Eryndor circled Ava, his sword held low, ready to strike or defend at a moment's notice. Not only that, he also maintained the gap between them. His caution marked that his opponent was really strong.
"Where did Miss Saria found her helper. He looks strong," he thought.
Ava calmly observed his movement, her axe cloaked in black smoke that twisted and writhed like living shadows. She exuded immense aura that felt suffocating, a warning to anyone daring enough to get close.
Eryndor feinted left, testing her reaction. Ava responded with a swift downward swing, her axe cutting through the air and slamming into the ground. Dust and shards of rock exploded upward as Eryndor sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow. Her strength was undeniable, each strike heavy enough to crush bone and rend steel.
"That was dangerous, but I won't lose if we are competing with raw power!" Eryndor exclaimed.
He parried her strikes while his eyes scanned for patterns in her movements. Ava’s attacks were relentless, her axe sweeping in wide arcs meant to overpower him. But there—a fraction of a second between swings—an opening.
Eryndor lunged forward, his blade slicing through the edge of her black armor. The shallow wound earned a hiss of pain from Ava, but she didn’t falter. “As expected,” she muttered. “I can't keep this up without using my abilities.”
The black smoke surrounding her axe dissipated, revealing a gleaming golden weapon beneath. The air seemed to thrum as her aura rippled.
[Riftbreaker Acceleration].
She activated her ability, her body blurring with a sudden burst of speed. Before Eryndor could react, she was upon him.
[Storm's Wrath].
A whirlwind coiled around her axe as she swung it forward. The force of her next strike sent him sliding back, his boots skidding against the cracked earth.
Eryndor clenched his jaw and activated his ability. His [Corlust Eyes] flared to life, faint lines of light tracing Ava’s movements before they happened. With this level of perception, he began to anticipate her attacks, his sword intercepting her strikes.
Eryndor’s sword flicked forward, aiming for the gap beneath her arm, but Ava reacted instantly. With a burst of speed, she leaped back, her feet barely touching the ground as she avoided the strike by a hair's breadth.
He slashed at her flank, then aimed high, trying to force her into a mistake. But Ava reacted accordingly, her axe knocking his strikes aside.
She stepped forward, her axe spinning with a rush of wind, the whirlwind growing stronger as she swung it downward. Eryndor barely managed to step back in time, the gust slashing at his face. He retaliated with a swift cut to her side, but she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding his strike.
Their weapons collided again. This time, Eryndor’s sword slid off her axe, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground, cracks splintering beneath their feet. The sheer force of their blows left deep gouges in the earth, shaking the very air around them.
Ava jumped back, her axe glowing brighter as mana surged into it. “[Heaven's Gale]!” she shouted, swinging her weapon down with all her might. A massive wave of golden energy erupted from the axe, carving a destructive path toward Eryndor.
Eryndor raised his sword, channeling his own mana into it. “[Azure Requiem]!” he called out, releasing a brilliant surge of blue energy to counter her attack.
The two forces collided in a deafening explosion, the impact sending debris flying in every direction. The ground beneath them trembled as the energy dissipated, leaving a smoldering crater between the two fighters.
When the dust settled, both stood facing each other, battered but unyielding. Their weapons remained at the ready, their eyes locked in mutual respect.
---
Bolts of energy rained down from the magic circle above Saria. Yet, Arayn remained unfazed, his crimson eyes locked on her with indifference. With a flick of his hand, [Cursed Fangs] materialized around him, intercepting her projectiles mid-air.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Saria’s brows knitted in frustration as she summoned another wave of magic. "How is he still keeping up?" She gritted her teeth. By her calculations, her intelligence stat far exceeded his. There was no way he should have been able to summon so many fangs so effortlessly.
Arayn’s lips curled into a faint smirk, as if he could hear her thoughts. There was one reason for his advantage. The truth was simple. He had selected thr mana reduction option that allowed him to summon fangs at a fraction of the cost.
Another volley of magic surged toward him, but Arayn moved like a shadow, activating [Demonic Step]. His figure blurred, vanishing and reappearing in fluid motions as he closed the gap between them. He weaved through her attacks with inhuman reflexes, each projectile missing him by mere inches, leaving streaks of light in their wake.
Saria’s composure cracked. “You killed him!” she screamed. "My brother is dead because of you!”
Arayn’s expression turned colder. “Your brother? That irrelevant worm? He died because he was weak, unworthy of anything else.”
Saria’s magic flared wildly as her rage boiled over. Tears welled in her eyes, but her anger drowned them out. Her desperation fueled her.
