The wind howled through the Eastern plains, where a lone figure stood—a woman so strikingly beautiful, she was known only as the Snow Knight. One of the most formidable aura masters in the world, she commanded the East's armies with unwavering strength and unyielding resolve.
She stood tall now, the weight of her duty heavy upon her shoulders. Her mission was clear: annihilate the barbarian horde. Behind her, one hundred cavalrymen gathered, ready to ride into the heart of the Grand Canyon.
To the north, monstrous horrors ravaged the land, but the East faced a different kind of nightmare: barbarians. Savage and bloodthirsty, their brutality surpassed even the worst of bandits. They pillaged villages, slaughtered men, raped women, and, worse yet, ate their young.
The barbarians were not led by one ruler, but rather by many tribal chiefs, each said to possess strength beyond imagination—perhaps even five or six-star aura masters.Every encounter with them was a fight for survival, where it was kill or be killed.
"Let's do it," Snow Knight said, her voice steady but full of purpose.
With that, the cavalrymen charged down the hill, heading into the narrow canyon below. The canyon wasn't large, but it was enough to hide their movements. The further they went, the quieter the world around them became. The air grew thick with tension.
"Something is wrong," the Snow Knight murmured to her lieutenant.
As they pressed forward, the canyon walls seemed to close in around them, squeezing tighter until only four cavalrymen could walk side by side. The sky darkened, and an eerie silence fell—no birds, no rustling leaves.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
BAM!
The sound of an explosion ripped through the air. Rocks and rubble cascaded down from above, blocking their path.
"It's a trap! They're trying to bury us!" a cavalryman shouted, panic rising in his voice.
The avalanche of stone and debris was massive. If it had hit, it would have decimated half their forces. But the Snow Knight was ready. She stood atop her horse, drawing her blade with calm precision.
"O spirit of the endless sky, I call upon your grace—be the wall that stands between my comrades and the storm!"
Wind Art: Second Form, Aegis of Tempest!
A rush of wind burst from her sword, forming an impenetrable barrier around the cavalrymen. The rubble rained down like a deluge, but the wind shielded them, blocking the falling stones as though they were nothing more than dust. The barrage continued for what felt like an eternity, but at last, the rocks ceased. Silence returned.
Without hesitation, the Snow Knight leapt from her mount and began climbing the canyon walls, determined to confront the enemy. But the barbarians had been expecting her.
At the top of the canyon, a hundred archers waited, poised and ready.
"Fire!"
A volley of fire-tipped arrows soared toward her, the air thick with the promise of death. But the Snow Knight remained unfazed. With one fluid motion, she unsheathed her sword and raised it to the sky.
"O spirit of the endless sky, give thee the strength to propel!"
Wind Art: Third Form, Heaven Piercer!
She inhaled deeply, focusing her energy until her blade hummed with power. Then, with a single, swift motion, she unleashed a slash so precise, so powerful, it seemed to carve the very air itself. A spiraling arc of wind erupted from her sword, twisting through the battlefield like a serpent of the sky.
The force of the strike was silent at first... but then it hit. The arrows shattered in midair, disintegrating into nothingness. The wind ripped through the sky with the fury of a thunderclap, a deafening roar that sent shockwaves through the battlefield, splitting the very heavens above.
Mobul, the war chief of the barbarians, watched with a grin spreading across his rugged face. He was a giant among men, his body a hulking mass of
muscle, like an ogre made flesh. But as he watched the Snow Knight, a fire burned in his eyes.
"A worthy opponent..." he muttered to himself, his heart pounding with the thrill of the fight. The barbarians revered strength above all, and this woman... This Snow Knight was a challenge unlike any other.
With a growl, Mobul rose from his seat, towering over the battlefield, and began walking toward the Snow Knight, his every step sending tremors through the ground.