Journey to Become the Zenith

Fangs Beneath the Dawn

Videl searched through the entire night for traces of the vanished nobles.

The cold darkness stretched endlessly across the roads outside Fantom City while pale moonlight illuminated the lonely path beneath her feet. Wind rustled through the surrounding trees, carrying distant monster cries from deeper within the wilderness.

Yet Videl continued moving forward without stopping.

Hours had already passed since she left the academy.

Her boots were covered in dust.

Strands of her long blonde hair clung against her cheeks from the cold night wind.

Still—

she found nothing.

No broken carriage.

No signs of battle.

No corpses.

No traces of blood.

Nothing.

The deeper she traveled along the road the nobles supposedly used, the stranger the entire situation became.

Videl narrowed her sapphire-blue eyes while crouching near another set of faint wagon tracks buried beneath dirt.

”...Too clean.”

Her voice came out quietly.

Even Amura, who remained connected through the Long Sword, sensed the same thing.

It was unnatural.

If dozens of nobles and bodyguards truly disappeared along this road, there should have been evidence left behind.

But the path looked almost untouched.

As if someone had deliberately erased everything.

Videl slowly stood once more and looked toward the horizon.

The dark sky was beginning to change.

A faint orange glow slowly appeared beyond distant mountains as dawn approached.

Morning mist drifted quietly across the road while birds gradually began singing within the nearby forest.

Videl exhaled softly.

She had spent the entire night searching.

Yet all she found was silence.

”...Maybe they changed routes,” she muttered.

Or perhaps—

someone wanted her looking in the wrong place.

That thought caused her expression to darken slightly.

Victor would probably already suspect that possibility.

Just thinking about him again made her chest tighten faintly.

She could almost picture him standing beside her calmly analyzing everything with those golden eyes of his.

Not everything is black and white.

His voice echoed within her memory once again.

Videl unconsciously smiled bitterly.

”...You’re probably right again.”

The morning sun slowly rose higher.

After thinking quietly for a few moments, Videl finally made a decision.

If the main road revealed nothing, then perhaps the nearby towns held answers instead.

Travelers always talked.

Rumors spread faster than truth.

Someone must have seen something.

”Let’s check the next town,” she whispered.

As she thought that, she left the road temporarily and moved toward a smaller forest path connected to the main route.

The cold breeze brushed against her face again.

But this time—

something felt different.

Videl’s footsteps slowed slightly.

Her body instinctively tensed.

That feeling again.

Ever since leaving the academy...

she occasionally felt a strange presence watching her.

At first she assumed it was simply nervousness.

But now—

the sensation had become clearer.

Someone was nearby.

Watching.

Waiting.

Her fingers unconsciously brushed against the hilt of the Long Sword behind her back.

Amura’s voice quietly echoed inside her mind.

’Master...’

’I know.’

Videl’s sapphire eyes sharpened.

But despite sensing the presence, she continued walking calmly as if unaware.

If someone truly followed her—

they would eventually reveal themselves.

And they did.

While on the path Videl encountered low level monsters every now and then.

Small horned wolves.

Rotting goblin-like beasts.

Fanged crawler creatures hiding beneath bushes.

Still, she knew based on the quality of bodyguards the nobles had with them, this level of monsters wouldn’t really pose a problem to the nobles and their bodyguards.

Most of the creatures barely survived more than a few seconds against her.

One beast lunged from the side—

Slash.

Its body split apart instantly.

Another tried attacking from behind—

Videl spun smoothly and kicked it directly into a tree hard enough to shatter its spine.

The morning forest gradually became quieter after sensing her presence.

Videl continued walking down the path.

Once she was quite far from Fantom City and the next town—

that was when they appeared.

The wind suddenly stopped.

The forest became silent.

Even the birds disappeared.

Videl slowly lifted her gaze.

Five figures stepped out from different parts of the trees ahead.

One from the left.

Two from the right.

Two directly in front.

Their timing was perfect.

Their movements disciplined.

At a glance alone, Videl already understood—

these were not ordinary bandits.

Videl had already noticed them following her a few minutes before, but decided not to bother with them. If they simply came to observe her, then let them do so, as long as they weren’t showing any hostility.

Yet now it would seem that they were about to bare their fangs at her.

The group of five strong-looking individuals surrounded her silently.

Each carried different weapons.

A sword.

Twin daggers.

A spear.

Chains.

And one mage wearing dark robes behind them.

At a glance it would seem that each one of them was slightly beneath Videl in mana capacity, but that could be changed.

