"Are you serious! we're really going to fight this insanely huge monster?!" Noriala shouted in shock.
"Tch! Yeah, it's not that big. I've fought even bigger ones before!" Rihisna replied, getting ready.
"Mantralana!" Rihisna shouted as he raised his hand into the air.
"Eh, nothing's happening?" Noriala asked, her face completely confused.
"Huh? Why is nothing happening?" Rihisna said in bewilderment while staring at his hand.
"We don't have time!" Noriala immediately ran toward the giant ant monster. She opened her clenched fist
"Fuhh, Fire blast!" Noriala yelled as she took a deep breath.
A blazing flame burst from her hand, covering the ant monster's movement. The ant monster stepped forward slightly, managing to suppress the flames created by Noriala.
"Oh no! My fire iktas isn't strong enough to hold this ant back!" Noriala said to Rihisna, who had been standing stiff like a statue.
"Hey! Help me here, Rihisna!" Noriala shouted.
"Oh, sorry! I know what to do now," Rihisna replied, running toward the panicking Noriala.
Wind iktas formed in Rihisna's left hand. He hurled the wind element toward the fire created by Noriala. The flames intensified and grew larger, striking the ant monster. A shrill scream echoed as the ant monster halted its movement.
"Quick, now's the chance! Come on this way!" Rihisna said, sprinting toward the end of the cave where two swords were embedded in the ground.
Without hesitation, Noriala followed closely behind.
Rihisna grasped one of the swords and tried to pull it out.
"Just as I thought it won't budge," Rihisna muttered with a sigh.
Noriala tried pulling the sword beside it, but she couldn't remove it either.
"Then what are we supposed to do now?!" Noriala asked anxiously as Rihisna pondered.
"We have to pull them out together, but…" Rihisna suggested.
"If that's the case, what are we waiting for?" Noriala replied in agreement.
"There's one more condition. Are you sure you want to do this?" Rihisna asked.
"What condition? Hurry up!" Noriala urged.
"Alright then, repeat after me."
Rihisna held the sword on the left, and Noriala held the one on the right.
"We accept what has been passed down by the previous generations, and as the new generation, we will protect it until the end of our lives," Rihisna and Noriala declared loudly as they pulled with all their might.
At that moment, both swords were successfully drawn from the ground.
Rihisna stared confidently at his weapon. His sword resembled a large dagger. The hilt was covered in dragon scale patterns. Along the blade were etched lines, with thick edges and a sharp tip. The hilt displayed shades of gray mixed with black.
Meanwhile, Noriala was stunned by what she saw. Her sword was long and slender, extending from the wielder's waist down to the feet. The hilt bore the image of a blooming rose, pale blue like ice, intertwined with creeping root patterns. The overall color was icy blue with hints of green at the hilt.
Suddenly, the raging flames were extinguished as the ant monster released a corrosive acidic slime, eroding the ground. The ant monster then rapidly charged toward them. Its left front leg lifted, signaling an opening strike aimed directly at Noriala.
"Noriala! Deflect it with your sword now!" Rihisna shouted.
Without hesitation, Noriala swung her sword with her right hand. Instantly, a sharp block of ice erupted in front of her, striking the ant monster's leg.
"What? Ice?" Noriala whispered.
"Just as I thought an iktas similar to the Empress. Quickly slow its movement. You know what to do!" Rihisna commanded as he rushed toward the ant monster.
"Alright! I'll handle it!" Noriala replied confidently.
"Hey you! Ugly monster come over here and play with me!" Noriala taunted, stepping back a few paces and assuming a firm battle stance with her sword.
She looked every bit like a skilled swordswoman, executing several forms that seemed ready to pierce her prey with precision.
"Alright… fuhhh…"
"I can definitely do this…"
"Mother passed this technique down to me now is the time to unleash it."
Noriala whispered to herself as she gathered all her strength and focused her sharp gaze on the ant monster, which was steadily approaching.
"Just a little closer… come on, monster."
"Ice thrust!"
Noriala shouted as she launched a flurry of attacks. Instantly, ice iktas manifested like a raging ice storm, freezing the ant monster in place.
"Beautiful! Now it's my turn!" Rihisna dashed toward the immobilized monster.
Suddenly, a spray of acid melted part of the ice around the monster's head, and the acid shot toward Rihisna.
"Rihisna! Watch out!" Noriala screamed.
"Tch! Wind Slash!" Rihisna swung his sword.
The acid split apart, clearing a path for Rihisna.
"Just as I thought! Wind iktas attacks can still be used, even if only a little. Alright now it's time to finish this!" Rihisna thought to himself with burning resolve.
In a flash, Rihisna leapt high into the air, revealing the ant monster's entire body. Gripping his sword with both hands, he plunged downward toward its head.
"Yaargh!" Rihisna's powerful shout echoed.
"Take this! Wind Vortex!"
A massive tornado formed from the tip of his blade, nearly as large as the ant monster itself. The creature screamed in agony as Rihisna descended with the raging winds.
Suddenly…
"If you encounter a rare monster, do not kill it, for it is an endangered species in this era."
Rihisna remembered Tok Gana's words.
He withdrew his final strike. The ant monster collapsed unconscious, and the tornado dissipated into nothingness.
"Phew… that was close," Rihisna said softly as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Wow… that was incredible!" Noriala said, frozen in awe.
"Hey! Noriala, are you alright?" Rihisna asked, waving his hand.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine!" Noriala replied, running toward Rihisna, who was standing atop the ant monster's head.
"Your attacks are pretty impressive," Rihisna said as he stepped down.
"You too, you're even more amazing," Noriala replied.
"You handled those attacks well, especially since you just obtained a new elemental iktas."
"Oh, that ice thrust earlier? I told you I learned it from my mother. Besides, this sword really suits the ice element."
"Right? Same goes for this other sword too."
"Whoa! Is it over already?" a sudden voice called out from behind the ant monster.