"Whirlwind"
At the far end of the guild hall, behind the adventurers and guild staff who had barricaded themselves with tables and chairs, stood Sylvia.
She had destroyed the thick ice wall sealing the hallway toward the back door using wind blades, and trapped Lynn and Arezu with her Whirlwind mystic spell.
"What the fuck have you done… Lynn?!"
Her words were as sharp as the wind blades spinning around Lynn and Arezu—and just as sharp as the glare in her golden eyes behind square, frameless glasses that contrasted with her long blonde hair, styled in a braided high bun.
Though Sylvia's pissed-off appearance struck fear into the adventurers and staff, her arrival gave them a bit of assurance that someone was finally here to put an end to Lynn's rampage.
"Tsk!... So you finally arrived."
Lynn's annoyed yet anxious remark made everything clear to Arezu. She had deliberately timed her rampage at the Adventurers' Guild, knowing exactly when Sylvia was scheduled to arrive.
"I guess we've got no choice but to surrender—"
With the cyclone of wind blades surrounding them, Lynn had no way out. Or so Arezu thought.
"—Isn't that right, Ms. Scary-Sylvia?"
But Sylvia knew Lynn had no intention of surrendering. After all, she was already gathering mana to cast another mystic spell.
"Don't do it, you fuc—"
"Glacier"
Sylvia's warning was cut short by Lynn activating her mystic spell.
Massive boulder of ice spikes erupted around Lynn and Arezu, destroying the cyclone of wind blades and giving them cover as another brawl was about to begin.
This time, it would be Lynn versus Sylvia.
"Ice Lance"
Multiple crystal-clear ice lances formed mid-air. As Lynn raised her right hand toward Sylvia, all of them shot forward at incredible speed.
"Wind Blade"
Sylvia cast her mystic spell.
Arezu expected to see wind blades forming around her—but nothing appeared. Not even a single gust of wind.
Then Sylvia raised her right hand toward the barrage of incoming ice lances—and in an instant, every projectile was shredded into pieces.
"So that's the famed Invisible Blade," one terrified adventurer muttered.
"Ohh... It's a battle between the Invisible Blade and Lady Impaler," another voice chimed in—followed by something more concerning.
"Want to make another bet on who'll win?"
Don't turn this into a betting game—at least call someone who can stop them, Arezu thought as he took cover behind the ice boulder.
—Baammm!—
—"Arrggghhhh!"—
The onslaught continued as crystal-clear ice lances rained from above, countered mid-air by invisible blades of wind. Meanwhile, the trapped adventurers and guild staff screamed in terror amid the chaos.
"Ice Lance"
"Wind Blade"
The battle seemed to be at a stalemate—until Lynn made a move that changed everything. Not in her favor, but in a way that made the situation far worse.
Amidst the ongoing barrage of ice lances and the chilling mist spreading from ice-covered walls, floor, and ceiling, a single ice block shot forth—directly and intentionally aimed at Sylvia's face.
Sylvia reacted in an instant. She waved her left hand, releasing another invisible wind blade that shredded the ice block before it could hit her.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Silence engulfed the freezing guild hall.
Then came a terrifying aura—so intense it made even Lynn and Arezu flinch.
"You've done it now… Lynn!"
Sylvia's furious scream was followed by a violent gust of wind from outside. It burst through the entrance, spiraling around her until it formed a raging tornado.
Lynn saw Sylvia's mana flow—and instantly recognized the nature of the advanced-level mystic spell about to be cast.
"Glacier"
Lynn raised a wall of ice to shield herself and Arezu. However—
"Tempest"
—that thick wall of ice was sliced cleanly in half by another invisible wind blade. Lynn and Arezu couldn't see it, but they could feel its overwhelming power.
Still, Lynn refused to back down.
"You think that would scare me, Ms. Scary-Sylvia?" she said, still putting on a brave front.
You're definitely scared, Arezu thought, spotting the anxious look on her face.
—"Arrggghhhh!"—
—"Yeeaaahhhh!"—
Despite the panic, terror, and even excitement in the crowd's screams, Lynn and Sylvia cast their next attack.
"Glacier"
"Tempest"
Massive ice spikes erupted from the ice-covered floor, snaking toward Sylvia. But her invisible wind blades sliced through them with brutal precision, forcing their way closer to Lynn.
The result?
The Invisible Blade bested Lady Impaler.
Sylvia's invisible wind blades shattered Lynn's massive ice spikes.
And as the blades were about to reach Lynn—
'Cleave'
Arezu stepped forward.
Activating his combat skill, he spun his halberd-axe with precision and speed, cutting down and deflecting the remaining invisible wind blades.
Lynn and Sylvia were both stunned. So were the adventurers and guild staff watching. After all, Arezu hadn't just countered any attack—he had stopped an invisible strike from the famed Invisible Blade.
While the crowd reeled in disbelief, Arezu seized the moment. As the onslaught paused, he turned to Lynn and—smack!—delivered a light tap on the top of her head with his left hand.
"Ouch!—That hurt, Mr. Arezu—"
"That should be enough, right? Anything beyond this is just unreasonable, Lynn."
Her whining was quickly cut off by Arezu's scolding.
"Hmph!"
Though she responded with disdain, Lynn listened—and finally stopped her rampage.
"Are you going to surrender now, Lynn?"
Seeing her calm down, Sylvia also lowered her voice—though her Tempest mystic spell remain active and the tornado still surrounded her.
The situation finally seemed close to ending. However—
"Fine... I give up and surrender, Ms. Not-So-Invisible Blade."
It wasn't the insult that got to Sylvia—but Lynn's mocking tone and mischievous grin.
"You fucking twa—"
Sylvia was about to lose it, but before she could—
"That's enough!"
The commanding voice came from a girl about the same age as Lynn, standing at the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild.
Her intimidating crimson-red twintails made her stand out from the rest, and the gold-and-black uniform she wore marked her rank—higher than Sylvia's by far.
After all, she was none other than the "Guild Master" of the capital branch of Eileen Kingdom's Adventurers' Guild.
"You three. To my office. Now!"