Note: I posted three chapters today, because tomorrow, depending on what time I get home, there may not be a chapter...
...
She didn't have time to complete the attack. In an instant decision, she aborted the technique. The claymore, still over five meters long and crackling with unstable power, was pulled from the sky and moved into a defensive stance.
"Clang!"
The Djinn's claws collided with the side of the blade. The force of the impact was felt. A shockwave exploded from the point of contact, opening a crater under Nayun's feet and pushing her several meters back. Her arms shook violently.
Although she was a beginner, her trained body resisted, but the recoil left her momentarily off balance. It was the mistake Yoon Hyun was waiting for.
Taking advantage of the opening, he did not retreat.
Instead, he spun around, his other arm swinging in a brutal arc. The claws tore through the air, aiming for Nayun's unprotected shoulder.
Time seemed to slow down. Nayun saw the attack coming, but her body, still recovering from the previous block, couldn't respond with the necessary speed. She tried to twist her body, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.
"Zraaash!"
The demonic claws struck her. It wasn't a clean cut. They tore through the fabric of her uniform and struck the skin of her shoulder.
A sharp pain exploded through her nervous system, and once again, Yoon Hyun attacked again, superficially cutting one of her forearms.
"Argh!"
A cry of pain escaped her lips. The power of her sword dissipated almost completely when her concentration broke.
"AHAHAHA! Where is your arrogance now?!"
Yoon Hyun laughed, feeling victory within his grasp. He attacked again, wanting to dig his claws even deeper, especially into the place where her vocal cords were.
But he underestimated her tenacity.
Amidst the excruciating pain, Nayun's response was not to retreat, but to attack. With a roar of fury, she ignored the pain in her shoulder and forearm and used her sword as a fulcrum. She bent her knee and delivered a devastating blow to his stomach.
"Koff!"
The air rushed out of Yoon Hyun's lungs in a violent burst. The blow, imbued with Nayun's physical strength, forced him to release her shoulder, staggering backward.
Taking advantage of the space she had created, Nayun gave him no respite. The pain in her shoulder fueled her fury. The claymore, now back to its normal size, glowed again, this time with a weaker but more concentrated green light.
She advanced, the blade becoming a silvery blur. It was no longer a single powerful blow, but a storm of cuts. Each movement was precise, targeting the same joints and vital points she had attacked before.
"Clang! Clang! Zlash! Clang!"
Yoon Hyun, still recovering from the blow to his knee, was forced into a desperate defense. He would block one cut, only to be hit by another. Superficial cuts began to accumulate on his arms and chest faster than his regeneration could keep up.
"I can't let this continue. If it goes on like this, I might actually die."
He thought, frustrated.
He needed space. Concentrating mana in his feet, he took an explosive leap backward, opening a distance of ten meters between them.
"Enough of this!"
He shouted, his body already healing, but visibly slower.
"I'll kill you, you bitch!"
The demonic aura around him condensed into red and black energy claws in front of his chest.
The claws glowed more menacingly than before.
Nayun stopped, her chest heaving, blood dripping from her wounded arm and shoulder.
She looked at the energy claws and felt an even greater danger than before.
She looked at her injured shoulder, the pain a constant reminder of her mistake. There would be no second chance. This time, she had to get it right.
Ignoring the pain screaming through her body, she once again raised the claymore.
"Focus, it's as simple as it sounds, you did it yesterday."
Closing her eyes, she didn't just channel her mana. She dug deep into her core, drawing out every drop of power she possessed. The wound on her shoulder burned, but she used it as fuel.
The humiliation of being struck, the anger at the Djinn's arrogance, everything was poured into the blade.
The green light returned, more intense and powerful than ever. It not only enveloped the sword, but manifested as a pillar of energy that rose toward the sky.
The claymore did not grow explosively or chaotically. Instead, under Nayun's silent command, it expanded in a controlled and harmonious manner, extending into the air until it reached fifty meters in length.
Its shape was almost lost in the heights.
On the other side, Yoon Hyun's claw reached its peak, vibrating with great demonic power. The red and black energy condensed, extending from his own hand, forming a ghostly claw of pure magical power, over seventy centimeters long, ready to tear apart anything it touched.
The two combatants looked at each other, and then, with macabre synchronicity.
"Die!"
"Die!"
Their voices echoed in space, and both attacked.
The world turned red and green momentarily.
Yoon Hyun's demonic claw advanced, cutting through the air and leaving a trail behind.
The mountain of green light descended, and for a second, the world seemed to stop before a loud noise was heard.
The sound was not an explosion, but a deafening screech caused by the collision of the two energies.
Sparks the size of cars flew in all directions, incinerating the ground and causing Theo's barrier to vibrate violently.
Yoon Hyun's eyes widened in pure terror.
The pure green energy was completely overwhelming the demonic power.
The red energy claw began to fragment, and the green light became even more intense.
"No... Impossible! I AM A DJINN CHOSEN BY HER!"
He screamed, his voice a mixture of anger and panic.
But it was too late, Nayun's blade of magical power struck him.
"Boooooom!"
The fifty-meter claymore hit the ground, creating a large gash that stretched across the now non-existent grass.
When the blinding light finally subsided, what remained was silence.
Nayun stood, panting. The giant claymore disintegrated into particles of light, and the original sword, back to its normal size, fell from her hands and stuck into the ground with a soft thud.
"Haa... haa... haa... I did it, Theo."
The adrenaline that had sustained her disappeared at once. Overwhelming exhaustion took hold of her body. The pain in her shoulder, once a distant sensation, now screamed for attention.
A soft, warm sensation began to envelop her, healing all her wounds, emanating from a presence approaching from behind.
The sharp pain in her shoulder dissipated, replaced by comforting relief, and the cuts and scratches all over her body healed under the effect of the magic.
"Once again, there you are, exhausting your mana."
Before she could look in the direction of that familiar voice, her eyes closed. Her strength finally abandoned her, and her body fell forward, being caught by firm arms before she could hit the ground.
As darkness enveloped her, the last thing she heard was a gentle whisper near her ear, laden with pride.
"You did very well, my tigress."
...
Note: I posted three chapters today, because tomorrow, depending on what time I get home, there may not be a chapter...