'She's an idiot, but that ability of hers—or perhaps her armor's?—would be a pain to deal with,' Gareth thought to himself. As much as he could gleam from the earlier encounter, the enemy was capable of absorbing energy. The Flame Bomb he had used earlier had been completely nullified by her.
This could mean that any art—Ki or aether-based attacks—would have a chance of being rendered useless. 'The only question would be whether this is limited to energy attacks or if it extends to physical attacks and if there is a limit to how much she can absorb,' Gareth pondered.
He knew he had to come up with a strategy that would exploit any weaknesses in the enemy's armor or abilities. Furthermore, there were two of them, while Gareth was alone. This group of ladies was able to defeat General Aiden, a lower-tier level 6 Aether user, with their combined strength and tactical prowess.
But that is assuming that both sides had the same level of combat skill and resources. Gareth was an upper-tier level 6 Aether user who was also a part of the infamous Tindalos unit. There was no way he would lose to a bunch of ladies who only won against a useless lower-tier level 6 former-waif who was thrown to who-knows-where.
Gareth had undergone rigorous training and had access to advanced weaponry and equipment, giving him a significant advantage in any battle. The Aether Wand in his possession was a Holy Fire Art-specialized version of the standard wand, modified for his unique abilities.
Additionally, his experience in numerous successful missions had honed his strategic thinking and adaptability, making him a formidable opponent even against multiple adversaries.
'Besides...' He cut his thoughts short as he watched the women prepare themselves for the next round. "Hmph. If you think an energy-absorbing armor will be enough to stop me, you're sorely mistaken," Gareth sneered, his confidence radiating from him.
With his Aether Wand at the ready, Gareth resumed the battle once more, unleashing a barrage of Fire Slugs towards Aidy and Harthela.
Both women prioritized evading Gareth's attacks, with Aidy utilizing her natural beastkin agility to swiftly dodge the Fire Slugs, while Harthela unequipped her Agide to better maneuver around the projectiles.
Gareth calmly observed their nimble movements, analyzing how they reacted to his attacks. He made mental notes of their patterns and adjusted his strategy accordingly.
'I'll be at a disadvantage in an open area,' Gareth thought to himself. Surveying the outdoor area of the upscale inn where they were battling, he recalled the map of the city and remembered a narrow alleyway nearby.
He quickly formulated a plan to lure Aidy and Harthela into the confined space, where their agility would be limited. Gareth decided to use his knowledge of the city's layout to his advantage.
Deliberately and strategically, Gareth fired his art to herd them towards the alleyway, carefully aiming to block off any potential escape routes. On top of that, he multi-casted and remotely casted arts, sending exploding trap arts in various directions to further restrict their movement options.
Explosions filled the courtyard as Aidy and Harthela constantly tried to dodge the traps and the Fire Slugs Gareth was unleashing.
The keen senses Aidy had acquired after becoming a beastkin allowed her to perceive the traps that their enemy was surreptitiously setting.
'Tsk. One on behind, left, and right.' Aidy thought to herself, quickly analyzing the situation. 'No traps ahead, but—incoming!' Aidy's eyes widened as she spotted a Fire Slug hurtling towards her from the front.
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With the sky the only open space left, Aidy made a split-second decision. She leaped high into the air, narrowly avoiding the Fire Slug's fiery blast.
But before she could even land on the ground, 'Fuck! At this distance!?' Aidy noticed too late an explosion trap art materializing right in her face mid-air.
There were only two choices left for Aidy: accept her fate and brace for impact, or use her meager amount of Aether for a forced evasion. In a split-second decision, Aidy tapped into her reserves of Aether and channeled it towards her limbs.
"Burst!" She shortened the incantation, her voice strained with urgency. Aidy's body erupted with a burst of fire as she propelled herself downward, narrowly avoiding the explosion trap. Like a cat, even though she was a dog beastkin, she landed gracefully on the ground, her eyes scanning the area for any other potential threats.
'That damn lazy face!' Aidy cursed under her breath, watching the smirk form on Gareth's face. Seeing red, she lunged forward, her gauntleted claws gleaming in the sunlight.
