Zain blocked the attack and the attack create shockwave behind him. Rhaelis was shocked to find out the attack did nothing and step back by 10 meters.
Rhaelis's body is still cover with as well as her sword. She got into a stance, holding a sword near her face and became compose.
"*BEAST STYLE*"
"*FIFTH FORM - SEEPING LEAF*"
Zain heard her speaking something before she appeared infront of him and started cutting his joints. She started attacking his joints.
She's started cutting the knee joints, hamstring muscles then achilles tendon on his feet. Zain tried to block or dodge the attack but she would attack other parts besides the joints.
Zain found out she's not trying to kill him but she cutting him bits by bits.
The attack continued again.
*SECOND FORM - FAINT GLOW*
Zain used his aura to block the attack but Rhaelis retracted her aura on her blade which suprised Zain because Zain was still cut.
The attack continued and Zain thought it was a fluke that he was still cut when he blocked.
*SECOND FORM - FAINT GLOW*
Zain used the same way to block the attack but he was still cut. Rhaelis retracted her aura before the impact and was able to cut Zain even when he blocked it.
Zain figure out her technique and thought, 'I get it. That sword absorbs aura, so when she retracted her aura before the impact, the sword absorbs my aura. My body thought it was my aura that was attacking that's why the Faint Glow didn't work because the sword had my aura. So Power vs Experience huh? I gotta admit that she's experience and smart.'
Rhaelis kept cutting Zain and Zain stopped blocking at tried to dodge but the attack still connected. Zain realised something, she's not trying to kill him but to tire him.
'So from the start this was a battle of attrition.' Zain fought to himself as he made a martial art stance.
_____
Beast Style: Fifth Form - Seeping Leaf
A pattern of rapid, shallow cuts delivered without follow-through. The form avoids commitment and never pursues the kill, maintaining distance just beyond retaliation range to bleed, exhaust, and control the opponent.
_____
Zain began to attack Rhaelis but Rhaelis just did minimum block and countered the attack.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
Zain began to attack Rhaelis, she stopped attacking and focusing on defence.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
*COUNTER*
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
*COUNTER*
She didn't just defended herself, she countered some of the attack too. Zain kept pressuring her to not have any movement.
*FLASH STEP*²
When Rhaelis used flash step to make some distance, Zain used flash step to get close to her and kept attack her.
Zain saw an opening on Rhaelis head, began to attack it but Rhaelis countered it and thrust her sword on Zain's stomach. Rhaelis withdrew her sword and made a stance.
*BEAST STYLE*
*SECOND FORM - CONTOUR MARK*
Zain realised that Rhaelis is taking her time and decided to seize the moment but within an inch before Zain's attack was about to connect, Rhaelis dodged it and stabbed him in the gut again.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
Zain saw that Rhaelis is neither blocking or attacking, so he made an attack but again, within an inch before the attack was about to connect, Rhaelis side stepped and thrusted her sword on right side of Zain's rib.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
Zain kept attacking but Rhaelis kept stabbing her. Right now Zain got stabbed 11 times on his upper body.
______
Beast Style: Second Form - Contour Mark
The bearer moves with light footwork, short steps, and constant micro-adjustments, keeping the blade aligned between themselves and the opponent's dominant hand. Half-slips are used instead of full dodges, baiting impatience and forcing the opponent to commit first.
______
*FOURTH ART - LIGHT SHADES*
"I see." Zain said before he began to attack her.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
Before Rhaelis could counter, Zain twisted his body and punched Rhaelis on the centre of her backbone. Rhaelis was thrown 15 metres away by that punch but was able to stand on her feet.
*FOURTH ART - LIGHT SHADES*
*FLASH STEP*
Zain appeared infront of Rhaelis to attack her.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
Rhaelis saw the attack coming and was about to counter it. Zain changed his right hand while Rhaelis was about to counter and punched her chest with his left hand.
Rhaelis was thrown 12 metres away.
She was about to stand on her feet but she was badly hurt started to spit blood.
*FOURTH ART - LIGHT SHADES*
*FLASH STEP*
Zain appeared infront of her before she could catch her breath.
*FIRST ART - FIRST LIGHT*
Rhaelis didn't have the energy to block the attack, she instinctively closed her eyes but she was not attacked on the front.
