KAZ'S POV:~
Shit, Cloak is out of contact. and here Seraphine is trying to hunt me down. I hope Leon would find his friend, that is, if she's still alive.
She hadn't yet grasped that Leon had slipped through her fingers. All I had to do was keep her fixated on me, a tantalizing distraction while they gained precious distance, guided by Valeria or Cloak.
Or… was it possible that the main purpose of Seraphine prolonged presence here is just to kill me. Those fools truly inflated my capabilities beyond recognition.
"Excuse me?" I projected my voice with a subtle surge of magic, the amplification spell ensuring the words carried without revealing my precise location. "I do hope you haven't wandered off."
Her reply echoed through the dense foliage, laced with a chilling amusement. "Yes, of course. Then how would it be if you emerged from your hiding place and we concluded this tiresome game of cat and mouse right here?"
I heard that she's one of the smartest people who have been called here by the ancient gods. Gotta be extra cautious.
"Let's talk about something," I countered, feigning nonchalance. "Anyway, time is a luxury I currently possess in abundance."
As if to punctuate my words with a brutal exclamation mark, a monstrous roar ripped through the jungle's tranquil embrace. It was instantly followed by a searing wave of heat that prickled my skin and the sharp, acrid stench of utter destruction. The sounds of violent cracking and hissing erupted alarmingly close, then abruptly ceased, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating silence punctuated only by the faint, ghostly whisper of falling ash.
"I don't imagine the local fairies will be particularly pleased with your… landscaping efforts," I remarked, my voice betraying none of the unease churning within me.
My senses were on high alert, constantly shifting my position while meticulously tracking the subtle undulations of her mana signature. Sixteen meters. She was dangerously close.
"Allow me to expedite things then," she purred, a dangerous edge entering her tone. "By the way, if you remain stubbornly hidden, I'll simply have to level this pathetic jungle."
"I seem to have misplaced the section in my responsibilities ledger that pertains to the well-being of foliage," I retorted, striving for a dismissive tone. "Am I truly expected to care?"
"No." Her single word hung in the air, devoid of emotion, yet somehow more menacing than any threat.
....
A cold tendril of dread snaked around my heart. Something was profoundly wrong. The air crackled with an unseen energy.
Cautiously, I risked a peek. Seraphine stood amidst the encroaching devastation, her hands moving in intricate patterns, her lips forming words I couldn't quite discern, yet instinctively knew were steeped in power.
Don't tell me…
My mind screamed a warning an instant before I acted. "Scutum Aquae!" I bellowed, channeling my mana to conjure a shimmering, translucent barrier around myself. The next fraction of a second exploded in a cacophony of raw magical force as the area around me shimmered and solidified, an invisible cage sealing my fate.
I have to hide! The desperate thought echoed in my mind.
"Got you!" Her voice, now devoid of its playful facade, resonated with chilling triumph.
The invisible walls pressed in, and the air within my water shield grew heavy. Seraphine's triumphant words hung in the air. Panic threatened to overwhelm me.
Think, Kaz, think! My mind raced, searching for an escape. The water shield wouldn't hold against her attack. I could feel her energy building outside.
My gaze darted around. The air shimmered where the shield met the jungle. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"Impressive parlor trick," I called out. "Though I prefer my enclosures with a view. Perhaps some flowers next time?"
Seraphine remained silent, focused. I could sense her power growing.
Now!
With a surge of mana, I focused on the edges of the shield, creating minute distortions. At the same instant, I hurled wind magic at one of the weak points, trying to create a ripple.
A hairline fracture appeared on the shield, then vanished. But it was enough.
In that tiny opening, I poured my will downwards. I channeled earth magic, and the ground beneath me liquefied. I plunged down, the shield scraping my shoulders.
Just as quickly, the earth solidified. Above, I heard Seraphine's sharp breath and a frustrated curse.
I was still trapped, but hidden. The air was thick with the smell of earth and ozone.
This wasn't escape, not yet. But it was a moment to think. The game wasn't over. It had just gone underground.
The memory of that arrow flashed in my mind. I had reacted instantly, hardening the barrier and adding more, but they shattered like glass. Not even a second of delay.
That brief moment had been enough for me to save myself.
"Creatio veli fumosi," I chanted, and the whole area filled with smoke. It gave me time to get away.
It would be easy to escape now, but if I let her know, she'd track Leon down and kill him.
Alright, because this wasn't a fair fight, as always. That girl was at least ten times stronger than me, and her mana reserves were even greater.
Even though I'd escaped from stronger opponents, I didn't think I would have faced such a strong one alone. And look at my bad luck; this was the one declared the smartest among the heroes.
"Vortex sagittae," she breathed, and the air shimmered as another spell took form.
"Protectio absoluta a proiectilibus." The words tasted like ash on my tongue, the incantation for absolute projectile protection. A beautiful, elegant defense, capable of rendering any arrow, any bolt, utterly useless. The perfect counter to an archer's deadly rain. But like a stunningly intricate clockwork mechanism, it demanded an exorbitant price. Mana, the very lifeblood of a mage, drained away in torrents. Worse, it forced the body to operate beyond its natural limits, leaving a trail of brutal side effects in its wake.
