Chapter 55: Fight's End [1]

The lightning hammer fell on Cassian like a giant truck, slamming his body into the ground with great force.

Eldrick didn't say a word, continuing to swing the hammer relentlessly, each collision causing significant damage.

Eldrick remained in perfect condition, clearly having not been hit even once. On the other hand, Cassian's upper clothes were completely torn, leaving black marks from the lightning on his skin.

Blood flowed from the side of his head, and his right leg hurt a lot, but somehow he was still standing. He managed to block some hits with his sword. Unfortunately, he couldn't deflect them using {Dream Descent} as he did in the first three attempts.

If he could use the first step of his martial art - {Dream Descent} - as much as he wanted, things might have been a bit different now. Perhaps he could do that once his mastery of the first step reached 100%, but that seemed far off at the moment.

Although being beaten increased his mastery of the Commandment of sloth significantly, the breakthrough didn't seem imminent.

"Damn it!" Cassian gritted his teeth as he was thrown toward a distant tree, probably breaking a few ribs in the process. He could barely move now, but he stood up anyway, looking up where Eldrick was currently hovering.

=+=

"Your time is up. I must admit you are truly impressive…" Eldrick spoke briefly, and I noticed that his golden hammer began to glow with an intense blue light.

"You survived for seven minutes against the Sky/lightning formation. You are a human talent worthy of respect." As soon as he finished speaking, I heard the sound of tearing winds around me.

The size of his wings expanded, and the metallic feathers became more prominent. 'He wasn't using his full power?' I felt despair.

If I don't do it now… I might really die. I gritted my teeth and uttered a single word.

<Summo- >

I stopped abruptly, realizing there was no need to summon Jin right now... as someone with a familiar appearance stood in front of me.

With broad shoulders and a skilled sword stance, Daristan stood before me, a smile etched on his face. He held his white moonlight sword in his right hand, pointing it at Eldrick, who was flying towards my current position.

Wearing black pants and a white shirt, traditional puppet clothing… it seemed my guess was correct… he had been there just like Elara and Gilbert…

I tried to catch my breath as I looked at him. No need to worry since he seemed confident; he was a prodigy character after all.

But where did he come from? His arrival at this specific time seemed too coincidental…

Wait, is he the person Killian brought with him?! Thinking about it… Killian never allowed anyone to see that person's face except for Jin…

Even when he carried him, he always covered his face with a white cloth…

The sound of clashing metals echoed everywhere, interrupting my miserable thoughts. Eldrick's hammer and the moonlight sword collided, with no clear winner apparent.

"!!!"

"!!"

Eldrick and I were equally surprised to see the sword slightly cut into the golden hammer.

The moonlight sword suddenly slipped, and Daristan sidestepped. Due to the great force exerted by Eldrick's wings, he ended up flying towards the ground and hitting it instead.

Then, with a quick side movement, the moonlight sword moved back towards Eldrick's neck, threatening to sever it from his body.

"Futile efforts!" Eldrick spoke confidently, and I noticed his wings moving at a strange angle to stop the sword.

Oddly, they seemed even sturdier than the hammer.

"The wings are the core of this formation, so I made them sturdier than the hammer. I don't know how you damaged my hammer, but it won't happen again!" When Eldrick finished speaking, he raised his hammer high and struck the ground with full force.

Numerous lightning bolts radiated from the point of impact in a circular pattern, turning everything they touched to ash.

Daristan retreated with unnatural lightness, heading towards me. He picked me up as if I were a sack of wheat and jumped onto a tree branch. Unfortunately, the tree started burning after being hit by some lightning bolts, but Daristan jumped into the air without wasting any time.

"Forgive me for this, but I have been watching your fight for a while. Your overall fighting style bothered me a lot." Daristan spoke to me as if I were the current problem.

I didn't pay much attention to his words; I was too focused on the fear I was feeling. 'Why did he jump into the air and expose himself to Eldrick, for god's sake…' I couldn't understand this move at all.

