Journey to Become the Zenith

Encirclement

Amura who already received her master’s orders made an opening for her and Videl to escape.

The silver-haired spirit moved instantly.

Her elegant figure blurred through the forest path like a streak of moonlight as she charged directly toward the three men blocking their route. The sudden aggression caught the attackers off guard for a split second. Their expressions shifted as Amura’s steel-colored eyes glowed sharply beneath the dim morning light.

The battlefield had already descended into chaos.

Burning mana lingered heavily in the air while broken earth and shattered branches littered the surroundings. Cold wind swept between the trees, carrying the smell of smoke and damp soil. Far above, clouds drifted slowly across the pale sky, making the entire forest feel darker than it should have been.

Clang!

One of the attackers swung his blade toward Amura’s side, but she twisted gracefully and avoided it by mere inches. Her silver robe fluttered violently behind her, exposing her long toned legs through the slits at her sides.

Then—

She raised her hand.

Using this chance Amura casted a simple binding spell on the three.

Blue mana circles instantly formed beneath the feet of the attackers.

Chains of condensed mana erupted upward and wrapped around their bodies.

”What—?!”

The men’s eyes widened.

The spell itself was not powerful.

A basic restraint technique.

Against fighters of their level, it would barely last two seconds.

But those two seconds—

Were more than enough.

Videl’s sapphire eyes sharpened.

Mana exploded beneath her feet.

Her body enhancement magic activated instantly.

Boom!

The ground cracked as Videl shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.

Wind roared past her ears.

Her blonde hair streamed wildly behind her while her toned body moved with explosive speed impossible for ordinary humans to follow. The mana-enhanced movement pushed immense strain onto her muscles, but she ignored the pain completely.

Right now, escape mattered more than conserving strength.

Once the two got pass the three blocking the way, Amura turned back into a sword.

Silver light wrapped around her body before condensing instantly into the Long Sword within Videl’s grasp.

The transformation happened smoothly, almost naturally.

Yet the enemy mage waiting behind them had already prepared another spell.

A crimson magic circle expanded in the air.

”Burning Spear!”

A blazing projectile shot toward Videl at terrifying speed.

Videl reacted instantly.

She raised the Long Sword.

The moment the spell collided—

The blade absorbed it completely.

The flames vanished.

Not even an explosion remained.

The caster of the spell was momentarily surprised when he saw his spell getting absorbed by the sword.

His eyes widened slightly beneath his hood.

Even though they were already aware that the magical sword was able to absorb spells, seeing it with ones own eyes was a different matter.

The mage unconsciously took half a step backward.

A weapon capable of devouring mana itself...

No matter how many reports they had received beforehand, witnessing it personally still felt absurd.

Videl, however, did not waste time observing their reactions.

She kept running.

Fast.

Faster.

Her boots smashed against the forest path as she forced mana into her legs repeatedly. The pressure inside her body continued building dangerously, but she ignored it.

Behind her—

The five attackers resumed pursuit.

After the failed attempt in using an attack spell, the five of them gave chase.

Branches shattered as the assassins moved through the forest with frightening precision. Their movements were disciplined and efficient, clearly trained together for years.

Videl glanced back once.

Only once.

That alone was enough to make her expression darken.

They were keeping up.

Not easily—

But enough.

Since their version of the body enhancing spell, burned a lot more mana than Videl’s they couldn’t keep it up for that long.

That was the only advantage she currently possessed.

Her body enhancement technique had been refined personally by Victor countless times. Unlike most people who recklessly amplified their physical abilities through raw mana output, Victor taught her how to circulate mana efficiently.

Every movement mattered.

Every breath mattered.

Even so—

Her enemies were still terrifying.

It was a good thing that the prime minister’s son predicted that Videl would somehow escape the five of them.

Of course the five retainers followed their lord’s orders but they didn’t believe him, since they believed in their strength.

Yet now that it actually happened they were once again in awe of their lord’s foresight.

”Do not let her escape!”

One of the attackers shouted coldly.

The chase intensified.

Videl continued sprinting through the forest while Amura silently observed everything through their mental link.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

And then—

Videl suddenly stopped.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Mana signatures.

