The five bandits froze for a split second at the spirit warrior's sudden charge, bewildered by her unexpected maneuver. Though they possessed the strength of Mid-Tier Swordsmen, they had never trained in coordinated combat tactics. They had assumed the black-armored warrior would charge straight at their formation—but to their surprise, she veered off to the side, targeting the warrior on the far right of their group.
Yet the bandits did not panic. Ignorance breeds confidence. These men, who had received only scattered guidance from Daros and had barely participated in group battles, failed to grasp Judy's true intention. Even the swordsman on the far right, facing her charge, merely raised his blade in a defensive stance—after all, there was still a distance between them; the fight had not yet begun in earnest.
But at that moment, something strange happened.
Halfway through her downward swing with the massive two-handed sword, the towering black figure suddenly transformed into a streak of inky black light, hurtling toward her target at a speed several times faster than before. The poor bandit selected as her prey barely had time to react. One moment, the black-cloaked warrior was meters away; the next, she was right in front of him. Caught off guard by the sudden assault, the bandit leaped backward, raising his longsword in a desperate attempt to block the strike.
But he was too slow.
Judy's greatsword had already descended halfway before she launched her charge. And when the charge ended, her momentum did not dissipate—in fact, it merged with the force of her swing, multiplying its power exponentially. Even if both combatants possessed the strength of Mid-Tier Swordsmen, such a thunderous strike was impossible to parry. With no gap in their ranks to exploit, what remained was a brutal contest of raw power.
**Clang!**
The bandit had raised his blade in a hasty defense; Judy had struck with premeditated, focused force. Combined with the immense momentum of her charge and the sheer weight of her greatsword, the outcome was decided the instant their blades collided. The poor bandit felt a searing numbness shoot up his arm, followed by complete loss of sensation—he could not even tell if he still held his sword. His arm flew uncontrollably to the side, leaving his chest wide open. Unimpeded, the greatsword pierced his body effortlessly. Judy twisted her wrist and gave a sharp flick of her blade. The bandit's corpse went flying, and when it hit the ground, his face was frozen in a rictus of terror, confusion, surprise… and a hint of misplaced confidence. It was as if his time had stopped forever at the moment he thought he could block the strike.
Silence descended.
Daros and the other bandits stared at the corpse in stunned disbelief, their mouths agape. Even the remaining bandits, who had been poised to join the fray, froze in place, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
"Accelerated Charge…"
Daros swallowed hard, muttering the words under his breath. He had never imagined anyone still mastered such a technique.
For Mid-Tier Swordsmen, the Charge was a basic skill. It worked by condensing one's soul energy and releasing it in a burst to accelerate toward the enemy. But the skill had a fatal flaw: to execute it, the user had to stand perfectly still to gather their power. Typically, a Mid-Tier Swordsman would assume a sprinter's stance, rooted to the spot, before activating the skill. This allowed them to gather energy in the shortest time possible, and standing still also helped them adjust their direction with maximum flexibility—after all, a Charge only allowed for linear movement, making it crucial to lock onto the target's position for a precise strike. Conversely, executing a Charge while in motion was widely considered impossible. It would throw off the user's balance, leaving their footing unstable and their energy scattered—like a cart suddenly losing its wheels, the result would be disastrous.
Only the swordsmen of the Age of Luminous Moons, an era when magic flourished at its peak, had preserved such techniques. Back then, mages were incredibly powerful, and to counter them, swordsmen had developed numerous advanced combat arts—Accelerated Charge being one of them. After all, mages' spells were devastatingly potent; standing still to charge would only make the swordsman a sitting duck. Only by executing a Charge while constantly moving, dodging, and weaving could they close in on mages to deal a fatal blow.
Mages of the present day no longer possessed the overwhelming power of their predecessors, and similarly, the advanced sword arts once passed down among swordsmen had gradually faded into obscurity. Yet these techniques lingered in legends, stories, and the teachings of veteran swordsmen—reminders that once, there existed a group of warriors who had reached heights unimaginable to later generations.
Unlike Daros, who was reeling from the revelation, the remaining bandits did not dwell on the implications of the technique. They had not yet attained his level of insight; merely improving their raw strength was already a full-time task. Thus, the only thing that surprised them about the black-armored warrior's move was her ability to execute a Charge while in motion. But to the other bandits, this was no longer a cause for concern—after all, Judy's Charge had closed the distance between her and them, making it impossible for her to unleash another one.
The silence lasted only a moment.
Then, both sides launched into fierce, chaotic combat once more.
