Bai En surfaced from the lake, using his mana to step onto the water. Drops of water dripped from his wet hair, and the surrounding environment had completely changed.
A black crescent moon hung above the lake, the water beneath his feet was as black as ink, and the sparse visible light was obscured by shadows. The surroundings were eerily quiet.
He could only hear his own heavy breathing.
The figure that had fallen from the sky appeared before Bai En in a trance, their eyes meeting, like a mirror world formed by inverted gravity.
"He's here!"
The ripple of the voice merged into the darkness like the surface of water. Rill's figure turned into a pool of thick ink and fell into the inky black lake. At the same time, an obscure sense of crisis was continuously amplified by his mana perception and breathing technique training.
Bai En swung his blade backward, and what met him was an inky black longsword identical in appearance to Zha Yan!
"Clang!"
The swords clashed, and sparks flew from Zha Yan's blade.
He looked up at the figure attacking him—it was an entirely black Shadow Warrior! Bai En frowned slightly, forming a sword-finger with his free left hand. "Release!"
A transparent slash flew out!
Half a year of training and increased mana had allowed him to release slashes, not just wrap them around his blade! He mostly used the 'Release' in its wrapped form, but that was just a long-standing habit and... to conserve mana.
The invisible slash landed on the black longsword, and the Shadow Warrior was pushed backward by the impact, splashing black lake water.
The next moment, something incredible happened to Bai En: the swordsman holding the blade gently raised it, his right foot slightly forward.
'This starting stance is...'
The blade hummed!
Black sword light, like a surging tide, crashed towards Bai En. It was the Water Breathing, Fourth Form, Striking Tide!
Bai En concentrated and held his breath, countering with the Fourth Form as well. Blue and black intertwined on the cold lake surface, and sword lights continuously clashed beneath the converging water.
"Water Breathing, First Form, Water Surface Slash!"
A horizontal cut followed the Fourth Form. Bai En swung Zha Yan with quicker reactions and speed. Blue splashes churned white waves, and the Shadow Warrior's head was cleanly severed.
The headless warrior fell and dissipated.
Bai En held his blade, maintaining his breathing rhythm. The massive intake of oxygen and the boiling of his blood caused his body temperature to rise, and white steam emanated from his wet clothes under the heat.
From afar, he looked like a swordsman who had won a winter duel!
But the battle was not over.
The moment the headless warrior fell, the previous Shadow Warrior reformed on the inky black lake surface, but this time there were three of them!
Surging sword lights, like black tides, rushed from different directions, encompassing almost all the surrounding area. This attack was almost unavoidable.
"Troublesome!" Bai En cursed under his breath. "What disgusting magic!"
Indeed, an opponent of a Magic Knights Squad Captain's caliber was not something he could defeat at his current stage. He still had a long way to go.
Zha Yan in his hand rotated 180 degrees clockwise, its blade lightly touching the inky black lake surface, slowly submerging into the water.
The shadow in the center of the lake was covered by blue waves. What appeared beneath Bai En's feet was a water surface the color of a clear sky. The blade threads formed by 'Release' rotated vertically in the waves, continuously slashing.
"Calm."
The Water Breathing Eleventh Form, fused with magic slashes, pushed defense to its limit, causing all three Shadow Warriors' slashes to miss.
Bai En seized the opportunity, preparing to swing his blade to eliminate all enemies at once.
But just then, the sound of splashing water roared. Behind him, someone attacked, and a voice filled with laughter rang in Bai En's ear: "Water Breathing, First Form, Water Surface Slash!"
The attacker actually used a Water Sword Form again?!
Bai En instantly turned and changed his sword form, Zha Yan slicing upward smoothly, also using the First Form, Water Surface Slash.
Blue waves crashed against blue waves.
"Crack~" It sounded like something hard breaking.
Half a paintbrush flew through the air. The one who had ambushed Bai En from behind with the First Form was none other than Rill. When he saw the broken paintbrush, the joy on his face instantly froze: "Eh?"
Bai En wasn't doing much better.
Rill hadn't used a sword form at all; it was Water Magic created with paint. The surging mana was like a giant wave, and the gravity it carried sent Bai En flying!
He was like a small boat, constantly tumbling and rolling on the lake.
Struggling to steady himself and stand up again, Bai En coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood, a salty taste spreading in his mouth.
Not far ahead, Rill was holding his paintbrush and wailing: "How could this happen? I just wanted to show off and try it, but I didn't expect his weapon to be so sharp. My paintbrush~ I should have been more careful."
His eyebrows raised slightly, Bai En seized the opportunity and swiftly charged at Rill, blade drawn. The sharpness of Zha Yan bloomed chillingly, yet stopped mid-air.
What blocked him was a half-broken paintbrush filled with immense mana!
