Mira gazed into the eyes of the young man before her without showing any emotion. However, she was surprised that someone had found her so quickly in this massive Mountain Range.
Mira's eyes narrowed even further, feeling her bloodline course through her veins in agitation.
'It seems this man has a bloodline that's almost on the same level as mine.' That thought shocked Mira to the core because her bloodline was at least on the same level as a Phoenix!
'Does this mean this person has a bloodline that's similar to a dragon's? Where did such a person even come from?'
She felt a headache coming on as someone with such a high-grade bloodline couldn't be normal. Rather, these were the type of people where killing them would only lead to more problems.
She wondered why someone of such status had taken time out of his day to hunt her down.
Though, even killing him would probably be difficult; that is, if her bloodline wasn't playing any tricks on her.
"Who are you?" She asked in a neutral voice, not wanting to give anything away.
Zehir frowned for a moment, not liking Mira's tone, but pushed his annoyance away and smiled slightly, "Does that really matter? Dead people don't deserve to know my name."
"Do you really think you can kill me so easily?" Mira asked coldly, rousing her Sub-Zero 9-Tailed Fox Progenitor Bloodline and focusing her aura on Zehir.
Suddenly, Zehir's expression changed as he felt a suppressive force wrap around him! He could feel his strength weaken, even if it was only a little, and the shock in his eyes grew.
*ROAR!*
His bloodline roared in rage as it countered the suppressive force around him. For a second, the two fought a rough battle of tug-o-war. One moment, Mira's bloodline pushed back Zehir's, and in the next, his pushed back hers.
This went on for a few more moments before they reached a stalemate, neither one being able to gain the upper hand.
Mira nodded slightly and thought, 'As expected, he's strong.'
She had mixed in her Soul Sense with the aura of her bloodline and examined the young man. He was only in the 1st Stage of the Soul Transformation Realm, but the power he held underneath those loose-fitting robes was insane.
In her mind, Zehir was no longer a young man. Instead, the silhouette of a black dragon that threatened to devour everything appeared in his place.
'So, his bloodline is related to dragons. Interesting.' An enigmatic light shone deep within her eyes as the corners of her lips lifted.
Despite knowing this, Mira wasn't afraid. Not only was she confident in her strength, but her trump cards were numerous.
'If this man thought I was an easy target, he was sorely mistaken.'
"You… Who are you?" Zehir asked coldly as he drew his sword, his aura rising. He cursed Nathanial in his mind as this mission just became much more annoying.
'Tsk! I should've asked for a higher price!'
However, his expression changed after a moment, and a smile spread across his face.
'You know what? Screw Nathanial's reward! I can become even stronger if I can absorb this woman's bloodline! Then, I won't need to listen to those idiots anymore, and I can go back home.'
"If you're hunting me, shouldn't you at least know who I am? How do you even know I'm the person you're looking for?" Mira smirked, twirling around her scythe playfully.
Zehir snorted, "Whether you're the right person or not doesn't matter."
The air around the man suddenly grew still, as if holding its breath in anticipation. The man's body shuddered, and a low growl emanated from deep within his chest.
Then, with a sickening crack, the man's spine split open, and a pair of massive wings burst forth from his back. The wings were sleek and powerful, with glossy black membranes and razor-sharp edges. The man's body convulsed as the wings unfurled, and he let out a deep, guttural roar that shook the ground beneath his feet.
The wings grew larger by the second until they reached several meters in length, their scales glinting in the sunlight. The slits in Zehir's eyes narrowed even further, and his muscles rippled across his body, causing his loose-fitting robes to tighten.
"I'll kill you regardless."
He flapped his wings and shot at Mira at supersonic speeds.
Mira was waiting for this moment and hopped off Rhydian, swinging her scythe to parry his attack.
*CLANG!*
Their weapons clashed and recoiled as they were pushed back several meters away from one another.
They both looked back at one another in surprise, not expecting the other party's body to be so strong. It was like they had slammed their weapons into a steel wall.
Mira took advantage of the moment of surprise to draw out her trump card – her Scythe Manifestation. Her Scythe manifested with a deafening sound as it started to glow with a dark light. The air around them turned chilly, and Zehir's breath formed frost as he watched in awe.
