Xīrán stepped forward slowly, her eyes fixed on the towering Elm Viper Tree. Its vines twisted gently in the wind, but she could feel the pressure it gave off. There was danger in the air, silent, heavy, and waiting.
She took a deep breath and calmed her mind. This was her first battle, and she would not fail.
With a thought, her martial soul, Black Thorn Lotus, activated fully. The black lotus above her head spun slowly, and twelve green thorn-blades emerged once again. She held one in her right hand, the other eleven floating around her, waiting for orders.
The moment she stepped closer, the vines moved.
"Snap—!"
A thick vine lashed out toward her. She reacted at once, dodging to the side and sending two of her blades forward. The blades spun and struck the vine, cutting deep, but not severing it.
She narrowed her eyes. 'These vines were tougher than she thought.'
The tree sensed her attack and responded. More vines moved. Four shot toward her in quick succession, one from the front, two from the sides, and another from above.
She jumped backward, but not far. Instead, she used the backward momentum to pull two of her floating blades into position and sent them slicing upward to block the strike from above.
The vine cracked but didn't break. Still, the impact bought her time to step aside from the others.
'I can't fight this head-on,' she thought. 'I need to use my reach and the lotus's ability to guide the swords.'
She formed a plan.
First, she shifted the lotus slightly forward, letting it hover in the air above the tree's root range. From that position, the lotus would serve as her central command point. Then she directed four blades to form a loose circle around the lotus. The rest floated defensively near her, three in front, two behind.
Another vine came flying. She didn't move this time. Instead, she let the closest sword intercept it under her mental command.
The vine wrapped around the blade.
Her eyes sharpened. "Got you."
At once, she sent two more blades to strike the base of the vine while it was locked around the first sword. The focused assault cut deeper this time. The vine twitched and retracted, badly injured.
The tree responded with more aggression. This time, seven vines shot out together. Xīrán began moving, side to side, backward, rotating the lotus and sending her swords flying to intercept the attacks. One sword deflected. Another struck. Two were wrapped. One was torn from her control and shattered against a tree.
She gritted her teeth. Losing a sword slowed her down, but she didn't panic.
The lotus can repair it later. Right now, stay calm. Cut the base of the vines, not the ends. That's where it hurts.
She saw an opening.
As the tree pulled its vines back after a failed sweep, Xīrán dashed forward, not directly at the tree, but to the side, where a thick group of vines had just retracted.
She sent two more blades at once in a focused formation. They rotated like a fan, striking a large vine in unison.
The vine broke.
It twitched on the ground, severed at the base.
She didn't celebrate. There was no time.
Two vines struck toward her blind spot. She sensed them through the faint tremble in the air, too late to fully dodge, but enough to brace. She crossed two swords in front of her and held her ground.
"Thwack—!"
The vines slammed against her blades. She slid back several meters, feet digging into the dirt, but held firm.
She coughed once, blood at the corner of her lips. Her hands shook, but she kept her grip.
I can't fall now. I chose this path. I have to win.
The tree roared with it's huge momentum. Ten vines moved at once, surrounding her.
But this time, she was ready.
The lotus above her pulsed. All remaining swords spun simultaneously outward in a wide arc. Each one targeted a vine base, not the tips, not the middle, but the thickest points near the tree's core.
The battle became a blur of strikes and movement. Vines wrapped around blades, blades cut into bark, roots shook the ground.
Her control sharpened with every second.
Her instincts guided her now. She wasn't waiting for instructions. She wasn't hesitating, her senses began to sharpened, she could see all the vine movement.
Finally, as the last sword pierced the trunk just above a cluster of roots where core of elm viper tree loacted, the Elm Viper Tree let out a deep vibration. Its vines fell limp. The light in its core faded.
The battle was over.
Xīrán collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily. Her arms trembled. Her soul power was as it end, and was almost gone but .
She had won.
And this victory was her own.