When Silvia approached the battlefield, her breath stopped as she felt an oppressive atmosphere that choked her throat.
She lifted her gaze and witnessed a green line cut through the sky, clashing against the bouldering blue aura on the ground.
Both ferocious auras chased away the atmosphere, even the time itself, as Silvia's body turned rigid, unable to move even a muscle.
The awaited clash between the two was interrupted by the sudden movement of the dragon's tail. The dragon swatted the green shadows as if it were a fly. It bounced on the ground multiple times before lying motionless.
Blood disappears from her face, seeing Jin's tattered body. His body was smeared with frozen blood, and half of his body's bones shattered.
A gentle thud rang in between, breaking the stillness in the atmosphere. She forced her uprooted feet on the ground, moving them toward the boy.
{Master, the dragon is standing near the boy}
"Yeah, I'm aware".
Silvia lifted her sword forward, a sliver of mist gathered around its tips before it greedily sucked the surrounding snow and turned into a massive boulder.
"Go". With a gentle push from her thought, the ice shot toward the dragon.
"Leave him alone!".
They collided, and the dragon was pushed backward by a loud, shattering glass. The fragments scattered across the air as they rained down Jin.
However, before it closed to the ground, Silvia lifted the sword, making the pieces float in the air. She swung her sword sideways, and the pieces shot toward the dragon's body.
The attack dealt no significant damage, but its sheer quantity was enough to block the dragon's vision, giving SIlvia enough time to shorten her distance from Jin.
Silvia knelt beside him, turning his body toward the sky. She leaned forward and put her ear near his nose, facing his chest. It was faint, but Jin still breathed, albeit shallowly.
Right now, his condition was like that of a candle in the middle of a field, unsure when a strong wind could erase its flame.
"Hooh, so you came back, huh?".
A deep voice from the dragon made Silvia flinch. She lifted her gaze and witnessed towering shadows, its predatory eyes staring straight at her.
She felt like her clothes were being peeled over, and the dragon's gaze was not wary of her, but it was looking at her with contempt, especially toward the blue sword in her hand.
"That spiteful sword, you have it in you?".
{Master!?}
"Yes". Instead of answering, Silvia straightened her body and prepared her stance for her next attack.
The chilling mist from the sword crawled over her palm, piercing her skin layer and froze the flesh inside. Silvia gritted her teeth and tightened the grip of her sword.
"Manifest, thousands of blades".
The temperature around them dropped significantly. Like twinkling stars, a glittering blue emerged from the sky above, made from mist and snow clumping together. This created a sharpened sword that mirrored Silvia's blade.
"Descent!".
Silvia's dignified voice echoed, sending a command like a ruler of winter, and the swords fell like rain. They whistled through the air but coupled together; it was like a judgment had fallen from heaven.
The girl witnessed the event with a face devoid of expression. Her indifferent eyes could even freeze the summer, standing aloof, facing the dragon. Deep within her cold gaze, a flickering chill flame burnt the hell and caused chaos to heaven.
'Huff, I can do it'. Silvia gritted her teeth and lowered her posture, with her sword pointed backward and level with her left waist. She was doing an Iai posture.
The blade trembled in a hum after receiving its Master's will and devoured the surrounding mana. Thanks to the environment, Silvia did not worry about depleting mana in her reservoir as she gained control over the snow and moisture.
"Haaap!".
Silvia's wrist flicked like a whip in a flash and swung the sword sideways, sending a huge slash of compressed water and colliding with the dragon's body and the sword rain.
A loud explosion resonated within the place, blasting the wind and snow that howled over them.
{Master} The water dragon swam around Silvia's neck and floated beside her cheek.
"Ha, ha, Did I get it?". Silvia regulated her bated breath, making consecutive attacks simultaneously, which truly sucked the life out of her.
A white cloud covered the dragon's massive body as the water spirit's eyes widened and its voice rang, destroying the silence.
{Master, get ready!}
From the shadows, a pillar of mist spat from the dragon's mouth, pushing through everything and freezing everything it touched.
"Barrier!".
Silvia's body moved beyond her understanding, and she stabbed the sword down to earth. A massive glittering crystalized ice gathered before her, forming a thick wall layer blocking the breath attack.
Both powers clashed, but Silvia's feet dug the snow under, marking the place with twin lines.
Her face was crumpled by the piercing cold that froze her hand; it seeped deep into the bones and ate even the veins.
The stalemate, which occurred in seconds, ignited a shockwave that blew away the air and snow in the area as both powers neutralized against each other.
No, the truth was that the dragon stopped its attack.
"...". The dragon's spread its elongated face, revealing its sharp teeth.
