Five against one was totally unfair. Alwin tensed up as glowing lines of energy spread out from where they stood, forming a pentagon. Red, white, yellow, azure, and black lines fused together, encompassing him in a pentagonal prison of power.

Alwin attempted to get out of the way, because who in their right mind would stand still and let the enemy dish out what may very well be their ultimate attack? But, when Alwin attempted to hop out of the pentagon, a wall of translucent energy comprising the five elements appeared before him. He crashed into it, bouncing back into the center of the pentagon. The elemental barrier shimmered, mocking his futile attempts at freedom.

Yep, super unfair.

Darkness rushed out of his body as Alwin attempted to Dark Tackle his way out of his confinements. His body smacked against the barrier, ripples spreading across its surface. Apart from the splitting headache, he could feel the mana levels within his Core dip. That was just a coincidence... right?

He had to break out of here, fast. Dark Tackle after Dark Tackle, Alwin rammed his body into the elemental barrier, attempting to break free. With each hit, he could feel the mana in his Core plunge to the depths of despair. Yeah, it wasn't just a coincidence.

If melee didn't work, what about range? Spirit Blasts, Spirit Scatter Blasts, Spirit Burst Blasts, and Fire Blasts, flew out of his Core. They crashed into the protective barrier, creating bright flashes of color whenever they made contact. No dice. The barrier stood strong.

Just when Alwin thought things couldn't get worse, the five humans thrusted their weapons into the air, shouting out in unison, "Eternal Balance: Five Element Soaring Dragon!"

Like the name suggested, five dragons emerged from their weapons. A flaming red dragon erupted from the spear, scales raging with fiery malice. The sword unleashed a shimmering metal dragon, its body reflecting the light cast by the fire dragon’s flames. A dragon made entirely of stones emerged from the yellow-robed woman’s fists. Vine sprouted out from the wooden staff, growing, twisting, and coiling itself to form a dragon. Flowers blooming out from its scales as it ascended. Finally, from the bow, tidal waves of power flooded out of it, forming a water dragon as dark as the oceanic abyss.

They ascended, leaving trails of elemental energy behind them. High above, they circled around, as if conferring with each other. Then, as if coming to an agreement they turned their attention downward. Their maws open wide, exposing their razor-sharp teeth ready to consume Alwin, like the jelly that he was.

Now was the perfect time to show Milvus that what he had learnt from Lapis wasn't a waste. Thinking fast, Alwin brought out his Spirit Hands. Thinking even faster, he launched out a Fire Blast as well. Thinking fastest of all, he Mixed them together. Flaming balls of mana and a pair of translucent hands spun about each other before converging into one. The result was a regular-looking Spirit Hand, but now slightly redder.

This wasn't a failed Mix and this definitely wasn't a screw-up. Alwin knew exactly what he was doing when he forced those two skills together. They grabbed onto Alwin, awaiting their master's command. Spirit Blasts, Spirit Scatter Blasts, Spirit Burst Blasts, and Fire Blasts, materialized in front of him. They flew toward the barrier in formation, flying side by side to strike down the menace hindering Alwin.

The Mixed Spirit Hands didn't throw Alwin. No, that would be far too slow. Instead, flames erupted from their wrist, propelling them forward, just slightly behind the row of blasts. Darkness coated his body once again, as he prepared for a Dark Tackle. All five blasts crashed into the barrier at the same time, a large flash of light erupted as the collision caused waves to ripple across it. Simultaneously, Alwin slammed into it using his Dark Tackle. Not just any Dark Tackle. It was a momentum-infused Dark Tackle, powered by the jet engines—Mixed Spirit Hands—pushing him forward.

Cracks webbed throughout the barrier, fractures appearing across the elemental shield before finally it shattered to pieces. Free from his cage, Alwin flew out of the pentagon. Fractions of a second after he escaped the confines of his prison, the five dragons crashed into the ground behind him. A shockwave of elemental energy spread outwards, causing the Mixed Spirit Hands to lose their grip on their master. Alwin tumbled to the ground once again, landing flat on his face.

But, there was no time to dwell on how embarrassing that looked. Rolling his body, he flipped himself upright in a split second. From there, it was time for Alwin's counterattack. It was time for Alwin to unleash his strongest move!

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Five black orbs and five white orbs exited from his core. All five black orbs curved to the left, just barely grazing the sides of the classroom, while the white orbs curved to the right. The humans attempted to move out of the way of the doom converging on them, but they had exhausted too much energy with their previous attack. Their legs buckled underneath their weight as they struggled to move out of harm's way.

