Mist moved too, clashing with the dark projectile as she dashed forward, sliding through the dense roots to evade the projectiles.

"Don't underestimate me," the man scoffed, another Rune bloomed. With a wave of his hands, a dark orb whistled through the void.

Amarok was all serious as he battled with the projectiles, rushing through the roots serving as a guard zone.

The orb arrived, and he frowned, striking with deadly precision. The orb was severed, but what happened next left him speechless. The orb grew and enveloped his body. In an instant, his surroundings all became dark.

"What are you doing?" Mist frowned as she dashed forward. At that time, the burly man drew another Rune. Desolate Web was activated once, and a clicking sound could be heard as a series of chains whistled on the ground, forming a dense net of chains covering the whole area. They had a dreadful aura and looked sinister.

Mist instinctively jumped upward, piercing her sword into the roots. She now looked at the figure with little fear. His rune magic was insane. The place was huge, but with a single rune, he took control of the entire area.

Neo stepped forward as he stared at the chains underneath him. He had a bad feeling. The figure waved his hands, and in a flash, one of Neo's bodies shifted, appearing before the figure. He waved his hands once more, and an avalanche of chains as sharp as blades hammered down.

Neo's sword shone as he clashed head-on. Radiant Rupture was showing its full might, but he was instantly overwhelmed, his body whipped into the void, violently crashing into the ground.

"Be fast," the burly figure added as he stared at Mist. His comrade didn't answer, closing his palm in a flash.

Amarok's face darkened as he saw razor-sharp pikes emerging from everywhere within the dark sphere.

The sword dance was pushed to its maximum, but it was useless. The pikes tore through his body. He gritted his teeth, blood littering the ground, but he didn't give up. The sparkles of his blades colliding with the spikes were the only thing left. He knew he wouldn't last for long but refused to give up. His mind was racing as his heart beat violently. The pain was slowly eating away his sanity, yet he stuck.

Mist was slightly trembling, but she tightened the grip on her sword. She pounced forward; her sword moved, the Ethereal World Rune burned majestically. The burly man stared, his hood hiding any trace of emotions. He activated his runes once more; the Desolate Web Rune burned with intensity. Mist's body was instantly shifted before the figure, and the chains started crashing with mighty power. The clicking sound was exploding. Under everyone's astonished gaze, Mist crushed into nothingness. The figure frowned, seeming to sense something. Immediately he stepped forward, a dark shadow sweeping his body to dodge. At the same time, a majestic figure descended, the Rune Ethereal World struck with furrow. The dark fog was split into two. The figure heading to the upper level of the root terrain frowned as he turned to his comrade. "How dare you interfere with my deed," he asked, his fingers cracking. "You should be more careful; we can't lose you, you know," the other responded nonchalantly.

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Mist was dumbfounded; she didn't expect him to avoid her strike so easily. The figure's aura bloomed as a rune was drawn. The sky trembled, and a dark, huge chain appeared above them. "Pendulum," he murmured; the rune burst with frightening power. The air cried, and the leaves whistled. A huge chain came crashing down, so fast that Mist had no time to react. Her body was sent biting the ground, and a shockwave swept through all the root terrain, causing the birds to fly away in fear. Mist's body trembled in fright as she saw the pendulum moving towards her with full force. Her mind was spinning, thinking of a solution.

"Help, Amarok! I will handle him," Neo suddenly cried out. He could literally feel Amarok was in mortal danger. The burly figure was baffled, as were the three enemies. "I'm curious about how you will do that," the leader asked in curiosity. For him, the show was becoming more and more interesting. He was very confident about his comrade's abilities.

The burly figure shot his gaze at Neo. He waved his rune; the huge pendulum chain cracked and dashed forward.

Neo inhaled, arching his body. With a deafening sound, his body vanished, avoiding the pendulum. The root plain trembled upon impact. Neo was fast, jumping up the roots to reach the burly figure.

He sliced forward, and the burly figure didn't retreat, showing his determination. Normally, a rune sorcerer would do everything to keep a rune warrior far away from him, but the figure seemed to disregard common convention.

Neo and the figure locked eyes as time seemed to stop. The pendulum was still fast charging behind him. Neo was determined; no trace of hesitation could be seen. Radiant Rupture bloomed, drawing two arcs, sealing the figure's escape route.

As he understood what Neo was trying, he laughed out loud, drew another rune, and a dark veil of chains formed a net before him. Neo's sword arrived, and a deafening sound was heard. Crack! Neo's body was smashed onto the root plain, blood splashing out.

The burly figure smiled in satisfaction. He stepped forward, but suddenly, his footsteps halted as he held his neck, blood oozing like a fountain.

Neo smiled despite his injury. "How?" The leader was baffled as his eyes turned sharp. That was not Radiant Rupture but something else. What could that be? Had he accidentally fallen on an expert? It was not uncommon to find very strong people roaming the world to find treasure and runes. Could he be one of them? If yes, who? Several questions flooded his mind; his curiosity peaked. "Who are you?" he asked with a calm smile. Things were getting more and more exciting.