Chapter 136 - Rise In Strength

The beast before me, Eshner, buried her claws into the ground and shattered it under her weight.

Her long tail curled and her broad shoulders lifted into the air as her back dipped closer to the ground. She took on a hunting position and bared her fangs.

It hovered in position as if she were waiting for something before striking.

{Emergency Quest has been issued}

{Survive Eshner's wrath and defeat her in a fight to the death} 

{There are no other options}

An emergency quest, just like with Ilinore…? Figures, Uriel did say that she's a demon, if that's the case, then she really is connected to Ellios somehow. Not that she'd tell me anything–

 My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden surge of mana that shot towards me. It was silent, if not for my ability to sense it, I wouldn't have known she'd moved.

Eshner rushed at me with an open mouth, she stuck close to the ground as she ran and arrived in front of me in no time. Her speed was incomparable to her past form, somehow she had undone her crazy speed from before.

I backed away but it was too late, she had leapt into the air above me and whipped her arm out. I threw myself to the side and made it out with only a scratch across my shoulder. I fell to the ground and rolled back on my feet where Eshner continued her attack.

She was relentless, her claws were all I saw. They slashed through the air like wild blades. I pulled away at every chance I could but she was relentless.

"Rush!!"

Mana surrounded my feet and I darted back and forth between her attacks, even with my increased speed I was slower than her. She moved like a blur, my eyes just weren't able to keep up with her.

Even so…

"Why…why can't I get you?!!" Eshner screamed.

Her bloodthirsty tone rose angrier the more she hacked away at open air. She easily outclassed me in speed and yet I still managed to avoid her, at a close distance no less.

I pulled away from her massive grasp and stepped to my right, just as her claws flew at me I pulled myself back again. Every action she made, I anticipated and countered. I managed to close the gap between us and brought out my blades.

I was in a constant state of bobbing and sidestepping, never giving myself the chance to stay still. 

A slash landed against her arm and a drop of blood stained my white blade purple. 

'I managed to cut her with my blade, I did it just to make sure but it worked? She must have been using that crazy amount of mana of hers as a shield. That's probably why only my skills managed to hurt her. If that's the case, then I'll tear her apart!'

I dodged and weaved around her ruthless attacks, flipping through the air and darting past her strikes. I cast out my blade and it sliced into her shoulder, with my remaining hand I slashed her face and jumped back. By the time I landed on my feet again, the first blade had returned and cut through her back on its way to my hand.

Back and forth I had cast out my blades and ran around her. The green light of my Chakrams created the image of a tiger tangled in vines as I sent them out and caught them again, over and over.

For the first time, I had the chance to put my training to use with everything I had. Vye's strict nights of fights pushed me to my limits and it was there that I found such a good use for my blades.

"Enough of this–!!!" She screamed.

The surge of mana that had diminished from her body suddenly pulsed out of her as a wave. Both my blades fell from the air and dropped to the ground. Without them, I was bare-handed.

Her eyes shifted to me with a gleeful expression and the paws to her front legs stepped out. She rushed from her position over to me and slashed her claws through the air, which sent a claw-shaped blast of mana towards me.

"Whether it's long or short distance, I'll match you!" I replied arrogantly.

My empty palm rose towards the attack and from my words, a shell of multicoloured hexagons appeared in front of me. "Protect me, Stein Guard!"

{User has activated Stein Guard} 

The slashes of mana crashed into the shield made of light and filled it with a bright surge that flickered countless individual glows. 

{Mana has been restored to its maximum capacity}

My eyes widened at the screen's message. The effects of Stein Guard not only protected me from oncoming magical attacks but it also absorbed magic to replenish my supply. In one attack…in only one attack, my body was replenished.

The top of Eshner's lip twitched as her blast disappeared into my shield. An unbridled rage overtook her as she roared out.

A grin formed on my face, looking at the beast's raging expression. "I can do it if it's this much…I can win!"

***

"Defend the rear! Make sure this bastard doesn't get through the tankers!" Adder called out.

He waved his arm and a line of adventurers dressed in armour rushed towards the direction he pointed. His long white coat swayed with every elegant movement his arms made, displaying the image of a war general amidst a fierce battle.

The adventurers drew their swords and rushed in on their enemy from every possible direction. Their target, the shadowy figure dressed in long robes hovered at the centre of the room, with nowhere left to run.

A large bolt of electricity shot out towards him. Before it could land against him, a ring of purple light appeared at the end of his palm. The bolt struck the ring and froze at its centre, it had been captured by the ring's magical pull and pulsed wildly.

"Using magic against me, you humans are encouragable? However, this will be my victory."

The shadowy figure closed his open hand and the ring followed in turn, closing in on the bolt to a near-microscopic size.

"Bind magic. One of the strongest kinds and yet I'm forced to use it against mere humans…Very well." He rotated his hand and with a snap of his finger, the ring expanded, it released a powerful bolt of electricity twice its size back at the humans.

The blast of thunder blew past the fighters and knights and struck their line of defence. A massive burst of explosions roared out across the room as shielders were sent flying back and their line of defence, had been shattered.

"This guy…Damn it!" Adder cursed.