"Ha, ha, ha, ".
On the other hand, Silvia was on her knees. Her breath became labored; each time she inhaled, her lungs were on fire.
She lifted her gaze toward the dragon, but her eyes jolted wide, seeing no definite wounds on its blue scales.
"Ku, hahaha, hilarious! You are truly a hilarious one, mortal". A thundering laughter shook the air, mocking the effort of the girl who desperately grasped onto life.
{As I expected}
The water dragon beside her exhaled softly; it prompted the girl to shift to the side.
"What happened?".
Silence hung between the three parties, but soon, it was broken by the dragon's laughter. Its fierce eyes shot right at Silvia, freezing her body.
"Listen, Mortal. I am an ancient dragon that was born from a storm and the eternal ice. There is no way your attack, which consists of ice, would work on me."
A blue aura leaked from the dragon's body, and a heavy atmosphere hit Silvia's body like a hammer, striking her down like a nail. Her knees were bent, and she was kneeling with a contorted expression.
"Kuh".
{Master}
A gentle mist enveloped Silvia's body; her face loosened, and the pressure around her lessened.
"Thank you".
Silvia wiped away the metallic taste that dripped from her corner lips and turned her gaze behind. The same mist enveloped Jin's body, and she exhaled softly.
"As I thought that sword of yours was disturbing". Upon noticing how troublesome the sword was, like a disease in its lair, the dragon's eye shrank, turning hideous.
Although it disappeared from its place, giving the dragon less worry, it landed in the hands of Mortals, who ransacked its lair. The dragon snorted, "Hmph, It's a waste of my nap time. I will grant your death, and I don't care about the egg or what. I can conceive another one later anyway".
The earth shook, and the atmosphere cried with the terrifying aura that flooded from the dragon's body.
It covered the entire land, bringing an intense blizzard.
The shivering chill that pierced her bones trembled her entire body. Silvia gritted her teeth, tasting the metallic fluid that clogged her throat: "*Guhak."
She coughed a mouthful of blood and lifted her gaze forward. Her face twisted in deep alarm.
The dragon's maw opened wide; it greedily devoured the mana in the atmosphere and the storm that came its way. Its throat bloated like a balloon, covering even its entire body.
Chaotic mana began to compress, and the spark crackled, giving birth to a blue light that fused with the terrifying ball hovering in the dragon's mouth.
Silvia witnessed the world and space itself bend and sucked into that light. Her body shuddered, and strength in her body wanned.
{Master!}
The water spirit's voice brought Silvia from her daze. Unknowingly, she glanced at her back, seeing the boy who always stood before her and walked with head held high, undeterred under anything before him.
'Hehe, it's a strange feeling, standing in front of you'. Silvia couldn't help but chuckle and notice the weight in her hand.
Silvia turned toward the blue sword, her azure eyes reflected from its blade.
A flash of memories replicated in her mind, the reflection before her displaying the cheerful girl who swung the sword, the gloomy girl who was weighed down by her talent, the reborn girl after meeting an absolute power, and the scared girl after witnessing how vast the world was.
The struggling and weakened girl could only weep on the boy's chest, wallowing in self-blame. Then, the scene shifted as she found a new light and a partner willing to walk the same path.
{Master} The water dragon's soft voice struck a chord in Silvia's heart. It coiled around her arm and toward the sword, staring at her with its crumpled face; it seemed worried about her well-being.
'Hehe, I'm truly the luckiest girl in the whole world'. Silvia placed the sword blades on her forehead.
"Disappear, you mortals!". The ancient dragon lowered its maw, and a massive destruction blizzard shot forward.
As the breath forced its way toward Silvia, the time around her stretched, and Silvia saw the world turned overly grey.
Beyond this slowed world, her eyes blinked, and suddenly, they flickered as she entered her deep consciousness and witnessed a memory that was etched deep in her mind.
A memory of her first expedition with the boy, as she looked at his back, undeterred under the sky.
("Silvia, what is your purpose in swinging your sword?")
'My purpose?'.
Silvia slowly opened her eyes, gazing at her reflection. Then she lifted her face forward, watching the scenery. Jin's back felt broad, giving her a security that told her, 'Everything will be okay.'
However, her vision distorted, and Silvia found herself facing the enemy with the boys wounded behind her, unmoving and hovering between death doors.
Silvia's lips loosened in a soft smile, 'I never thought this day would come when I would say this to you'.
The grip on her sword tightened as her gaze glared forward. A pale blue aura coiled around her body, ready to await its Master's awakening.
"This time, I'm the one who will protect you, Jin".
[Mind Sword acquired]