Eerie Exchange

Compared to Old Zhou and Nicholas, who had charged at each other the instant the "start" was called, Snowy Owl and the Mountaineer were much more restrained.

Of course, the fact that this "Fall" arena required even more caution than "Storm" was also a factor.

With Snowy Owl and the Mountaineer's abilities, moving over this complicated terrain as easily as on flat ground was simple enough.

But...

Both of them knew perfectly well that the other definitely possessed all kinds of ranged attacks.

If they approached too quickly and were struck by a ranged attack that threw them off balance, things would become troublesome.

Perhaps the current difference in height was not enough to cause them any trouble, but the anesthetic gas roiling below and radiating an ominous aura was something neither of them wanted to touch in the slightest.

Thus, although they were approaching each other, neither was moving quickly.

Snowy Owl held the wooden blade Grandmaster had given her horizontally before her and moved while calculating her route. She had not chosen the shortest path to the center and the Mountaineer's position. Instead, she prioritized a route with many corners and several narrow passages running parallel to one another.

That way, even when faced with ranged attacks she could not defend against, Snowy Owl could effectively evade them by leaping into another narrow passage.

On the other side, the Mountaineer's route was chosen more casually. She held a climbing pole and strolled along slowly.

The Arena of this "Ground of No Return" was already enormous. Combined with their current slow speed, simply approaching each other took quite some time. At the same point in time, Nicholas and the Prisoner had already exchanged several volleys.

When only a few narrow passages remained between them...

Snowy Owl launched the first