Journey to Become the Zenith

The Lone Storm

Lane raced through the forest, her excitement growing with every step.

Now that she was alone, she no longer had to divide her attention between attacking and protecting others. During the previous battle, part of her focus had always been on the warriors fighting beside her, ensuring they stayed alive. But now there was nobody to protect.

For the first time since arriving here, she could fight without restraint.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

Finally.

No mages to shield.

No retreat to cover.

No allies to worry about.

Only enemies.

The trees blurred past as she moved swiftly through the forest. Branches swayed overhead while scattered sunlight filtered through the canopy. Her footsteps were almost silent as she closed in on the marching undead army.

”Victor always says I’m too reckless,” she muttered.

A soft chuckle escaped her.

”Well... he’s not here to stop me.”

The thought alone improved her mood.

Inside the dungeon, she had never dared to unleash her full strength. One careless attack could have collapsed the underground tunnels and buried everyone alive. On top of that, the enemies they faced there had been terrifyingly powerful, making it difficult for her to judge the limits of her own abilities.

But this battlefield was different.

An open landscape.

Plenty of room.

And countless enemies that were little more than cannon fodder compared to the monsters they had fought before.

Lane stretched her fingers as mana surged through her body.

Her eyes lit up.

”Let’s see what I can really do.”

Though her expression remained calm and composed, the excitement inside her was impossible to hide.

She leaped onto a tree branch.

Then another.

Then another.

Moving through the forest canopy like a phantom, she rapidly approached the center of the undead formation below.

Skeletons.

Zombies.

Undead knights.

Various necromantic creatures.

None of them noticed her presence.

As she moved, a quiet chant escaped her lips.

Mana gathered around her fist.

The surrounding air trembled under the pressure.

The spell itself was simple.

What mattered was the overwhelming amount of mana she was pouring into it.

When she reached the center of the enemy formation, Lane pushed off the final branch and descended.

The world seemed to slow.

Wind roared past her ears.

Several undead looked up.

Too late.

Boom!

Her fist slammed into the ground.

The earth exploded.

A massive crater instantly formed beneath her.

Violent shockwaves erupted outward, tearing through the surrounding formation.

Skeletons shattered into fragments.

Zombies were blown apart.

Undead bodies were launched into the air like broken dolls.

Nearby trees cracked from the impact.

The single strike pulverized dozens of undead and left a devastating crater in the heart of the army.

Before the undead mages could react, Lane calmly stepped backward.

Earlier, while moving through the trees, she had already prepared another spell.

She snapped her fingers.

”Now.”

The delayed magic activated.

High above the battlefield, the clouds began to rotate.

The air pressure suddenly shifted.

Several undead mages sensed danger and looked toward the sky.

Unfortunately for them, they realized it far too late.

A massive rotating pillar of wind descended from the sky, crashing into the ranks of undead mages. This was [Tornado], a high-intermediate spell.

The violent currents ripped through the battlefield, shattering skeletal bodies and scattering broken bones across the scorched ground.

Lane remained calm.

The moment the spell took shape, she cast a second one.

[Scorch Earth].

Flames burst from the ground in countless locations, spreading rapidly across the battlefield.

By themselves, the fires were nothing extraordinary.

But Lane had never intended to use them separately.

The raging tornado swept through the burning terrain, drawing the flames into its spinning core.

Within moments, the vortex transformed into a towering inferno.

Fire and wind merged into a single devastating force.

The blazing whirlwind expanded across the battlefield, radiating terrifying heat in every direction.

Skeletons caught within it were instantly engulfed. Their bones blackened, cracked, and disintegrated into ash before they could escape.

Undead mages fared no better.

The burning vortex tore through their ranks, reducing countless corpses to drifting cinders.

The battlefield became a sea of fire.

Even the advancing undead army slowed, instinctively recoiling from the destructive force standing before them.

Lane stood alone amidst the chaos, her expression as cold and unmoving as ever.

”Burn.”

Her quiet voice carried through the roaring flames.

”Leave nothing behind.”

The combined spell lasted for only ten seconds, but the results were devastating. Lane alone was able to destroy a few hundred of the undead. She made sure to incinerate their bones so that the elder lich wouldn’t be able to use them again.

Ash floated through the air.

The smell of burning bone spread across the forest.

Lane breathed heavily.

The attack had consumed a significant amount of mana.

Still.

The results were worth it.

Several hundred enemies had vanished.

Completely.

Nothing remained for Alibaba to revive.

”That should annoy him.”

A satisfied smile appeared briefly.

After finishing her initial attack, Lane did a quick check on how much mana she had left and decided not to use any big spells for a while. While Lane was thinking about retreating for a moment and attacking later, she saw that the undead released two monsters from their shackles.

The earth shook.

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the battlefield.

Lane’s expression shifted.

Something large was approaching.

Very large.

Several undead moved aside.

Chains rattled loudly.

Then two gigantic figures emerged.

”So that’s your answer?” Lane muttered.

”Can’t catch me with your army so you’re sending bigger toys?”

The monsters growled.

Their massive eyes locked onto her.

These monsters were, inhumanly large and tall and had a disproportionately large head, with abundant hair, and unusually colored skin. Their bodies which were covered by bronze armor looked to be sturdy. This race of monster was called an ogre.

Both creatures towered over the surrounding undead.

Their muscles bulged beneath thick skin.

Bronze armor covered vital areas.

Each carried an enormous weapon.

One held a giant club.

The other wielded a crude iron hammer.

Every step left deep footprint.

An Ogre was a B-rank monster, while the strongest of their kind, the Ogre King, was classified as an A-rank monster.

Facing two B-rank monsters at the same time would normally be difficult, especially while surrounded by enemy forces. Yet Lane had no intention of retreating.

Instead, she raised her sword and shouted toward the approaching horde.

Lane rolled her shoulders, a grin slowly forming on her face.

The danger only made her blood boil.

Now this was getting interesting.

The two ogres let out thunderous roars as the surrounding undead surged forward once more.

But rather than falling back, Lane took a step toward them.

Her fighting spirit erupted.

”Then come!” she shouted fearlessly. ”Face me! I am Lane the first woman of Victor, the Blade of Death!”

The title wasn’t Victor’s official adventurer nickname. It was a name given to him by the underworld.

After learning what he had accomplished in Fantom City, countless rumors had spread through the criminal organizations of the Skyfall Kingdom. With every retelling, the stories became more exaggerated, turning Victor into an almost mythical figure who had single-handedly conquered Fantom City’s underworld.

When Lane first heard the nickname, she had immediately fallen in love with it.

In her opinion, it sounded incredibly cool.