Watching a giant made of stone menacingly lumbering toward them would anyone's heart flutter, and not in a good way.

Fiona adjusted her stance, shifting her feet. "Spread out and attack it from different angles. Our goal is to gradually weaken it until it has no mana left to spare. Once deprived of mana, it will dissipate and merge with the earth. We're lucky that the item it was bound to has been destroyed."

Igneal smiled. "Finally! I was getting bored running in circles like a coward!"

Still smiling, he dashed off for the rightmost wall while Fiona took the opposite, already chanting an incantation. All that was left for Tyrus was the middle, which was where the earth spirit was currently at, not paying attention to the two that ran off. Why was it glaring at him as if he was a tasty slab of cooked meat? Or would it be rocks in its case? Now that he thought about it, what do spirits eat anyway?

Before the earth spirit could reach Tyrus, Fiona was the first to attack. Hiding behind a pillar, she raised her staff and summoned forth a volley of icicles. They flew fast and struck one of the earth spirits legs, breaking on impact and coating the creature's limb in ice. The creature turned its head to the origin of the attack and raised its foot, effortlessly shaking off the ice. It looked ready to charge after her, but Igneal intervened by firing a large blast of flame at its face, which exploded and sent the spirit stumbling back.

As the flames cleared, Tyrus realized Igneal's attack didn't leave a single blemish on its head, although it seemed to annoy it. With a roar, the spirit changed targets once more, ready to rush toward the moving Lockhart until two spheres of lightning slammed into its head. A bellow rang out, and the earth spirit stumbled, the sound reverberating throughout the underground chamber.

Tyrus's eyes widened when his attack left a visible crack under its eye, and his confidence rose. But that confidence didn't last long when his vision wavered. His heart pounded, and the world spun, but it only lasted for a moment. That last attack must've exhausted his mana reserves. Using back to back Dual Shots was still a feat he had to get used to...

Tyrus snapped out of his daze and quickly noticed something was wrong. With mana sense, the spirits mana was flowing strangely. In fact, its entire body was trembling and spiking, as if it was preparing for something.

His fears came true as the creature raised its arm above its head and smashed the ground, shattering the stone beneath and kicking up a cloud of dust. The earth shook, and cracks seeping with mana snaked out in a large radius, reaching all the way to Tyrus and the others. Tyrus jumped out of the way and landed in a crouch, watching in shock as a massive pillar of white light erupted from where he stood. If he hadn't moved in time, that burst of energy surely would've done massive damage to him! No wonder there was something off with the spirits' mana...

"What about the others?!"

Tyrus frantically scanned the area, its ground now pitted with cracks and shifted terrain. The smoke was too thick to see clearly, and the spirit was nowhere to be seen alongside the others. He could call out to them, but that might attract the spirit toward him.

That didn't matter anyway when a shadow in the dust caught his eye, and he saw the spirit rushing through the cloud, smoke billowing out of its open mouth. Tyrus was prepared to use augmentation, but his legs felt stiff and his body refused to move. He clenched his jaw and gave his legs a good smack, which seemed to work as they limbered up. He moved out of the way just as the spirit cocked its arm back and thrust it forward. Tyrus leaped to the side and the creature's stiff fist missed him, punching through air.

With a roar, the spirit spun and swung its arms wildly, forcing Tyrus to evade the oncoming blows. He ducked below a wide swing and unleashed a Lightning Bolt under its chin. The attack made a deafening boom, and the light temporarily blinded Tyrus, yet the spirit didn't relent. It swung its arm horizontally, and Tyrus jumped up, narrowly avoiding the attack. In that split second, he made the decision to climb onto its shoulder, now looming over the spirit.

Raising his arm toward that same crack he made, mana surged throughout his body and he imagined using Dual Shot, this time with one orb instead. An orb of lightning manifested, and the spell was cast. The sphere flew fast, hitting the crack dead on. An explosion of rock and blue burst forth, and a resounding roar rang out as the spirit reeled back. Tyrus grimaced and hopped off the creature's shoulder, landing on the ground. He fell to one knee as a headache crept up.

The earth spirit cradled its cracking face, pieces of rock chipping and falling to the floor, revealing a hole glowing a brilliant hue. Tyrus's eyes widened when he realized the orb didn't just make a crack—it shattered a piece of the spirit's head, leaving it an injury Tyrus could take advantage of. However, he had an inkling that the spirit wouldn't allow the same mistake to happen again. There was also the fact that he took a chunk out of his mana pool in that brief exchange. If he had to guess, his mana heart was a third full.

