing. Thrust. Faster and faster.

And he blocked. Again and again.

And then I heard a faint monotonous voice

[... gained]

but I completely ignored it and only focused on enjoying our fight.

Then, finally—

A hit landed.

My blade grazed his neck with a swift thrust of my threaded sword.

And then, he vanished.

I turned, smirking for two reasons.

"That skill... it allows you to return to a space you previously stood in... but how?"

His eyes darkened with annoyance.

"To think you’d figure that out mid-battle. I can’t believe I have to fight someone like you."

I gave him a playful smile.

"Well, I—"

"But," he interrupted, voice colder, "you’re still too inexperienced."

Then—

Pain erupted through my body.

My eyes widened in shock as deep sword wounds appeared all over me, blood gushing from fresh gashes. I staggered, struggling to understand.

"How...?"

Razel’s tone remained ice-cold.

"Although you’re powerful, you have no battle experience. Your swordsmanship was all over the place. You swung needlessly, while I struck with precision and you didn't even use your tail."

His sword rose once more.

"Now... it’s time for you to die. Blame yourself for ever thinking you stood a chance against me."

He lunged, blade aimed for my throat.

But I smirked.

"Did you really believe you had won?"

I snapped my fingers once.

His expression shifted—concern flashed in his eyes.

"Wha—?"

And then, thin spikes erupted from his body, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.

He coughed up blood, his breath ragged.

"Don’t... tell me... it’s from... that time..."

His form plummeted, hurtling toward the ground at breakneck speed.

And he was right.

It was from 'that time'—the only moment my sword had grazed him.

In that split second, I had used [Thread Manipulation] to slip a nearly invisible thread into the wound on his neck, guiding it deeper into his body.

All I had to do was wait for it to reach his heart. Then, I simply expanded it.

Even [Regeneration] couldn’t save him.

Slowly, I descended. Our battle had taken us a great distance away from Lia and the others.

Minutes passed before the crimson surface of the ground came into view. And there, lying motionless, was Razel’s corpse—riddled with spikes.

But—

I could still sense mana from it.

Sighing as I landed, I thought to myself,

(Razel... I can’t believe you’re still breathing after your heart’s been impaled...)

The only reason I had won was because he had underestimated me, viewing me as just an inexperienced child and [Pain Resistance] also played a big part.

I glanced down at my tattered dress—the Death Dress.

I sighed again as [Regeneration] sealed my wounds with a gentle white glow.

"Now... let’s see how the others are holding up."

I had previously learned that

[>Master of Observation<] wasn’t just a skill to perceive mana and my surroundings—it allowed me to see distant places, depending on how much mana I used. It consumed a lot, but it was worth it.

Almost like the drones we had back on Earth.

And so, I activated

[>Master of Observation<].

***

Miles away, from an overhead view, I watched the battle unfold—Dragonkin and Shadow Skeletons clashing in a brutal fight.

A smile appeared on my face upon seeing an interesting sight.