'Invisibility, huh?'

Daru's eyes darted about, searching for any hint of where the crystalline fiend might be.

He didn't fancy such cowardly tactics.

However, he understood that this was a part of the Sword Trials, and unlike being a pure swordsman, an excellent bladeborn must be able to deal with a diverse array of tactics.

Invisibility was just one of them.

'Fine, then, fiend…'

He swiftly turned from time to time, hoping to catch Cryzhar's tracks. But there was nothing.

The next thing he knew, he was feeling a strange, eerie, and cold silence, one that made his blood curl.

Death?

He swiftly turned to the direction of the source, and sure enough, the crystalline fiend was there, crystals clinking faintly as Cryzhar zoomed.

Daru swiftly raised his tachi and sidestepped to protect his heart from the stabbing attack, but his parry attempt half-failed, as the fiend was already too close.

Still, he was at least able to alter the crystalline cleaver's trajectory, although the lethal arms tore a small chunk of flesh on his arm.

[-250]

The wound stung, but this was what Daru was looking for: the thrill of true battle.

His arm bled red cubic particles.

However, he ignored the pain and swiftly turned to follow Cryzhar with his eyes.

Being distracted by the pain is one of the leading causes of a snowballing defeat.

Daru knew he must keep the crystalline fiend within his vision.

'I have to at least catch it going invisible…' he thought inwardly.

Cryzhar stabbed its cleaver-arms into the condensed soil ground, using them as brakes to stop its momentum, half-tumbled, then nimbly turned.

It then touched the crag on its back, not giving Daru a chance to counterattack before disappearing again.

Daru's eyes were akin to an eagle's at that moment.

He observed everything that was happening at the site of disappearance, looking for footsteps or changes in the ground.

But there was nothing he could use to pinpoint the crystalline fiend's location.

Daru realized that it wouldn't be wise to rely on his vision.

And so, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused on his other senses.

Smell…there's no strange scent in the surroundings.

Taste? Not this one, either…

Daru was hoping it wouldn't have to be "touch", and luckily, it wasn't.

Crystals clinked and clattered faintly to his left, like wind chimes caressed by a gentle breeze.

The sound was so delicate that it would be impossible for one to detect it if one didn't focus or didn't have good enough hearing.

To Daru's surprise, his body acted instantaneously, turning to the source of the noise before his brain could catch up.

Then he saw clearly…

The sight of a small crystal shooting towards him from one of the growths, expanding into the crystalline fiend's whole form—arms extended in a stabbing motion like earlier.

Daru's eyes narrowed as the gears of his brain shifted and turned, comprehending what just happened while his eyes were locked on the cleaver-like arms.

He then somersaulted forward, thinking: 'It wasn't invisibility?', while slashing at the exposed, crystalline, craggy back of Cryzhar, who just passed him.

The small red crescent shot towards the fiend's growths, striking its mark.

To Daru's surprise, Cryzhar let out a blood-curdling howl of agony—one he didn't expect as a red damage value appeared:

[-800!]

A lethal hit!

As it turned out, the crystalline crags on the fiend's back were its weakness, contrary to its tough appearance.

A faint smile appeared on Daru's face.

If even his weakest sword skill could deal such damage, then he could only imagine the potential damage of the stronger ones.

The two recovered solid footing and faced each other almost simultaneously.

Inevitably, they locked gazes—one reflecting a fiery blaze of passion and excitement while the other, a cold, eerie, soulless stare.

The crystalline fiend screeched in fury the next moment, tapping the crag on its back and disappearing once more.

But Daru's smile only widened.

He immediately closed his eyes and focused on his hearing, waiting for the faint, crystalline clatter.

And then it sounded, this time from behind.

Having already seen the ability once, Daru was now more confident, immediately opening his eyes and turning around to face the threat.

He was given a bit more distance to react this time, though not enough for him to perfectly parry the stabbing blow and counterattack within a short window.

Yet…

He timed and angled his tachi, altering the trajectory of Cryzhar's stabbing dash.

Daru was able to completely defend himself from the attack this time.

However, his position didn't allow him to effectively strike back.

He tried to chase after the crystalline fiend to prevent him from disappearing again, but the window to stop Cryzhar was too small, and before he could even arrive close to the special spawn, Cryzhar was already gone again.

Daru instantly turned off his vision and listened.

This time, there was nothing for a while, as though the fiend was testing if he indeed had figured out the trick to its ability.

But there was also a limit to how long it could stay hidden.

Around a dozen seconds later, the familiar sound clattered to his right, and Daru reacted another few milliseconds faster this time.

He was able to face the direction and parry the blow well, guiding the crystalline arms to the side.

Then, with barely enough time, he was able to shift the angle of his tachi, making it so that Cryzhar would run itself towards the sharp, golden edges of his blade.

