Battle (Part 2)

Korona hid between two thick bushes. She had lost her enemy, the Water Seran, for quite some time now, but she never lost track of him. Her enemy was now slowly moving through the path in the forest, preparing himself against any ambushes. It also proved that he, at least, had some combat sense, choosing to walk in the path, rather than walking through the bushes where traps could be easily set.

Silently, Korona casted her spell, Freezing Breath. It looked like a mist that hovered on the tip of her staff, the blue jewel glowing within. This spell of hers, if it would land successfully, would freeze a small part of the body. Although it was only a small part, the effect was quite strong. She carefully moved in sync with her enemy, waiting for the right time to shoot her spell.

When her enemy turned the other way around, opposite to where Korona was crouching, she immediately threw her spell.

Whoosh!

The mist flew through the air.

But… unexpectedly, the Seran dodged.

"Ha! I knew you were there!" the man laughed as she charged over the spot where Korona was staying.

Korona did not panic, nor did she show herself. The moment she saw the enemy dodge her attack, she started casting another spell.

The Seran was obviously euphoric about his successful dodge. After 10 minutes of mindless walking through the forest, he finally detected her enemy. He did not hesitate to rush towards Korona, slashing at every bush that stood on his way. He manically laughed as he advanced.

However, as he slashed through one of the bushes, what he saw wasn't the familiar green of the grass. Instead, it was sparkling white with a hint of blue. Failing to stop at the last moment, he stepped on to the ground made of ice. The icy path started to creep up on his boots the longer he stood there.

Bad! The situation was bad for him. This could be a set up for the following attack.

He immediately moved backward and prepared himself for the follow-up attack that Korona would make alongside her little distraction.

Strangely, nothing came after that.

He looked left…

Then right…

But no other attacks came.

Shit! I lost her again!

The Seran stomped his foot in anger. He had already found his prey, but he was too careless. He let a petty trap distract him. He was about to look for another area to search when he started to feel the temperature drop. He looked up.

He saw snowflakes falling down. The vapor in the air was freezing, turning into snow!

His eyes widened in shock and realization. Without thinking twice, he bolted towards the direction he was facing.

He heard a voice echo from a distance.

"Snowstorm!"

Time slowed for the Seran. As he looked at his surroundings, he was able to witness the frost slowly form on the leaves of the trees. The bushes freezing.

He felt rage burning up within him. How was he bested by a kid who used the same element he practiced. Seeing that he wasn't able to escape from the enemy's attack, he roared at the top of his lungs. He came to a sudden halt and started casting a spell. Then, he punched on the ground.

Several spikes made of ice similar to the ones on his gloves emerged from the ground. One by one, the spikes formed into a hut that sheltered his sorry figure inside. At least, there he would not be frozen solid by the harsh cold. There, he was in control. The Seran sighed in relief.

After half-a-minute, he noticed that the snowstorm had subsided. Carefully, he dropped some of the ice spikes to get a vision on the outside. Ignoring the trees that were frozen solid, everything was as it should be. It was peaceful. His hut broke into fine pieces as he emerged.

What greeted him was as he had expected.

Several ice shards hovered in the air, their sharp tips pointing at him. A girl stood by the side with her staff glowing.

It was over.

His defeat stemmed from the moment he got careless. No. From the moment he failed to stop his enemy from entering the forest. In the end, he failed to display his combat prowess and was defeated in a pitiful manner.

Sigh.

He slowly put his hands up in the air.

….

From the continuous attacks that hindered Aeon's movements, the Earth Remoran he was pursuing was able to regroup with the Fire Remoran. It was the worst-case scenario for him and Suri. There should only be a few more minutes before the exam ends.

Aeon and Suri were not really far from the team they were pursuing. What was problematic was the control their enemies displayed with their skills. They could accurately throw spells at them at any time and they had to dodge left and right. Sure, they could deplete their magic over time. But they were currently taking an exam. They did not have that much time.

Suri was the one most burdened by the ranged cheap shots. He was agile for his build, but it was not enough to dodge continuous attacks. Ultimately, his agility was not enough to compensate for his large figure that was an easy target. He would sometimes be left behind, only being able to catch up when the enemy's attacks targeted and missed Aeon.

All in all, they weren't in a good situation. They had to find an opening somehow.

No! They had to make an opening themselves.

Suri and Aeon had long since realized that it was the only option. The problem, however, was how they would be able to execute it. Use Suri as a meat shield? For that to succeed, Suri should be faster than Aeon. Use Aeon as a meat shield? He wouldn't last for too long, especially without magic. His body may be tougher than a normal human being, but a barrage of spells was not something he could casually endure.

Their only option was to break through their ranks successfully, one more time. Just one more time. But their last attempt ended up in Aeon being trapped in an earth prison. How would they fare better now?

Aeon was starting to get pissed. The only chance they have to steal the flag was to break through their limits. But it wasn't so simple! There's a reason why it was called a limit.

"Screw it!" Aeon screamed, "Suri! Cover me!"

Hearing this, Suri was flabbergasted.  "Cover? How am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know! You think about it!"