Zain changed side and attack Rhaelis on the side of her body. Bones breaked when the punched connected. She was thrown 30 metres away and crashed through the ground while she was thrown but she was about to stand on her feet.
She was bleeding a lot.
Rhaelis felt it, the surrounding energy changed and she felt fear. When she raised her to look infront of herself, she saw something for the first time.
The hair colour of Zain turned red and his eyes turned golden. He exuded a massive red aura around himself, he looked so serious and Zain's punch was inches away from Rhaelis's face.
'I'm Dead.' Rhaelis thought to herself.
________
Maribel waked up in the morning and saw Zain sleeping in the floor. She remembered that Zain cut her hands last night to regrow new one. She looked at her hands and saw that her hands don't have scars anymore
'What do you really want with me?' Maribel thought as she sat down on the bed. When she sat down, she realised that her feet are back.
She smiled to herself as she started to cry.
She thought about the thing she went through but when she looked at Zain, she had many questions than answers. She wiped away her tears.
She realised that her body doesn't have scars anymore. It looked like her body didn't experience torture, it looked healthy.
She looked at the sleeping Zain.
Zain opened her eyes and saw that Maribel was already awake. So he greeted her and she greeted back.
It was an awkward silence after the greetings.
Zain looked at Maribel and said he should get her some clothes. Maribel looked at herself and realise that her clothes was a mess.
After Zain left the room, Maribel stood up and had bunch of thoughts to herself.
'Was I sold not killed? What am I going to do? Will he keep a promise and let me decide on myself? No matter how I look at it, everything is my choice. Why would he save someone who wants to die? He said I could choose to die but he also said I would die by his doing, which is it? Either way I still die.'
She went up and down the room thinking to herself.
Zain came back with a dress and left the room. Maribel thought the dress was nice and it got her perfectly.
Maribel was 5'4 tall.
When she came downstairs, she spotted Zain on a table with a beastfolk woman. Maribel went to Zain and he introduced her to the beastfolk and continue eating.
Maribel thought as he looked at Zain who was eating, 'He didn't say I'm his maid.'
'Lucas? I thought his name was Lucian Zain von Dawnbreaker, let's say it and see what happens.' Maribel thought to herself.
She saw Zain trying to explain as everyone looked at him suspicion. She thought that Zain didn't look angry at her or maybe he was putting up a front but it looks he wasn't the type to put a front.
Maribel explained to them and the situation came to an end. She watched as Zain talked with Rhaelis without any care and how he gave her food without him asking if she's hungry.
Zain left with Rhaelis and he gave her 1 gold coin to her. Maribel went out after 10 minutes Zain left the inn.
She looked around the kingdom and realise she doesn't know what she's looking for because her mind was not thinking about anything except her situation.
She eventually sat down near the stall and tried to sort her thoughts. She saw Zain and Rhaelis leaving the kingdom and decided to follow them.
'I don't see them.' Maribel thought to herself as she lost them. Just waited near the kingdom's gates.
She saw young adventurers coming and went to them to ask about Zain and Rhaelis.
"Hey kids, have you seen a man walking with a cat-woman?" She said as she approached them.
"Hello Miss. Yeah, they went that way." The kid pointed at a certain direction.
"Thank you kid." She said as she headed to that direction.
She walked towards that direction without turning back. She saw people fighting but they were too fast to know who they were and she was a little far.
She saw a man attacking a beastfolk. Maribel saw the beastfolk bleeding and saw that it was Rhaelis.
The man punched her and she crashed to the ground as she was thrown away.
She saw Zain's hair colour change and his aura.
Zain appeared infront of Rhaelis and a 10 metre radius was created on where he was standing. It looked like the crater was delayed because it happened when Zain was infront of Rhaelis ready to kill her.
*TELEPORT*
Zain teleported to the crater he made as his hair colour turn back to black.
He looked at Rhaelis and said,
"Sorry. I lost control there."
______
Dawnbreaker Technique:
Fourth Art — Light Shades
The user channels aura into their eyes, granting heightened battlefield perception. Feints and misdirection are rendered useless as weak points are revealed, and hidden or invisible entities, including spirits and magically concealed constructs, become visible. This vision allows precise targeting of aura cores and anticipation of incoming attacks.
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