Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
Bullets streaked through the air, forming fierce speed lines that engraved themselves in the space, which was already shimmering strangely.
The incorporeal walls of a domain set themselves up several kilometers around the ongoing battle and interfered with the environment, shifting it to match the owner's preference.
A new form of attack overtook the airspace once it solidified. Swords almost invisible to the naked eye whizzed around, only becoming visible when they clashed against the razor-sharp feathers aimed at their allies.
Damien and Rose's control ability rapidly increased with the continuation of the battle. The Darklight Raven and Sword Hawk found themselves unable to use their usual tactics. Their only choice was direct combat.
Ruyue and Elena's frontline action became less cluttered as well. With the beasts corralled, they split off and focused on them individually.
Ruyue took the Sword Hawk, while Elena fought the raven. Their elements were opposed to the features of each beast, which made it much more convenient for them to act alone.
Rose's sword phantoms cut off the hawk's main attack method and freed Ruyue from the bombardment of feathers, which gave her the opportunity to get close to the bird and let her power loose!
The spear in her hands was like a heat-seeking missile. Regardless of how the hawk moved, she chased it and used impossible movements to strike its weak points.
CAWWW!
The hawk called out in humiliation.
It never believed a minuscule creature that used others to ascend to this height could hold such power!
Ruyue didn't focus on her enemy's actions.
The perfect defense was being provided to her in full, and she was on a full offensive. Her thoughts were directed inward as she tried to unlock the core of her power.
'Flexibility…flexibility…'
She tried to think back to her time as a 2nd class being. What could she relate to flexibility? How could she ground this concept so she could properly perceive it?
When she was weak, Ruyue was still under the control of the Xue Clan. She escaped to Tian Yang around this time, but the memories that defined that portion of her life had no sense of flexibility whatsoever.
Her father was as rigid as could be, and her siblings hardly paid her any mind. Most of the Xue Clan genuinely despised her existence, a product of rumors spread by the patriarch.
Xue Yebai's goal was to break Ruyue's spirit and turn her into a tool he could use however he pleased, and even now, his twisted ambition was affecting her.
It was likely that this very rigidity was the reason the Xue Clan could never improve past the limits of their Yin affinities.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every swing of her spear was backed by more and more power as she subconsciously vented her emotions.
She was hardly paying attention to the battle, but she wasn't fighting alone. Her inconsistencies and openings could still be guarded while she was in this state, and her relationship with Rose assured her trust.
After all, aside from Damien, Rose was the closest person she had. Even now, she didn't doubt the woman understood what she was trying to do.
Therefore, she left herself in her care and acted recklessly.
Though, Ruyue's definition of reckless was perhaps a bit extreme.
Even fighting instinctually, her years of battle experience made her a machine. Her every movement was precise and filled with killing intent, and the weight of and mana in her spear was terrifying for anyone facing it!
The only reason the Sword Hawk could avoid heavy injuries was because its flying ability outstripped her maneuverability.
If it was just a little less cautious, it didn't doubt it'd find a bloody gash torn into its body!
Ruyue's head remained in the clouds as she searched for that single defining moment she needed to grasp the concept of flexibility.
From past to present, she couldn't see herself exhibiting such behavior.
Perhaps it was a result of her upbringing, but Ruyue was just as rigid as her father in terms of personality. If he wasn't a villainous man but a good one, one could even say they were alike.
She didn't show emotion to the outside world, she followed her path without allowing herself to err or stray from it, and she lived an overall stoic life…
'...unless I'm with him.'
A light sparked in her mind.
One truly couldn't underestimate the love Ruyue had for Damien.
To her, he was a light in the darkness. He was the one who pulled her out of her cocoon and showed her the beautiful world she'd been missing.
The only time she was ever able to break away from her inflexible ways was any time with him.
He was her answer, the anchor for flexibility she'd been looking for.
Back then, if it wasn't for his presence, would she have learned such an important lesson in that nameless forest? Would she have survived the Hidden Convention, or entered the 3000 Beast Mountain Range to grow as she did?
The answer was a flat no. If he never joined Celestial Star Palace, she would've never left the sect to experience things outside of Tian Yang's protection.
Instead of focusing on herself, and without restricting herself to only memories from her 2nd class days, Ruyue found what she was looking for.
A man who yearned to be free and unrestrained, and a man who was rigid in his values yet flexible in his outlook and actions, Damien reflected this aspect of Yin quite well.
The path of Ruyue's spear started to change. Her dexterity allowed her to perform hard and powerful strikes from impossible angles in a manner that mimicked flexibility, but it was, at the end of the day, forced to adhere to the limits of her body.
The addition of this new element changed these movements. They lost some of their power, but it was replaced by strikes like flowing water, never breaking their rhythm even once.
The Sword Hawk was instantly thrown into confusion. Just as it gained an understanding of Ruyue's patterns, she completely rid herself of them!
Her actions now carried an air of chaos. There was no visible rhythm, nor was she aiming for specific points of the hawk's body. From an outside perspective, Ruyue had devolved rather than improving!
However, how could that be true?
There was no order in her attacks? That was a wholly incorrect notion.
Her attacks absolutely followed the laws of order. The never-ending rhythm of her spear might've seemed random, but every bit of it carried clear intention!
Ruyue's eyes were closed at this point.
Her senses felt connected to nature, able to perceive the outside world perfectly without sight.
She stepped through the air in a strange pattern, small ripples spreading below her soles as if she were stepping on shallow water. Her spear was closer to a living entity than a weapon at this point. It was a fearsome snake with its fangs aimed at the Sword Hawk's throat!
Rose's eyes narrowed.
It was time to end this battle.
She raised her arm into the air and summoned a rain of sword phantoms that barraged the Sword Hawk. They forced themselves into the minute gaps between the hawk's feathers and immobilized its ability.
Bind.'
The remaining sword phantoms swirled together to form a thick heavenly chain, which didn't waste any time coiling around the bird's body and tightening until it could no longer move at all.
Ruyue's eyes shot open.
She lowered her body, holding her spear in position.
'Twin Serpents' Dance.'
Her body became a blur.
She moved with such speed that she split into two, a true and phantom version.
And strangely enough, their movements didn't match.
The two spears they held snaked through the air in mystifying patterns, crossing each other and twisting up and down in a way that made one question if their shafts were made of jelly.
In the Sword Hawk's eyes, Ruyue's form disappeared entirely. She was replaced by twin dragons, azure in color and emitting auras domineering like emperors.
They charged at it from both sides, leaving it no possible escape route even if it wasn't restricted, and–!
That was the last sight it saw.
Ruyue's visage flickered, and in the next instant, she was behind it.
Blood spurted into the air.
The Sword Hawk's head flew in an arc, landing on the ground below.
At that moment…
