Forge and Steel

The crimson edge of a sword left a luminous trail as it approached with deadly speed towards its target.

**CLANG**

Tsubaki, aware of the possible danger of the weapon, instinctively turned her body to the side and raised her katana to intercept the attack.

The clash of the blades resonated in the air, a shower of sparks briefly illuminating their tense faces. Valletta smiled, a wild gleam in her eyes, as their forces collided in the exchange. The impact pushed Tsubaki back, forcing her to take a couple of steps back, her boots scraping against the floor.

"Hehe, a friendly tip, blacksmith: don't let the weapon touch you, or you're dead," Valletta said with a beaming smile, swinging her sword in a lethal arc, this time aiming for Tsubaki's flank.

**CLANG**

Exhausted, Tsubaki couldn't move her katana in time; however, with a quick movement, she raised her arm, covered by her sturdy armor, to block the strike. The impact rang out with a metallic crash, and the vibration ran through her body like an electric shock, causing her to squint her eyes from the pain.

The crimson blade slid off the armor, leaving a burning trail that vanished into the air. Despite having stopped the strike, Tsubaki felt the weight of Valletta's power and gritted her teeth as she took another step back.

"Hehehe, come on, come on! Show me more of that pain-filled expression!" Valletta shouted with an excited tone. Her face flushed, and her grin, almost manic, grew even wider as she advanced with slow but threatening steps.

Tsubaki took a deep breath, struggling to control her body, which was beginning to give in to fatigue. She gripped her katana tightly and fixed her gaze on Valletta, refusing to show weakness.

The constant battles had brought her closer to her limit. Her legs trembled slightly, and her breathing grew heavier with every exchange.

"Tsk, Pyrion's words are pretty spot on... it's a headache fighting a crazy one," she muttered to herself, filled with irritation.

Tsubaki kept retreating under Valletta's relentless assault. As the continuous blows kept numbing her arms, Tsubaki realized she had to find a way to break the encirclement, or she might not survive until Finn arrived.

Breathing deeply, she pushed aside the anger she had felt towards Valletta. It wasn't that she had forgotten the woman's great offense, but she knew she had to keep a cool head now. Otherwise, she would die here.

The image of Pyrion, arms crossed, looking at her seriously, flashed briefly through her mind, reminding her of the advice he always gave her whenever she descended into the dungeon: *"Remember, Tsubaki, keeping a calm mind will always be crucial in battle. Never let anger blind you, or you'll face the consequences."*

Tsubaki adjusted her breathing and began analyzing the situation. Valletta, while clearly powerful, showed patterns in her attacks. Each strike was fierce, but also predictable in her intent to overwhelm her quickly.

Tsubaki tightened her grip on her katana and took a lateral step, deflecting one of the attacks toward the ground. The crimson sword left a burning streak on the dungeon tiles as Valletta let out an uncontrollable laugh.

"What's wrong, blacksmith? Already giving up?" Valletta taunted, her grin so wide it seemed to border on madness.

Tsubaki ignored her, focusing her attention on the small gaps between the blows. A chance... I just need one. A single precise strike, to give me enough time to break free from the encirclement.

**SLASH**

Tsubaki's thoughts were interrupted when a sharp whistle cut through the air. She barely had time to turn before one of the spirit soldiers, who had been watching closely until now, decided to take action. Its sword, shining and ethereal, aimed toward her with deadly precision.

Tsubaki instinctively raised her katana to deflect the strike, but the impact forced her to retreat several more steps, pushing her even further onto the defensive.

"Ugh!" she clicked her tongue, her eyes scanning the surroundings rapidly. Now, not only did she have Valletta in front of her, but the spirit soldiers were closing in, their movements synchronized, as if waiting for the perfect moment to trap her.

"You pieces of trash!" Valletta shouted with morbid excitement, raising her crimson sword. "Attack with everything! Forget defense!"

As if they had received direct orders, the spirit soldiers immediately switched tactics. Their movements grew more aggressive, abandoning all defensive measures. They attacked wildly, charging at Tsubaki without fear for their lives.

