Gomon and Daren averted their eyes from the explosion.
The trees in range were blown to bits, the water from the rivers evaporated.
Focusing on the air that was left behind for too long was nausea inducing, getting worse the longer one looked.
Daren was sneaking glances through the corner of his eye, it was slim, but he held the hope that their attacks could make a difference, make an impact.
But what he could glimpse was far more surprising than whether Plamus received any damage… the distorted air was recovering at a pace entirely unfamiliar to him.
The fastest he had ever seen was at minimum an hour… but here… it was fixing itself in seconds.
He turned his head, looking directly into their targeted zone, "Why?"
"Why is everything around him behaving abnormally?" Daren's lips quivered.
Plamus was hovering in the air, unscathed.
There would be nothing left to even indicate them trying to attack him, if it weren't for the destroyed surroundings.
Gomon sighed, this was the expected outcome, but still, it served to deflate their confidence.
The eyes across Plamus' body blinked uncaringly, but then he shook, it looked like waves that travelled under his skin, something was moving.
When they converged at the centre of his chest, it burst forth!
A dark purple pulse spread out from him in all directions, faster than Daren or Gomon could react to, leaving behind strange particles in the air wherever it went.
"What was that?!" Daren shouted.
"I don't know!" Marquis Gomon answered, his voice raised.
The two backed off.
There was no noticeable change, no matter how much they scrutinised themselves, which made his actions all the more terrifying.
"Haha!" Gomon burst out, holding his forehead.
"Marquis?!" Daren worried, had some effect taken hold over him?
"How cruel! How utterly cruel! The moment he acts is the moment that marks our funerals, and despite that, he is doing nothing! He is toying with us, this bastard!" Gomon howled.
"I don't care!" he shouted, "I don't care anymore!" blue particles gathered around his arms.
"Marquis! Don't do anything rash!" Daren said, but the old man couldn't contain himself anymore.
Gomon sprinted at Plamus, the particles around his arms materialized, turning them into thick whips.
He slammed them into the ground, launching himself up.
Both of his arms were raised above his head, then came crashing down at Plamus, striking him square in the noggin, and sending him hurling!
Gomon followed right after, one dust cloud followed the other, as the sound of something being smashed resounded, over and over.
"What are you waiting for?!" Gomon's voice rattled Daren, "Give him hell!!"
Daren's brows furrowed, his magic lifted him into the air, "You'll get caught up in it!"
"Haha! Fine by me!" Gomon laughed.
Daren shook his head, their lives were already forfeit, Gomon had adapted the right mindset quicker than him.
The old man wanted to die a warrior's death, laying down his life doing something meaningful, how could he refuse him?
Daren spread his arms wide, he became the centre of a conglomerate of particles that ended up orbiting him.
Their speed increasing with every moment, until the wind became strong enough to develop a suction force, tugging at the remaining trees at the edge of their fight, but also all the broken pieces that were lying around.
Its reach was widening, and its intensity was getting fiercer, a tornado was forming with Daren in the middle.
The dust clouds were quickly absorbed into it, but Daren waved his hand, yanking Marquis Gomon out of his spell's range before it was too late.
Daren had full control, full awareness, like the tornado was an extension of himself.
He could feel every object within, he could feel as Plamus' body was getting caught up in it all, flesh was pulled from another, his limbs were ripped from his body, while branches bumped into him at unimaginable speeds.
Daren observed every fibre of Plamus' being getting cut and torn into fine material.
But just this much wasn't enough… there was still fury in his heart, a fire in his throat.
He redirected the tornado's flow, pushing it into the ground, along with everything that was still caught up inside of it.
The many objects scraped against the ground, digging out the earth, and wearing themselves down until there was nothing left but a huge crater.
The tornado ceased; the air was released into every direction.
Marquis Gomon was standing over the edge of the pit… he was holding his breath.
Nothing.
There was nothing.
Daren huffed, he had his eyes closed, his arms relaxed, "How sweet… the sound of silence."