In the collision, both of them retreated simultaneously, Bai En retreating further. When he looked back again, Rill had disappeared from sight. In contrast, several more Shadow Warriors reappeared in the inky black lake.
Including the three that hadn't been eliminated, the number of warriors now reached eighteen!
---
Rill stood on the grassy bank beside the lake, lamenting his paintbrush broken in half. Facing the lake was the inky black land enveloped by the Shadow Moon.
Due to light issues, one couldn't see outside from within the enchanted lake, but from outside, one could clearly see Bai En fighting the Shadow Warriors on the lake surface.
After a good while of lamenting, Rill gestured with his hand, describing the magic he had cast, "Warriors of the Shadow Moon," "I feel there are still areas for improvement. Black is formed by mixing various paints. What if I only used obsidian powder?"
"I really want to try it~"
"Unfortunately, I don't have the materials right now, what a shame." He sighed, continuing to watch Bai En fighting the Shadow Warriors on the lake.
Even if a single Shadow Warrior couldn't defeat Bai En, their numbers made them very troublesome. For instance, now, the Shadow Warriors coordinated perfectly. Under their dense slashes, streaks of fresh red blood appeared on Bai En's body, and his speed and slashing power slowly decreased, making it feel somewhat difficult to parry.
"Is it over?" Rill pouted, feeling a bit unsatisfied. "I thought it would be more interesting."
"Earth Magic, Earth Dragon Thorn!"
The grass rippled like a carpet, and sharp spikes rose from the ground, piling up and thrusting towards Rill.
"Eh?" Rill's eyes widened. The rolling ground made it difficult for him to stand steadily. When the sharp spikes attacked, he reached into his palette, smeared some paint, and touched the ground. Brown vines grew out, tightly binding the earth thorns.
He casually sketched with the remaining paint in his hand, and the half-broken paintbrush was completely restored by magic.
"Oh~ Right, I was so focused on that young man, I almost forgot there was also a young lady!"
"Come on, Miss Nancy, please give me more inspiration tonight!"
The paintbrush swept, and thick vines instantly reappeared. Their coiling forms resembled crawling giant pythons, and several vines unfurled, wrapping around the suddenly appearing Nancy.
Nancy suddenly remembered what the butler Walter had said: "My young master's magic can display all mana attributes through painting, you see~"
Initially dismissive, she only realized how difficult this guy was to deal with now that she was fighting him.
"He deliberately used magic specifically against my Earth Magic!"
The sweeping vines instantly enveloped Nancy, forming a giant vine ball. Rill watched this scene, seemingly a little sad: "Is it ending like this? I haven't had my fill yet~"
Before he finished speaking, a brown light emanated from the vines. The thick vines were cut open section by section, revealing a female knight holding a greatsword inside. Her silver-white armor with red vine patterns exuded heroism, and the mana surging from her was stronger than Bai En's!
---
The Shadow Warriors' longswords repeatedly cut Bai En's skin, and drops of blood from the blades fell into the inky black lake.
A burning pain tormented Bai En. He was caught in a grueling battle, continuously using his breathing technique at full power, making his lungs feel like they were on fire. His stamina was slowly reaching its limit.
Though he still had mana remaining, if he used it now, he would be close to losing... The heavy predicament made Bai En's thoughts incredibly clear. He raised his hand and swung Zha Yan, blocking the slashes of three Shadow Warriors. The slashes of the remaining Shadow Warriors behind him were not fatal, and he was powerless to resist them.
Blood bloomed again on his back.
"My speed has slowed down, and my breathing technique is gradually reaching its limit... I've canceled Mana Skin and haven't reapplied it... For a person, speed will always gradually decrease as physical functions decline."
"So how can I become faster? Faster than myself when operating the breathing technique and Mana Skin!"
"Faster than these Shadow Warriors!"
"What method is there?"
He dodged a Shadow Warrior's slash, allowing him to see the inky black blade, a straight blade almost identical to Zha Yan in his hand.
"Tch, these guys imitate my sword forms, and their blades are the same too. Wait... blade?"
"Blade?!"
A flash of inspiration and the desperate situation led to—his grimoire rapidly flipping, and magic script appearing on the blank fourth page. It was a new magic.
Zha Yan slipped from Bai En's hand, but it didn't fall into the lake. Instead, it floated silently. In a moment of stillness, it instantly severed a Shadow Warrior's head with extremely fast and Weird speed. The headless body fell to the ground.
Zha Yan, a kitchen utensil and a blade, floated in the air, tracing perfect circular trajectories, fending off the attacks of the remaining Shadow Warriors. Magic linked Bai En's soul with Zha Yan, and the blade moved according to his will.
"Creation Magic, Extreme: Blade of Control!"