Upper Yard, Swamp Trial area.
The roots of towering trees twisted around one another, and the air was thick with the stench of decaying vegetation. Strange purple-gray bubbles occasionally rose from the ground, giving off a dangerous aura.
Leona held a black and a silver bone-cleaving knife, her gaze fixed on the pompadoured priest ahead.
"Hey, idiot. How long are you going to keep biting your lip and rolling your eyes?"
Leona flicked her dark red ponytail. Watching his bizarre expression, she knitted her brows. "If you're going to fight, then hurry up. I've got better ingredients to find deep in the mountains."
At her words, Priest Gedatsu abruptly released his tightly clenched lower lip and began gasping for breath, as if someone who'd nearly suffocated had finally been saved.
"Hah... hah... I forgot how to breathe for a moment."
Gedatsu adjusted the aviator sunglasses on his face, then his eyes suddenly turned cold. Looking down at Leona, he pointed at her. "Ignorant Blue Sea person! How dare you speak to the priest in charge of the Swamp Trial, with its 50% survival rate, like that? In the face of my Mantra, your death is already certain!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Gedatsu jerked both elbows back.
Two strange shells concealed at his elbows instantly unleashed visible streams of high-pressure air!
"Jet Iron Fist!"
Propelled by the terrifying force of the Wind Dials, Gedatsu's massive frame became a blur. In an instant, he crossed a dozen meters, his enormous fist tearing through the air with a shrill whistle as it slammed toward Leona's face.
How fast!
Leona's eyes narrowed. The instincts she'd honed hunting giant beasts made her raise the Black Steel Blade in her right hand, bracing it across her chest.
"Clang!"
A dull, thunderous impact