But Gareth wasn't about to let her advance so easily. He made a wall of explosive traps between them, causing Aidy to skid to a halt.
This served as a bucket of cold water for Aidy's fiery rage. She quickly assessed the situation, realizing that Gareth was one step ahead of her. Their enemy was intent on keeping them on the defensive, constantly adapting to their movements and preventing them from gaining any ground.
She can't even recklessly use her meager stock of Aether anymore, as Aidy was only Level 6 on Energy Manipulation. Using her Aether reserves too quickly would leave her vulnerable and defenseless.
Aidy knew that she needed to conserve her energy and carefully choose when to unleash her powers. Furthermore, between her and Harthela, only Aidy had the ability to manipulate Aether, so their offense relies heavily on Aidy's strategic use of her powers.
Without her, their chances of overpowering the enemy would be significantly diminished. Therefore, Aidy understood the importance of staying vigilant and not wasting any energy on unnecessary attacks.
On the other hand, Harthela had it easier with her Agide. She doesn't even have to lift a hand whenever an art is nearby; all she had to do was reequip the armor, which will absorb the aether powering the art, rendering it harmless.
However, she has no offensive capabilities, relying solely on her defensive abilities.
'Our only option is to wait for him to make a big move, then counterattack,' Aidy contemplated as she evaded another incoming art. 'But it seems we're running out of time. He already has lured us into this narrow alleyway.'
As her eyes surveyed the surroundings, she thought. 'It isn't just that our enemy could use this confined space to his advantage; I could also use these tight quarters to—'
Her thoughts were interrupted by a wave of Fire Slugs launched by Gareth. 'Not like he'll let us do that!'
***
As his attacks intensified, Gareth guided his Fire Slugs with precision, making it nearly impossible for Aidy to find an opening. And on the walls of the narrow alleyway, he also strategically placed exploding traps, ready to detonate at any moment.
'I'll just have to overwhelm them with Fire Slugs without using remote casting,' Gareth thought to himself. He knew that in such tight quarters, it wasn't just him who had the advantage.
That's why he riddled the walls with traps to further limit Aidy's movement and increase his own advantage. 'Seriously, that armored one sure is a pain.' Gareth pondered how to deal with the armored opponent, knowing that their energy absorption capabilities made them a formidable adversary.
'But that's why I lured them here.' Gareth smirked, confident in his plan.
'Now for an experiment.' Gareth thought to himself, a calculating smirk forming on his otherwise languid face. "Flame Bomb!" Gareth unleashed a powerful blast of fire towards Aidy, baiting Harthela to move to protect her.
The Blessed Art zeroed in on Aidy, who was caught off guard by the sudden attack. But like earlier, Harthela got in the way, her armor diverting the art's path toward her, intent on sucking the energy from it.
However. 'Heh. Checkmate!' The second lieutenant smirked, knowing that his plan had worked. With a flick of his wrist, Gareth surreptitiously and remotely cast a Holy Fire Art similar in appearance to his Flame Bomb diagonally behind Harthela, with a hidden gimmick inside to test whether Harthela's armor could absorb physical attack as well.
"Holy Fire Arts, Flame Barrel!" Gareth chanted, altering the art's form into a cylinder of swirling flames. "Fire!" The hidden gimmick inside the art—an earthen projectile—was then shot, propelled by the force of the flames.
The projectile flew towards Harthela, aiming to break through her armor and strike her directly. As it neared its target, Gareth's eyes closely followed its trajectory. He was determined not to miss any detail, as he knew success depended on how much information he could unearth about Harthela's defensive capabilities.
But as the projectile and Art closed in on Harthela from both sides, "Shield Arts, Parry," Gareth heard Harthela's voice. She reequiped her Agide, turning her back to the incoming art and facing the direction of the projectile.
Harthela held the off-hand shield with her left and raised it to absorb the Holy Fire Art coming from behind. While with the shield on her right hand, she positioned it perfectly to let the projectile slide along its surface and deflect the projectile off to the side.
Gareth's eyes widened in surprise as he witnessed Harthela's expert maneuver. He realized that her defensive skills were far more advanced than he had anticipated, making his task of defeating them even more challenging.