Chapter 31: Second Ally: Misty, The Storm Dancer

The window floated before Nox’s eyes.

[Please assign a new Title.]

The demon barely needed to think about it.

He looked at Misty, battered and surrounded by enemies.

And at the absurd speed she had displayed on stage, extinguishing a ring of fire with the gust of wind produced by a single kick.

A smile appeared beneath his mask.

"The Storm Dancer."

The system reacted immediately.

[Title Accepted.]

The next instant, Nox’s eyes blazed with intense red energy.

The same energy that had appeared when he granted Audrey her title.

A surge of power rushed through every muscle in his body.

He felt heat, pressure, and something like electricity coursing through him from head to toe.

Then the energy shot forward, directly toward Misty.

The dancer had no idea what was about to happen.

"What...?"

A powerful gust of wind erupted around her.

Snow began to swirl.

Her hair whipped violently.

The men around her stumbled back several steps.

And a small cyclone formed around Misty.

She remained on her knees.

But she could feel something flowing through her entire body.

More strength.

More speed.

More energy.

And the strand of hair hanging in the center of her bangs began to change color.

From black to gold.

The man with the cane stared at the scene in shock.

"What the hell is happening?"

Even Nox didn’t have time to answer.

Because Misty had already risen to her feet.

Smiling.

One of the bald men rushed toward her.

"GET HER!"

Misty turned her head.

And vanished.

She reappeared behind him.

Raised one leg.

And kicked the air.

The resulting blade of wind sliced straight through the man.

His head flew off.

The attack kept going.

Far beyond him.

A mountain visible several miles away exploded.

Its entire peak was severed as if someone had cut it off with a gigantic sword.

Nox’s eyes widened.

"..."

The bald men were just as stunned.

"..."

Misty stared at the mountain.

Then looked down at her own leg.

And started laughing.

"THAT WAS FUN!"

A chill ran down Nox’s spine.

And another window immediately appeared.

[Second Ally Acquired.]

[Mistral — The Storm Dancer.]

[Evolution Complete.]

Then Nox’s body began to ache again.

He felt his muscles tighten.

His bones cracked.

His body seemed to strengthen little by little.

As if it were growing larger.

As if the system were rewarding him.

A new window appeared.

[Select One Skill.]

[Razor Gust]

[Wind Legs]

[Dancing Tornado]

Nox quickly read the descriptions.

[Razor Gust]

Allows the user to launch blades of wind.

[Dancing Tornado]

Allows the user to create a whirlwind of rapid strikes.

And finally...

[Wind Legs]

Allows the user to release bursts of wind from their legs for propulsion.

Nox’s eyes lit up.

’Propel myself? Move faster? Maybe even fly?’

He didn’t need much time to decide.

"Wind Legs."

The window disappeared.

[Wind Legs Selected.]

[Fallen Genesis Complete.]

An unfamiliar sensation immediately spread through his legs, as if energy were gathering inside them.

And he barely had time to test it.

Because one of the bald men screamed.

"KILL HIM!"

The man grabbed a massive fish-cutting knife from a bag sitting beside the frozen lake.

Then charged directly at Nox.

The demon grinned.

"Perfect."

He activated Grand Hunter’s Agility.

And at the same time used Wind Legs.

A blast of air erupted beneath his feet.

Nox disappeared.

The bald man’s eyes widened.

"What?"

His knife sliced through empty air.

Nothing else.

Nox appeared at his side.

Far faster than before.

Both daggers pierced the man’s torso.

Blood splashed onto the snow.

The bald man collapsed.

Dead.

And Nox smiled.

’I like this skill.’

Meanwhile...

Misty was surrounded by three men.

The bald men looked terrified.

But they still tried to follow orders.

The dancer simply smiled.

Then she raised one leg.

And began spinning.

Again and again.

Each rotation generated more wind.

More speed.

More power.

A true whirlwind formed around her.

[Dancing Tornado.]

The men screamed.

They were struck by kicks, heels, and every kind of blow imaginable.

The wind lifted them off the ground.

One was hurled into a wall.

Another crashed through a stack of crates.

The third ended up embedded in a fishing bucket.

Nox watched the scene in amazement.

"That’s ridiculously cool."

The tornado vanished.

Snow drifted slowly back to the ground.

And when everything was over...

Misty stood perfectly upright.

As though she had just finished a performance.

The woman grabbed the edges of her skirt.

And performed an elegant bow.

Exactly the same way she ended all of her shows.

Nox burst out laughing.

"No way."

Even after destroying her enemies, she still acted as though she were standing on a stage.

That woman had definitely been born to dance.

The few remaining men backed away in terror.

No one wanted to get close anymore.

Only one person remained.

The man with the cane.

The old man looked at the corpses.

Looked at Misty.

Looked at Nox.

And finally sighed.

"What a bunch of incompetents."

He planted his cane into the ground.

A pressure wave rippled across the snow.

The smile vanished from Misty’s face.

And from Nox’s as well.

The old man slowly raised his head.

"I suppose if you want something done right..."

His voice turned ice cold.

"...you have to do it yourself."