The last dance I'd had with this spell had been a near-fatal waltz. My heart had become a raging inferno, each beat a violent explosion threatening to tear me apart. Darkness had claimed me, and I'd languished in its embrace for four agonizing days.
Now, the familiar wellspring of my mana pulsed at a reassuring 95%. Yet, I knew this fragile abundance was fleeting. This exquisite shield would devour it so greedily that within twenty short minutes, I'd be teetering on the brink at 20%, the world tilting with encroaching dizziness. If it emptied completely… oblivion.
The arrows would come again. I felt it in the charged air, the predatory stillness of my opponent. I didn't know if I could survive another barrage without this desperate measure. The risk was immense, but the alternative was certain death. I had to gamble.
With a silent shift of weight, I widened the distance between us, a fleeting illusion of safety in the ravaged landscape.
"You think you can run away?" Her voice, sharp as a honed blade, sliced through the tense silence. Her bow, an extension of her will, was already rising.
"I do," I replied, my voice a low, steady counterpoint to her aggression.
The arrow she loosed was a thing of lethal beauty, a silver streak against the bruised sky. And then, with a whispered enchantment, it fractured, multiplied, blossoming into a deadly constellation of a dozen more, each point aimed unerringly at my heart.
Okay then. Let's dance.
The first arrow streaked towards me, a whisper of death. My body moved without conscious thought, a fluid deflection that sent it spinning harmlessly away. Another followed, and another, each met with a precise parry, a subtle twist of my form.
She unleashed a relentless storm, a flurry of deadly projectiles. And I, the assassin, became a whirlwind of motion, a living shield, deflecting each incoming threat with an almost balletic grace. Even as the mana burned away, even as the strain etched lines of concentration on my face, there was a strange, detached beauty in the deadly exchange.
Finally, the string on her bow fell silent. The last of the enchanted arrows had been spent.
"Projectile protection?" she mused, her gaze intense. "I've heard tales. It demands a concentration that borders on the superhuman. Most crumble after a mere minute, but I sense your stubborn resilience will hold until your mana withers. A fascinating display. However," a predatory smile flickered across her lips, "my patience wears thin. I find I prefer the intimacy of steel."
An archer, renowned for her ranged prowess, choosing to engage an assassin in close combat with a sword. Was it arrogance? A hidden mastery of the blade? Or a reckless disregard for her own strengths? A chill traced its way down my spine. This woman was either terrifyingly confident or utterly unhinged.
She drew her sword, the polished steel glinting menacingly in the dappled light. And in that heartbeat, I released the shimmering shield of absolute protection. The sudden absence of its drain was almost as jarring as its presence had been. The dance had changed. The rules had shifted. And the true fight was about to begin.
Even within the shimmering embrace of that mana-draining shield, not every arrow was denied. Several, imbued with unnatural speed and precision, managed to graze my skin, leaving fiery trails of pain in their wake. Each searing touch was a stark reminder of the immense power I was facing, and the precariousness of my defense.
Then, with a fluid motion that spoke of lethal intent, she drew her sword. The polished steel whispered as it left its scabbard, a glint of deadly purpose in the fading light. In that instant, I dropped the "Protectio absoluta a proiectilibus." The drain had become unsustainable, and a different kind of threat now loomed.
One moment she was there, bow discarded on the blood-soaked earth. The next, she vanished, melting into the shadows with an unnerving speed that belied her previous reliance on ranged attacks.
A sudden, razor-sharp killing intent pierced the air behind me. My instincts, honed by years spent in the shadowed corners of the world, screamed a warning. My body reacted before my mind could fully process the danger, twisting, turning, my own hidden blade flashing into existence. Steel shrieked against steel, a violent, jarring sound that echoed through the stillness.
The force of the impact slammed into me, a brutal shockwave that stole my breath. My feet lost purchase on the uneven ground, and I crashed down, the rough earth scraping against my back.
A bitter taste of disbelief filled my mouth. Defeated? By an archer? My pride, a fragile thing at the best of times, recoiled at the thought.
Desperation clawed at me. I channeled the last dregs of my remaining mana, not into defense, but into raw physical enhancement, strengthening my muscles, sharpening my reflexes, a desperate gamble to even the odds.
Another wave of killing intent, even more potent than before, slammed into my senses. She wasn't going to give me a moment to recover.
Snarling, I twisted, lashing out with my dagger, putting the entirety of my enhanced strength behind the blow.
Surprise flickered across her face, a momentary lapse in her deadly focus. She managed to parry my attack, the clang of metal echoing once more, but the unexpected ferocity of my counter-attack threw her off balance, her stance wavering.
Time to end this.
With a surge of adrenaline-fueled speed, I lunged, my dagger a silver blur aimed at the vulnerable curve of her neck. A grim smile stretched across my lips.