Arayn, now mere steps away, prepared to strike, but a sudden burst of light enveloped Saria. Her figure blurred, transforming into a comet of radiant energy. With an ear-shattering roar, she surged forward, aiming directly at him with incredible speed and force.
Arayn’s eyes narrowed, and he twisted his body just in time to evade the attack. The comet shot past him, slamming into the ground. The impact shattered the earth, sending debris flying and leaving a massive crater behind him. Dust and smoke billowed into the air, but Arayn remained on his feet.
The light around Saria faded, revealing her determined expression as she regained her composure. She raised her arms, and a massive magic circle appeared above her. Arayn’s eyes narrowed as another torrent of magic projectiles erupted from the circle.
Arayn activated [Demonic Step], his form flickering as he dodged the onslaught. Each step narrowly evaded the blasts that scorched the air around him. Despite his precision, the sheer number of attacks left him on the defensive, forcing him to circle around her.
Saria’s laughter echoed above the chaos. “What’s the matter, Arayn? Why don’t you use your trump card? [Dark Pact], wasn’t it? Oh, yes. I have researched it yesterday!” Her laughter grew louder, mocking. “Oh, wait. I almost forgot—it costs life force, doesn’t it? That's why you are using it sparingly just like an arrogant prick you are.”
Her taunts came with a price. Her focus wavered, and her projectiles lost their deadly precision. She didn’t notice Arayn closing the distance between them, his movements eerily silent. His hand flicked, and a single, tiny fang appeared—no larger than a human tooth. But its speed was unmatched, slicing through the air in an instant.
Before Saria could react, the fang struck her, piercing through her robe and sinking into her side. She gasped, her knees buckling as blood seeped through her clothes. Clutching her wound, she dropped to the ground, her expression a mix of pain and disbelief.
Arayn stepped forward, his hand raised for the finishing strike. But before he could land the blow, Saria’s body glowed with the same radiant energy as before. Her form blurred once again, transforming into a blazing comet.
The comet shot past Arayn, its heat scorching the air as it sped toward the Duskwatch town. The ground trembled as fiery explosions erupted in its wake, the impact sending shockwaves out of the walls.
Arayn’s form blurred as he chased after the blazing comet. As he moved, his mind raced with suspicion. The shockwaves from the explosions were far too powerful for someone as injured as Saria, and he knew her comet technique had never produced such destructive force before. Something wasn’t adding up.
His suspicions deepened when he spotted the town gates ahead. Saria must have planned something here, he thought, his eyes narrowing. She was leading him into a trap—he was certain of it. With a burst of speed, he passed through the gates, arriving just in time to find her standing at the outskirts of the town, near a big mansion.
Saria leaned heavily against the cracked walls of the structure, blood dripping from her wound and staining the ground beneath her. She panted, but her eyes burned with defiance. Arayn moved in to corner her, his hand extended to deliver the final blow.
"You’ve fallen right into my trap!" she screamed, her voice hoarse but triumphant. Blood spattered from her lips as she raised a trembling hand. Suddenly , a massive magic circle erupted beneath her. Before Arayn could react, she vanished.
Arayn’s gaze scanned the circle, his expression darkening as he realized the complexity of her spellwork. "Expansion, summoning, and teleportation," he muttered, recognizing the interwoven layers of the magic. The circle pulsated with an immense amount of mana, far more than Saria could have conjured in a moment. She must have prepared this beforehand, long before their deathmatch began.
His instincts screamed at him to escape, but the circle suddenly surged outward, expanding rapidly. Before he could retreat, it enveloped him, locking him inside its boundaries. The air grew heavy, oppressive, as dark shapes began to emerge from the glowing sigils.
Five demonic beasts materialized, their forms grotesque and radiating malice. The first resembled a towering chimera, its three heads—a lion, a serpent, and a raven—snarling and snapping in unison. The second was a spined wyvern, its leathery wings spreading wide as acidic saliva dripped from its fanged maw. The third beast was a lumbering giant covered in molten rock, each step causing the ground to sizzle and crack. The fourth was a lithe shadow panther, its body flickering between solid and incorporeal, its glowing eyes fixed on Arayn. The fifth and final creature was the most unsettling—a skeletal titan adorned with jagged obsidian armor, its hollow sockets burning with crimson flames.
Arayn's eyes darted between the beasts as he clenched his weapon. "So, that’s the purpose of the summoning," he said to himself, his tone cold and analytical. "It’s a one-time invocation, designed to eliminate anyone trapped inside the circle."
This wasn’t just a trap—it was a killing ground. Saria had pulled him into something far more troublesome than he had anticipated. Furthermore, she pulled the townsfolk into this as well.