With a crackle and a hum, Iris used her [Lightning Step], her form blurring into a surge of energy that sped toward Jonan and emerged beside him in an explosive burst of power, that sent him sprawling backward.

Jonan, to his credit, was quick to recover, his stone armor acting as a bulwark against Iris's onslaught. His magic pulsed and swirled around him, earthen tendrils snaking out and melding into a brutish hammer, matching the primal force of the storm with raw, unyielding strength.

He lunged at Iris, hammer swinging with a force that could crush a man’s skull, but Iris was already in motion, the winds from her [Rushing Wind] spiraling around her to increase her agility. She danced around Jonan, her movements a blur of precision and speed. Each time he swung his hammer, Iris was already somewhere else, her form a storm-lit phantom, a flicker of lightning in the darkness.

Her [Storm Armor] crackled with untamed electricity, ready to strike at anything that dared to get close. Each time Jonan stepped into its sphere of influence, a bolt of lightning zapped off her and into him, his stone armor hissing and crackling as it absorbed the brunt of the attacks.

Each [Mana Conduit]-infused punch Iris delivered erupted with a [Static Discharge], two masses of writhing electricity that danced around her fists, sizzling and popping as they met Jonan's armor. The stone creaked and groaned under the relentless electrical onslaught, crumbles of fused earth cascading with every step, but the man just constantly reformed it.

All around them, the battlefield was a cacophony of clashing weapons and cries of determination. Meanwhile, forms were lit up in the dark night as the fire mage threw fire all around the area as he sought the elusive kitsune.

Kaira, Gryff, and the others worked as a unified front against the poachers, their smaller numbers seemingly unimportant in the face of their well-coordinated attacks. Despite being outnumbered, they whittled down the poachers through calculated maneuvers and relentless attrition, each fallen enemy a testament to their teamwork.

Meanwhile, Akane was engaged in her own battle against the fire mage, her illusion and conjuration magic proving to be more than a match for his fiery spells. Each illusion she conjured drew his focus away, and with each attack he sent her way found nothing but air.

It was a game of hunter and prey, and the fire-wielding telv was a mere rabbit facing off against a horse-sized fox. The man didn’t even realize that he was being slowly backed into a corner as the fire mage was barely holding her back. The fox, clearly maneuvering the man away from the cages of animals or even her party that could be injured by his magic kept on the man, the [Pyromancer]’s magic gradually flagging under her harrying illusions.

The battle between Iris and Jonan was a turbulent dance of electric energy and unyielding stone, both fighters relentless in their pursuit of victory. Jonan, harnessing his earth magic, unleashed a barrage of sharpened stones at Iris.

Her eyes widened, and she dove to the side, but try as she might to avoid the deadly hail, two of the stones found their mark. One sliced open a gash on her cheek, while another slammed into her leg, causing her to falter.

“Fuck!” Iris cried out as she crashed against the ground.

Another came directly at her, and she lifted a hand on instinct, feeling something shift inside her as the stone seemed to almost curve slightly–barely missing her.

Rising from her stumble, Iris barely had time to react as Jonan swung his earth-crafted hammer at her. With a swift duck, she narrowly avoided the devastating strike, the hammer's momentum causing Jonan to stumble forward unbalanced.

‘Iris! Look out!’ Mocha neighed.

Iris ducked as Mocha seized the opportunity. The horse bolted forward, utilizing one of her own abilities to deliver a powerful kick to Jonan's back, launching him toward a cage.

He crashed against the wooden cage with a grunt, and his eyes widened as a low predatory growl came from the darkness behind the man. The earth mage scrambled and barely managed to evade a large paw that swiped through the bars, followed by the deafening roar of an owlbear.

Jonan, undeterred, conjured spikes of stone and launched them at Iris. Iris nimbly dodged as the two approached the other, but Jonan's next attack, a powerful swing of his hammer, caught her square in the chest armor. The force of the blow lifted her off the ground and sent her flying backward.

As Iris rolled to dodge the stones that peppered the ground around her, Mocha surged forward, crackling with her own lightning magic. Lowering her armored head, she rammed into Jonan, her steel spike unable to pierce his stone armor but successful in sending the man sprawling.

As he tried to rise, the poacher sent another stone spike toward Mocha, striking her in the shoulder. The blow didn't penetrate her armor, but it was enough to throw Mocha off balance.

Regaining her own footing, Iris charged Jonan once more. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kaira hurl something toward her. “Iris! Catch!” she cried out. Iris's hand shot out, catching the thrown object–a sword.

A guttural snarl ripped from Jonan's throat as he leaped to his feet. He charged, raising his now-weaponless hand, but a surge of earth magic formed another stone hammer in his grasp.

Twin bolts of snapfired [Chain Lightning] connected them, pulsing and bouncing between the two of them, but it barely even slowed the man as dark lines of fused stone formed down his chest.

As they neared, Iris shifted her [Mana Conduit] to her new weapon and funneled her [Electromancy] into it. With a fierce swing, she sliced through the hammer's handle, sending its head flying.

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But Jonan was quick and he barely missed a beat, transforming the armor covering his arm into a stone mace. Iris winced as two rapid blows struck her, each one igniting a wave of pain that made her cry out.

Jonan spun on his heels, his earthen armor shifting and reforming into a massive two-handed mace. With a grunt of exertion, he swung at Iris, connecting solidly with her chest. Her armor buckled under the blow, denting inward and forcing a pained cry from her lips as she was knocked off her feet, hitting the ground hard.

‘I got him!’ Mocha whinnied as she barreled toward Jonan, her eyes blazing with protective fury.

The [Earth Mage] was ready for her.