Tsubaki barely had time to react to the first blow, deflecting the sword of one of the soldiers with a swift movement of her katana. However, the second attack came from the other side, forcing her to turn sharply to block with the edge of her blade.

The clash resounded with a metallic explosion, and Tsubaki gritted her teeth as the force of the impact traveled through her body.

**SLASH**

**CLANG**

The swift cut of Valletta's crimson sword, executed with lethal speed, again gave Tsubaki no time to fully react. Forced to use her armor to block, she moved her left arm quickly to intercept the strike.

The sound of metal against metal echoed in the air, but the powerful blow was unstoppable. The impact exploded against her arm, sending a sharp pain racing through it that made her cry out in agony.

"Argh!" she exhaled forcefully, her face contorting in pain as she felt her left arm give way under the strike.

Tsubaki, her gaze fixed on the ground, quickly realized the gravity of the situation. Her left arm was broken, the joint battered, and the force of the blow had made it impossible to move without sharp pain. The impact had been so severe that, despite the armor blocking most of it, the vibration still shattered her arm.

Despite the injury, Tsubaki gritted her teeth and struggled to remain standing, breathing heavily as she tried to control the pain.

*CLANG*

The brief relief she had found in her breathing was short-lived, as moments later, the relentless spirit soldiers began their assault again. Tsubaki had to spin quickly, using the edge of her katana to block one of the strikes, while her right arm began to tremble from the strain.

Fatigue weighed on her more with each passing moment, and the broken arm only added another layer of difficulty. However, the need to survive drove Tsubaki to keep going.

The battle raged on without pause, and Tsubaki continued using all her strength to block the constant and frenzied attacks from the spirit soldiers. Not only that, but she had to be alert to the venomous strikes from Barca, who seized every opportunity to try and injure her. Each time she moved, the sharp pain in her broken arm shot through her, but the adrenaline kept her on her feet.

As time passed, and her condition grew more precarious, Tsubaki began to notice something strange.

"Where is she?"

The thought crossed her mind suddenly. Valletta, the cause of all this, had disappeared from her sight amidst the chaos. Although her soldiers kept pressing, Tsubaki couldn't help but feel a growing unease from not knowing where the woman was.

Unable to divert her attention to search for the woman's location, Tsubaki instead focused all her senses on high alert, waiting for any attack from the woman, the person who represented the greatest threat to her.

**CANG**

The powerful cut from one of the spirit soldiers snapped Tsubaki back into the fight. Frowning, though she felt uncomfortable ignoring Valletta, for now, she could only grit her teeth and continue her battle with the spirit soldiers.

Maybe if she focused entirely and finished them off quickly, she might have the chance to escape, taking advantage of Valletta's apparent carelessness.

Making a risky decision that could cost her dearly, Tsubaki tightened her grip on her katana and, with brutal force, launched herself back into the fight.

After several exchanges with the spirit soldiers, Tsubaki finally regained her control, despite Valletta's constant pressure. She knew she had to finish them off quickly now.

At the right moment, she saw an opening in one of the spirit soldiers, a brief opportunity, almost imperceptible. Without hesitation, she launched a lethal strike, her katana slicing through the air with speed and precision.

But, to her surprise, the soldier didn't dodge the thrust. Instead of stepping aside, the soldier moved forward, taking the full brunt of the strike and, with surprising strength, trapped her in a deadly embrace.

"What...?"

The soldier trapped her, its frantic yet controlled movements preventing her from escaping. In the midst of her confusion, Tsubaki felt a strange pressure in the air, and a bad premonition gripped her heart.

From the shadows, with a sadistic grin on her face, Valletta took advantage of the moment. With deadly speed, she raised her crimson sword. In one fluid and brutal movement, she launched a slash toward Tsubaki, aiming directly for her lower back.

"NO!"

The pain ripped through her body with unbearable speed. Tsubaki felt the blade of the sword pierce her flesh, and in an instant, the sensation of a burning hole spread across her torso. The sword tore through her lower back with tremendous force, and Tsubaki saw the blade emerge from her abdomen.

