Shirayuki's feet skidded back, her breath short. The old man hadn't flinched at her spinning barrage—he had parried every single quill with inhuman precision, his blade dancing like falling leaves on water.
But her eyes gleamed, not with fear—with fury.
From behind Cian's recovering form, she spread her arms wide, her back arching slightly as more quills glowed to life along her spine.
"Starlight Quills!" Cian roared, raising himself to his knees, voice echoing with urgency.
A constellation of shimmering quills floated free, orbiting Shirayuki like a protective halo. Each one chimed softly—like wind chimes in the dark—before launching toward the old man in a beautiful, deadly volley.
The air shimmered.
Ting. Ting. Ting-ting.
One by one, the old man parried every glowing quill, faster than the eye could follow, blade movements surgical and silent. It was as if time bent around him—his feet never moving, yet every strike intercepted.
Then—he vanished again.
Straight toward Shirayuki.
But Cian was already moving.
He stomped the ground with all his might. A low, bone-shaking rumble cracked through the earth as his fist surged forward, engulfed in golden stone-like energy.
"EARTHBREAKER FIST!"
The forest trembled.
A shockwave burst forth like a cannon. The earth split and surged upward. Trees bent. Stones shattered. The old man twisted mid-air—but too late.
BOOM.
The impact caught him dead on, launching him back like a ragdoll through the clearing. He tumbled once, twice, then dug his feet into the dirt, skidding to a stop.
As he steadied, a tiny chirp interrupted the moment.
"Pew…"
Solaira, her little lizard cheeks puffed adorably, was glowing. A comically oversized fireball hovered over her tiny hands—wobbling from side to side.
"Pew-pew!"
With a determined little huff, she flung it.
FWOOM.
It flew—zigzagging like a drunk butterfly—until it smacked square into the old man's chest.
POOF.
A harmless puff of smoke exploded in his face. His expression didn't change.
"..."
[System Log: Solaira has launched… uhh… something. Critical damage to pride inflicted.]
Cian smirked, wiping dirt from his lip.
"Not bad for training in the woods."
The dust from Solaira's cute puffball hadn't even cleared when Shirayuki lunged forward, a low growl in her throat. Quills shimmered along her arms and back, her feet sliding across the ground as she spun once more—
"Spine Dancer!"
She became a whirlwind of glowing spikes, her body spinning with wild grace, kicking up sparks and flares in every direction. A glittering spiral of light and pain.
The old man didn't flinch.
CLANG. CLANG. SLASH—
His blade carved through the spin without cutting her—just striking the edges of her quills, redirecting each arc perfectly. Sparks flew. The two clashed in a dazzling storm of steel and shimmer.
Then came Cian, leaping in from the side with clenched fists crackling with seismic power.
"Seismic Disrupt!"
He slammed both fists into the ground—cracks rippled outward, debris exploding upward, sending the old man airborne just a hair.
Cian shot forward like a cannonball, aiming his knuckles for the man's midsection.
But the old man bent mid-air, sword spinning—
CLANG!
He blocked the punch with the flat of his blade, spinning over Cian's back, landing with grace.
Just in time for—
"Pew—!"
Solaira, puffed up like a balloon, released a swirling firestream—a twister of flame, cute but blazing hot. It curled like a serpent toward the old man.
With a flick, he spun his sword, catching the flame in a slicing arc, splitting it clean through the center and making it dissipate like fog.
He stood there—untouched, calm, almost bored.
Then, in a single flash, he moved again.
A blur.
His blade tapped Shirayuki's wrist—just enough to stop her spin. Then he ducked under Cian's follow-up punch, swept his leg, and flipped Cian into the air with a perfect judo-style throw.
Cian slammed into the dirt, groaning.
Solaira yelped and dove into a bush.
The old man exhaled through his nose.
"Still playing," he muttered coldly. "But not bad."
The old man slid one foot back, exhaled, and shifted into a refined, almost theatrical stance—like a seasoned swordsman taking the stage for his final act. His blade gleamed with a faint pulse of pressure.
He raised it gracefully and pointed it straight at Cian, eyes sharp as razors.
"Don't blink."
The air ripped.
A flurry of slashes exploded forward—dozens, no, hundreds—blades striking with the speed of lightning and precision of a scalpel. Dust spiraled. Trees trembled. It was a storm of steel, crashing down on Cian like a divine punishment.
Cian's eyes widened—just a split second—then narrowed.
His muscles locked.
Stone erupted across his skin, raw and jagged, as if the earth itself had risen to shield him. The slashes rang out like bells on armor, sparks flying as steel collided with rock. He stood firm, unmoving, a statue of wrath and focus amidst the storm.
The old man landed gracefully a few meters away, one knee bent, blade resting lightly on his shoulder.
Crack.
A sudden stiffness.
"...Ah," he muttered, turning his head slowly with a strained wince. "My back."
Cian blinked.
He took a step forward, fists still glowing faintly with power—and tapped the old man lightly on the shoulder with a stone-plated knuckle.
Ponk.
The old man stiffened and fell backwards with a grunt, flat on the ground like a plank.
Shirayuki tilted her head, blinking.
Then she flopped on her back, rolling a little and kicking her legs in the air—silent laughter making her tiny quills flutter with glee.
Cian snorted, crouching next to the old man with a cheeky grin.
"Next time you threaten me with a final move," he said, flicking the old man's forehead gently, "maybe stretch first."
The system chimed with a low chuckle.
"Enemy threat: 0%. Ego damage: 999%."
Solaira waddled over and hopped on the old man's chest, letting out a little victorious "Peew~!"
And for a moment, the forest echoed with laughter, crackling fire, and the sigh of an old man who definitely regretted not retiring a year earlier.
The dust settled.
Shirayuki stood panting lightly, sparks flickering off her quills. Cian lowered his fists, cracked earth crumbling around his feet. The battle was over.
But then—
A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the clearing.
From the trees, the noble stepped forward again. His fine clothes were dusted with dirt, but his smugness had returned, twisted with something darker.
"You fight well, boy," he said, eyes gleaming like a snake's. "But let's not waste energy on meaningless resistance. Just give me the hedgehog. I'll pay whatever you need."
His voice dripped with entitlement—calm, as if he was buying a rare toy… not a person.
Shirayuki tilted her head, oblivious to the danger, tugging gently at Cian's sleeve.
But Cian didn't look at her.
His glare was locked onto the noble—stone-cold, burning, and terrifying. Cracks slowly faded from his hardened arms as the Stonehide skin peeled away in embers. Each breath he exhaled trembled with suppressed fury.
"You're still talking?" he muttered.
The noble faltered.
Then, something behind Cian stirred.
Solaira had her head lowered… her body shimmering, trembling softly like a fire on the verge of flaring up. Her tail flicked, crackling faintly, and a low hum vibrated in the air—like pressure building, something unseen awakening.
The noble didn't notice.
He was too focused on Shirayuki.
"I said…" he took a step forward, licking his lips, "how much?"
Cian's eye twitched.
Solaira's tiny body glowed brighter behind him.