"Scythe Manifestation?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
Mira didn't give him time to recover and launched a fierce attack. Her Scythe slashed through the air with a thunderous roar, leaving behind a trail of ice crystals.
Zehir tried to dodge, but Mira was too fast. Her Scythe struck him in the chest, and he coughed up blood, staggering back.
His eyes darkened as pain coursed through his body.
However, his wound healed almost instantly, and he returned to his peak condition.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, he stared back at Mira with steely eyes.
"It's been such a long time since someone injured me that I almost forgot what it was like. I thank you for reminding me." He said sincerely, but the killing intent leaking out of his eyes told a different story.
"However, I won't allow such a thing to happen again!"
Zehir knew he couldn't let his guard down. He gathered his Qi, and his body started glowing with a faint black light. The black light quickly grew brighter, absorbing all the Qi in the surrounding area, and his muscles bulged as he raised his sword.
"Dragon's Might!"
Zehir shouted as he swung his sword. A pitch-black serpent-like dragon shot out of the blade, snarling as it flew toward Mira. The dragon was covered in black scales that glittered in the sunlight. Its eyes glowed silver with fury, and its jaws opened wide to reveal razor-sharp teeth.
Mira didn't flinch as she saw the dragon approaching. Instead, she smirked and swung her scythe. Waves of ice shot out of the blade and cut the dragon in half!
"What?!"
Zehir was shocked. He didn't expect her to deal with his attack so easily. Although he still hasn't used his full strength yet, that attack should've been enough to kill even some of the most talented Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
'To think that a fox could be so strong.' Zehir grew more serious as he started to reconsider whether Mira was really a fox, to begin with.
However, Mira wasn't done yet. She lifted her hand, and a strong gust of wind swept through the area, catching his wings and carrying Zehir.
Zehir tried to resist, but the wind was too strong, and his wings were too large. He felt like he was being lifted off the ground and tossed around like a leaf in a storm.
Mira used the wind to her advantage and launched another attack. Her Scythe swung through the air, leaving behind a trail of ice crystals.
Zehir dodged, but he was a bit disorientated by the wind, and Mira's scythe struck him in the arm, and he cried out in pain. Mira pulled back her Scythe and swung again, but Zehir managed to block this attack with his sword.
Their weapons clashed once again, and the sound echoed through the mountains. The force of their collision sent shockwaves through the air, and the ground shook beneath their feet.
However, this time, Mira was caught off-guard by the strength behind his sword and tumbled backward.
Mira gritted her teeth as she felt the shockwaves from the clash reverberate through her arms. Zehir was stronger than she thought, and his attacks were just as unpredictable as hers.
He grinned wickedly, knowing he had gained the upper hand. He flapped his wings again, sending an intense gust of wind toward Mira that knocked her off balance.
In that split second, he lunged forward, delivering a swift kick to her abdomen. Mira coughed up blood and stumbled back, trying to regain her footing.
Zehir used this opportunity to unleash a flurry of sword strikes at Mira, who struggled to deflect them. His swordsmanship was precise and brutal, and Mira was pushed back further and further.
'Damn! The strength of this guy's body is insane! Is this the power of a dragon? Or is there something else to him?' Mira cursed.
Mira knew she had to turn the tables on him, and quickly. Zehir's swordsmanship, combined with the strength of his physical body, was nothing to scoff at, and if she let him keep the upper hand, she might actually lose!
She focused her energy and unleashed a blast of ice that shot toward Zehir. He dodged it easily, but it was just a diversion. Mira used the opportunity to disappear into thin air and reappear behind Zehir, delivering a powerful kick to his back.
Zehir grunted in pain but managed to turn around and counterattack. He unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, each one as deadly as the last. Mira was forced to go on the defensive, blocking and dodging as best she could.
After several minutes of intense fighting, the two combatants reached a stalemate. Mira's clothes were torn, and her breathing was labored, but she stood tall and resolute, ready for whatever came next.
Zehir wasn't any different. His robe was ripped to shreds, but just like Mira, his regeneration was insane, maybe even better than hers, so his body had no injuries.
They stared at each other, killing intent glowing in their eyes, but they both had a smile on their faces. Fights like this, where they could both fight to their heart's content, were rare, and they savored every moment of it, despite knowing that one of them had to die.
