Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

"Hmmm?" Mira tilted her head and saw Ryuu and Master Izaria descending from the air.

She frowned as these two were quite possibly the last people she wanted to meet right now.

"Well? How about it? Would you like to spar with me?" Ryuu walked up to Mira and asked with a smile.

However, Mira didn't say anything and kept staring at him with a frown on her face.

'I don't really want to spar with you,' Mira thought, not because she felt like she'd lose, but because she didn't want to share her secrets with a potential enemy.

'Then again, it would be an interesting fight.' She pondered but couldn't come to a conclusion.

Fortunately, Izaria saw her hesitation and spoke up before she could say anything, "Why don't you two fight with your weapons only? No Qi, charms, illusions, or anything like that. However, Weapon Endowments like [Intent] and [Manifestation] are allowed."

Ryuu nodded, "That's good with me. That's my strongest aspect, anyways."

Mira thought for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, "...Fine."

'I want to experience the strength and skill of someone who has almost reached the 3rd Realm of Weapon Endowment, [Ruler].' She added inwardly.

The two took up their positions on opposite sides of the arena and readied their weapons.

Master Izaria flew up in the air and announced, "The spar between Mira and Little Ryuu will begin in 3… 2… 1… FIGHT!!"

The two dashed at each other and-

*CLANK!*

-their weapons collided.

'Heavy!'

Mira thought as she felt her feet dig into the ground.

It wasn't just Ryuu's physical strength that Mira felt was mountainous, but his greatsword as well.

'Is he just holding a massive chunk of metal? What the hell?' Mira wondered as she could tell the blade wasn't all that sharp.

However, although his strength was a bit burdensome, Mira wasn't worried.

She rotated her scythe, shoving his greatsword out of the way, and slashed at his neck.

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, not only at Mira's strength but the calmness in her eyes.

'It seems I've underestimated her yet again.'

Ryuu thought as he waved his greatsword as if it was as light as a feather and blocked Mira's attack.

*CLANK*

Then, he smoothly switched stances and swung his greatsword upwards.

Mira moved her head slightly, leaving about a centimeter of space between her and the tip of the greatsword.

To counter his attack, she spun her scythe and swung it horizontally, attacking Ryuu's freehand.

However, Ryuu just grasped his greatsword with both hands and blocked it.

"You're pretty good with the scythe, huh? When I saw you fighting those guys back at the mine, I thought your main strengths would lay in your elemental attacks, but it seems I was wrong." Ryuu commented with a smile.

"...Originally, I thought you were just a brute who only knew how to lug around a giant chunk of metal, but…," Mira paused, allowing Ryuu's expectations to rise.

"It seems I was right. You really are nothing more than a brute who only knows how to wave that thing you call a sword."

"Pfft-Hahaha! See, Little Ryuu? What have I been telling you all these years? There's more to life than swinging around a sword!" Up in the air, Master Izaria chuckled.

Ryuu scowled at them and snorted, "Hmph! Fine! Let me show you what kind of power swinging a sword for decades can give me!"

*FWOOSH!*

A golden Sword Intent wrapped around Ryuu and his sword, making him look like some deity that descended into the mortal world. He didn't unleash his full power just yet, as he was afraid the battle might end too quickly if he did that.

Mira narrowed her eyes as she felt danger coming from that Sword Intent, but she didn't back down.

*TSHHH*

A black Scythe Intent exuded from Mira's body and wrapped around her scythe, while a transparent Martial Intent covered her body, empowering her.

"What?! Two Intents?!" Master Izaria and Ryuu gawked.

Now, Ryuu felt the seriousness of the situation. If before, he was a bit more relaxed and confident in his victory, now he understood he was too arrogant.

Although it was just another [Intent] and not a [Manifestation], things weren't that simple. [Intent], for lack of a better word, is a combination of one's Foundation, Comprehension, Understanding of their path, and luck. Not everyone can reach the 1st Realm of Weapon Endowment, but when they do, it's proof that they aren't ordinary opponents.

[Manifestation] is the next Realm, but what it symbolizes isn't nearly as profound as someone reaching the 1st Realm, [Intent].

And since Mira has two of them, the danger she poses is exponentially higher than someone who has only achieved one.

