Forge and Steel

**CLANG**

**CRASH**

"Die, bastard!"

"Filthy rat from the dark faction, pay for your sins!"

"Damned adventurers, I have come to bring death to all of you!"

The sharp clashes of metal, the loud explosions, and the constant curses echoed across the battlefield.

The battlefield was filled with chaos and desperation. The darkness of the night was lit by flashes of magic and the gleam of weapons clashing. Each attack resonated in the air as the shadows of the combatants moved quickly through the ruins and narrow streets.

**CLANG**

"Hahaha, beautiful girl! Stop fighting, and I'll let you enjoy some abundant pleasure!"

"Die already, you disgusting bastard!"

The loud clash between a sword and a dagger lit up the dark alley, revealing two figures locked in an intense battle.

On one side, a man in black robes who showed his face, while his eyes, filled with lust, were fixed on a girl with blue hair who, in return, shot him a look of pure disgust.

The man smiled, enjoying every moment as his sword collided with Asfi's dagger, forcing her to retreat. With a perverse laugh, he took a step forward, pushing even harder with his attack.

"Do you really think you can beat me, girl? Just stop fighting, and if I enjoy myself enough, maybe I'll let you live." His voice was loaded with mockery and malice.

Asfi panted, her hands trembling slightly, but her gaze remained cold. Every move she made was countered with more strength by the man, who seemed to relish their struggle. The pressure mounted, and the blue-haired girl began to feel the weight of the battle.

**CLANG**

The man's sword found its mark, injuring Asfi in the side. A sharp pain ran through her body, but she didn't let the scream of agony escape her mouth.

"Heh, I love it! Keep trying to hold back your screams, it only gives me more pleasure." Licking his lips, the man blushed with pleasure at seeing Asfi's pained expression.

"Tsk, disgusting." Stepping back quickly, Asfi shuddered as she met the man's gaze. She pressed her wound, which seemed to be quite deep.

With a pale face, Asfi's expression faltered at the situation.

It had been a long time since the skirmish began. Following Finn's plan, the group had attacked with great force against the dark faction's members. Originally, everything was going well, and they were pushing the dark faction back.

With some luck, they would only have to wait a little longer, and soon the counterattack group would come to pulverize all the rats of the dark faction. However, to their surprise, three men from the dark faction suddenly appeared. The strength of these men surpassed the level the group was prepared for, and soon, when they charged, they began massacring their comrades.

In a somewhat desperate measure, Lidith and Asfi decided to neutralize the men to prevent further casualties. Lidith charged toward two of the men, and Asfi toward one of them.

These were the events that led to her current situation. Asfi had been facing this man for a long time, who surpassed her in level.

Based on the estimations she took after a long battle, the man's level must be 3, while she was a level 2 adventurer. If it weren't for her artifacts and top-tier equipment, she probably would have died by now.

Looking somewhere on the battlefield, Asfi frowned in worry. Honestly, she was now more concerned about the situation of her captain than her own. After all, Lidith was facing a much more complicated situation than she was.

**SLASH**

Soon, the man in front of her pulled Asfi from her thoughts by launching a quick and brutal attack. Asfi reacted instantly, blocking with her dagger, but the impact made her stumble. She could feel the pressure building with every second. She knew she couldn't hold out much longer, and her wound was beginning to hurt more intensely.

Touching her wound, aware of the situation, Asfi gritted her teeth and quickly made a decision. "This can't go on any longer. Neither I nor the captain can hold out much longer..."

With visible effort, Asfi clenched her teeth, trying to ignore the pain that was intensifying, and prepared for a move that might be her last resort.

"Heh, girl, I don't like that look. It's the look of someone who's decided to die," the man said with a malicious smile. But his eyes, though still filled with disdain, had a glimmer of caution.

Ignoring the man's words, Asfi reached inside her robe. Her fingers brushed the edge of the small red knife she had kept on her belt, an artifact she had saved for a moment like this. It wasn't a conventional weapon, but an artifact with unique properties that could give her the edge she desperately needed.