"If I stayed on the ground, I would give him the right to make the next move, and I wouldn't have any chance to predict its nature. Jumping into the air makes him feel the need to strike now, making his move somewhat predictable. Although this sacrifice is significant, making such risks is necessary when you don't know your opponent's abilities. This is often the case with dwarves because they don't have a fixed fighting style."

I listened to Daristan's brief lecture and couldn't help but agree internally. But even if he is a prodigy character, can he face Eldrick while carrying me on his shoulder? And in the air?

Additionally, Eldrick is a dwarf with a superior mind, how could he not know about Daristan's plan? 

I watched his movements closely when Aldric appeared in Daristan's blind spot. I could barely keep up with their fast movements.

Daristan threw me high and moved his head towards Eldrick in a strange way, as if he knew he was there beforehand.

I was late in noticing it, but a faint white aura had surrounded Daristan for some time. It was calm at first, but it became somewhat agitated when Eldrick entered its range.

'Mana Domain…' I recognized the technique he used the moment I saw it. Mana Domain is an advanced Mana art, and only a few know how to use it.

Although Daristan used a somewhat crude version, it was more than enough for this battle.

Mana Domain has several effects on the user, including providing precise peripheral vision, enhancing reaction speed, and offering a certain type of protection.

For Daristan right now, it was clear that the flawed method he used only provided the first effect, which was still a significant change in the battle's dynamics.

Daristan somehow dodged the hammer in the air, the side lightning bolts pierced his body from all directions, but he still moved towards Eldrick .

Then, oddly, he placed his left hand on Eldrick's left shoulder and slid his sword towards his neck.

{Tide}

All the lightning surrounding Eldrick suddenly disappeared, and even his hammer seemed to calm down. Compared to the extremely noisy environment a second ago, everything seemed quieter now, especially after the lightning vanished.

But the calmness lasted only a moment, as all the lightning gathered at the tip of the moonlight sword, piercing all of Eldrick's defenses.

The mechanical wings moved at the last moment to block the sword, but they did nothing against the lightning.

Eldrick should have had a way to resist lightning given the nature of the formation he used, but it seemed {Tide} did something about it as well.

Daristan then used Eldrick's body to jump high, skillfully grabbed me, and we started to fall towards the ground.

"How are we going to land?!" I screamed due to the loud sound of the wind around us.

"I didn't plan that far…" My face darkened when I heard his response. I decided to close my eyes and let fate decide my destiny, as my mind was completely exhausted.

<Summon >

Just moments before we hit the ground, I heard a deep voice in my mind, and I found that Jin had already appeared below us.

I certainly didn't use that skill… it seemed he came on his own this time. He caught us immediately, one in each hand, then slowly lowered us.

"What is happening here?" He asked, looking at the awakened Daristan and then at my injured body.

Before we could respond, a loud creaking sound came from the sky. "I must admit… fighting you two was a mistake." Eldrick was still flying in a zigzag pattern, his clothes torn in most places, and blood splatters adorning him well.

The tips of his golden hair were burnt and blackened. His left eye was closed, likely injured, and he held a strange golden ticket in his hand.

Jin suddenly pulled out a short sword from nowhere and held it, then disappeared into the air in a strange way. In a moment, he appeared majestically in front of Eldrick in the air. The contrast was stark.

Eldrick's now pitiful appearance, and Jin's majestic presence.

Unfortunately, Eldrick had already torn the ticket, and he was beginning to disappear into a suspicious portal.

A swift move from Jin, and Eldrick's right hand fell." I'd prefer you leave your storage ring here." Jin spoke without clear emotion, then grabbed Eldrick's hand before it hit the ground.

He wanted to enter the portal to kill Eldrick but decided not to take the risk in the end. Although he could return through the summoning skill, he preferred not to underestimate the dwarves' technology.

Using a teleportation skill within the confines of that place might be impossible, just like in some palaces of human royal families.