SHING!

Scarlet ducked under a wide silver slash and closed the distance in a blur, her twin daggers stabbing viciously toward Hector’s neck.

CLANG!

The old man blocked at the last possible moment.

His staff rang loudly as silver energy clashed against her blades.

And he immediately countered with a brutal upward strike.

The silver energy extended like a rising blade, forcing Scarlet to twist her body mid-air.

"Ugh...!"

The edge still grazed her side, slicing through her leather armor and drawing a thin line of blood.

"You’re slippery," Hector growled, swinging again in a wide horizontal arc. "But I’ve killed hundreds like you!"

With a sneer, Scarlet spun away gracefully, her daggers flashing as she countered.

SPURT!

SPURT!

She left two deep cuts on Hector’s forearm as she passed, blood spraying from the wounds.

"You...!"

"And I’ve seduced and killed men far stronger than you, old dog," she replied with a cold smile.

Hector gritted his teeth, then with a fierce expression, he slammed his staff into the ground.

BOOM!

A wave of silver energy erupted outward like a ripple, forcing Scarlet to leap backward.

CRACK!

The ground where she had been standing was sliced into deep grooves.

"Not bad, whore! But you’re too light on your feet!"

Despite his old age, he charged forward surprisingly fast, swinging his staff in a relentless series of strikes.

Each swing released sharp, crescent-shaped silver blades that cut through the air with deadly precision.

Scarlet weaved and dodged, her body moving like flowing water, but one of the energy crescents still caught her left arm, opening a shallow but painful gash.

She hissed in pain but used the momentum to close the distance again.

Her daggers became a deadly whirlwind as she attacked his vital points, throat, heart, kidneys with ruthless efficiency.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Hector blocked and parried with his staff, his silver energy flaring brighter with every collision.

Sparks flew as the two powerhouses traded blows at terrifying speed.

"You rely too much on that fancy silver trick!" Scarlet taunted, stabbing toward his eyes.

Hector grinned ruthlessly and headbutted her dagger aside, then smashed his elbow into her ribs.

Thud!

Scarlet grunted in pain but retaliated by slashing across his chest, drawing a long, bloody line.

The two of them were evenly matched in ferocity... one fast and precise, the other heavy and destructive.

Their subordinates fought fiercely around them, but the real battle was between these two leaders.

Scarlet spun low, trying to sweep Hector’s legs.

But the old man jumped and brought his staff down like a hammer.

BOOOOM!

The ground cratered where Scarlet had been.

She rolled away at the last second, breathing harder now, blood dripping from several shallow cuts.

Hector, despite his age, looked energized, with silver energy crackling along his staff.

"Is that all you’ve got, Victor’s little toy?" he laughed.

Scarlet wiped blood from her lip, her eyes burning with cold fury.

"...You talk too much."

With those words,

She dashed forward again, daggers glowing with a faint red aura as she poured more power into her strikes.

The brutal duel continued without mercy.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

But at that moment, Scarlet’s eyes glinted as she found an opening.

She twisted her body at the last second, letting the silver edge slice past her and carve a deep trench into the ground.

Using the momentum, she spun behind Hector.

Her daggers glowed with a even more red aura as she slashed viciously across his back, drawing a long, bloody wound.

"AHH!! YOU BITCH!"

Hector roared in pain and anger, then spinning around with a wide horizontal sweep.

The silver crescent blade forced Scarlet to leap high into the air to avoid being bisected.

Scarlet smiled coldly at the new opening.

It seems this old man has lost his edge with age.

Just as she was about to counterattack mid-air again—

ZINGG!

A brilliant golden light suddenly erupted around the battlefield.

The intense radiance exploded outward like a miniature sun, flooding the entire clearing and surrounding area with blinding golden light.

It was so bright that it completely overwhelmed everyone’s vision.

"MY EYES—!!"

"Who!!?"

"What the hell is that?!"

Screams erupted from both sides as the fighters instinctively covered their faces, stopping their attacks and retreating toward their respective groups.

Scarlet also hissed in pain and shielded her eyes with her arm, while Hector growled and raised his staff defensively, silver energy flaring around him.

The golden light was pure, radiant, and carried an overwhelming sense of power and hope... the same kind that had appeared earlier.

Scarlet’s expression twisted in shock as she hastily retreated too.

"That light again...!"

The entire battlefield was thrown into chaos as both sides struggled to regain their sight.

The brilliant golden light continued to shine brightly, illuminating the forest like daytime for several long seconds before slowly beginning to fade. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

When the light finally dimmed...

Scarlet slowly lowered her arm, blinking rapidly as her vision returned.

Her eyes were still watering, but she quickly scanned the surroundings with sharp caution.

Several of her men were still disoriented, stumbling backward.

’That light again... Exactly the same as the one the Viscount described.’

She began to wonder about the person who had released it, and what their true intention was.

’Could it be that the person behind it wants us to stop fighting...?’

Scarlet thought that the mysterious figure didn’t want to reveal themselves and was simply trying to halt the chaos.

Hector, on the other side, shook his head violently, silver energy crackling around his staff as he tried to regain his sight.

’Golden light... So it was true. Someone with the Dawn Knight’s power is hiding around here.’

He glared at Scarlet across the clearing, his eyes narrowing with similar thoughts.

Both leaders stared at each other, their expressions now far more cautious than before.

The mysterious golden light had clearly shaken them and disrupted the momentum of the fight.

But at that moment... as they were busy being cautious with each other...

They didn’t notice the subtle movement near the hidden hatch.

The heavy stone hatch closed silently, covered once more by leaves and branches, blending seamlessly back into the forest floor.