Greatswords were generally suited for wide, sweeping strikes—their massive size dictated their function as weapons of brute force. But facing the bandits, Judy unleashed swordsmanship skills no one had ever imagined possible with such a blade. Her strikes were not only powerful and aggressive but also precise and delicate. The bandits, clearly lacking experience in countering a greatsword user, hesitated and stumbled in the face of her onslaught. The only threat they posed was that, despite struggling against her massive weapon, they refused to retreat from her vicinity—obviously wary of the spirit warrior attempting another Accelerated Charge.
**Clang!**
Blades collided.
The bandit clad in black screamed and stumbled backward, swinging his longsword horizontally to deflect her force while closing in to launch a counterattack. But just as he diverted Judy's strike and was about to press in, she leaped backward nimbly. Her greatsword, though its momentum had been redirected, continued to slice sideways, forcing another bandit who had been preparing to seize the opportunity to charge forward to retreat in a hurry. His panicked move triggered a chain reaction; seeing their comrade fall back, the remaining three bandits scrambled, their formation collapsing. They glanced at each other in confusion, unsure why their opponent had refused to press her advantage.
The enemy's formation was in disarray.
Judy had already noticed this. Though she was confident she could eliminate all four remaining bandits using her combat experience and skill, it would take time—and Black had just contacted her via telepathic soul link, ordering her to "finish this quickly, wrap it up fast."
Now was the moment.
After shattering the four bandits' encircling formation with a single strike, Judy reversed her grip on her greatsword. Then, brilliant flames erupted from the crimson patterns etched onto the blade's surface.
A wave of scorching heat spread outward in an instant, causing even the four bandits caught in its radius to feel a prickling discomfort. But before they could react, Judy launched her attack.
The greatsword, wreathed in soul fire, descended once more. This time, the poor bandit in its path had no chance to raise his blade in defense. He only felt his longsword grow searingly hot in his hand, like it was about to melt—but before he could drop it, the blade of flame had already sliced through his body, leaving nothing but a charred, blackened husk behind. The bandit standing beside him panicked and tried to block, but his fate was sealed the moment Judy swung her sword.
In seconds, another burning corpse was sent flying through the air, then crashed heavily to the ground.
Judy's greatsword paused for a split second—but this was not a sign that she was ceasing her attack.
Then, in the eyes of all who watched, the figure wreathed in flames suddenly lunged forward like a striking viper, trailing a long streak of crimson fire as it leaped into the air. It then dove downward, jaws wide open, toward the ground. The third victim, caught directly in its path, did not even have time to scream before he was completely engulfed by the serpent of flame. The deafening explosion that followed left many bandits dizzy and disoriented, teetering on the brink of unconsciousness.
The last remaining bandit chose not to fight.
He had no idea what kind of transformation his opponent had undergone, but if all his companions had been killed by this strange warrior, he stood no chance. He spun around instantly, attempting to flee the battlefield and seek shelter behind Daros.
But he had run only two steps when a searing pain erupted from his chest, as if his heart had been torn out. Then, a massive impact and the burning flames of the soul fire engulfed his body completely.
Only when Judy pulled her thrown greatsword out of his shattered, charred corpse did the roaring flames gradually die down.
The bandits stared with their eyes wide open, unable to believe what they had just seen. Daros's face, meanwhile, was dark as thunder, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might crack.
Though he had long ago realized that the opponent's combat experience and skill far surpassed his own disciples, Daros had never imagined the battle would end so quickly.
"Attribute Power… the Lost Sword Arts?"
Daros took two steps forward, drawing the longsword at his waist. He knew he had no choice but to fight now.
"Very well. I do not know who you are, but you have earned the right to face me in combat. Come!"
Though Attribute Power and Accelerated Charge were incredibly powerful techniques, Daros understood that their strength lay in their antiquity—not their superiority. In that legendary era, Attribute Power and Accelerated Charge had been mandatory skills for every Mid-Tier Swordsman. Though Daros himself had never mastered the Accelerated Charge, he was confident in his chances of victory. A Mid-Tier Swordsman was still a Mid-Tier Swordsman, no matter how many bizarre and ancient techniques they had mastered—they could never bridge the gap in power between themselves and a High-Tier Swordsman.
But to Daros's surprise, the black-armored warrior did not step forward to accept his challenge as he had expected. Instead, she sheathed her greatsword and returned to her ranks. Then, the black-armored warriors stepped aside in unison, clearing a path.
A young man dressed in noble's attire walked through the gap.
"In that case, allow me to be your opponent, Mr. Daros."
Black gave a slight bow, his expression warm and elegant as he smiled at the enemy before him and spoke.