Everywhere.

Their were knights waiting for Videl in every direction no matter where she runs off to.

The moment she sensed them, her heart sank.

The forest around them no longer felt empty.

It felt alive.

Watching.

Hidden killing intent quietly surrounded the area from every direction.

Dozens.

No—

More.

The enemy had prepared an entire encirclement.

Armored knights emerged slowly from behind trees and rock formations, blocking multiple escape routes simultaneously. Some carried bows already infused with mana while others held swords and shields marked with noble insignias.

Amura who was with Videl was amazed that she didn’t notice these large amount of people hiding in the surrounding area.

Even she felt shaken.

As a spirit weapon, her senses far exceeded ordinary humans.

Yet somehow—

These people had hidden themselves completely.

She had a few guesses as to how they were able to elude her detection, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

Videl’s breathing became slightly heavier.

Sweat rolled down the side of her face.

The ominous feeling from earlier finally made sense.

This entire thing...

Had been prepared specifically for her.

’Master what do we do?’

Amura’s voice echoed anxiously through their connection.

Videl tightened her grip around the Long Sword.

Her sapphire eyes slowly narrowed.

’I see... So this was what that ominous feeling was about.’

It turned out that the five weren’t holding back, it was just that they had backup prepared.

The realization made her chest tighten.

This was no random ambush.

No ordinary assassination attempt.

Someone powerful wanted her dead.

Or perhaps—

Captured.

That thought chilled her more than the weapons surrounding her.

The knights slowly advanced.

The five retainers approached from behind once more, completely sealing off the escape routes.

The forest became silent.

Only the sound of wind moving through leaves remained.

Then—

Videl inhaled deeply.

Mana surged violently around her body.

Golden-blue light flickered faintly around her legs and arms as she forced more mana into her circuits than usual.

The pressure immediately caused pain.

Her muscles screamed.

Veins pulsed visibly beneath her skin.

But her eyes remained steady.

’Amura, I’m going all out now! We’re breaking out of the encirclement and heading back to Fantom City!’

The moment she finished speaking—

Boom!

The ground beneath her exploded.

Videl launched herself forward with terrifying speed.

The nearest knight barely widened his eyes before Videl appeared directly in front of him.

Slash!

His shield shattered instantly.

The impact sent him flying backward into several others.

”Stop her!”

Arrows infused with mana rained toward her from both sides.

Videl swung the Long Sword.

Several arrows were deflected while others were absorbed entirely by Amura’s blade.

Explosions erupted around the forest.

Trees collapsed.

Dirt and smoke filled the air.

Videl pushed forward relentlessly.

Her body screamed from overuse.

Blood slowly trickled from the corner of her lips.

Still—

She refused to stop.

Amura could feel her master forcing every remaining ounce of strength from her body.

The surrounding knights attempted to close the gaps repeatedly, but Videl moved unpredictably, using bursts of enhanced speed to break through weak points before they could fully surround her again.

One enemy slashed toward her side.

Videl twisted her body narrowly.

The blade cut across her sleeve, drawing blood along her arm.

But she kept moving.

Forward.

Only forward.

The forest blurred around her.

Minutes felt like hours.

Every second became a desperate struggle to survive.

Finally—

After forcing her way through countless opponents—

She escaped.

...

Once Videl was lucky enough to break out of the enemy formation, she was then forced into hiding, since she had used up majority of her mana.

Her breathing turned ragged.

Every muscle in her body trembled painfully.

She hid herself beneath the roots of a massive fallen tree deep within the forest while suppressing her mana presence as much as possible.

The cold earth beneath her body felt damp and freezing.

Yet compared to death—

It was comforting.

Amura materialized beside her quietly in human form.

Her silver eyes reflected visible concern as she looked at Videl’s exhausted condition.

Videl leaned her head weakly against the tree roots and closed her eyes briefly.

Without body enhancement magic, it would take her five days to get back to Fantom City.

And that was assuming she avoided enemy patrols entirely.

Also she needed to move during the cover of darkness, since fighting head on against such a large amount of opponents wasn’t possible for her.