'Master Immortal Adamant ordered us to return to our home Settlement. Has something happened back at Great River Bank Settlement?'
'If that is the case, then Dawn's situation should have lightened...'
'Why has Lord Immortal Blade's Second Heir shown up here?'
'Could he be related to that hideous beast?'
Edifice covered a great distance in a few moments.
She decided to immerse herself in the world and send her senses forward.
...
"Tch!"
Clad in white robes, the arrogant man grits his teeth, leaping back and narrowly dodging a devastating sweep.
Dawn's Iron Lotus was held tightly in her hand, swung horizontally and cut the air.
Crimson ran down her pale face, a striking yet sickly contrast to her fair skin.
A terrible wound scarred her left brow down to her left collarbone, a clean line drawn by a skilled hand and pen.
This hand belonged to none other than the arrogant man in white, and his 'pen' was his rusted sword, the Weathered Blade.
Dawn only had one eye, her left eye cut and flooded with blood.
Yet, that did nothing to hinder her aggression.
'Even after my Weathered Blade has made direct contact with her skin, scraping inside her flesh and bone, its Dao Art still hasn't had any effect!'
Looking over Dawn's body, her golden armour had already lost all of its lustre and was dyed a terrible reddish-brown.
Although her Iron Lotus had remained as pristine as ever, its blade shining white hot.
'Her Qi must be affined to a fire-related trait, so it can't be what's preventing my Weathered Blades' Dao Art...'
'Could it be her assimilated Dao Art? It must be, I can vaguely sense a few Dao Art Mediums on her body, but they can't be powerful enough to completely withstand a Mystical Blade's Dao Art.'
"The fact that someone like you is still standing infuriates me. Just what pit did you crawl out from?"
He sneered, parrying Dawn's stab and slamming his open palm down.
Dawn's feet sank into the uplifted soil, but she still stood strong under the pressure.
Gritting his teeth, a heavy pressure began to build in his Weathered Blade.
'Again!?'
Dawn also retaliated with a fierce aura.
Her Qi surged, and the pressure pushing her down had eased, allowing Dawn to lift herself out of the ground and leap away.
Her lone golden eye seemed to shine and fluctuate with brightness.
Dao Art -- Hallowed Shine!
An intense flame surged within her eye and burst forth, swelling to engulf her entire body.
It burned away her rusted armour and even her Dao Art mediums.
In the next moment, it condensed, fitting around Dawn's body like fierce armour.
Grasping her Iron Lotus tightly, Dawn raised it in a defensive stance.
"You dare to receive my attack!?"
Baffled, the arrogant man sneered as he felt a poke to his pride.
Dawn only replied by tightening her brow, her gaze defiant and firm.
'How amusing, how daring. How arrogant!'
"So be it! Receive this with open arms!"
Saying so, his Weathered Blade shone with lethal light.
A drop of sweat beaded on Dawn's brow, but she remained patient and still.
Heavy. Sharp. Terrifying.
Those were all the thoughts on her mind.
Her face twitched with the pain in her left eye, while the other remained tenacious.
The rusted blade remained high, pointing towards Night's sky with unmatched ferocity.
Yet...
It never fell.
A subtle twitch exposed the arrogant man's unease.
Sighing, he lowered the blade.
"Seems like our battle will be interrupted."
"...?"
The arrogant man turned to the side.
Dawn was confused until she split a portion of her focus to immerse herself in the world.
Far off into the distance, she could sense a woman's figure quickly approaching.
'Edifice?'
'If she is returning, then she must have dealt with that hideous beast.'
'Is she using Immersion? She should be able to see this man...!'
The arrogant man turned his back on Dawn.
"Do you really intend to run away, coward?!"
Pointing her Iron Lotus at the arrogant man, Dawn intervenes with his supposed retreat.
With a scowl, he swatted away the Iron Lotus with his Weather Blade.
"Don't get full of yourself. I have orders to leave, not at all because of you and that woman."
"As a matter of fact, she won't be around for much longer. I suggest you enjoy your time with your 'friend' while you still can."
"Goodbye... pray that we never meet again."
Fluttering, as if a violent wind kicked up, the man's white robes danced chaotically.
Pushing off the ground, the arrogant man retreated with quick speed.
'What a terrible threat.'
Dawn mocked as she watched him practically fly away.
Turning to Edifice's direction, Dawn could not rid the worry in her mind.
In a few breaths' time, Edifice finally reached the uplifted battlefield, torn apart by Dawn and that arrogant man.
"Friend Dawn!"
Crossing the remaining bit of distance between them, Edifice landed right in front of Dawn.
"I'm glad to see you well, Edifice."
"..."
Edifice did not reply.
Despite her calm appearance, Dawn's face was scarred and bleeding heavily.
The light in Dawn's right eye dimmed as the translucent, fiery veil around her dispersed.
"Dawn... Your eye."
"Pay it no mind... now, how is the situation back at the marked inheritance location?"
"..."
Edifice's expression fell solemn as she gritted her teeth.
"There is no time to explain, you must return with us, Dawn. Selene is waiting in the cave... You will see the rest for yourself..."
"...?"
Dawn watched as Edifice turned around and decided not to pry anymore.
'So not everything went well, huh...'
'Did that arrogant man's word mean something? Are they related to Edifice's situation...?'
'I must ask her if she knows him, they seem to be related.'
'And if they are... then Selene would be implicated, too.'
Without another word spoken between the two of them, Dawn and Edifice leave this uplifted terrain and head towards the marked location.
...
'It seems that she managed to defeat the Insatiable Vessel...'
'I never expected her to get so close when searching for that inheritance, especially during these sudden tides of beasts and Spirits.'
Sensing through Immersion, the arrogant figure eavesdropped on Dawn and Edifice's conversation.
'Dawn, huh... That was your name?'
'...'
'I'll keep that name in mind. What an abhorrent -- but peculiar -- individual.
...