Secret Art: Last Breath!

"Whirlwind Slash."

The tornado, like an invisible millstone, slammed into the falling pillar of vines!

CRACK—!

Amid the ear-piercing tearing sound,

the attack, infused with the monster's savage power, was instantly shredded by the raging tornado and scattered into a cloud of dust!

Blue-green fragments mixed with foul-smelling sap, swept up by the gale and flung in every direction.

The Whirlwind Slash continued its advance, instantly swallowing the Man-eating Flower whole!

WOO—!

The monster let out a shrill cry of fear.

The hard, scale-like skin covering its body began to peel away under the gale's frenzied assault.

Its enormous body, rooted deep in the rock, shook violently. Its gnarled roots were wrenched upward by a surging force, and its body was actually pulled several inches off the ground!

Thor's gaze swept over the ground beneath the monster, where cracks had suddenly spread like a spiderweb.

His brow lifted almost imperceptibly.

Its roots go deeper and spread wider than I expected. No wonder it can withstand the wind pressure... It's got a few tricks, too.

"Watch out behind you, Lord Thor!" Lefiya shrieked in warning.

Lefiya had keenly noticed an unusual bulge beneath the rock behind Thor.

Several thick vines were breaking through the ground, preparing to attack his back from an awkward angle.

At the very instant Lefiya cried out her warning—

Thor moved!

His body suddenly dropped low, like a spring compressed to its limit. The next moment, his entire figure became a blue-green blur wrapped in a fierce gale, charging headlong toward the net of vines bearing down on him!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

More vines intertwined into an airtight web of death, trying to crush him in midair.

Yet Thor displayed flexibility and agility that defied reason.

His body twisted sharply in midair, bending as he slipped with astonishing precision into the nearly nonexistent gaps between the vines' attack paths!

Ais's pupils contracted.

That angle... at that speed... How could he possibly slip through a gap that small?!

Was it his incredible dynamic vision? Or his extreme speed?

Probably neither.

It was his ultimate perception of the wind.

Every vine swept through the air, stirring up faint currents.

He dodged by relying on that extreme perception of the wind!

That's Steel-Cutting Dash...

Ais's dynamic vision could barely keep up with Thor's movements. She only saw a flash of blue-green light before his figure had already slipped like a phantom through the seemingly impenetrable barrier of vines!

Amid the howl of wind pressure, Thor used the disturbed air currents around the monster's body to flash before the Man-eating Flower.

Thor took a deep breath and held it, gathering all his strength and will in that moment.

"Swirl!"

[Ariel]'s output rose another level.

The blue-green light coiling around the blade suddenly blazed brighter, like a flame of blue-green fire!

A fatal sense of danger sent the Man-eating Flower into a frenzy! It tried desperately to close its petals, while countless vines whipped back to save it!

But it was too late!

Thor's body sank slightly, his center of gravity as steady as a mountain.

His right hand rested firmly on the hilt of Storm Cutter.

He assumed an iaijutsu stance.

Lefiya felt her heart stop for an instant.

Th-this terrifying pressure! It's like standing at the eye of a storm!

Thor exhaled, then murmured,

"Final strike, Secret Art: Last Breath!"

SHING—!

The wind-song of the blade leaving its sheath tore through the air!

His vision was completely swallowed by a torrent of raging blue-green sword light!

Countless condensed slashes, faster than the limits of thought, erupted like a blue-green storm and engulfed the Man-eating Flower!

SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING!

Sword light crisscrossed in every direction, too fast to see. All that remained was a continuous chorus of piercing sounds slicing through the air!

The hard bud, the thick stalk, the vines rushing to its aid...

Everything that touched that blue-green storm was thrown into an invisible meat grinder!

SPLURT! SPLURT! SPLURT!

Dull tearing sounds ran together.

The sword light faded.

Thor appeared behind the Man-eating Flower's remains, standing in a sheathing stance.

Behind him, the monster seemed to freeze in place, as if someone had pressed pause.

The next moment,

CRASH—!

Its enormous body collapsed with a roar, breaking apart along countless smooth cuts and turning into a heap of scattered chunks.

A fist-sized Magic Stone, glowing a pale brown, rolled with a "clink" across the ground, now covered in slime and fragments.

Silence descended over the tenth floor once more.

Only the lingering blue-green currents from Ariel let out a faint, mournful whine.

It's over?

Ais could no longer put her shock into words.

The deep-floor monster she had firmly believed a Level 1 could never defeat had actually been... casually cut to pieces by Thor?

Was Thor strong?

Yes!

But Ais now clearly realized that his strength did not come from overwhelming physical power.

His Level 1 physique was not separated from hers by an unbridgeable gulf.

What made him strong was his skill, honed to its pinnacle and almost approaching the Way!

It was his subtle perception and control of the power of wind!

I see...

Ais finally understood what Thor had meant by "the final lesson."

Thor had shown her the ultimate realm the [Wind-Riding Sword Style] could reach.

Turning wind to his own use, weaving it into every breath, every movement, every slash.

That was no longer mere swordsmanship, but an art of commanding storms.

Thor gave his wrist a slight turn. Storm Cutter became specks of starlight and vanished into his body.

He turned around, raised a fingertip, and gestured to a distance so familiar that it left Ais momentarily dazed.

"I only lost by 'a billion' points."

His calm voice carried a hint of familiar teasing.

Ais's thoughts were instantly pulled back to the fifth floor of the Dungeon, to the moment she had first met Thor.

The same gesture, the same composure.

Back then, he had faced danger. Now, he had faced a powerful enemy.

Time seemed to overlap in that moment, and his unfathomable composure remained unchanged.

Almost instinctively, her body reacted before her mind could.

Ais bowed deeply to Thor.

Her golden hair fell forward, hiding the complex emotions surging in her eyes.

"Thank you for your guidance."

Thor's gaze passed over her, and he replied calmly, "You're welcome. You earned it."

Thor was willing to teach Ais partly to repay her kindness. On the other hand, he also liked seeing a shining "star" grow ever more brilliant.

It was a bit of a personal hobby.

The process of creating and nurturing something always stirred his heart.

In his eyes, Ais was a brilliant uncut gem worth honing.

Paying no further attention to Ais's shock, Thor bent down and picked up the pale-brown Magic Stone.

It was the first time he had seen a Magic Stone of this color, and judging by the power within it...

Thor turned his gaze toward Ais...

Ais watched the strange Magic Stone, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.

The Dungeon's chill and the aftershocks of the battle seemed to fade in that moment.

A thought—an idea she had pondered before but never voiced—now surfaced with startling clarity.

She raised her head and looked at Thor.

"Lord Thor, the Monster Festival... may I invite you to go with me?"