The First Wave  

The peaceful serenity of the riverbank was shattered as a swarm of banshees descended upon the trio, their grotesque forms piercing through the ominous miasma that enshrouded the clearing. Lyra's eyes widened with a mix of both terror and determination, his druidic instincts telling him that this battle would be unlike any other. Achilles, ever the seasoned warrior, tightened his grip on his shield and sword, his gaze hardened as he prepared to face their spectral foes head-on.

Chaos erupted as the banshees unleashed their arsenal of trickery, the shrill cries vibrating through the very air. Lyra felt his concentration waver, the screams burrowing deep into his mind like venomous hooks. For a moment, fear threatened to consume him, but warrior instincts kicked in, his resolve pulling him back from the edge of despair.

"These aren't even Mourning Banshees. These are ordinary Wailing Banshees, but their collective screams are so potent they can still overwhelm the spirit. I let my guard down!" Lyra grumbled under his breath.

It was then that Achilles, noticing Lyra's momentary vulnerability, stepped towards him, his shield gleaming defiantly in the pale light. With a quick, calculated movement, he delivered a qi-infused pat on his back - a gesture of support, infused with the essence of his own strength. The surge of energy surged through Lyra's body, fortifying his spirit and granting him the resilience needed to press on.

"Thanks, I needed that."

Achilles grinned mischievously and gave him another pat, "Just make sure you don't hold us back." Achilles' odd sense of humour was always an oddity Lyra couldn't quite get his head around. Lyra shrugged and readied himself for the upcoming battle.

"I have to fortify my mind. Having multiple large-scale spells active has lowered my mind's ability to defend itself." Lyra thought to himself as he tried to strengthen his resolve.

Summoning his mana, Lyra closed his eyes, his voice resonating with ancient incantations as he began to chant a spell. The melody swirled around him, growing louder and more powerful with each passing moment. His hands began to glow with a pulsating energy, veins of green light snaking up his arms, while the banshees continued their relentless assault.

Amid Lyra's incantations, Achilles gripped his sword tightly, adrenaline coursing through his veins. With an unwavering resolve, he charged forward, his shield held high in a defensive position. As he closed the distance between himself and the banshees, he swung his sword with masterful precision, cleaving through the hordes with every stroke.

Achilles, fuelled by divine strength and guided by his warrior instincts, moved swiftly among the banshees, deflecting their attacks with his shield and striking them with his blade. His movements were unpredictable but had a certain logic to them that could not be understood by the untrained eye. His strikes seemed chaotic but each one felled a banshee without fail. Although he appeared to be a muscular brute, his understanding of space and spatial awareness, coupled with his kinetic vision and fast reaction speed, made him seem like a bolt of lightning flitting through a sea of clouds.

Lyra knew how skilled Achilles was, but he had never seen him fight with such deadly precision. He was able to continue chanting undisturbed because Achilles was able to deal with the banshees single-handedly. The battlefield pulsed with energy as Achilles dismantled his spectral adversaries while Lyra gathered mana during her chant. Banshees met their doom beneath the relentless assault of the Truth-imbued sword qi. Achilles laughed like a mad soul reaper, the aura of death around him intensifying with each kill.

The yin qi in the environment only made Achilles stronger while the death aura of the banshees was cleansed by Achilles' own aura. As a being produced by the blood of a yin-type Solitary Sword Sovereign, death Aura was the last thing Achilles feared.

The banshees screeched in agony, their ethereal forms dissipating under Achilles' relentless attacks. Yet, more of their vile brethren descended upon the clearing, drawn to the chaos like moths to a flame. Lyra's chant intensified in response, his voice piercing through the chaos like a lighthouse beacon in the storm. His spell began to take shape, tendrils of raw elemental magic intertwining with his words.

Achilles was unhappy with the slow pace of things and decided to take a different approach. "My instructions were clear. I need to make sure Lyra is undisturbed, let me buy him some time. I should clear out the riff raff once he has almost finished his chanting. If I clear them out too quickly, I will bring the other waves forward." He thought to himself as he eyed all the monsters around him.

After making his decision, he gathered a large amount of qi within his body and pushed his qi to the limit. There were hundreds of banshees, but they were all weak ones and they were all visible. This was completely different from the time when they would sneak up on everyone in the miasma. Now they were visible. To Achilles, that made a world of difference.

The current environment plus Lyra's buffs had more than tripled Achilles' strength. Achilles had never felt so strong before and could not help but want to unleash his power to test his abilities.

Suddenly, a massive gust of metal attribute sword qi imbued with Truth swept through the clearing, whipping at the banshees with an otherworldly force. The creatures groaned and bent under the surge, their bodies split into pieces as if they were vegetables on a cutting block. The banshees were caught in the epicentre of this raging blade-light tempest, their feeble attempts to resist proving futile against the might of Achilles' wrath.

And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the blade storm ceased, leaving behind a calm, eerily silent aftermath. Lyra's eyes slowly opened, his spell complete as the last remnants of the banshees were finished off. Achilles, breathing heavily, turned towards him with a weary yet triumphant smile. But the battle was far from over as Achilles had only granted them a brief respite.

Lyra had made a few observations about the banshees and made a mental note, "They are indeed coming in waves, and these were just there to test our strength. This is troublesome. The next wave will definitely be much more difficult to deal with. Thankfully I've just finished the chant for Mana Pool Connection. I just need a few more seconds to set it up."

Lyra was of course a determined cultivator and had a fierce look in his eyes as he prepared himself for the upcoming challenge, ready to face whatever was going to come his way.

Meanwhile, four women were watching from above him, trying to comprehend what they were witnessing.

The women, namely Giselle, Lisa, Alison, and Sophia, watched in awe as Achilles effortlessly defeated the banshees below. His technique was nothing short of breathtaking for those who admired the martial way. Achilles' ability to swiftly switch between defence with his shield and offence with his sword was impressive. He would attack with his shield, pushing the banshee back to create space, and then block using his sword and flank his enemy, delivering a swift counter with a True Strike.

Lisa, a specialist warrior mage who also practised the martial way, was taken seriously as she analysed Achilles' moves. She had a vast understanding of the martial path, having been raised in a clan of warriors. Even though she was a mage, her knowledge of the fighting styles was well respected by her peers.

Lisa commented, "That Achilles is not ordinary. His strikes were all extremely efficient. His spatial awareness and predictive abilities are top-notch. He doesn't just attack weak spots, but he also changes his own movements to force errors onto the enemy. He attacks with his shield and blocks with his swords. He uses his body as if it were a tool he has mastered, and he understands the environment as well as he understands his own body. Aside from True Strikes and Guardian's Call, he hasn't used any other high-level skills. He is the ideal all-rounder."

Giselle, on the other hand, was more focused on the bigger picture. She commented, "If that's true, then this Peerless has quite the subordinates. If that druid's chanting turns out to truly be Mana Pool Connection, then we have to completely re-evaluate this Peerless Dao Master and the forces behind him."

Alison, feeling threatened, suggested, "Should we interfere? If these guys are a threat, we should kill them now with the help of the banshees."

Sophia, who had a deep-seated hatred for men, was quick to agree, "Yeah, let's attack them while they are distracted. Lyra and Achilles are distracted while Solitary dares to meditate mid-battle. These men should be punished for their crimes." Her venomous stare was directed towards Will, whom she only knew as Solitary.