Ranazera's internal conflict did not escape Izroth. He simply did not say anything about it because it was something that only Ranazera herself could sort through. If he attempted to force her into a particular direction, it would only backfire and lead to Ranazera questioning herself even more.
'I still can't reach anyone from the 9th Division. All communication in the area must have been cut off.'
Izroth set his gaze ahead as he scanned the area with his Energy Vision Sense.
'The mana is up ahead is chaotic. A battle must have just taken place there not too long ago. We must be getting close.'
If Aurie was using the hit-and-run tactics he suggested, then by now, Izroth figured they should be getting ready to engage in the final clash.
Out of nowhere, Izroth's ears twitched slightly as he heard a faint rumbling sound coming from the ground beneath him. The tremors originated from tens of meters away; however, they were rapidly getting closer.
'Strange, I didn't detect anything with my Energy Vision Sense, but...'
"We may have some company. Keep your guard up." Izroth warned without changing his outer demeanor.
"Is it another ambush?" Ranazera questioned while also maintaining an indifferent appearance so as not to give away the potential upper hand.
Now that her strength was no longer being suppressed and she could defend herself, naturally, Ranazera was not afraid of a confrontation.
"Probably? Though I doubt it's the same people we came across last time." Izroth replied calmly.
"Probably? That's not very reassuring." Ranazera sighed.
Caw! Caw!
Suddenly, the sound of a raven's cry could be heard as a bird circled directly overhead tens of meters in the air.
Izroth gaze locked onto the bird in the sky, and he immediately noticed something unnatural about it.
'Hm? That bird...'
Rmmmmble...! Boom!
Without warning, the ground located in between Izroth and Ranazera erupted as a small explosion occurred.
Woosh! Woosh!
Izroth and Ranazera kicked off their back foot and avoided the explosion as fragments of earth flew out in their direction.
In the blink of an eye, a gorgeous pair of twin swords appeared in Ranazera's hand.
Simultaneously, a strong gale of wind burst forth from Izroth's position as he unsheathed his Sword of the Storm.
Ding!
The two wielded their blades and deflected the fragments of earth as the dust cloud settled around the area where the explosion occurred.
"It looks like we found some rats running around." A deep and eerie voice sounded.
At the same time, a man dressed in desert garbs with a pair of long metal talons stepped forward. And next to this man were four other individuals dressed in similar clothing--three men and one woman.
When Izroth saw the clothing worn by those individuals, it did not take long for him to discover their identity.
'Those are the same clothes that were worn by the Sandstorm Walkers I came across in the Millennial Veiled Oasis. However... The auras around them are a bit different. Except for that man I faced, they're clearly a few steps above the Sandstorm Walkers we fought in the Millennial Veiled Oasis.'
All the Sandstorm Walkers had most of their system information hidden; however, Izroth could see that four of them were elite Sandstorm Walker Warriors, while the one who seemed to be in charge was a rare elite with a different title.
NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker Desert Rogue)???(Rare Elite)
NPC Level: ???
"We don't have time to waste on a couple of strays. The great warrior's call takes priority." The Desert Rogue stated.
"Have you forgotten the great warrior's other directive? We are to eliminate any suspicious individuals or stragglers along the way. These two are casually wandering around in the midst of battle. Isn't it a little too suspicious?" One of the male warriors noted.
"I guess you have a point." The Desert Rogue grumbled.
He then said, "Whatever, we'll just quickly dispose of them and meet up with the great warrior. Since they dodged our initial attack, they must have at least a shred of skill. Split up and take them out."
The moment the Desert Rogue gave the order, the four Sandstorm Walker Warriors charged forward in groups of two without hesitation.
One of the groups ran right for Izroth while the other pair made their way toward Ranazera.
"You want to face me with only the two of you? As usual, what an arrogant bunch you Pzenium warriors are." Ranazera said coldly as her gaze sharpened.
A sharp and bottomless sword intent formed around Ranazera's twin swords and filled the surrounding.