Yet the overall pressure they exuded was something that couldn’t be faked.

These people were experts.

Real killers.

The kind trained specifically for ambushes.

Videl’s eyes narrowed slightly.

So it really was a trap.

”What do you guys want?” Videl asked calmly.

But the men in front of her didn’t respond.

The moment her words ended—

they attacked instantly.

No warning.

No negotiation.

Only killing intent.

Clang!

One fighter rushed directly toward her while another circled from behind.

Videl immediately moved to pull out Amura—

—but suddenly chains wrapped tightly around her arm.

The metal constricted violently, preventing her movement.

Videl’s expression sharpened.

A chain user.

And skilled too.

The attacker grinned coldly while tightening his grip.

Without hesitation, Videl immediately spoke through their mental connection.

’Amura, turn into your human form and help me.’

Amura obeyed instantly.

Silver light burst outward beside Videl.

The Long Sword transformed beautifully into a tall silver-haired woman wearing an elegant robe split along both thighs.

The attackers froze briefly in shock.

Even the mage widened his eyes slightly.

”A spirit weapon—?!”

But only for a moment.

They already knew Videl’s sword was magical, so they decided to think that turning into a human wasn’t a big thing.

What mattered now—

was killing her.

Amura’s silver eyes turned cold instantly.

Slash!

She cut through the chains restricting Videl before immediately intercepting another attacker rushing from the side.

Steel clashed violently.

Sparks exploded.

Amura smoothly blocked a spear thrust before spinning gracefully and kicking another attacker backward.

Videl instantly drew her blade.

The atmosphere exploded into chaos.

Amura decided to handle three of the attackers, while Videl would handle two.

The forest trembled under the force of battle.

One enemy swordsman rushed Videl directly while another robed figure stepped backward and raised his staff.

”Hear me spirits of fire, hear my voice and follow my mana—”

The mage began chanting immediately.

The moment Videl heard the spell words, she instantly recognized the incoming magic.

Fire-based.

Strong too.

Without hesitation, Videl began chanting as well while dodging a sword strike aimed toward her neck.

Victor had already mentioned long ago that if they were to encounter enemies possessing the same level of mana as them, she and Lane should fight smartly.

Magic battles were not just about raw power.

They were about compatibility.

About timing.

About exploiting weaknesses.

Rock.

Paper.

Scissors.

Each element possessed another element stronger or weaker against it.

In this situation—

water beat fire.

The enemy swordsman pressed harder against Videl, forcing her backward while trying to interrupt her incantation.

His attacks were precise.

Fast.

Professional.

Not a single movement wasted.

Videl blocked another strike and immediately countered with a diagonal slash.

Clang!

The enemy barely defended in time.

Meanwhile the mage finally completed his spell.

”Explosion!”

A massive sphere of blazing fire shot toward Videl like a meteor.

The nearby trees instantly ignited from the sheer heat alone.

At the same moment, the fighter battling her suddenly jumped backward to avoid the blast radius.

But Videl had already finished her own incantation.

Only the trigger word remained.

Her sapphire eyes flashed sharply.

”Water Wall!”

Boom!

A dense wall of rushing water erupted before her instantly.

The incoming fire explosion collided violently against it.

Steam exploded across the battlefield.

Scorching heat and cold mist filled the air simultaneously.

The explosion was completely negated.

The enemy mage frowned slightly.

But he did not panic.

Instead, he immediately began chanting another spell.

Fast.

Very fast.

Videl’s expression hardened.

This was bad.

A fighter equal to her in close combat.

A mage at least as skilled as her—possibly even better.

And then there were the remaining three enemies fighting Amura.

Right now Amura managed to hold them equally.

But Videl understood the problem immediately.

Spirit forms consumed mana through their bond.

The longer this battle continued—

the worse things became.

Amura might appear calm externally, but Videl could already sense her mana consumption increasing rapidly.

The silver-haired spirit gracefully dodged another spear thrust before slicing across one attacker’s chest, forcing him backward.

Still—

three opponents were too much to stall forever.

Videl clenched her jaw slightly.

This wasn’t a fight they could win through brute force.

Not yet.

Not while surrounded.

Not while outnumbered.

Her instincts screamed danger.

Whoever sent these people...

wanted her dead.

Not captured.

Dead.

Another fire spell began forming behind the mage.

The air itself grew hotter.

Videl immediately communicated through their mental link.

’Amura, I want you to create an opening, so that we can retreat.’