"Eh? Another one of your artifacts?" the man sneered, unable to hide a trace of surprise. "Tsk, girl, you don't understand, that won't work. Your little strength has no effect on me."

With contempt on his face, the man eyed Asfi's weapon carefully, still wary of the strange knife.

"You're finished."

The man had no time to process the sudden words. Before he could react, the knife in Asfi's hand glowed with a blinding light. The flash was so intense that it immediately blinded his eyes.

A moment of panic swept over the man as he realized he had been blinded, but there was no time for him to adjust. He immediately tried to crouch down and cover himself with his weapon, seeking protection while trying to recover his sight.

Unfortunately, his movements weren't enough to shield him from what was coming.

"Catch!" Asfi's cold words came just before the man could do anything else.

**BOOM**

The explosion reverberated through the air, and the man barely had time to glimpse the red knife, hurled like a flash, before it exploded with indescribable violence. The shockwave hit him with such force that it threw him backward, his body slamming to the ground brutally.

"Damned bitch!" A scream of rage tore through the air as the man, barely managing to stand, swung his sword with fury. Bleeding from several parts of his body and with severe burns, his condition was pitiful, but he still had enough strength to stay on his feet.

**SLASH**

Just before he could curse more, the sound of wind being cut by a blade reached his ears. The man reacted quickly, seeing Asfi's cold face cutting through the smoke, her dagger pointing with deadly precision.

Surprised, the man didn't hesitate for a second. He reached into his robe and quickly pulled out a small shield.

"Heh, little bitch, let's see if you can get through this Orichalcum shield with that tiny dagger." With a ferocious smile, the man raised the shield, confident in its durability, ready to face Asfi's attack.

But Asfi didn't change her expression at the man's taunts. With an impassive face, she pushed the dagger with more force.

**SLASH**

**CRASH**

The man's smile instantly vanished, and his face turned to pure terror when he saw the dagger pierce the Orichalcum shield with alarming ease. The blade continued its path, relentlessly approaching his head.

Before the man could comprehend what was happening, the dagger struck his forehead, penetrating his brain with a final, brutal sound. In an instant, the dagger ended his miserable life.

**PLOP**

With a dry sound, the man's body fell to the ground, leaving a trail of blood that gushed from his head, staining the earth around him.

"Hmph, your little shield couldn't save your pathetic life, against the weapon of the best blacksmith in Orario." With a cold snort, Asfi grabbed the hilt of the dagger and, firmly, pulled it from the man's head.

Looking at the blood staining her weapon with distaste, Asfi quickly wiped the dagger, using the man's tunic.

After storing the dagger, Asfi took a deep breath, briefly recovering from the hard fight.

After a short break, Asfi's expression grew grave again, and without hesitation, she rushed toward the direction of her captain.

...

"Tsk, that bitch was persistent, almost killed me several times."

In a dark alley, a man with a cold face touched his battered body, inspecting the wounds marking his torso. With every touch, his expression twisted with a mix of pain and irritation.

Around him, what had once been an alley showed the scars of an intense battle. Ash and dust floated in the air, while the remains of collapsed structures and shattered walls littered the ground.

"Heh, looks like you didn't survive the battle. Poor miserable one." The man spat on the ground while looking disdainfully at another man, dressed similarly, whose body lay lifeless among the rubble.

"Well, I don't blame you." He glanced away toward another point in the alley, his mocking tone becoming more bitter. "After all, that woman was one hell of a bitch."

His words were full of contempt, but his eyes, full of fear, fixed on the bloodied body of a blonde woman, told a different story.

"Urghh, damn woman!"

The man let out a grunt as he carefully touched the wound in his side. His face contorted in a mix of hatred and frustration. With staggering steps, he approached the lifeless body of the woman, looking down at her with contempt and hatred. He raised his leg and kicked her hard.

"Damned bitch," he muttered, his words dripping with venom. "If you wanted to die, do it alone. Why try to drag us down with you?"

The man clicked his teeth in hatred, remembering the scene that had almost cost him his life. In a desperate act, the woman had taken some strange explosives, lit them without hesitation, and blown herself up along with them.

