18. Fight

"Shoo." "Shoo." "Shoo."

The red-haired boy released the flaming arrows, sending them hurtling towards each member of Orion's team.

The flaming arrows streaked towards them like three red laser lights, illuminating the path, and in a split second, closed the distance between them.

"Not the same trick again."

Orion swiftly reacted, his sword becoming a blur as it deflected all three of the flame arrows, sending them scattering towards their surroundings.

"Boom." "Boom." "Boom."

Three explosions occurred at the same time as a result.

Before anyone could react, the black-haired girl suddenly materialized behind Orion, her dagger pressed against his neck.

"Don't move, or his head will roll down."

Liira issued a threat to the other two.

Famir and Ryfin glanced at Orion, cursing the girl's talent under their breath.

'She is too fast. I didn't even notice when she moved when all my attention was on her. But what now?'

Famir swiftly considered his options, maintaining his focus while keeping a vigilant eye on the red-haired boy for any potential sneak attacks.

'Damn it.'

Ryfin entertained the idea of teleporting behind the lady to attempt a similar maneuver, but he refrained from taking the risk, fearing that Orion might get hurt in the process.

On the other hand, Orion seemed just as bewildered as the others. He couldn't comprehend how she had managed to appear behind him so quickly.

Despite paying close attention, all he noticed was a sudden gust of wind before feeling the dagger at his neck.

Observing the expressions of the other two, whose faces contorted into expressions of displeasure, the lady continued speaking.

"Now, will you follow us?"

"Why did you want us to follow you, and to where?"

Orion asked this time. His curiosity piqued, and simultaneously, he hoped to distract the lady for a brief moment.

Liira took a moment to ponder before responding to him.

"Just follow us, and you will know."

"Who knows, we will be walking to our deaths by following you."

Orion sneered as he glanced at the sword lodged in the tree, a result of her interruption while he had been controlling it earlier.

He then employed his power of attraction on the sword, causing it to glow with a blue light.

Simultaneously, he attempted to do the same to her head. However, he encountered an inexplicable obstacle that prevented him from proceeding further.

Sensing the resistance, he halted his attempt on her head and instead directed the attraction towards his own head, causing it to glow with the same blue light.

Liira intended to respond to Orion when she noticed his head starting to glow.

"What did you do?"

She inquired as she tightened her grip on him, her dagger poised to pierce him, but her attention was diverted by a shout from the red-haired boy.

"Look out!"

At that moment, she only caught a glimpse of a sword hurtling towards them at incredible speed, aimed directly at their heads.

'I knew he could control swords, but this is too fast, and this is coming straight to… his head. Does he want to blow his own head or…he wants to blow both of our heads?'

Thinking quickly, her form began to blur just before the sword reached Orion, and she reappeared at a distance from him. To her surprise, the sword came to a sudden halt just an inch away from Orion's head.

Orion, realizing he was now free from the immediate threat, shouted at Famir and Ryfin.

"Go for the other one. Leave the girl to me."

Ryfin and Famir quickly nodded in agreement, and Ryfin began to explain his plans to Famir.

"We will use the same method that we used against the skeletons before it went… you know… berserk."

Famir nodded at him.

At that moment, Orion observed Liira's form blur once again. Reacting swiftly, he summoned his other two swords, allowing them to float around him as a form of defense against Liira, while he tightly gripped one in his hand.

In that precise moment, she reappeared in front of him, brandishing a sword in her hand and swinging it straight at him.

Reacting instinctively, Orion swiftly maneuvered both swords into a cross position, intercepting her attack.

"Clang."

A metallic collision resounded, sending sparks flying around Orion and Liira.

'She is too strong.'

Orion appeared to be struggling as he blocked her attack. His two swords in the air trembled incessantly, as if the defense they provided could shatter at any moment.

But before that could happen, the sword that had faced his two swords in the air suddenly vanished, along with the lady he had been fighting.

'Behind me!'

Realizing he couldn't react faster than Liira, Orion swiftly released the sword he had been holding in his right hand, sending it behind him with a simple movement of his hand.

Simultaneously, he hastily used the properties of repulsion in his sword, causing it to glow with a vibrant red light.

"Clang!"

As soon as his sword turned red, Liira reappeared behind him, and their weapons clashed once again. However, this time, Orion remained steadfast and didn't struggle.

In contrast, it was Liira who suffered, as she found herself forcefully propelled backward by some unseen force, her body soaring through the air.

'What happened just now?'

She thought to herself as she swiftly stabbed her sword into the ground, using it to anchor herself as her body slid along the rough surface of the earth. Eventually, she gradually came to a halt.

However, at that very moment, both Orion and Liira suddenly felt a searing heat engulfing them, followed by a blinding light that enveloped them completely. Then a deafening collision echoed through the surroundings.

"Boom!"

Turning around, they witnessed a spectacular sight: a lightning bolt, towering to their height, clashed head-on with a flaming sword of equal stature. The collision produced a dazzling display of golden and red light, enveloping the entire scene.

Beneath the point of impact, the ground had been scorched to a deep black, with cracks spider-webbing across its surface. Nearby trees were either engulfed in flames or torn asunder by the sheer force of the collision.

'These attacks are so strong. Will I be able to survive if one of the attacks hits me?'

Orion doubted the possibility of his survival in that situation.

"It seems your friend is in trouble."

Liira smiled at Orion, her gaze fixed on the spectacular scene unfolding before them.

Even without her saying a word, Orion's attention had been drawn to Famir the entire time. He noticed that Famir's face seemed to be twitching, sweat cascaded down his cheeks, and his legs trembled with apparent unease.

'He can't hold for long.'

Orion contemplated whether he should intervene, but before he could make a decision, he heard the lady say something once again.

"Haven't I already told you earlier that you guys just upgraded to bronze rank, and we have been in this rank for quite some time now? This resulted in us having more stats than all three of you combined."

Liira once again sneered at him, prompting a frown from Orion. His concern wasn't about the mention of ranks but rather what she said about stats.

'Do they also have a system?'

He wondered.