About Time (4)

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“Now then, it’s time we get started people! Broin, kill anyone who tries to leave.” Vidar barked the cruel order with vigor.

The crowd seemed to gasp in unison, shifting nervously in anticipation of his next move. Some of them had clearly lost interest in all this drama, but they dared not protest, not when the lot of them combined couldn’t hope to put up a good fight against the stone-faced giant.

Pointing to the sky, he drew our attention to the lone wyvern circling about the fort’s airspace. “Aryan, it’s time to do your job!”

In the heat of all this confusion, I had almost forgotten about the axe wielding raider leisurely swerving through the skies.

The scaly creature he had so comfortably saddled suddenly divebombed along a perfectly vertical trajectory, beating down its wings twice to slow its decent before landing within the perimeter of the archaic circle.

Aryan casually hopped of his draconic mount, dusting himself off as he scanned us with an aura of disdain. “I’m ready whenever, my lord.”

Hearing those words, Vidar finally abandoned his haughty position, hopping down with an aura of casual menace.

“This is a bit earlier than planned but since we’ve done the summoning a few times already, the dimensional walls should be a bit weaker around this city.”

He muttered under his breath, still examining the skyline before stepping inside the circle's confines and producing a marble-sized rune from his breastplate.

Immediately after, the drab looking construct lit up with a dim red glow.

“Aryan, I need a minute. Guard me with your life.” He gave the order as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and his snarky comrade accepted it without hesitation, voicing his approval with a simple, "As you wish, my lord."

This was clearly not the time to stand around thinking.

We had already reached the point of no return; a confrontation was inevitable. The magic circle was still a cause for concern, but the risk was necessary.

Best to just get this over with as soon as possible.

Demir seemed to have shared the same sentiment.

With a grunt, he casually unleashed a rippling vortex of air toward us. The attack twisted through the air with a whistling sound, halting abruptly when it collided with the current I’d willed to rotate in the opposite direction.

Our spells cancelled out, but he clearly wasn’t done yet. The air around him was shaping into dense, rotating spheres that were just about ready to snap at us.

“You’re coming back with me Julia, even if I have to drag you out of here.”

Those words irked at my soul—even more so when I saw her wince at his threat— it was to the point where it felt like my teeth were cracking. I couldn’t waste too much time dealing with this guy, and I wasn’t about to give him any more chances to even think he could pull that off.

“Just try it.” I said, hardening my stance

“Julia, get behind me. I’ll cover you for now — You two, I’ll handle the elf, do something about that magic circle before they activate it!”

“Understood!!”

My directive, though brief, was successful.

As soon as I gave the order; I heard the metallic ring of a blade sliding against its scabbard.

Less than a second later, Allen blasted off, dashing past the frowning elf in a blur, too fast for him to even react. He was the first to move—appearing between Vidar and his lackey in an instant, already winding up a bone-cleaving swing aimed directly at the mastermind’s jugular.

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At the same time, Demir’s fusillade of snapping spheres shot toward us with ruthless speed. One after another, the miniature bombs collided with the air barrier I had conjured, bursting on impact.

The space around us jolted with each explosion, as if the force of those gale-fueled blasts were subtly driving us into the ground.

This couldn’t continue.

My mind shifted gears as I ramped up my assault. In a matter of seconds, I conjured my own series of shining ember orbs, each one pulsing wildly as if they were brimming with power. With a flick of my wrist, I sent them on a deadly collision course.

In between the brilliant bursts of light flashing across my vision, I made sure to keep a keen eye on how my comrades were doing. Flynn’s spell seemed to need a bit more time to prepare, but Allen was already locked in the heat of battle.

Vidar had anticipated his initial strike and swiftly tilted his head to the side, allowing the deadly slash to pass so close that it sliced away a few strands of his hair.

Allen was surprised, but didn’t relent.

It took a bit longer for him to reposition himself thanks to having only one arm, but the subtle drag to his movements could be mitigated by simply channeling more mana from his core.

Quickly following through, his body spun itself to continue the onslaught and was met with a fierce counter in turn. A chipped battle axe abruptly knocked his swing off course, forcing him to stagger back from the sudden blow.

Aryan, the haughty level three had deflected the blow without much difficulty.

In the blink of an eye the man miraculously managed to position himself between Allen and his target, catching him off guard and halting his pursuit. A manic grin spread across the brute’s face as he wildly swung the axe like a flailing child.

A few ducks and parries came from my comrade but it wasn’t enough, the difference in their levels, weight and center of gravity was too much.

Experience alone couldn’t make up for that.

With a casual ease, Aryan made an erratic slash with his blade, knocking Allen back and easily closing the distance between them.

Before my comrade could recover from his stagger, his opponent suddenly appeared behind him— a burled fist already drawn back—and smashed his face in an eastward direction.

His body reeled from the blow, skidding along the ground like a carefree stone before he found his balance again.

“Allen get back!!” Flyn roared.

My feet shifted slightly as the ground below us deftly jerked from the force of his spells.

The first spell was meant to propel him several feet in the air, while the other—more precise use of earth magic—had gathered bits of dust and sharp-edged rocks, forcing them to form a malignant earthen drill around his lance.

The weapon itself remained stationary, but its auxiliary components spun with the ferocity of a whirlpool.

Allen darted to the side, and just as he did, Flynn’s eyes sparked with fury. He somehow found a near perfect posture in midair, angling his body for a furious throw.

“Broin don’t just stand there do something!” Demir urged, losing focus for a moment.

Somehow, Broin had already found the time to chase down and eliminate the raiders trying to flee from the miniature bombs Demir and I were tossing around. My gaze flicked to the bloodstained killer, and a sharp pang of regret hit me. I’m sorry, I cursed under my breath, but there was nothing I could do now.

A sharp crackle echoed from above, where my ally, still suspended in midair, was clearly determined to land the finishing blow

Flynn’s wrist seemed to snap as he wound his arm back before lunging the spiraling lance towards the circle on the ground.

“Smash it to bits!!” He roared

All eyes locked on to the churning weapon as it barreled through the air. If it continued like this then both Vidar and that magic circle would be torn to pieces in seconds.

Praying for Flynn’s success, I fired off a few more sparking embers with my vision semi-locked on my elven foe.

Just before it struck, the lance let out a loud clank in midair.

At first it sounded like glass shattering, then the sound shifted into the pitch of a splatter— Somehow, Aryan had once again shifted his position instantaneously, this time appearing in the lance’s flight path.

No; it wasn’t a coincidence — He deliberately warped himself there.

That was his power.

Sparks flew from the initial impact; shattering his axe—which he tried to block with— like a wooden toy before proceeding to dig through his flesh thereafter. All the air seemed to have left his lungs the moment that gaping hole formed on the right side of his abdomen.

Still relentless, the earthen drill continued on its path, unbothered by the hindrance.

Vidar seemed to be in the midst of some long-winded chants so it was far too late for him to avoid the incoming blow now. The spinning blade struck the earth like a meteor, causing the ground to tremble like a wooden table.

The weapon continued its charge, tearing through the earth before eventually crashing into the fort and crumbling its foundation.