Ark Undead

Only one last straw remains to break the camel's back and bring it down completely.

Therefore, they made the same choice.

The blade sliced ​​through the scabbard opening, rubbing against the steel scabbard opening, producing a sharp sound.

Both blades were simultaneously sheathed.

The two chose the same way to bring this battle to a close.

Melantha leaned down, her left hand gripping the top of the scabbard tightly with trembling hands, while her right hand rested lightly on the hilt like a feather.

The expert also lowered his upper body in the same posture, his left hand, with half of his thumb missing, gripped the scabbard with his last effort, while his right hand gripped the hilt of the knife.

Combat Techniques (Iaijutsu)

The petals gradually stabilized in the air, no longer being led by the wandering blades.

The ashes gradually fell from the sky, revealing the two figures completely.

Time seemed to stand still, and the two people on the field were no longer moving at all.

All that remained were the sounds of the breeze rustling the flowers and the faint breathing of the two people.

Then, it was as if time itself had been sliced ​​open.

No one could process what had just happened.

That was so fast that it was beyond the reach of the eyes and the mind.

The petals and swords that were originally floating in the air were blown away by the gust of wind created by the two people's intersection and swept in all directions.

Two blinding flashes of light were visible as their figures switched positions in an instant.

Like a fleeting shooting star, it left a glimmer of light before vanishing in an instant.

An arm flew into the sky, accompanied by splattered blood, drawing everyone's attention.

It wasn't until the blade held in their arms fell to the ground and collided with the weapons embedded in the earth, making a clattering sound, that they could see clearly.

That was a katana.

The expert's right arm was completely empty at that moment.

Did we win?!

Nightblade gripped Dobermann's arm tightly, and Dobermann had no interest in paying attention to her anymore.

Did they win? Did Melanza win?

Everyone held their breath and looked back at the field.

"call..."

The expert exhaled a breath of stale air. Ignoring the wound on his right arm, he straightened up and turned his head away.

"A brilliant strike, worthy of praise."

He finally spoke, addressing the girl who had severed his arm.

Melantha, on the other hand, remained completely silent.

After waiting a few seconds, the expert sighed.

"If you can still hear me, please give my regards to him. He taught a good student, an enviable student."

"Also, tell him to remember not to be late."

The expert had barely finished speaking.

Melantha's entire upper body fell backward, while her lower body remained in place.

The girl was slashed diagonally by the expert, her body severed from her left abdomen to her right shoulder.

In that split second, the expert's knife was ultimately faster.

Melantha, having burned out, could no longer maintain her slashing speed and was defeated in this iaido duel.

Melantha's upper body landed on the ground. She felt her body breaking apart and as if it had been crushed.

Starting from her fingers, her withered flesh crumbled inch by inch, turning into ashes that mingled with the ashes on the ground of the original furnace, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

Then, she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

The straight sword and the body turned to ashes in the flames and vanished completely.

The expert then reached out with his left hand, picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground, and sheathed it with a backhand motion.

His body turned into specks of light, scattering among the fluttering petals.

The match was only truly over at this point.

Although the match ended with Melanza's defeat, no one can forget it.

The girl's unwavering will and her body burning with flames will be deeply etched in the minds of every spectator.

This is truly Minos's battle celebration; a real battle should be like this.

With a flash of flame, Melantha's figure returned to the lounge.

She suddenly opened her closed eyes and gasped for breath.

The burning pain still lingered in her body, that stinging pain. Only after she regained consciousness did she realize how deep it had penetrated to her very bones.

Even now, just thinking about it makes Melantha almost unable to breathe, that maddening sense of distortion.

Her head was still spinning, and she hadn't recovered from the burning sensation.

After groping around on the ground with his right hand for a long time, he finally managed to grasp the hilt of the straight knife.

Clutching her weapon, Melantha managed to muster her strength, suppress the lingering pain, and sit up straight, looking at the altar.

Lost.

Melantha's pupils dimmed, and she lost in the end, even with the teacher's help.

Just as Melantha was feeling disheartened by her performance, a new Heroic Spirit appeared on the altar.

This heroic spirit wielded two axes, and his leather armor was adorned with ornate patterns.

Upon arriving at the Initial Forge, he, like the two heroic spirits before him, chose a warrior based on his intuition.

He is a Minoan frontier hero.

The battle soon resumed.

Dobermann and Nightblade felt they should go and check on Melantha's current condition.

When the battle just ended, Melantha's inhuman and ghostly appearance gave them quite a fright.

They need to see that Melantha is alright before they can feel at ease continuing to watch the game.

However, just as the two got up, preparing to sneak into the lounge...

Onstan reached out and stopped them.

"You guys don't need to go, look over there."

Onstan nodded, gesturing for them to look down.

The door to the Undead's rest room was wide open, and the room was empty.

368. Borrowing a knife

Dobermann and Nightblade, who were stopped by Onstan, instinctively sat down when they saw the door to the Undead's room wide open.

Although they are Rhodes Island operators, Melantha is also an excellent junior to Dobermann and Yato, and they should show concern for her out of both courtesy and reason.

But since their teachers had already set off, there was no need for Dubin and his companion to interfere at this point.

So, the three of them settled down and returned to the battle celebration with peace of mind.

Meanwhile, the undead, led by the priest, had arrived at the entrance to Melantha's lounge.

"Sir Knight, the battle could end at any moment, so please hurry. Return to your room before the next Heroic Spirit takes the stage."

This priest had naturally received the high priest's instructions to try his best to meet the undead's needs. Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted the undead's request and brought him to another contestant at such a crucial moment in the undead arena.

The immortal nodded.

"Thank you."

The priest bowed slightly and then left.

The Undead pushed open the door and entered. As soon as he came in, he saw Melantha, who was holding a straight sword and looked somewhat lost.

Hearing the door open, Melantha instinctively glanced over. Upon discovering that the person was immortal, she stood up in a panic.

"T-Teacher, what brings you here? The competition is still..."

But as soon as she stood up, the weakness in her body made her dizzy and lightheaded. She lost her footing and almost fell to the side.

The immortal stepped forward and helped Melantha up.

Melantha carefully sat back down beside the now-extinguished campfire.

"Just now, the first fire ignited."

The Undead reached out and slightly spread his five fingers toward the extinguished campfire.

A soft flame, radiating golden light, floated from the campfire, drifting in the air.

Spell (Warm Fire)

Melantha felt as comfortable as if she were bathing in a hot spring, and the pain was greatly reduced.

"Yes, take a good rest."

Actually, the Undead came over because they wanted to talk to Melantha about her recent condition.

After all, being burned by the first fire is a painful experience for everyone.

Even the immortals were no exception; it was because he had been burned that he knew just how much pain Melantha endured in that state.

The Undead were also curious about the First Flame's reaction to Melantha.

The First Flame showed a clear sense of closeness to one person, something the Undead had never seen before, except for himself.