This was it! Alwin's victory was imminent. Good thing too, because he was beginning to feel pooped. As he watched the orbs thread ever closer to the humans, something unexpected happened. Some people just had to get in the way and play hero.

Through some miracle of sheer willpower, the azure-robed man found the strength within himself to push himself up using his staff. He hobbled in front of the group, slowly twirling his staff with whatever morsel of energy he could spare. Runes began to coat the entirety of the lone wooden staff. Vines, flowers, and leaves sprouted from them, wrapping around his arms until the vegetation completely consumed them.

"Ancient Tree's Canopy Ward!" yelled the man.

A spherical barrier composed of wood snapped into existence around him and his fellow cultivators. A thick sea of green layered the top of the protective barrier, growing thicker and more luscious with every passing moment. Branches twisted and curled into strange shapes, fortifying it. Leaves, vines, and flowers coated the dome until it became near indistinguishable from nature itself.

Then, the Yin and Yang orbs met. White and Black clashed, erupting in an explosion that rocked the walls of the classroom. A giant Yin-Yang symbol shone brightly, consuming the wooden dome that protected the humans. Splinters of wood flew outwards, debris scattering across the room. Dust and dirt covered the area where the ball of energy exploded. Then, everything settled.

Standing tall among the carnage of splinters and shards of wood, were four unscathed cultivators. In front of them lay the fifth. The glow of runes on his staff had dissipated, while the thick vegetation that enshrouded his arms was nowhere to be seen, save for a narrow strand of green, barely thicker than a thread. His body, which once was at the pinnacle of human fitness, was now the spitting image of the phrase, "skin and bones." If he wasn't already a corpse, he probably was close enough to be considered one. His cheeks were sunken and hollow, appearing closer to a skeleton wearing loose-fitting clothes than a living breathing organism.

Alwin stared with a mix of confusion and disgust. That skill. That last ditch effort to save his fellow comrades had drained the life of him, literally. Those vines, leaves, and flowers which had snaked up his arm, weren't an extra layer of protection. Rather, it was the opposite. It sucked the vitality out of him, fuel for the barrier to withstand Alwin's super mega awesome Yin-Yang Blast. That was what Alwin had surmised anyway.

The once paragon of health, collapsed onto the floor in a heap, the staff in his hand rolling out of his grip, only to be stopped by the foot of the red-robed man. He picked up the staff, a blazing fire in his eyes as he stared at Alwin.

"For brother!"

The staff in his hands was consumed by a raging fire, merging with the spear in his hands. The once wooden shaft of his spear was now engulfed in a roaring blaze, licking at the metal tip with a burning vengeance. Without another word, the man dashed forward, leading the charge as the remaining cultivators followed behind him.

Well, this was going to be easy. Another couple of Yin-Yang Blasts would settle this for good. Mana flooded out of his Core forming two distinct black and white orbs, but these were different from his usual Yin-Yang Blasts—much different.

They were tiny! Two tiny black and white balls, that quivered as they barely travelled out half an inch before dissipating into nothing.

What just happened? A sudden wave of nausea washed over Alwin. Darkness was seeping in from the corner of his eyes as the world around him began to spin. Crap! He knew what was happening—mana exhaustion. That weird Five Elemental Barrier thingy had drained much more mana than he had expected. The follow-up with those five Yin-Yang Blasts had sealed the deal for him. Now there were mere drops of mana inside his Core. And he knew that because he checked.

Alwin stumbled about, barely able to hop in a straight line as he attempted to run away from the cultivators encroaching on his life. He had to get away. He had to come up with a plan. He had to prove that he hadn't just been goofing off the whole time with Lapis. There had to be a situation to his predicament. There always was.

"Spear of Burning Roots!" the man shouted.

The red-robed man's flaming spear blazed even stronger now. Roots sprouted from the shaft, wrapping themselves around the metal point. They twisted and turned, layering themselves into a needle-like point, becoming sharper with every coil. Fire raged from the flaming shaft, devouring the roots, but they didn’t turn to ash. Instead, the flames sat atop it like another layer, taking on the shape of a spearhead. It grew stronger, blazing brighter than ever before thanks to sitting on an endless source of fuel—the roots.

Alwin tripped over the flat classroom ground, tackling the floor with his face. With much difficulty, he rolled himself back up just in time to catch a glimpse of his demise—a spear with his name on it. It was nice knowing you Lapis.