It felt a tad melancholic, after everything they had been through, a moment of respite.
Did that kill him?
Or did it not?
Either way, he was content knowing that he had made an effort.
Even if that effort ended up being pointless in the face of unmatched power.
Daren slowly opened his eyes, then trembled in fear, gazing into his, were the red eyes of Plamus.
His mouth opened a gap, sucking in a short breath, before his ribcage felt like it was turned to mush, and he was flung into the earth.
"DAREN!" Gomon screamed, torn between rushing to help him, and attacking Plamus before he moved.
But the decision was made in his stead.
In just a blink Plamus had reappeared in front of him.
Gomon was staring against Plamus' palm, a single red eye at its centre was staring back at him.
An exchange that lasted no longer than a heartbeat but felt like eternity.
Gomon raised his arms in defence, then darkness overcame him.
His carcass was blown into the swamp.
Daren was crawling out of the crater with his last bit of strength, only to find Plamus standing in the open, all alone.
He knew what this meant…
Another one crossed off the list.
Daren noticed the purple particles in the air, once again.
They weren't static, but moved, vibrated.
Their forms changing, taking on different shapes.
Daren couldn't picture what any of this meant… but he could feel changes inside of him, and all around him.
Sensations that couldn't be described with words.
Only, that everything was suddenly inverse.
Another blink, and Plamus was hovering over him.
This monster had no mouth to speak with, but Daren could imagine his thoughts perfectly, 'Weak. So weak. Pathetic.'
Though they might as well be his own.
He had no delusions about his strength, rank three was nothing compared to… this.
Death was the only outcome to this fight.
Unfortunate, but inevitable.
Plamus bent his waist, reaching for Daren's throat, to pick him up.
"That's right… come… closer…" Daren croaked.
The winds that surrounded them picked up and closed in, "Got… one final… spell for you… bastard!"
Daren had prepped his own coffin, a suicide attack, and there was no need to bait Plamus in, for he was sure to finish things with his own hands.
The wind shaved away at them as the sphere was growing smaller.
Whistling was all Daren heard while his flesh was being cut apart.
His senses were already numb from the previous impact.
Then the sphere burst!
But not in the sense that Daren had expected.
His spell was destroyed from external interference…
Lightning coiled around him, but then moved on to Plamus, before wreaking havoc on his body!
Plamus' grip released, then the purple particles in the air shifted another time, and as they settled, the lightning vanished.
Daren hit the ground, his head was tilted, his vision was upside down, but still, he could make out the origin of the interference…
"Winny?" he groaned.
The frown on her face was deepening, "Huh!? Why can't I cast anymore!?"
"Wha… what are y-" Daren mumbled, but she cut him off quickly, "Don't get your hopes up. I'd have left, if I could!"
"What…?" Daren didn't understand her meaning.
Plamus blinked once more, vanishing next to Daren, and showing up before Winny.
His fist winded up for a punch, as a white needle struck his knuckles, covering them in a sheen of frost, before encasing him wholly!
The earth near his feet welled up, then launched itself at him in the shape of a pillar, breaking the ice, and throwing him backwards.
One after the other, the survivors reappeared from the fog on the edge of the battlefield, "Wh-… why are you… you all…" Daren felt touched, but saddened.
His sacrifice-… Gomon's sacrifice, now they meant nothing.
"Master…" his heart ached upon seeing Baron Beckett carrying his master back into view.
"All of us ended up here again?" Kassan pondered.
Agnes nodded, "It felt like we were walking in circles, turns out that was it."
"It started the moment these things spread." the rank three mage from the royal palace pointed into the air, at the purple shapes.
"I couldn't harm them." he continued.
Kassan rubbed his temples, "Then we are trapped indeed. It seems we are destined to fight. Forgive me, for I am useless. I'll serve as a shield, so that at least one attack may be directed my way."
"Not necessarily." the rank three mage countered, as he pushed his hand into a pink cube, then retrieved a mote of light.
He handed it to Kassan, "His Royal Highness instructed me to pass this on to you, should things come down to the wire."