Finally, as the dust settled, the room came back into focus, revealing the others. At the far end stood Igneal, his arm pressed against a weathered pillar. His face contorted with a deep scowl; one side of his shirt hung in tatters, exposing a surprisingly toned physique. Blood trickled down his cheek. Despite the injury, his eyes were focused and sharp.

On the other hand, Fiona was the one who had it worse. Her hair was a mess, and blood stained the front of her cloak. She held her staff with a vice grip, using it for support. Her legs trembled, and she coughed out a wad of spit, a trail of blood on her lower lip and legs. One of her boots was even missing a chunk of leather, revealing skin riddled with old scars.

Tyrus wanted to ask if they were alright, but the spirits movements caught his attention. While still clutching its face, as if protecting it, it let out a boisterous roar a bit weaker than before. Then it raised one of its leg and stomped, sending forth a shockwave powerful enough to send a cone of rocks to burst from the ground, flying everywhere.

Igneal stepped behind the pillar he was at, avoiding the attack, and Fiona was quick enough to mutter an incantation to erect a wall of stone that stopped the oncoming attack. Once it was over, she whipped around her protective barrier and fired off a barrage of icicles, which struck the spirit in the chest and coated its limbs with frost. Though the creature wasn't stuck to the ground like last time, it's movements were noticeably slower once it began moving to Fiona. Knowing that, Igneal ran past the creature and aimed a Blinding Light at its face. Tyrus heard the incantation and covered his eyes just in time for a ray of golden light to bleed through his eyelids.

He cracked one eyelid open to see the spirit roaring out in agony as it thrashed around. It swung its fist blindly, punching a pillar and caving in a section of it. A part of Tyrus died when the sight reminded him how easily the spirit could bring this entire place down if it knew, or if it wanted to in the first place.

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They really had to figure out how to finish it for good if they wanted to live, but no matter what they threw at the earth spirit, it kept standing. And it was getting increasingly angrier, which meant things could only go downhill from here. Alongside Tyrus, the others were losing mana rapidly, while the spirit had much more to spare. If they continued to sling spells, it would be them that would tire out first, making it easier for the spirit to kill them all. Not only was its resistance a problem, but its durability as well. It took on a few Dual Shots and received only a mark on its face. A new strategy was needed, and they had to use it quickly. But what could they do?

As Tyrus thought it over, going over every spell that he read about in the book Ivy gifted him, Fiona and Igneal approached him and stopped, the three of them facing the earth spirit.

"What are your mana reserves looking like?" Fiona asked.

"A third," Tyrus replied, the book of incantations in his hands as he flipped through it.

Igneal side-eyed him and said, "Building Blocks of Incantations for Elementals? Why are you flipping through that boring book? You don't have more than half of the elements needed for those spells, anyway."

Tyrus paid no attention to him and swiftly flipped through each page, quickly scanning the words and skipping sections about elements he hadn't mastered yet. Fire and light held no significance for him at the moment, while water and earth were not worth his time to read about. A hint of panic crept in as he watched the pages disappear, and before he knew it, only a few remained. The last section he had yet to explore was one he had little hope for: the dark element. Just as he was ready to close the book in frustration and chucked it at a wall, a few words caught his eye.

"...deplete their life force," he muttered. He then glanced at the single spell available and its function. Something clicked inside his brain, a shot in the dark, but it was worth the try. Tyrus was about to tell the others about his idea until he remembered about the earth spirit, which was a mistake on his part.

It was still thrashing around, but instead of swinging its arms, it proceeded to stomp like a child throwing a tantrum, sending forth more spikes of stone to jut out from the floor akin to mini earthquakes. Igneal and Fiona were forced to step back, the latter erecting a stone wall to defend themselves from a line of spikes. The wall shuddered from the impact, and soon it crumbled, leaving them susceptible to the next line of spikes, which they bounced away from.

Igneal sighed in frustration and said, "What a troublesome opponent. Attacking the weak point on its face is no good now that it's actively protecting it. There's also the problem of it splitting the ground, making it difficult to approach. If this was any other foe, I would've handled it with ease. Someone will have to distract it long enough for it to move its hand so I can land the killing blow through the open wound. No one can handle the intense flames of a—"

"No," Tyrus said, straightening himself. "I think I know how to beat it."

Fiona looked at him expectedly. "I'm all ears. Anything will be helpful at this point."

"...It's made of mana, right? All we need to do is drain its mana until it has none left. Then, it will dissipate like you guys said. Only one element I can think of can do that."

