The distance between them narrowed. There was perhaps a meter, if that, between their feet. Their eyes locked.
Time felt almost frozen. An invisible game was being played over which side would make the first move.
At that moment, Estelle took a step. It was a small but graceful step, reminiscent of water gently touching the shore. She raised her arms and turned her palms toward Kaelen. Kaelen responded in the same way. Their movements were synchronized. At the same time, in the same manner... They were like reflections—the breaking of the same wave on two different sides of the same pool.
Suddenly, Estelle twisted her wrists and made a gentle yet effective push. The move was soft, but serious power lay beneath it. Kaelen drew his body back almost imperceptibly. Firmly planting his feet, he countered with his hands, as if guiding an invisible wind. His movements, too, were in harmony with nature; in response to Estelle's fluid attack, Kaelen glided like the wind, dispersing the attack.
A glimmer appeared in Estelle's eyes. She stamped her left foot on the ground and spun her body in a circle, extending her palm toward Kaelen's chest. The move was as deadly as it was graceful. However, instead of directly stopping the blow, Kaelen countered by redirecting its energy. With a tiny flick of his wrist, he dispersed the force of the attack, as if steering an incoming wave to another shore.
Both were attacking, defending, and attacking again. Every move was a response to the other. Every counter created a new opening. There was a rhythm of nature between the punches and foot movements. Their fight was less about brute force and more about harmony—its whole essence was not to resist force, but to direct it.
Even as Estelle retreated, her body remained in harmony. She instantly regained her posture. She was like a dancing water goddess. As she raised and lowered her arms like waves, dew drops splashing from the ground formed small rings around her. Then she suddenly dropped low, bending her knees to try and destabilize Kaelen's balance.
Kaelen stepped to the side, almost anticipating the move. He managed to move out of the cross-section of the attack by rotating his body. He quickly swung his leg in a counter-attack, but Estelle, with agile reflexes, blocked his kick.
Within a few seconds, the fight had evolved into a dance rather than a conventional clash. Neither was fully attacking, nor was the other solely defending. Every step, every touch, every change of direction was intertwined. Mana was intensely palpable in the air; it was as if an invisible aura surrounded them. If an ordinary person were subjected to one of these blows, a serious injury would be inevitable—especially for someone like Liam, who was watching them.
Kaelen's expression was calm but focused. He expertly blocked Estelle's spinning punch and converted the momentum it gave him into his own attack. Fists collided in the air, sparks forming between them. Skin was glowing with mana.
Finally, Estelle took a step back. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to regulate her breathing. Kaelen stood his ground, a slight, mocking smile on his face. Sweat droplets from his forehead silently dropped onto the pool's surface, forming small rings.
"Who's worthy now, you bitch?" Kaelen said, his voice carrying both exhaustion and triumph.
Then he raised his right hand and showed his middle finger. His smile widened, his face illuminated by a dirty smirk. Kaelen had been waiting for this moment for a long time, even in his former life.
Estelle's voice was like a cold whisper seeping into the night. Her tone was icy dark. She looked as if she couldn't comprehend some things.
"You... you are a dangerous person. What is your name?"
A familiar, derisive twist appeared on Kaelen's lips. His eyes bored into Estelle's, and with his characteristic arrogant demeanor, he answered:
"You're not worthy of knowing my name."
Estelle's facial expression changed instantly. The previous stony, frozen look was replaced by furrowed brows and glowing eyes. The anger on her face was like the remnants of her pride that she was trying to suppress.
"I underestimated you," she hissed.
Suddenly, the air around her intensified. Estelle focused the mana gathered in her body, and with sparks flying from her palms, she summoned the magical sword that had destroyed the colossal bear moments ago. The steel, shining in the darkness, gleamed like an ominous light from the night.
Kaelen turned around. He looked at Olivia and Liam for a moment, speaking with a nonchalant expression as if treating the situation like a game:
"I guess we need to run now. Otherwise, we'll die."
He suddenly turned and started running. As his feet pounded the muddy ground, the wind swept his hair back. Olivia and Liam were momentarily stunned, trying to understand what was happening. But then their instincts kicked in, and they began running after Kaelen.
"Damn it! Why are you running towards our side?" Liam shouted, breathless. "Are you trying to get this crazy woman to kill all of us?"
Kaelen turned his head and smirked again.
"Yeah, dying alone would be rude. Besides, I fought here for you guys, and you're still being rude, Liam."
Before Liam could reply, Estelle's voice echoed behind them like thunder:
"You! Don't run, get back here!"
Kaelen shouted without looking back, his voice vibrating with sarcasm:
"No, thank you! I need to stay away from women who chase men with a sword!"
Olivia and Liam's faces were strained. Estelle was closing the distance between them with every passing second. Her red hair whipped in the wind, and her eyes shone like a predator locked onto its prey. Kaelen's sarcastic attitude was infuriating not only Estelle but also his own teammates. At least, Liam felt that way.
Just then, a lightning bolt struck in Liam's mind.
"Hey Kaelen! I have an idea!"
Kaelen glanced at him sideways.
"What? Is this idea going to get me killed?"
"High possibility, but you'll also have a chance to escape."
Kaelen paused, then spoke again.
"What percentage will we escape?"
"Fifty percent."
Liam smiled and began to slightly change direction.
"You mean fifty percent we die, and fifty percent we live?"
Liam's smile faded.
"Fifty percent."
Liam quickly shouted:
"Let's meet at the place where we first found the bear's tracks in the forest!"
Kaelen nodded, and with a sudden maneuver, he veered right and plunged into the trees. Estelle hesitated for a moment but then fixed her eyes on Kaelen and followed him. Only the sound of their footsteps and the rustling of branches broke the silence of the night.
Kaelen looked back briefly. Unfortunately, she was still there. Her red hair glowed like a flame in the dark, her steps filled with anger and determination. The distance between them was rapidly closing. If he continued at this pace, capture was only a matter of time.
"What can I do..." Kaelen thought to himself. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, but there was no sign of panic on his face.
Then it occurred to him. The fourth method of mana usage...
Theoretically, it might still work. He wasn't sure if he had enough mana left in his body to handle this technique, but he had no other option.
Either he would take the risk...
Or he would be caught and listen to the final note of this deadly dance with Estelle's sword.