"Ha… His Majesty sure is full of wonders, even anticipating a situation such as this." Kassan fawned, happily taking the object, then pressing it into his chest.
A warm light enveloped him.
His complexion lightened, as though he had been rejuvenated.
"Gods." he exhaled his delight, "This should allow me to be of some use, for now."
"Was that an artefact?" Winny raised her eyebrow.
Kassan shook his head, "More like, a bundle of particles."
Winny's eyes lit up, "Got any lightning bundles?" her question directed at His Majesty's mysterious attendant.
But his expressions were signalling a 'no'.
"It's not that simple, I'm afraid." Kassan tried to explain but was interrupted.
"No time to chit-chat!" Agnes shouted into the group, as Plamus was brushing off the dirt from his body.
"Any ideas how to beat him?!" Winny grumbled, but was silenced thereafter, as she felt countless eyes settle on her.
Plamus figure blinked and disappeared.
Winny raised her arms in defence, her eyes shut, and her teeth clenched, preparing for impact.
A loud thud echoed through the air, her eyelids sprang open, and she found herself surrounded by a white-yellow, as well as a pink light.
Cracks ran along the barrier's surface, but she had survived!
"If we knew of any, would we be in this situation?!" Agnes answered, she slammed the base of her staff into the ground, causing the earth to freeze over as the trail travelled towards Plamus.
Ice was growing up his legs, while shards formed around Agnes.
They shot at Plamus, piercing into his flesh, and unleashing the cold trapped inside them.
Plamus ignored them, his hand kept pressing against the barrier.
Only when the ice was nearing his arms did he stomp his foot, instantly shattering all the buildup on his body and anything in his vicinity.
Kassan's and the rank-three-mage's conjoined barrier popped, the resulting shockwave pushed Plamus away, however only a minor distance.
"Earlier you spoke of a connection!" Kassan said, he positioned himself between Winny and the monster.
"Isn't there anything you can notice?!" he asked Agnes.
Agnes went silent, her fingers reached for one of the strange particles in the air.
Plamus chest pulsed, then the particles reacted to the changes within him, their shapes became more twisted.
The ice stuck in him evaporated on the spot, then the wounds closed.
Agnes heartrate spiked, the world inside her was resonating with whatever the particles were emanating.
Her inner world, that she encased in corrupted ice, to supress the four elements that had tried to vie for supremacy within her, was regaining some life.
"Fire, wind, earth, water…" Agnes mumbled.
Her hold over those four was weakening, for some reason, they were yearning for the chaotic particles in the air.
"Fire, wind, earth, water…" Frey gulped, 'Is that… why…?'
His thoughts filled with countless possibilities, but one thing was for sure… "Buy me some time!" he shouted at the rest.
They were baffled, rightfully so, but they were all out of options, all out of ideas.
Any sliver of hope was worth exploring.
Frey squatted onto the ground, his hand pushed into the earth, while Agnes returned to her senses.
She moved to stand in front of him, ready to intercept Plamus, but he didn't seem to care about Frey.
Frey didn't even register as a threat to him.
Plamus approached the group with stunting velocity, crashing right through the barrier.
Kassan slammed his hand against his chest, and with a puff of light, he dissolved into a bunch of particles.
He reappeared next to Plamus, first one, then two, then several more figures that resembled Kassan spawned.
Their palms were glowing, ready to strike!
And so, more than ten of him attacked the fleshy monster at once.
Each palm that connected with Plamus sent ripples across his body and dissolved the flesh they touched.
Half of Plamus was already missing, when the purple particles in the air shifted one more time, and the remaining after-images of Kassan that had yet to strike, simply vanished.
"Wha-?!" Kassan spurted out.
His connection to his spell was gone, from one moment to the next.
There was no backlash, almost like his magic hadn't formed in the first place.
He tried to conjure another barrier, feeling the mounting pressure that Plamus was exuding was getting closer.
But nothing happened.
"I still have reserves! How is that-" his speech was cut short as Plamus regenerated in full.