"?!" The Sandstorm Walkers were caught off guard by the sudden emergence of such a heavy sword intent and instinctively halted their charge as they retreated a few steps.
pαndα-noνɐ1,сoМ "This woman... She's not normal. Could she be one of the special targets the great warrior mentioned?" One of the Sandstorm Walkers who had just retreated said in an almost delighted tone.
"If she is, our luck is too good. After all, the great warrior promised to reward whoever claims the head of a special target." The other replied in an equally elated manner.
Ever since they were first ambushed near the entrance of the Nightfall Glades, the Pzenium warriors had begun to mark those whose strength stood out among their enemies.
Most of the individuals marked as special targets were Captains of the 2nd Unit under Commander Aurie.
Due to the sword intent she displayed, naturally, the Pzenium warriors mistakenly believed that Ranazera was one of those Captains.
Out of nowhere, the two Sandstorm Walkers felt a wave of cold sword intent rush past them. They reacted swiftly and managed to defend themselves against the strike; however, it forced them to create even more distance between themselves and Ranazera.
The Sandstorm Walkers gave each other meaningful glances as they immediately dashed in two different directions.
Their goal was to split Ranazera's focus and strike at her from two separate angles.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Three small throwing knives soared toward Ranazera and aimed right for her vital points. These throwing knives came from the Sandstorm Walker, who was targeting Ranazera's left side.
Ding!
Ranazera deflected the throwing knives with her twin swords. But the moment she did so, the sixth princess realized that the movement of her twin swords had become stiff and unusual.
"She fell for it." The Sandstorm Walker grinned.
Ranazera briefly examined her twin swords and saw that there were extremely thin strands wrapped around their blades.
"These are... Wires?" Ranazera said to herself as she narrowed her eyes.
When the Sandstorm Walker tossed the throwing knives, they attached tiny strands of their mana to the objects. Then, when the throwing knives made contact with Ranazera's sword, the strands of mana latched onto her twin swords. This allowed the Sandstorm Walker to momentarily restrict the movement of Ranazera's weapons.
Unfortunately, the Sandstorm Walkers' confidence in their own abilities caused them to underestimate Ranazera severely.
"We'll be claiming that head of yours!" The Sandstorm Walker roared as they brandished the one-handed battle axe in their hands.
They took advantage of the window of opportunity provided by their comrade and rapidly closed the distance to launch an attack.
"Rising Twin Gales." Ranazera's voice sounded.
In a flash, two powerful gales of wind formed from Ranazera's sword intent erupted from her twin swords and crashed into Sandstorm Walker.
Bang!
The Sandstorm Walker was blown away several meters along with the battle axe in their hands as numerous cuts appeared at various places on their body.
"Impossible...! How could she still attack while my Locking Wires are in place- ?!" The Sandstorm Walker looked down at hands as their eyes widened in shock.
Somehow, the Locking Wires that were connected to Ranazera's twin swords had been severed!
"I have to create some space and regroup with the others..!" The Sandstorm Walker thought to themselves as they attempted to wait for backup to arrive.
"Are you two almost done over there?! We could use a hand-!" The Sandstorm Walker called out.
However, when they witnessed the sight before their eyes, a feeling of despair poured into them all at once.
Not even a few breaths of time had passed since they first launched their attack. How could something like this have happened?
The other group of Sandstorm Walkers who went to attack Izroth were sprawled out on the ground and slowly turning into countless particles!
But the most shocking part was that the Desert Rogue had met with a similar fate!
In terms of strength, the Desert Rogue was not much stronger than a typical Sandstorm Walker Warrior; however, their speed and killing techniques were a step above. For a Desert Rogue to fall to another person so quickly was practically unheard of!
"Where are you adverting your gaze?" A chilling voice drifted into the Sandstorm Walker's ears.
But, before the warrior could react, they were overwhelmed by a barrage of sharp sword intent and joined the ranks of their comrades.
The next moment, the twin swords in Ranazera's hands disappeared as she looked over at Izroth.
"That guy... I knew he wouldn't have much trouble with the warriors. But, to think he also took care of a Desert Rogue, who's known for their speed and killing techniques, in that time. As expected of the man who defeated Centurion Aloysius and Aurelius Windstorm."
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