While Ryuu's Sword Manifestation might still be stronger than both of them combined, his chances of winning are no longer absolute like before. That is, if Mira uses them correctly.

Without warning, Mira's muscles bulged, and she shot at Ryuu!

*CLANK!*

Their weapons collided, his golden Sword Intent blocking Mira's black Scythe Intent, but if one looked closely, they'd witness Mira's Scythe Intent trying to consume the golden light.

'What the…?!'

Ryuu was startled by this and hurriedly retreated, trying to understand what just happened, but Mira didn't give him a chance.

She chased after him, using her Chaos Body Martial Art, which synergized perfectly with her Martial Intent, to try and confuse him.

The Scythe Intent around her blade extended a few extra centimeters to give it a bit more lethality against his massive greatsword. She wanted it to be able to reach around Ryuu's sword without actually touching it.

*SWOOSH!*

Her scythe cut through the air.

Ryuu raised his greatsword to block it, but-

*CLANK!*

'Holy shit! How did she get so much stronger?!' He felt his hands tingle from that hit.

The edge of his blade hit the shaft of Mira's scythe, and unknowingly, Mira's blade ended up only a few centimeters away from his eyes.

Ryuu snorted, knocked it out of the way, and charged at Mira.

"Haaa!"

He shouted as he thrust his greatsword like a spear.

The golden Sword Intent thinned out, sharpening the edges of the great sword.

Mira's expression changed slightly, and she tried to dodge, but Ryuu's sword was too fast and huge that she got clipped in the side.

*Splurt!*

The gash spurted a bit of blood, but Mira didn't even pay attention to such a 'minor' injury. With her healing capabilities, it'll stop bleeding in a few seconds.

Ryuu released a small, victorious smile since he was able to land the first successful hit, but before he could relish in his 'victory', Mira's scythe flashed before his eyes!

He raised his greatsword to block and took a few steps back, but this was what Mira was hoping for.

She altered the trajectory of her scythe slightly, cutting into his shoulder!

"Urgh!" Ryuu groaned and felt a trickle of warm blood flow down his arm. Luckily, other than a gash, his arm was mostly fine.

However, unlike Ryuu, who felt proud to have landed the first hit, Mira couldn't care less.

Even after she injured him, she didn't let up the pressure.

As the saying goes, "Complacency is the enemy of progress."

If she wanted to beat Ryuu, she couldn't get comfortable with just landing a hit on him!

*Swoosh!**Swoosh!**Swoosh!**Swoosh!*

*Clank!**Clank!**Clank!**Clank!**Clank!*

Ryuu didn't make the same mistake of losing his focus in the midst of battle and deflected all of Mira's strikes.

Though, since he had lost the momentum, Mira was pushing him back with every consecutive blow.

With each strike, Mira's Scythe Intent chipped away at Ryuu's Sword Intent, and now that she was in control, her Martial Intent and Chaos Body Martial Art could show their full potential!

She snaked around Ryuu as if she was playing with him, and each strike had the perfect amount of power behind it so she could seamlessly transition into the next one without losing any momentum.

Mira entered a trance-like state as she poured her heart, body, and soul into this fight. However, her ultimate goal wasn't to win.

No, Ryuu was like an enhanced version of Celaine! He was the perfect practice dummy for her to hone and refine her skills!

Master Izaria noticed this and smiled bitterly, "This girl… She's using my Little Ryuu as a training dummy!"

Although she said this inwardly, she was shocked, 'What the heck is up with her comprehension speed?! They just started fighting, and she's able to keep up with Ryuu! I get that he hasn't used his full power yet, but isn't this a little ridiculous?! At this rate, she'll reach the 2nd Realm of Weapon Endowment before the spar is over!'

"Woah! She really is just using him to refine any imperfections in her fighting style!" Nova, Eden, and the rest were shocked but, at the same time, conflicted. Especially Eden.

'Is that all she sees us as? Convenient training partners?' They couldn't help but think.

"Hehehe~ I knew it! Mother is always the best!" Everyone's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as their heads shot in Dominique's direction.

"MOTHER?!"

However, before they could comment on that, Mira and Ryuu's fight reached its climax!