"..."
Hearing Rita's voice, the boy did not answer... Instead, he raised his hands, and the blue butterflies around him gathered before him, forming a strange trident.
Gripping the trident with both hands, the boy bent slightly... Then he kicked off with his right foot, turning into a shadow. In a flash, he appeared before Rita, thrusting the trident at her like a spear.
Clang~
The scythe collided with the trident, producing a crisp sound... Rita blocked it with ease.
"A trident? Do you know how to use one?"
Looking at the boy before her, Rita spun Frostfang Skadi, slipping free of the trident's point. Then, with practiced skill, she swung the scythe straight at his head.
The boy steadied himself and lifted the trident with both hands, knocking the scythe off course... Then... a sky full of trident shadows swept toward Rita!
Clang~ Clang~ Clang~
The sounds of colliding weapons rang out endlessly. The countless trident shadows clashed with innumerable wind blades, leaving dense craters and cracks across the ground. The entire highway was utterly destroyed.
Before long... Rita sensed that something was wrong with the surrounding space. The space was tilting toward the boy before her, while she herself was being suppressed. And that white mist... was also a problem. As time passed... Rita began to feel a little lightheaded.
Another icy wind blade slashed forward, and Rita retreated more than a dozen steps.
"Have you noticed? This is a domain under my control. Your body is being slowly eroded without you realizing it... You didn't leave earlier, and now you can't leave anymore!"
"Still, you really are strong. It took this long for it to take effect." As Rita retreated, the boy spoke... but his movements did not stop. He charged straight at her.
"You think you've