"Hmph," huffed the small girl, "Who do they think they are?"

And that was that.

Bandits.

Fio had zero tolerance for people like this. It was one thing finding yourself struggling in life and believing you had to take drastic measures. It was another thing entirely to band together for the express purpose of preying upon others.

The purple-haired girl brushed her hair back as she strode up the wall, then adjusted her hat. Her sword gleamed in the morning sunlight.

Indeed, the bandit forces seemed remarkably organized for their nature as a rabble of predators, but that was hardly a problem. They were still clad largely in leather armor, still wielding whatever scavenged weapons the had likely stolen from others who they had slaughtered in their pursuit of wealth. The Sword Witch had zero doubt in her own abilities.

All she needed was a clear line of sight.

Finding a suitable spot on the city wall, the child-like girl raised her catalyst, pointing the blade's tip towards the raiders. As she did, the familiar, electric feeling of magical energy coursing through her body began to run its way down through her arm.

The edge of the sword began to glow faintly.

"Sura," she began, eyes narrowed, "Ghost Blades."

The glow on the edge of the sword grew brighter.

"Prepare to cut down my enemies. Manifest five phantom swords in arc formation."

As Fio spoke her command, there was a thrumming sound from above her. Blue circles of light flashed in the air, spiraling constructs of interlaced symbols and geometric patterns from which the shape of a blade emerged. They were themselves similar in nature to the circles they had emerged from, seemingly composed of interwoven light. And yet, the edge they possessed seemed no less keen then their steel counterparts.

"Each one of them must be destroyed. Repeat this process once."

The thrumming grew louder, as another arc of five phantom swords manifest above the first, spaced more widely then the originals.

"Twice."

And again.

"Three times."

Fifteen phantom swords, in increasingly wide arcs, spun gently over Fio's head. The edge of her own, far more solid sword gleamed brilliantly with blue light.

It was time to teach this bandits a lesson.

"Strike them down. Release!"

There was a sound something like the crack of a whip, as each circle tightened for a moment before abruptly expanding until they vanished with a flash of light. Immediately, every single phantom blade manifested was released, slicing through the air as a blur of blue light and hurtling towards the attackers!

[@Rune_Alchemist]