Elem glanced at Aja while trying to figure out what to do next. It seemed that his friend was having similar issues. Her Summon was avoiding the Ogre’s attacks with ease but struggled to inflict any damage. Each time the Bicorn tried to pierce through the Ogre’s defense, the Earth Summon shelled up behind its enormous arms. They may have had separated their opponents but that was a useless feat if they couldn’t capitalize on it.
The situation was problematic, Elem thought, suddenly feeling the weight of his Essence expenditure. Not only were he and Aja draining their Essence, they were also fighting against the clock. The thugs had mentioned their ‘boss’ before, the person who had Summoned the Manananggal, meaning that the thugs they faced were part of a bigger gang. Who knew how many reinforcements were on their way?
“Another beam!” Elem shouted. It was probably best to keep the Daemon busy while he figured out what to do next.
The Kappa’s dish still glowed like a fresh moon. The Summon inhaled deeply and then released its attack. This time, the Daemon didn’t try to evade the beam but fired back with one of its own moves. Dark matter poured from its ashen palms, meeting the Kappa’s beam in the center between them. The clash culminated in a blinding cascade of pure offensive Essence, causing Elem to cover his eyes.
When he lowered his hands moments later, Elem noticed that the Daemon had flown off again. How on earth was he going to catch his opponent? His Kappa couldn’t reach the Daemon while the Summon was flying nor was it fast enough to catch the creature before it ascended.
But maybe he didn’t have to chase the Daemon at all. Maybe he could try a smarter approach.
Elem had noticed a pattern in the Daemon’s actions. It seemed that the Void Summon never fired off any attacks while it was airborne. It would only do so after landing. Elem rubbed his chin. There had to be a way he could exploit that behavior.
In his previous duel, he had used the Kappa’s dished shape head to reflect the Vodyanoy’s attack but that technique would likely be of no use against a fire-based move.
‘The Vodyanoy!” he exclaimed, his lips curling into a careful smile. He had an idea. While there was no use in repeating his own strategy, the duel with the Ultra Gym instructor had exposed him to other techniques as well.
The Void Summon flew to a safe distance and perched down near the rock face behind them. Its hands lit up like miniature suns as it prepared another fireball attack.
Good, Elem thought as he waited for his opponent to launch the move. This time, the Kappa wouldn’t block the projectile with its shell nor would it shoot its own beam. When the fiery orb finally flew his way, the Kappa rapidly formed a watery vortex below its feet and disappeared into the ground.
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The fiery orbs missed the Kappa and instead found their home on a nearby boulder, searing black burn marks into the stone. Elem smiled, watching the confused looks on the Void Summon’s face.
Before the Daemon or its Summoner figured out what was going on, the Kappa rose up through another vortex and attacked the Daemon from below like a vicious shark. After a few scratches, the Water Summon pinned the Daemon to the ground with its claws and unleashed a luminous beam from its beak. The helpless Void Summon tried to wiggle free but it’s struggles were fruitless. The beam’s impact was simply too great for the Daemon to handle, forcing it to evaporate seconds later.
For a moment, Elem couldn’t believe the technique had actually worked. But of course it had. While he had never practiced the move, the Kappa was so similar to the Vodyanoy that it technically should have access to similar moves. Elem smiled. Perhaps getting kicked around during his last match had been more beneficial than he could have imagined.
However, Elem couldn’t afford to linger on his success. Yes he had dealt with the Daemon but they still had the Ogre to worry about.
“Surround him!” Aja shouted to Elem before giving another direction to her Summon. “Moon blade! Quickly!”
The Bicorn’s horns glowed white like molten steel as it slashed against the Ogre’s blocking arms. Then, when the Ogre moved to retaliate, Elem’s Kappa launched a water beam into the Earth Summon’s muscular back.
A loud grunt escaped from the Ogre’s mouth. The Summon turned around and angrily rushed at the Kappa, its arms swinging in the air like whirlwinds. But before it could reach Elem’s Summon, the Bicorn dug its horns into the Ogre’s back. The Ogre dizzily stumbled back, as hurt as it was enraged.
Elem felt his heart rate jump up with excitement. The tide was finally turning; they were winning this match. A few more attacks and they would surely finish the Ogre.
“Why is this taking so long?” interrupted a sharp voice.
A tall, bald woman emerged from between the trees, trailed by a man fully dressed in black. Without acknowledging Elem and Aja, she turned to the thug who had previously summoned the Daemon.
“Where is your Summon?” she demanded. “Don’t tell me you lost it.”
“Boss…” the robber tried, suddenly hunching down like a scolded schoolboy. “These kids...They’re better than they look. I think they might be more trouble than they’re worth-”
“Shut up idiot! I don’t want to hear it. It's bad enough that I have to clean up your mess once again.” The woman rubbed her temples as she called her Summon.“I Summon the Manananggal; Void Summon, Ultimate Horror of the Shadows.”
The entire woods seemed to darken as the Manananggal arrived. Elem shuddered as he watched the Void Summon descend from a dark cloud. The Manananggal looked just as horrific as it had the last time he’d seen it. Guts trailed from its severed body, its wings were as tethered as an old sail and even the being’s hair seemed to be tinted with blood. While he had since learned that the creature was a Summon, Elem still thought the Manananggal looked more like the ghost of a mangled corpse.
While watching the Manananggal, Elem had completely missed that the bald woman’s associate had called a Summon as well; a short but mean looking Goblin. This meant that he and Aja were now facing three Summons.
Bile crept up Elem’s throat. The odds were overwhelming, only a miracle could save them now.