A dull clang echoed the next moment, followed by a red damage value floating up as the crystalline fiend zoomed past.

[-100]

Daru smiled triumphantly.

"I've figured out your tricks now, fiend." He declared proudly.

While he was surprised at how tough Cryzhar's seemingly exposed body was, he had, in the end, still dealt damage.

Plus, he now knew his opponent's tricks and weaknesses.

The crystalline fiend skidded to a halt with the help of its arms, turning towards Daru and screeching once more in fury.

But it still did disappear.

Cryzhar was not convinced that its tactics were figured out this soon.

Daru, however, proved the fiend otherwise—closing his eyes, waiting for the sound cue, and then, although surprised, reacted.

The faint clatter sounded from in front of him this time.

Of course, it was easier to react, which was why the damage he dealt this time was a fair bit higher:

[-180]

Thin smoke began emitting from Cryzhar's nose with every furious breath, yet it still continued trying to make its killing tactics work.

Only after failing four more times and suffering an increasingly cleaner counterstrike did the crystalline fiend finally accept that it had been figured out.

What else could it do except stop?

Facing its opponent after yet another failed attempt, it screeched, evidently breathing heavier than before.

The triumphant grin on Daru's face widened.

"You're not built for long battles, are you? And you've exhausted most of your stamina just now…"

The fiend couldn't speak, but somehow, it could understand his words.

It froze for a moment and hissed hesitantly.

How could this human figure out everything?!

Normally, its opponents would be either panicking or dead after the first ambush.

It had never been defeated or even faced a desperate situation in a decade.

"Now then, fiend. You can choose to continue trying to get your tricks to work, or you can fight me head-on. Which will it be?"

This time, it was Cryzhar who was panicking, cowering as Daru began walking towards it.

'Who the hell is this fiend calling a fiend?' was the thought in the lesser fiend's mind.

In the end, it still had its survival instincts.

Cowering would only get it killed faster.

And so, with a screech that served as both an attempt to intimidate its opponent and give itself a little boost in courage, the crystalline swordspawn rushed at him, utilizing its speed and mobility to zigzag.

Daru had to strain his eyes to keep up.

However, this move was more manageable for him than the first time [Crystalline Ambush].

Their weapons soon clashed, causing a strange, dull clang to fill the air as Daru was sent skidding back a few centimeters.

The fiend was still physically stronger than him.

But he wasn't fazed—not one bit.

How could fighting demonic spawns be fun if they were only as strong as a human like himself?

Daru planted his feet firmly on the ground, fully resolved to take the fight.

Cryzhar, on the other hand, quickly followed up after its initial attack, running forward while continuously slashing with its now-glowing cleaver-like arms.

Daru naturally had to step back while playing defense, his steps as stable as a mountain despite being sent skidding back with every clash.

[-4]

[-3]

[-5]

The crystalline assault chipped away at his hitpoints, but so did it at its user's dwindling stamina reserves.

The fiend grew more desperate by the second.

Realizing its attacks weren't working, it tried other moves, but none worked.

Everything was either evaded, parried, or blocked by Daru, who seemed to be fully content just defending.

Cryzhar grew even more desperate, attacking more fiend-like: wild, reckless, unrestrained, all while hissing and screeching in fury.

"Heh, who knew you're so fragile, fiend?" Daru sneered triumphantly. He was talking about the crystalline fiend's mental fortitude.

Soon enough, he began capitalizing on every opening, chipping away at Cryzhar's health and stamina, making the fiend hiss and attack even more wildly—like a cornered beast.

Lost in the distress of facing a seemingly unbeatable opponent, it tapped the crystalline crag on its back once more, instinctively relying on the ability that had always secured its victories.

Daru's grin widened.

This was what he was hoping for, so he could end the match in a way that excited him.

Unbeknownst to the fiend, aside from figuring out the cue of the faint crystalline clatter, Daru had noticed something else: a pattern.

First, Cryzhar would strike from the left, then the back, then the right, and finally, from the front.

He was able to confirm this in the second batch of Crystalline Ambushes.

After all, why else would the fiend attempt to attack from the front a second time, knowing that the first one turned out to be a disaster?

This was why he knew that the next attack would come from the left.

He immediately dashed in that direction, a plan in mind.

Sure enough, running low on stamina, Cryzhar was cornered, not having the option to stay inside a crystal growth for long.

A small crystal shot towards Daru in the next moment, expanding into a screeching, stabbing fiend.

Then, at the perfect moment, he jumped, turning into a red tornado mid-air.

He didn't slash at the head this time, targeting the crystalline crag growing on Cryzhar's back instead.

His strike cleanly landed, rupturing bursts of red cubic particles from the fake crag that was actually its exposed heart.

[- 4000!]

The crystalline fiend screeched in a harrowing, deathly agony, completely dissipating the moment Daru gracefully sheathed his tachi.

"You lost your cool, fiend."

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