Stalling

'I need to get rid of him now. I can't have him getting involved, that'll lower my chances of winning this fight.' The red haired man thought in irritation as he glared at Stefam.

'But, any second I give Song could be dangerous for me.'

The red haired man was caught in two minds. He felt like Stefam's presence would be a disadvantage for him and he needed to finish him off quickly before Song recovered from the blow, but if he couldn't kill Stefam in time, and Song recovered, that could be dangerous for him also. After all, he couldn't use the same move on Song twice.

After a moment of hesitation which lasted less than a second, the red haired man had made a decision.

'Fuck the kid, Song is the bigger threat here.' With this thought he completely ignored Stefam and refocused his attention back to the direction Song flew in. He bent his body slightly, and with great force, he propelled himself forward like a rocket, flames burning off his form.

'Tch, he didn't take the bait.' Stefam clicked his tongue in irritation. He had expected the red haired man to consider his presence and come for him, throwing his momentum off balance. He knew if he were to face the red haired man alone he would lose, but who said anything about fighting? Stefam's plan was to run and stall for time so Song could rejoin the fight, he was sure that blow couldn't put Song out.

He would beat the red haired man in a contest of speed anyday. But instead, the opponent had analysed the situation, and made the choice of ignoring him, putting his plans into disarray.

"Seems I've underestimated him." Stefam thought. Any opponent that can calmly analyse his options and go for the right one in a single second, despite the tension of the situation, was no ordinary person.

Acknowledging his opponent within, Stefam decided to change the course of his actions.

'If I can't divert his attention to attack me, then I'll put his attack off by pressuring him.'

Stefam had the red haired man's speeding figure to catch up to, but that was no problem considering his speed. In a blaze of light, Stefam flashed forward and obstructed the path of the red haired man.

"Fuck off boy, I'll deal with you later." The red haired man roared with a furious gaze. He threw out a huge flame ball at Stefam that had suddenly appeared in front of him at a crazy speed.

Stefam brought his hands together, and a bright shield of light manifested before him and blocked the light. Quickly weaving through another set of signs, multiple light circles appeared in the air, surrounding the red haired man, as they pulsed with a chilling intensity.

"Shit." The red haired man cursed under his breath. Forcefully stopping his momentum, his body came to a screeching halt. He then took a huge leap backwards, and he was glad that he did just in time. The circles hovering before him all spat out deadly beams of light at his previous location, scorching the earth.

Raising his head, he looked at Stefam with an irritated expression before it morphed into one of shock and surprise. He saw Stefam pointing an object towards him. Its surface was a smooth silver that had dull lines running over it, it had a cylindrical part that stuck out from a cube-like section.

His eyes widened when he saw the object. "What the hell is he doing carrying that thing about? The red haired man thought with a shocked expression.

Stefam pointed the object at the red haired man and put in a small cuboid, holding four smaller tubes into the object with a click. In the next second the dull lines on its smooth surface flared to life with a white glow, giving the object a slick look.

A white light shot out of the nozzle of the object and traveled towards the red haired man at a blinding speed. In a split second, the beam of light pierced the shoulder of the red haired man, pushing him back a few steps.

"Hiss." A hiss of pain escaped his lips as he held his bleeding shoulder while keeping a watchful eye on Stefam.

Stefam kept the object aimed at the red haired man and fired another beam. The man dodged the shot by a hair's breadth before he conjured a huge ball of flames and hurled it at Stefam.

Stefam hurriedly left the line of the attack, and quickly refocused his attention on the red haired man, but it was too late as he had successfully taken advantage of the short moment his attack gave him.

"This pest, I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY." He roared as he wove through hand signs of his own. His eyes blazed with a searing intensity as his hands locked together in the final sign. His voice became distorted, as he uttered a quick chant, and in the next second, five circles appeared over Stefam, their crimson surface, having a tint of black to them.

"Flame pillars." The red haired man said softly.

Following his words, the circles shone with intensity, and they immediately released large pillar-like flames at Stefam from above. A searing heat enveloped the area as flames descended from above, threatening to engulf Stefam completely.

Stefam's eyes widened in surprise. He discarded the object in his hand and wove another set of signs, and a dome of light materialized around him, but the flames were relentless. They crashed into the dome with immense force, causing it to flicker and crack under pressure. Stefam gritted his teeth, pouring more mana into the shield, but he knew it wouldn't hold for long.

Just as the dome was about to shatter, a soft hum traveled into the ears of both men.

"Hmm hmm hmm"

A blue arc flashed towards the red haired man. He hurriedly dispelled it with force. A blue streak blurred through the flames. Song, his body still smoking from the earlier blow, appeared before Stefam, his blade flashing with a cold light. With a single powerful slash, accompanied by a huge gust of wind, he cut through the flames, dispersing them instantly.

Thank you Prince Stefam, Song said in appreciation, recognizing Stefam's efforts in stalling the red haired man, giving him time to recover from the shock of that punch.

Stefam merely nodded his head amid pants, the pressure from the flame pillars stressed him out.

"So, I'll admit, that caught me by surprise. I really have gotten old." Song said while readjusting his jaw that seemed to have shifted. There was a scorch mark on his face, a result of the heat of the punch.

The red haired man wore an ugly expression when he saw Song emerge again almost unscathed. A thick vein throbbed on his forehead as he gritted his teeth angrily.

'That bastard Prince.' The more the red haired man thought Stefam's distraction, the more angry he got. His face was contorted in rage. He looked as if he just ate sh*t.

'I don't want to waste any more time here, a war is truly underway in our territory, and I need to help.' Song thought.

"Phewwww."

A long whistle left Song's lips as he dashed at the red haired man in a blur.