He pivoted, swinging his massive mace around with a momentum that met Mocha's charge head-on. The mace connected with one of Mocha's front legs with a resounding thud, the sheer force of the impact sending her crashing to the ground.

Mocha whinnied in pain and surprise, struggling to rise, while Iris grappled with the impact of her own fall, gasping for breath against the pressing weight of her dented armor.

The man turned toward Iris, seeing that she was barely moving, the earthen armor rolling away to reveal the man’s red, heavy-breathing face. “I agree with one thing you said…” he started, malice filling his tone. “This is the most I’ve also had to work in a fight.”

He formed another stone over his hand, one shaped like a long spike, just as a shrill cry of pain sounded.

Both Iris and the man turned their focus to the source, only two see two illusions of Akane disappear as the kitsune’s massive maw clamped tightly on the fire mage’s throat from behind.

With a swift yank, the man’s head was removed from his shoulders and his body dropped to the ground. Akane howled her fury, and her eyes focused on Jonan in front of Iris. The man scrambled several steps backward, fear coloring his eyes.

The sight of the headless fire mage triggered a startling response from Jonan. His eyes widened, filled with unmistakable fear as they darted from the lifeless body to the menacing form of Akane, then to Iris who was slowly getting back on her feet.

The stone spike in his hand trembled slightly, and he seemed to draw himself inward, his earth armor bulking up defensively.

In a desperate bid to gain some advantage, Jonan hurled the spike and a volley of stones at Akane, but they passed through an illusion harmlessly, leaving the real Akane untouched and nowhere to be seen.

With a snarl, Jonan forced his focus back on Iris. However, the earlier confidence had vanished, as Iris watched his expression fall as he was greeted by the sight of four identical Irises. Quickly, the man used his magic to force stone to slide up from the rest of his armor and again cover his face, leaving two small slits for his eyes and mouth.

With a satisfied smirk, she drew mana into herself deeply, using her [Arcane Capability] to enhance her magic, and then launched a crackling bolt of [Chain Lightning] toward him that was mirrored by the other Irises.

He managed to avoid two of the bolts, but the third was revealed to be an illusion, while the fourth struck his stone armor, discoloring it as the source of superheated energy surged through it to the ground.

Jonan roared in pain as the intense heat seared his skin beneath the rock, but quickly retaliated with a frenzy of stone projectiles, each aimed at the four Irises.

The real Iris, however, danced away from the assault as she avoided each stone that whizzed past her and embedded into the ground. He formed another stone spike in his hand as he stared at her, the man’s chest rising and falling in heavy breaths.

Iris gave him a defiant smile, her teeth glinting against the gloom. The electric energy surrounding her seemed to dance with renewed vigor, casting eerie shadows around her. Despite her wounds, there was a sense of exhilarating power radiating off her that filled the battlefield with electric tension.

Mocha stepped forward to Iris’s side, the horse’s nostrils flaring with barely contained rage. On the other side, Akane, the once playful kitsune, now stood as a terrifying beast of death, the fire mage's blood still fresh around her snout, eyes burning with untamed fury.

With a fluid movement born from practiced skill and amplified by her magic, Iris [Lightning Stepped], the world around her blurring as she traversed the distance between them in less than a heartbeat. When her form solidified, she was directly in front of Jonan but still altered the spell so that the momentum of her emergence caused an eruption of energy that blasted outward away from him, creating a miniature shockwave.

The fear in Jonan's eyes turned into horror, realization dawning on him too late.

Simultaneously, she thrust forward, the sword in her hand a blur of motion. Her [Mana Conduit]-infused sword flared with [Electromancy] as she drove the weapon forward. The sword met resistance at first as it impacted the thick stone armor encasing Jonan's chest, but it was not enough. With a crack that echoed through the area, the blade punctured the hardened shell and drove into the man's flesh beneath.

Shock painted Jonan's face as he looked down at the sword impaling him, his eyes widening in surprise and disbelief. The weapon was a tangible marker of his impending end, the tip glinting ominously from where it protruded through his back. His mouth opened and closed, gasping like a fish out of water as he staggered back, unable to tear his gaze from the blade piercing him.

Iris kept her hand on the hilt as she took a step forward, matching the man's movements. The stone that encased Jonan started to crumble and fall apart. Large chunks hit the ground first, followed by smaller fragments and finally, granules of dirt and dust that gave the illusion of a dissolving entity.

A man was revealed as the protective layer of earth dissipated completely. He was not the intimidating figure he had once appeared, encased in a solid armor of stone and earth. Now, he stood bare and exposed, his eyes wide and reflecting a primal fear.

Iris's blue-glowing eyes bore into him, relentless and determined. She raised her chin, her posture rigid, exuding an unyielding strength and confidence. His loss of the stone armor did nothing to dampen her [Focus] on him. Her grip on her sword tightened, the electric currents playing around her weapon, and then she used her [Electromancy] to draw lightning through the blade’s [Mana Conduit].

Electricity surged from her into the sword, creating a path straight into Jonan. The spectacle was terrifyingly beautiful–the radiant blue energy illuminating his silhouette from the inside, branching out into a network of veins of light that rivaled the most intricate of lightning storms.

Jonan let out a strangled gasp, his body stiffening as the powerful current coursed through him. Iris, her eyes still glowing with the cold, detached crackles of lightning, watched as the man’s eyes widened in shock and agony. His body started shaking uncontrollably before his knees gave out, and he began to collapse.

With the agility of a seasoned warrior, Iris yanked her blade from his chest, causing him to stumble backward. His eyes still held a lingering spark of life, a desperate plea for mercy that went unheard. The light in them soon faded, replaced with a hollow, vacant stare, as he finally collapsed to the ground, lifeless.