Dawn's spear collided with the arrogant man's sword.
Despite its rusted appearance, it proved capable of withstanding Dawn's strength.
"Got you."
A terrifying cold begins to permeate Dawn's body.
Leaping back, she takes a cautious stance, keeping watch of the man while looking over her body.
The golden shine of her armour begins to dull and rust.
Qi surged as Dawn reactively began to channel Qi into her armour and clothing.
Although the damage was not resolved, it continued to diminish at a slower rate.
"So you can do this too... Even though you can not stop the Weathered Blade's innate Dao Art, you can greatly reduce it."
"So that weapon is a Mystical Weapon?"
"Indeed, and judging by the state of your own, that must also be a Mystical Weapon."
The arrogant man looked at the spear in Dawn's hand, her Iron Lotus, the Night Breaching Spear.
'It doesn't seem affected by the Weathered Blade's Dao Art -- Time Consumes Lethality.'
'She is also using Qi to withhold its effects on her armour and robes. I do sense a peculiar trait within her Qi, but it does not seem usable for defensive purposes.'
'Judging by the state of her body, she does not seem to be showing discomfort or strained movements. Does the Dao Art -- Time Consumes Lethality -- not work on her?'
Dawn responded to her silence with a thrust of her spear, Iron Lotus.
Reacting, the arrogant man parried with the Weathered Blade.
"Tell me, how long can you withhold my Weathered Blade's Dao Art?"
"For long enough!"
Air was torn apart as Dawn's Iron Lotus cut towards the arrogant man.
He met the Iron Lotus with a quick strike, then retaliated with a burst of Qi.
Blades of Qi cut the air, prompting Dawn to retreat and defend the few that hit her.
Dawn herself remained untouched, but her armour was incredibly corroded.
Pushing off the ground, Dawn charged forth once again.
'She doesn't seem to have any problems relating to her body's functions... It seems she really is resistant to the effects of my blade...'
'No matter.'
The two clashed, and fierce collisions resounded through the air, like cries of steel.
If there were something nearby, it would undoubtedly be shredded by the shockwaves.
Dawn held her Iron Lotus high, and Qi surged and lit the blade with golden heat.
Stabbing forth, the air sizzled, catching the arrogant man's arm and tearing into the skin.
Fear struck his eyes as he jumped away immediately.
Despite the short instance of contact, the wound burned intensely, searing the skin, blood vessels, nervous system, the muscles, and even charring the bone.
"How dare you!"
Fear was replaced by rage, and rage quelled into eerie calmness.
His brows remained furrowed, and veins bulged on his head.
The arrogant man held in his emotions as he stared at Dawn with fury, as if trying to burn her with his gaze.
If his gaze were like a flame, it would set her alight immediately.
"The audacity to strike me. Me! Don't you know who I am!?"
"Of course not. Unless you're willing to give me your name?"
"As if a corpse needs to know. If you're so desperate to hear my name, then let your soul be forever bound by your unachieved wishes!"
Patting the sleeve that was struck, he put out the faint flames that charred his white robe.
'Carry with me my revenge, my anger! My ferocity!'
'Recall the eras of your unending hunger, and the times of your famished blade!'
'Awaken, and see your enemy felled!'
Dawn felt an uneasy cold running down her spine.
She unconsciously took a step back, but was pulled forward by a powerful force.
The arrogant man's left arm, which Dawn had injured, was pulling back. His fist was struggling to close.
The other hand held the sword.
He took a step forward and raised the Weathered Blade.
Dao Art -- Archaic Edge's Lethal Shine!
The rusted blade, Weathered Blade, was old.
It was like the blade of a long-forgotten hero, several hundred years ago.
One could only imagine the lustrous shine it had in its youth, which was left behind in the bygone eras.
Could it have been time that wore it down so much? Maybe it was the lack of care?
A hero cleans his blade, while a villain keeps it forever stained with blood and rust.
Yet, now, the brittle-looking blade shines with peerless lethality.
The dull and tattered edge resembled that of a pristine blade; it looked like it couldn't cut anything, yet was capable of cutting anything.
Raised to the sky, it pointed towards Night's Sky, shining under the Starlit Sky.
And it fell.
As it fell, the air was torn, the silence was torn apart too, as was the flesh and bone of the woman before him.
The ground parted in a clean line as blood spilt.
The soil was dyed a sickly crimson colour.
.'Dawn... I need you to wait for me...!'
Gritting her teeth, Edifice put all her focus on holding the hideous beast back.
Its tail was held in her vice-like grip, her feet digging deep in the ground as she tried to resist the beast's tyrannical strength.
Qi flowed within each fibre of her muscles, it mixed with her bones and blood.
Her body strained against the hill-like hideous beast struggle.
It growled and roared as it tried to escape into the cave, but was couldn't free itself from Edifice.
Enraged, its head snapped back and its lone eye glared at Edifice.
Gritting her teeth, she plunged her sword into the tail, immediately receiving a deafening roar in her ears.
Its massive body turned around as its tail flailed violently, still unable to free itself or lift Edifice off the ground.
With one powerful tug, she dragged the beast back an inch, then another, slowly dragging it back.
Still, it refused to confront her directly, stubbornly trying to dive into the cave.
Dao Art -- Qi Wall!
After focusing for a few minutes, Edifice released an immense amount of her Qi.
Wisps of Qi gathered and solidified into a barrier, a white wall that barred the cave's entrance.
"There's no other choice now... you hideous thing."