With nowhere to run but up. I use two massive air-steps full of wind magic to boost myself upward, nearing the upper limits of the mana-shielded dome.

The orbs follow, but I swing my flaming crimson aura-covered sword downward as there is nowhere left to run. If I can't block this long-range attack, I might as well just forfeit now... That would be the easy way out.

If I fall below 10% health, I'll be instantly transported outside the ring and lose the match. If I allow that to happen, I won't be able to learn the secrets of this stronger version of the Lich King's soul energy.

It may be the one and only chance I get... So I have to continue.

As I swing my sword down, the two orange orbs continue to rise up at a faster and faster speed.

I can see the black-robed wraith far below me with its skeletal arms lifted in the air, somehow manipulating this energy.

Once the energies collide, a sizzling sound vibrates through the entire arena.

I put my feet backward to hit the mana-shielded wall, and an extra additional force pushes me forward to face the incoming attack.

The glowing edge of my blade sinks deep into the orbs, and the energy around them starts to bubble like a hot knife dropped into a tub of butter.

The deeper it sinks in, the more they bubble, and the closer my body gets to the approaching orbs, the more the energy is dispersed.

By the time my blade slices all the way through, both balls of energy explode into plasma that continues its upward momentum to splash against the top of the arena dome. I feel an outer layer of my red hydra's buff tear away from my sword, and every point that made contact with the orbs. But in the same instant, I see the explosion of orange energy being eaten away and dissipated in the same reaction.

I continue to fall downward and catch myself from hitting the floor with a combination of earth and air magic before I get too close to a dangerous impact.

However, my eyes still stay locked on the orbs of energy dispersing above me.

Along with the trail of red energy leaking from my blade and body, the even more fascinating part about it is the two energies destroying each other on contact.

The sizzling and bubbling reactions from before were just the two soul energies fighting and disintegrating each other upon making contact. The layer around my entire body as a whole stayed intact, but this is the first time I've seen any part of the Red Hydra's buff be destroyed.

By the time the two energies colliding above me completely eat each other up, the thin crimson layer of energy that was lost from the attack regenerates around my body and sword.

It reminds me exactly of how the Ghoul's soul energy regenerated in my last matchup. Up above me, there is still some leftover red aura stagnating in the air, but it is impossible to control just like the natural red cloud that is left behind me when I activate this buff.

Before I can think too hard about it, the activation of another two orbs of magic appear in the Wraith's open palms.

I run forward in a zigzagging pattern again, but it tracks me perfectly and throws both orbs of light at once.

I go through the same gut-wrenching instinct driven battle before the orbs of light are destroyed by my aura covered sword, but a small portion of my buff is stripped away and destroyed as well.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

This time when I hit the floor and see it charging up another attack, I decide to take a different plan of action.

I've already used my buff to the point now where if I deactivate it, I'm most likely going to be out of commission until an outside force heals me.

So, I might as well go all out...

This ability allows all of my skills to be aided and boosted while activated, so I'm going to play every card in the hand I've been dealt.

Once the next double attack of orbs is sent toward me, I burst into a deadly display of jet-black flames that fills a quarter of the arena up with fire almost instantly.

The edges of the flames are coated in a crimson veil, constantly being buffed by the Hydra, and when I jump to dodge the incoming orbs, my flames only spread further.

While covering nearly the entire arena floor with flames, I use earth magic combined with telekinesis and wind to summon spikes of stone from the ring floor and send them hurtling toward the Wraith. Even these are coated in a thick red aura.

The tone of the battle completely shifts in an instant.

For the first time since the beginning of the match, I watch the monster at the back of the ring move. It shifts, floating quickly and gracefully through the air about 10 meters to the side to avoid the incoming crackling flames.

However, when it sees the spears and pillars of stone approaching, the monster does not even bother to move...

I block its orbs of light with my sword again, releasing a portion of crimson aura to nullify its attack. Then, simultaneously see my massive stone bullets hit the creature at point-blank range.

Grinning wide underneath my mask, I jump backward after deflecting its attack and generate even more flames to cover the floor while plundering thousands of MP from the dome behind me.

During this explosion of black and red flames, the supercharged fragments of stone pierce right through the Wraith's body.

I watch 6 large sharp stone spears stab right through its midsection, while smaller ones collide with its head and arms.

A loud series of cracks is followed by dozens of bone fragments flying high into the air. Fingers, arms, and shattered white fragments of mass fly off in all directions as the excitement of the kill powers more and more hot black fire from my body.

The larger attacks that hit its torso and head, however, have a much different reaction than the exposed limbs...

My eyes widen as I watch the stone come out the other side of its wavering robes without a single drop of red aura left on them.

It's almost like the black cloak turned into an energy-sucking black hole, and once the stones fall out the other side, I even lose the connection of my manipulation skill with them. They fall to the ground with a loud series of thuds.

At the sight of this, I begin to gather even more power together.

If these attacks didn't do enough damage, I'll hit the monster straight on with my strongest element.

I charge my sword with all the mana I can infuse from the wall behind me, as fast as possible before the Wraith can recover or throw in an attack it can't possibly take head on. Then, in an instant, I swing a dense dark fire imbued blade of mana covered in a veil of crimson aura.

The monster's arms have been blown away, but it's still floating in the air, unmoving, staring straight at me.

As the blade of flames rockets directly at its torso again, I feel the dreadful aura from the beginning of the match return in even greater intensity.

The ring feels as if it's being suffocated with a dark and heavy force, but none of it is visible to the naked eye, it's all in my mind.

The second this happens, the fractured bones, hands, and arm parts come floating back to the Wraith, covered in a dense orange energy that is swirling with more black streaks than before.

Each of the fragments and bones reconnects to the Wraith's torso at the same instant that my black blade of flames makes contact with its body straight on.

The Wraith shifts its stance, taking a step to the left right before it's hit and split clean in two.

However, my mana blade's red veil of energy disintegrates and the innards of black flames fall to the floor behind it, even as it's split in two.

Its black cloak separates in half, exposing a full bone-white skeleton in a sea of churning black energy. The cloak itself isn't even a cloak, it's just an energy manifestation covering its skeletal body and keeping it floating in the air.

Deep within the Wraith's bony ribs is a bright orange pulsing heart.

My mana blade missed it by just a few centimeters... if it hadn't moved its body right before being hit, that heart would have been split in two as well.

I jump to the other side of the ring, charging up another identical attack while summoning ice, earth, and wind magic to act as miniature distractions in the meantime.

While I do, the ominous creature keeps its head pointed at me and both of its halves come back together.

Two more orbs appear in its hands. These ones are tinted black and hardly show the glimmers of orange beneath their surface.