As I was waiting for an answer from the man,

That familiar, spine-chilling sense of danger prickled at the back of my neck.

My instincts screamed at me to move.

I snapped my head around and spotted them: two figures, their hands already aglow with magical energy.

One of them, a tall figure, was channeling a golden light.

I recognized the spell instantly—Energy Bolts—but these weren’t the kind I’d faced before, or not the same as the one I use myself.

The gold hue indicated something enhanced, far beyond the mundane versions. These bolts were destructive.

More likely, a different type of energy bolt induced with a different energy other than just the magical energy, like I do.

The second figure was even more unsettling.

He or she had a very weird body type, and the type of spell they were using was some sort of tentacle summon.

I am not sure if this is the name of the spell, but I thought it fit the enemy I see.

I barely had time to think as the golden bolts shot toward me.

I leaped to the side, rolling as one of the projectiles slammed into the ground where I’d just been standing.

The impact sent a spray of dirt and stone flying.

“That was close; if I was slower, that spell would hit me and most likely injure me gravely.”

"Two of them, and both are stronger. Damn it."

Sacril growled beside me.

I crouched low, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Sacril, focus on the one casting the gold-colored bolts. Keep him busy. I’ll deal with the tentacle summoner."

He barked once in acknowledgment and took off.

I didn’t have time to worry about him.

I had to trust he could hold his own.

Turning my attention to the tentacle summoner, Dark, writhing tendrils began to emerge from the ground.

They moved with an unnatural fluidity, reaching out hungrily as if they had minds of their own.

"Not today," I growled under my breath.

The summoner’s green eyes locked onto me.

"You think you can fight this?"

"You’ll be nothing but prey in moments."

I didn’t respond.

Instead, I focused, channeling my energy into my Energy Dart spell.

Three sharp darts materialized around my hand, glowing faintly with a bluish hue.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent them hurtling toward the summoner.

He reacted quickly, raising a barrier of black tendrils that stopped the darts.

The tentacles surged forward, aiming to wrap around my legs.

I jumped back, narrowly avoiding their grasp.

"Alright, time for a different approach."

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I thought it would be best to use Spirit Attack.

Despite the fact that I knew against a mage, a summoner mage especially, spirit attacks were not that effective.

“Spirit Attack...” I focused on the enemy and used the spell.

I wanted to test it out to see the effects with my eyes.

The summoner mage staggered, their control over the tentacles faltering for a brief moment as they clutched their head.

It wasn’t enough to take him down, but it gave me an opening.

I dashed forward.

My heart pounded as I closed the gap between us.

If I could disrupt their casting completely, I would be able to kill the enemy.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Sacril, locked in a fierce duel with the bolt caster.

The golden bolts flew fast and furious, but Sacril was faster, darting around and snapping at their heels.

He was holding his ground, just as I knew he would.

The summoner recovered quickly, as I expected.

His green eyes were blazing with fury as they began to cast another spell. I didn’t give them the chance.

With all my might, I unleashed another Spirit Attack, pouring more energy into it than before.

The force of the spell sent them reeling, their spellwork collapsing entirely as they fell to one knee.

I stood over them, breathing heavily.

Their eyes widened slightly, a flicker of fear crossing their face.

For a moment, I thought they might surrender.

The tentacle mage that I thought would be surrendering screamed like I did something to him.

Which I did not.

I knew something worse was coming.

Seconds later, beside him, the ground turned into a black pool of liquid.

Seconds later, the pool started vanishing, and then the twisted tentacles from the mage started mixing together.

But instead of disappearing like the pool, those severed pieces twisted and shifted, forming into two humanoid shapes, dark and grotesque.

"Really?" I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You can summon walking nightmares too?”

The tentacle humanoids wasted no time, sprinting toward me with an unsettling, jerky motion.

Their bodies pulsed with dark energy, and their claw-like hands looked pretty dangerous to me.

I tightened my grip, summoning Energy Darts as quickly as I could.

Three glowing projectiles formed around my hand.

The first dart flew, striking one of the humanoids square in the chest.

The impact sent it staggering backward, but it didn’t fall. Its dark, amorphous body seemed to absorb part of the blow, regenerating as if my attack had only slowed it down.

"Damn it,"

I launched the second and third darts in rapid succession, focusing on precision.

One hit the creature's leg, causing it to stumble, and the other pierced its head, shattering it into wisps of black mist.

It dissolved completely.

The second humanoid was already closing in, its clawed hands outstretched.

I jumped back, barely avoiding its swipe, and quickly conjured another set of darts.

This time, I aimed for its legs first.

Two well-placed shots took out its mobility, and the third finished it off with a direct hit to its core. Like the first, it disintegrated into nothingness.

"Two down," I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow.

"But I doubt he’s done yet."

“So, from what I have learned, most of the summoned creatures have a core; despite their form, as long as I hit the core, they will be destroyed.”

“Nice experience for me.”

As I turned my attention back to the tentacle mage, I couldn’t help but glance at Sacril.

He was still darting around the golden bolt caster.

The mage was relentless, firing bolt after bolt, but Sacril’s enhanced reflexes kept him safe.

“Golden-colored energy bolts are weaker than my own energy bolts, but focusing on speed instead of power.”

“The golden color may signify the weaker power but faster projectiles and a low amount of magical energy needed when casting the spell.”

“That is why this man is able to cast many golden-colored energy bolts.”

“If it was not Sacril he was targeting, but a human mage, I suppose he would hit most of them.”

"Good boy,"

The mage sneered, clearly frustrated that his summoned creatures had been destroyed so quickly.

His green eyes glowed with malice as he began casting another spell yet again.

I didn’t need to be a genius to figure out he was preparing something bigger.

“No, I am not going to let you cast another spell and summon another fucking nightmare..."

I launched another Spirit Attack, aiming directly at the mage's chest.

He stumbled, his chant breaking as he clutched his chest.

The tentacles around him wavered, losing their strength.

"Got you,"

Sure enough, he snarled, his hand slamming into the ground.

A pulse of dark energy erupted from his palm, surging outward like a shockwave.

I braced myself, jumping back to avoid being caught in its radius.

"You’re really making me work for this,"