The two siblings looked at him with confused expressions, but their faces fell when it finally clicked what he was referring to. That was not a good sign, but he expected it, anyway.

In their little talk, the earth spirit finally recovered from being blinded and leveled one of its glowing eyes at the group. In no time at all it dug its free arm into the ground and ripped a hunk of rock out, chucking it at the group. Tyrus, Igneal, and Fiona split up, and the rock passed by where they were, crashing into a wall and sending sharp rock flying.

One rock struck him on the shoulder, while another sprayed his back. Despite the pain, he could only groan, silently grateful for the enchanted coat that had shielded him. The fact that he had acquired such a useful item made him incredibly glad. He knew he had to find a way to repay Ivy for her help, even though she wasn't there with him.

Looking to see if the others were okay was not an option, as he was already in the midst of aiming at where the spirit was. The lump of sentient rocks was too busy digging into the ground and throwing heaps of stone at Tyrus, which he dodged with ease. He avoided circling behind the pillars and ran straight for the enemy; the drumming of his heartbeat drowned his ears, as if he was submerged in turbulent waters. Sweat dripped down into his clamped mouth, coating his tongue in stinging salt.

Once Tyrus had approached close enough, he summoned the illusion of a Shadow Bolt. He had never witnessed the power of a Shadow Bolt before, and his understanding of the dark element was limited. In contrast, the others were easier to comprehend; fire consisted of mere embers, while water was a simple and familiar element that he frequently encountered, along with earth and air.

When it came to lightning, it posed a greater challenge as it was not as frequent as building a firepit or experiencing the touch of a refreshing liquid on his skin. Nor was it like witnessing the wind forcefully whip leaves and dirt into the air or feeling the solid ground beneath his boots. A lightning strike was a rare occurrence, swift, yet equally intense as flames swallowing a forest.

But darkness? It was an absence of light. A void that inflicts harm and only takes. An element connected to shadows and darkness; sapping the strength of others for ones own benefit. Truly a terrifying element that could do so much more in the hands of others. After all, he had seen just a drop of what it was capable of, and that scared Tyrus. No wonder there are people who are watchful of the element, as he would too. The question is, was it an element that could not only bend wills, but the user as well? If he used it continuously, would he end up like the dark sorcerer? He thought that, then he remembered Wanderer and how kind and powerful she was.

Do not be content with a life of mediocrity. Take whatever actions are required to ensure a secure and prosperous future for yourself.

At those words, Tyrus steeled his resolve and imagined himself releasing a sphere of twisting shadows meant to absorb, this time much more powerful than a simple Dual Shot. Though he had just acquired the element, something within told him he could do it without an incantation. Without needing to sit there and imagine every detail of the spell. Without needing to spend days upon days of training to see minimal results. An element equal to his lightning, possibly even stronger.

It was as if the shadows themselves responded to his desire. The shining lights on the pillars dulled, and the room turned as black as night. Tyrus felt a stabbing pain through his mana heart as the mana inside of him was sucked out from his body and through his arms in half a second. The air in front of him warped, and a shadowy orb was released, soaring toward the spirit with the frightening silence of a huntsman owl.

Everything was dark other than the earth spirits shining eyes, but even that was snuffed when the darkness struck the creature's face, and it froze as a wave of pitch black surged up its rocky body. Tyrus knew that because the spirit would usually make a racket with its footsteps or a roar whenever the group landed a hit. Yet all that remained was silence. Then came a sound similar to falling rocks. Soon, his fatigued body that was dangerously low of mana suddenly became rejuvinated. Tyrus' mana heart was filling up at a rapid pace, and symptoms of mana deficiency dwindled. It didn't take long for his body to swell with mana.

The amber eyes of the spirit was gone. The pillars were relit with golden light, and the shadows in the room dispersed. Now that he had a clear view, Tyrus witnessed the aftermath of the spell. The earth spirit had fallen to its knees, and the lower portion of its body was crumbling to pieces, leaving the rest to follow suit. All that was left was a pile of rocks on the ground. The spirit was finally dead.

He heard footsteps approaching his side, yet he was afraid to look up. He was too scared that Fiona would regard him with a different look, just as cold as a winter storm. But that was the least of his problems when the door behind him opened with a grinding screech, and in stepped a woman with braided hair, wearing the same attire as Sir Geroth. In her clenched hands was a spear. Her sharp eyes locked onto him, and he could see the murderous intent behind them.

"Mongrel," she said, her tone sharp and unforgiving.

She disappeared in a flash. Tyrus blinked, and the woman was there in front of him, and all he could see was the tip of her spear an arm length away.