Plamus' hand reached for Kassan's head, then slammed him into the ground, causing another crater to form.
"N-no… Kassan…" Daren spoke weakly, the pillar upon which he had placed his confidence came tumbling down.
He wanted to push through the pain of his injuries, to stand up and keep fighting, but his body and mind refused his orders, leaving him as a helpless onlooker.
Plamus stood triumphantly over his most recent trophy, when suddenly, he shuddered.
His countless eyes jolted into the same direction, wary of the aura he was sensing from one of his other targets.
Mist escaped with each of Agnes' breaths.
She closed her eyes, the ground at her feet was freezing, but the ice wasn't white.
The dark hue was causing an eerie feeling to spread uncontrollably through the observers.
Plamus was no exception.
Winny's eyes widened, out of everyone, she understood the best, the implications of what they were seeing.
She herself was using lightning and death magic separately, but this… this wasn't anything separate.
Agnes raised her hand, and a tidal wave of corrupted ice came for him.
Daren stopped blinking, he couldn't believe it!
This was the first time that Plamus wasn't taking a spell head on, as arrogantly as he did before, instead, he was trying to evade!
Agnes' staff was drawing in the surrounding particles, and when they left, they had all turned blue, fuelling her onslaught.
Agnes created another wave, and another, looking to pincer Plamus.
Despite his absurd speed, he was quickly caught between the converging waves.
There was no way out, perhaps there was a way through, but it didn't seem like Plamus had the time to even consider it.
The ice flowed like a liquid, then came crashing down on him!
Agnes' eyes snapped open, and all that was left before her was a giant block of ice.
The inside was so dark, that not a single speck of Plamus remained visible.
Her inner world was freezing over, darkness enshrouded everything, and the four elements cowered in fear.
Agnes looked around, all the strange particles in the air, they appeared restless.
So far, every obstruction they placed into Plamus' way had been obliterated, it was only a matter of time before he broke free.
Why would this attempt be any different?
It took several moments, but sure enough, something was happening within.
The pitch black was frequently interrupted by streaks of purple, like lightning, flashing in between clouds during a storm.
Something was spreading, snaking its way through the corrupted ice.
Agnes took a step closer, her nose almost touching the transparent outer-most layer of Plamus' prison.
The purple thing was drawing close, slowly, then it lashed out, slamming against the glassy wall, and creating cracks!
Agnes didn't flinch back as the purple tentacle attacked, over and over, trying to free itself from the icy cage.
The cracks widened with every strike.
"Get back!" Winny shouted.
But Agnes didn't react, "Hey! I'm not kidding!" Winny rushed over, pulling her away from the ice.
Agnes' eyes were glued to the purple tentacle.
"What is that?" the rank three mage had a foreboding feeling wash over him.
Winny swallowed, "That… thing… sucks the life out of your body…"
The rank three mage's expressions twisted.
Baron Beckett frowned, "We should get the injured as far away as possible, while we have time."
"And take them where exactly?! We can't leave! We've already tried that!" Winny admonished him, she gestured furiously.
"How should I know?!" Baron Beckett howled back at her, "But anything is better than sitting around and waiting for him to break free!"
He was still carrying Vivienne, stopping her condition from getting worse.
Winny bolted towards Daren, while the rank three mage tugged at Kassan.
The ice continued to crack, there was no time, Agnes stood there, absentmindedly, and Frey squatted behind her, absorbed in his own plan.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Winny looked between them, the ice, and the depths of the swamp.
Was it possible to leave if they escaped now?
Who knew what effects the corrupted ice had on Plamus.
And if they stayed?
Would they be of any help?
Winny had experienced first-hand how Plamus could simply turn off her control over lightning, not to mention that the three injured would just end up as free nutrients for that monster!
She was used to prioritizing her own survival… but now… none of them had any chances.
Chunks of ice broke off the frozen cage.
The earth under their feet quaked.
The end was near.
The rank three mage inhaled, "May the gods grace us with a swift end…"