After dropping his last sentence, Aeon sped up.

Running at his maximum speed was not exactly easy for him. It should only be used in short bursts. But now that they were forced in another desperate situation, he couldn't care less. He would pay the price with his body after the exam ends. Aeon could already feel his body being sore.

Just like earlier, several walls made of earth popped up from the ground, limiting both their path and vision.

As Aeon saw the walls rise, his face scrunched up in anger.

I have no fucking time for this!

Like an enraged bull, Aeon punched through the first wall he encountered. Fortunately, as expected, the wall was not as tough as usual. The Earth Remoran still valued speed over power, making the wall subpar in terms of durability.

The Earth Remoran did not expect Aeon to do this so his earth walls were scattered and not formed in a straight line. They were supposed to be obstructions to buy some time, not a fortified barricade. In the end, the formation became inefficient and Aeon easily broke through.

What a beast.

Suri, who also saw Aeon's display of madness, was struck speechless. It made him realize how desperate the situation they were in was. He laughed and, like Aeon, busted through the wall in front of him with his broadsword.

Aeon slowed down a bit. The enemies were only five meters in front of him now. The moment that an attack came his way, he would demonstrate a burst of speed, slowly closing the gap, and at the same time, dodging. There tended to be openings after a mage releases a spell, and Aeon was planning on exploiting that small window. It seemed like he was finally learning as the battle progressed.

In no time, Aeon was able to catch up with the Earth Remoran. He decided to leave the Fire Remoran to Suri since the Earth Remoran was the one causing them most of their trouble in advancing.

Seeing the rabid Aeon, the Earth Remoran prepared himself for combat. He swung his staff towards Aeon, the first time he used his weapon in close combat. He may be a Remoran, but he was still a mage! He could easily best 10 people in a brawl without using magic, just his fists! He eyed the rabid mage with determination.

Come!

Aeon saw the determination in his opponents eyes and was rather satisfied. It wouldn't be a fun battle if the enemy just surrendered after all. He responded by meeting it with his dagger. He opted to contest with the enemy in terms of brute strength!

The exchange proved which was stronger.

After the staff met the dagger, it immediately bounced back to the Earth Remoran, making him stagger backward. His right hand holding the staff numbed from the force.

This guy really is a beast!

But this was also a part of his plan! He was pushed back by the force, but his enemy was also forced to a momentary halt!

As he staggered, he casted a spell under his breath. Several earth spikes attacked Aeon from the sides.

Aeon jumped up, dodging the spikes and moving forward at the same time. Those series of earth spikes... they were an amazing attempt. They were carefully laid out to slow down his actions. But Aeon was already expecting those. He knew that the enemy could cast magic faster than the standard of their current rank.

Aeon weaved through the earth spikes like a snake moving in on an unsuspecting rat.

The moment that the rat saw his hunter, it was already too late.

Everything happened too fast. Before the Earth Remoran knew it, he was facing the enemy's fist.

Aeon punched at the Earth Remoran's face who was still in the middle of casting a spell. He staggered backward, his spell canceled. But he didn't give up just yet. He casted another Earth Spike and it shot towards the advancing Aeon.

Aeon had enough with the Earth Remoran. He jumped and kicked at the sides of the earth spikes and the spikes broke like glass.

Seeing this, the Earth Remoran cursed. Due to the nature of his technique, it was much faster for him to deplete his magic. And he was just about to reach his limit. He couldn't cast any big spells anymore. He casted an Earth Wall.

When the wall popped up, it was thinner than usual. This didn't escape Aeon's keen eyes.

Finally!

Aeon rejoiced. It was finally time for payback.

He broke through the wall and pounced on the defenseless Earth Remoran.

Prepare for some pain, earth boy!

Afraid of killing the man, Aeon refrained from using his dagger. He continuously punched at the Earth Remoran's face. The latter had tried to cast a spell but failed every single time.

It was over for him.

….

A few meters away from Aeon, Suri was also locked in an intense battle.

While jumping around, the Fire Remoran was able to throw fireballs at Suri. Sometimes, he would spew out a fiery breath from his mouth, like a dragon.

Suri swung his broadsword several times at the man, but every single time, the Fire Remoran would dodge gracefully. The latter must have been exceptionally trained to fight against Serans. Despite being a Remoran, he could engage an enemy at close combat while casting spells from time to time, unlike the Earth Remoran who got pummeled after being closed in on.

Although he lacked the cast speed demonstrated by the Earth Remoran, this enemy was meticulous in using his spells. Carefully timing each and every one of them.

Sometimes, when Suri would start to swing, he would shoot out a small fireball to force Suri to block with the flat side of his sword. When Suri did successfully slash with his sword, and after his successful dodge, he would throw out a small fireball towards Suri's defenseless face.

The Fire Remoran was very good at grasping opportunities and openings revealed by Suri. It was safe to say that he was Suri's bane for being a broadsword wielder. It was the broadsword's nature to slow down the user's attacks due to its size, leaving many openings.

It would surely be a tough fight.

….