Drevon stood at the center of the clearing, swirling winds forming deadly white blades around him.
The pressure he exuded was monstrous—like a hurricane packed into a human body.
Alex, Zane, and Miranda tightened their formation.
They didn't need to speak.
They knew what they had to do.
"Let's go!" Alex roared, charging forward.
Drevon smirked. "Bold."
With a snap of his fingers, sharp blades of compressed wind shot outward.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
Miranda was first to react. She slammed her palms together.
"Ice Shield!"
A shimmering wall of thick ice materialized in front of them, absorbing the incoming wind blades with loud cracks and shatters.
But Drevon was already on the move.
He blurred behind the group like a ghost on the wind, fist pulled back and glowing with condensed mana.
Alex's senses screamed danger. Without thinking, he pivoted, narrowly avoiding the punch that would've caved in his chest.
Drevon's blow instead crushed a boulder behind Alex into dust.
BOOM!
"Fast bastard," Alex muttered under his breath.
Zane didn't give Drevon time to recover. He unleashed a chain of lightning bolts, each one snapping and lashing toward Drevon's body.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Drevon deflected them with short bursts of wind, each strike sending out small shockwaves, but his defenses were getting slower.
Miranda seized the moment.
She summoned a massive glacier spear — nearly two meters long — and hurled it toward Drevon with all her might.
Drevon roared, thrusting both palms forward.
"Wind Barrage!"
Multiple miniature tornadoes collided with the ice spear midair, exploding into a mist of frost and cutting wind.
Visibility dropped instantly.
Alex grinned.
"Now!"
He darted through the mist like a shadow, closing the distance between him and Drevon.
Without activating Crimson Claw — to avoid suspicion — Alex relied purely on brute strength, pumping every ounce of physical enhancement into his legs and fists.
He unleashed a barrage of rapid punches, each one causing minor shockwaves.
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
Drevon blocked the first few strikes, gritting his teeth.
But Alex's regeneration kept him moving relentlessly, ignoring minor injuries and bruises.
Still, Drevon wasn't an elite trainee for nothing.
With a snarl, he twisted his body, catching Alex across the face with a spinning wind kick.
Alex was thrown back like a ragdoll, crashing into a tree.
[HP -3]
[18/25 HP]
Blood trickled down his cheek, but he wiped it away with the back of his hand, smirking.
"Still standing," Alex muttered.
Before Drevon could press the advantage, Zane appeared again, electricity crackling around his fists and legs.
Zzztttt!
He launched himself at Drevon with a spiraling, lightning-imbued kick.
"Thunder Spiral!"
The kick connected, sending Drevon stumbling backward, his face twisted in annoyance.
"You little pests!"
Drevon roared, forming a massive ball of compressed wind mana between his palms.
The air screamed around him, trees bending from the sheer force.
Miranda's eyes widened.
"That's... a high-level spell!"
The wind ball compressed tighter and tighter until it glowed white.
"Die!"
He launched it at them.
The trio braced themselves—
But just as the devastating attack closed in—
A golden flash sliced through the forest.
SHIIIIINNGG!!
The ball of wind mana split cleanly in two, dissipating harmlessly into the air.
Everyone froze.
A figure stepped out from the mist.
Kirito.
His body radiated golden mana. His eyes were sharp like blades.
In his hands — a long katana with a black scabbard and blue accents.
He raised the blade over his head in a reverse grip.
"Yamazaki Swordsmanship—"
Kirito's voice rang out loud and clear, filled with newfound power.
"Getsuzanko!"
SHHRRAKKKK!!
A devastating crescent-shaped slash of golden energy shot forward, tearing through the ground, cutting trees cleanly in half, and slamming directly into Drevon.
BOOOOOOM!!
Drevon was blasted backward, skidding across the ground violently, coughing blood as he tumbled.
THUD!
The entire forest seemed to hold its breath.
Alex, Zane, and Miranda stared at Kirito, stunned.
He looked different.
Sharper.
Stronger.
Awakened.
Kirito pointed his sword calmly at Drevon.
"You picked the wrong group to mess with," he said coldly.