Then the alley had been consumed by chaos: flames, debris flying in all directions, and a shockwave that had thrown him into a nearby wall. He barely had time to react, but his instincts and experience had kept him from dying along with her and her miserable companion.

CLANG

The metallic noise suddenly echoed, breaking the silence of the alley. The man, who was focused on his wound, quickly spun on his heels, his gaze alerted by the unexpected sound.

There, standing under the dim light of the moon, was a woman with blue hair and red glasses. Her face reflected pure horror as her eyes remained fixed on the lifeless body of the woman buried among the debris.

The dagger at her feet, which had fallen from her hands, was the source of the sound that had alerted him. She had probably dropped it without realizing, due to the sudden shock.

"Eh?" The man's voice echoed in the alley, his words filled with irritation. "Am I really surrounded by trash? Not even that idiot was able to finish off a brat like you."

However, the woman didn't respond to his words, her body trembling slightly as her gaze remained fixed on the body of the woman. Her expression was frozen, emotionless, but her eyes conveyed infinite pain and sadness.

The man took a step forward, his staggering figure barely overshadowed by his fierce gaze. "What's wrong? Did you freeze seeing your little friend dead?" He smiled crookedly, his hand gripping the hilt of his bloody sword tightly. "Don't worry, you'll join her soon."

Those words seemed to break the woman's state. Taking a deep breath, her eyes shining behind her red glasses, she slowly turned her gaze toward the man. Her eyes, once filled with horror, now only held a sinister coldness.

The cold gaze from the woman made the man pause slightly, somewhat surprised, as his senses screamed at him, warning him of the danger.

"You... will definitely die here." With a chilling voice, the blue-haired woman reached into her cloak and, with unsettling calmness, drew three knives that gleamed with a red glow.

Feeling his bad premonition growing stronger, the man considered running, quickly deciding that he would use all the strength he had left to escape.

However, his senses, once dulled, and his injured body didn't react in time to avoid the knives that had already been thrown at him.

*BOOOM*

...

Standing near the explosion, Asfi's expression remained indifferent as the debris flew and the fire raged around her. Her body stayed still, watching coldly as the faint figure of a man, accompanied by agonizing screams, vanished within the explosion.

It didn't take long before the effects of the explosion dissipated. Now, on the ground of the alley, in addition to the debris, lay the burned body of a man.

"Didn't die, huh?" Asfi murmured, her voice icy. "Looks like your cockroach vitality will be your curse from now on."

Approaching the burned body, which was still twitching slightly, Asfi soon discovered that he was still alive. With a cold tone, she drew a short sword from her side.

Slash

SPLASH

A muffled groan was heard, followed by the metallic sound of the sword embedding itself into the ground as one of the man's legs was impaled, resounding in the dark night.

"You'll wait here for now," Asfi said calmly, watching as the man writhed in pain. "I'll deal with you later."

Without another word, Asfi turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the wounded and agonizing man on the ground.

Walking with firm steps in a certain direction, gradually, Asfi's previously cold expression faded, giving way to one filled with weakness and sorrow.

PLOP

"Captain...!" Looking at her captain's body, the little strength left in Asfi seemed to drain away, and with a dry sound, she fell to her knees before her, letting out a choked scream.

Covered in wounds and burns, her captain's previous beauty was no longer visible. Now, only the lifeless body lay on the cold ground.

"Lidith...!" Again, Asfi cried out, this time with even more anguish, and unable to hold back any longer, tears began to fill her face.

"May the gods bless you, Asfi."

"My dear vice-captain."

"We won't lose to the trash of Orario, will we?!"

"You're so cruel, Asfi-chan!"

Her captain's last words echoed in her mind like hammers, breaking her already fragile spirit. With a loud sob, Asfi lunged at her captain's body and cried bitterly.

In the dark night of Orario, in a gloomy alley, the life of a great adventurer came to an end. Asfi's sad and painful scream seemed to infect the moon, which shone with a dull tone, as if sharing the pain of the loss.

...

Here are today's 3 chapters. Remember, the more power stones you leave, the more chapters I'll release daily.

Thank you for your support!

PS: Let's give a bit more development to my favorite girl, Asfi.