The pain was overwhelming, and a wave of despair swept over her as Valletta's strength drove the sword even deeper, piercing with precision. Her body began to collapse under the unbearable pain.

"Bitch!"

Clenching her teeth, a mouthful of blood escaped Tsubaki's lips as she turned her head with difficulty, locking eyes with Valletta with a gaze full of fury. The wound, bleeding profusely, made her vision start to darken, and an intense feeling of weakness overtook her body.

"HAHAHA, How does it feel, Tsubaki? Do you feel cold? Is your vision blurring? HAHA! Welcome to the most beautiful feeling there is... FEEL DEATH, TSUBAKI!"

Valletta's words echoed in her ears, each one like a deeper stab. The pain was unbearable, her body trembling from blood loss and the pressure of the metal.

Feeling her life force slip away, and sensing death so close, a powerful fire awakened within her.

A strong desire to survive.

Tsubaki felt her heart beat harder, as if it were struggling to regain control. Despite the darkness beginning to cloud her vision, her eyes burned with fierce determination.

In one last effort, Tsubaki gathered all her strength, ignoring the sharp pain coursing through her body. Her katana, still in her hands, glowed with a deadly light. Using the last of her energy, Tsubaki erupted with all her power.

SLASH

SPLASH

Desperation and her unyielding will to survive squeezed every last drop of strength left in her. With a fierce and determined movement, Tsubaki swung her sword, which was still embedded in the spiritual soldier.

With a powerful cut, the sword sliced through everything in its path, splitting the spiritual soldier in two.

The spiritual soldier, instantly killed, stopped applying pressure on her, allowing her to break free from Valletta's sword. With a strong push, Tsubaki managed to pull the sword from her body, collapsing to the ground immediately.

COUGH

Falling to the ground, drained of strength, Tsubaki coughed up a mouthful of thick blood, feeling her vision blur again from the blood loss. She gritted her teeth, gathering her strength to try to rise.

However, even as she tried to summon all her power, her body did not respond. Lying on the ground, she felt her consciousness fade with each passing second.

"Am I going to die...?"

The thought crossed her mind, causing her eyes to fill with despair. She still had so much to do, so many goals to fulfill, she still wanted to spend time with her family...

"Hehehe, looks like your fire is burning out. What a pity, blacksmith..." With a sadistic grin, Valletta blushed deeply as she saw Tsubaki's pitiful condition. Approaching her, she crouched down, staring at her intently.

"Any last words?" Leaning her face close to the dying Tsubaki, Valletta asked in a cheerful tone.

Throwing a weak glance at Valletta, Tsubaki didn't respond, her eyes still burning with defiance, her body still trembling, showing the strength that the blacksmith still tried to exert.

"Looks like not..." Widening her smile, Valletta didn't say anything else. She took the small dagger that Barca had thrown earlier and, smiling more broadly, brought it closer to Tsubaki's neck.

However, soon Valletta's movements froze as she felt a strong sense of danger. Without a second thought, she pushed with her legs, escaping from the spot where she had been.

SLASH

CRACK

The sound of impact echoed in the air as a spear pierced the space where Valletta had been just a second before, embedding itself deeply in the ground. The precision of the strike was so exact that the earth around the impact cracked, showing the brutal force behind the projectile.

Valletta, eyes wide from the sudden danger, quickly rose, looking around to find the source of the attack. The dagger she had been about to thrust into Tsubaki's neck fell to the ground, forgotten for the moment.

Tsubaki's eyes, which had once lost all hope, now shone with intensity as she saw the spear near her, feeling hope surge within her. Her will flared with strength, making her do everything she could to stay alive.

Valletta didn't take long to find her attackers, turning her gaze to the top of a nearby building. Valletta's expression quickly darkened as she recognized them. There, a short blond-haired young man and a tall, blonde elf stared down at her with sharp expressions.

"This is really bad..."