A black pool of shadows burst forth from the dark spot beneath my feet. My shadow, a large circle only slightly smaller than me that followed the same shape as my body flew out of the ground and formed a pillar of spikes.

The shadowy spears pierced the air and a moment later, were hit by the raging black flames I had perused up to that point.

It didn’t seem too hopeless anymore, at least for that second. That brief moment when I stopped worrying, where I stopped thinking about how I could fail.

“He’s not invincible…it actually worked!” I stated nervously.

I stepped forward and raced around the pillar of flames that hugged my elongated shadow, to where Alice and Veldor stood. They were still roughly dazed but no longer in their trance.

Veldor grabbed his head as if the worst thing he had to deal with was a headache. On the other hand, Alice didn’t seem too sure if she was awake or still unconscious. She held up her fingers in front of her eyes and stared at them with weary eyes.

“Alice—Veldor, you’re both okay!”

I raced to them and reached out to grab their hands. Veldor’s face turned pale and both his eyes stretched widely. He rushed towards me in panic.

The closer we came to each other, the clearer a flicker in his eye became. A small burning orb built up in the reflection of his pupil.

My eyes shot to my right and as I peeked over my shoulder, the ball of flames met my stare. My mind went blank and all that I was left with was the terrified expression of death that raced up to me.

My shoulder was squeezed down by someone’s grip. A tight hold over my shoulder followed with Veldor rushing passed with his shield raised.

He threw me back and suddenly I was a spectator to his stand against the scaled warrior.

The moment my back hit the ground Veldor braced his shield in front of him and a mighty roar followed,

“Stampede!!!!” He screamed.

A blue light grew in front of his shield in the form of a large dome that covered his body and defence altogether.

As the blaze of black and grey flames hit the shield, Veldor blocked against it. The skill he activated seemed to take the flames head-on but not without a fight.

A burst of wind scattered through the room as the two forces collided. I could only imagine how much power he had to face just to remain standing. He wouldn’t have been able to hold out long if it wasn’t for the second burst of light.

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Veldor’s body followed the dome’s effects and was engrossed with the same blue light. It gave him an aura of constant flowing energy. I sensed it from the floor; the mana covered his body like a second layer of armour and protected him from the damage of the flames.

It must have also blessed him with a burst of strength because the moment his body was covered in its blessing, he found his second wind.

The ground broke beneath Veldor’s feet as he charged ahead. The force behind his dash broke apart the flames and cleared the path before him.

This must be another skill of his…he obliterated those flames like it was child's′ play`!

Veldor neared the warrior dressed in black scales and rushed at him with his shield braced in front of his chest. The warrior didn’t move, not even a flinch. I wasn’t sure if it was confidence or if he thought Veldor wasn’t strong enough to hurt him but…he smiled.

I felt nervous for Veldor, worried about what could happen next.

His blue-lit assault on the scaled man was put into motion as the dome of light neared the warrior. The dark raven-coloured claws of the enemy lifted into the air and Veldor’s shield crashed into it.

The reverberation from the collision hit me in waves, each one stronger than the last. Veldor’s knee buckled and was moments away from giving in. It only took a few moments for the damage to pile up before…

“Argh—!”

Veldor dropped to one knee and his shield's light vanished, along with all the mana that surrounded his body.

“W-what did you do?” Veldor questioned.

The warrior looked down on him with scorn. “Pathetic.”

He grabbed the top edge of Veldor’s shield, a second later the cracks that ran through it stretched even further. An ear-piercing sound of metal cracking and bending raced through my ears.

“Oh no…he’s going to die…!” Alice panicked.

She shivered nervously and held her hands against the sides of her head. I didn’t know for certain but seeing her response made it clear, Alice knew him from somewhere.

She was right though, Veldor would die if he stayed there any longer. He needed help.

But…

{Mana remaining: 3/72}

None of my skills would work with that little amount of mana. With such little mana not only were my movements sluggish but I was fatigued.

“Uriel, I need mana. Is there a way I can get some—quickly?!”

{No available options}

The scaled warrior raised his arm into the air and without delay, he brought it down over the shield. In a display of demonic strength, Veldor’s strongest source of defence was shattered before his eyes, reduced to scattered chunks.

“!!!!”

Veldor fell back, blown away by the sudden burst of pressure in front of him. He crashed against the ground and rolled back a few times before he could come to a stop, only for the monster in front of him to raise its hand again.

The scaled warrior summoned another mass of black flames, larger than the last. It built up faster…much faster than before.

“You expected to beat me with that block of flimsy metal? If that’s all it took to beat the lowly creatures in this prison then my goal is clearer than ever.”

Oh no—what is he…

“The weak will always die to the strong. You die by my hand, human.”

The flames from his hand burst forth and covered over Veldor in one burst. My eyes lit up with the light of the flames that filled the room.

Even with the noise of scattered fire and raging embers in front of me, somehow, everything fell silent. My throat welled up with a searing pain and each word I forced out next carried a stinging burn.

“V-Veldor…? Nooooo!!!!!”