A punch. It took only a single punch to Enrico's chest to break seven of his bones and send him flying into the air. To make matters worse, Tilios had not even needed to use magic to achieve that result. If it had not been for the resistance provided by the evolution of his body, the damage could have been even worse.
'Damn it! Why now, of all times?'
While he was in the air, Enrico saw the others receiving similar attacks. Everyone was being overwhelmed by Tilios's strength, as he had just reached the Fourth Circle. The only exception was Kael, his water clone, who could still resist thanks to being made of water. However, the clone did not possess all of his original power. In fact, its strength was less than half of Enrico's full capacity.
Tilios looked at Kael with an irritated expression.
"You're quite troublesome."
To make matters worse, the clone's time of existence was running out. At most, three minutes remained before it disappeared. Although there was a possibility of extending its duration, Enrico could not count on that.
That was when he had an idea. His evolution percentage had reached ninety-nine percent after defeating two bosses in the fake dungeon. He was very close to reaching the next stage, and perhaps that battle was the opportunity he needed to obtain what he wanted.
Kael pointed at Tilios, displaying a confidence that seemed completely incompatible with the situation. The others, still on the ground, looked at him without understanding where such confidence came from.
"Yes, I'm quite troublesome! And you're quite strong, so I'll have to use you as a stepping stone to improve!"
"...You talk a lot of shit for someone who's going to die."
"I agree with you, Kael. If he evolved, then we can do the same."
Enrico joined the conversation, supporting his own clone's words. He needed to make the others regain their will to fight, even if the situation seemed desperate. If everyone gave up at that moment, they would have no chance of surviving.
The provocation seemed to work. Tilios narrowed his eyes, and the expression on his face grew even darker.
"It seems there are still two idiots full of hope. Then I guess I'll crush it once and for all."
He disappeared and reappeared in front of Kael, grabbing his head with his shadowy hand. His fingers began to tighten, attempting to crush the boy's skull.
At the same time, several attacks struck his back. Tilios felt the impacts but did not release Kael's head. He was determined to finish off that irritating opponent before turning his attention to the others.
'I have to help him!'
The one who had launched the attacks at Tilios's back was Arvanys. Even with broken bones and a body that could not respond properly, she refused to remain completely useless.
Enrico and Kaela took advantage of the opportunity to concentrate their attacks on Tilios's shadowy arm. The combination of their blows caused enough damage to force him to loosen his grip, allowing Kael to escape.
'Damn it! I had to spend a lot of mana to keep my clone resisting that.'
Kael raised his hands, creating several water spears around his opponent. The projectiles advanced from different directions, forcing Tilios to interrupt his offensive to dodge.
However, as soon as he found an opening, the hooded man charged directly at Enrico.
Kael stepped into his path and took the blow to the face. Water splashed violently, causing his head to spin almost completely around before his body regained its original shape.
Tilios retreated a few steps, staring at him with a mixture of irritation and disbelief. That ability was a constant nuisance, as it made finishing off his opponent much more difficult.
"You're really strange. Are you actually human?"
"Of course I am! It's just that my ability is simply amazing!"
Kael replied in a provocative tone.
Then, he began retreating toward the river, luring Tilios away from the others. The clone jumped into the water and disappeared beneath the surface, while the hooded man climbed onto a nearby rock, trying to locate him.
Kael's hood floated on the water, but his body could not be seen anywhere.
Tilios did not lower his guard. After so many failed attempts to hit that opponent, he was determined to kill him once and for all.
Meanwhile, Enrico regrouped with Kaela to discuss their next move. He made the clone disappear, preserving the possibility of using it again for a little while. However, only one minute of existence remained for that manifestation. The two moved to surround Tilios from different sides.
Arvanys remained lying on the ground, unable to keep up with the fight. As she watched the others trying to face Tilios, she felt a pain that did not come solely from her injuries.
'Am I going to be useless again?'
She bit her lips, refusing to remember her own past. She did not want to feel that same helplessness again or accept that she would be incapable of doing anything when the people around her needed help.
Forcing her body to stand, she bit her own wrist.
'I hate the unique ability of beastmen, but I need to use it to survive.'
Arvanys still had not completely mastered that ability. Even so, she transferred her magic into her own blood, forcing the activation of her Animal Instinct.
She did not want to look like an uncontrolled animal. Therefore, she suppressed the urge to roar, something individuals of her race usually did to demonstrate their strength.
"Claws: Snow Blades!"
Several snow blades appeared in her hand, one considerably larger than the others. Arvanys intended to throw the larger blade at her opponent, but she felt her blood boil and an intense desire to enter the battle take over her body.
Even as she tried to resist, her instincts ended up taking control of her movements. In an instant, she charged forward at high speed and appeared behind Tilios.
"I thought you were out of the fight."
The hooded man ignored the two opponents in front of him for a moment and summoned a shadowy claw beneath Arvanys, trapping her before she could attack.
During the movement, her hood fell, revealing white hair. The girl's appearance made her origins obvious: she belonged to the snow leopard race.
Tilios looked at her with contempt.
"You look out of control. As always, a savage race."
"Fire Fist!"
Enrico and Kaela attacked simultaneously, striking Tilios in the face and forcing him to turn his attention toward them. Irritated, the hooded man created a sphere of dark energy in his hands, preparing to engulf them with his power.
However, Arvanys managed to approach him again and sank her teeth into his shoulder.
"Aaah!"
Tilios screamed in pain, and Enrico took advantage of the opening and looked at Kaela.
"Kaela, now!"
"I'll try!"
The girl moved behind Tilios. For a moment, she closed her eyes and focused her attention on her mana heart, trying to draw out something that remained dormant inside it.
Enrico had explained to her that her mana heart possessed a special characteristic that allowed her to draw out much more magic than she would normally be able to use. Now, she needed to trust her professor's words.
"Fire Serpent!"
A flaming serpent appeared in front of Kaela, advancing toward Tilios with a much greater amount of mana than the one used in the previous attack.
The hooded man recognized the technique and raised his hand, preparing to block it. Despite the attack's power, he managed to stop it with relative ease.
"Did you forget that I'm a Fourth Circle mage now?"
Kaela was breathing heavily but showed no despair.
"Huff... The damage wasn't what I wanted to cause, idiot. I simply placed an effect on it."
"An effect?"
Tilios frowned. Still being bitten by Arvanys, he began to realize that his movements were slowing down. The girl's ability was affecting his body, but that was not all.
A strange sensation emerged inside him, as if his mana itself were being consumed at an abnormal rate.
"What's happening? It's as if my mana is being burned!"
Two magics that weakened his powers had been used at that moment. One belonged to Arvanys and the other to Kaela.
He raised his fist, preparing to crush Arvanys's head. However, a spear fired from the river struck his arm, slightly diverting the trajectory of the blow.
Enrico immediately took advantage of the opportunity.
His fire bow appeared in his hands, and he pulled back the string, concentrating his remaining mana into a single projectile.
"Flaming Shot!"
The arrow advanced and pierced Tilios's back, causing an almost serious wound. Enrico was already beginning to prepare a second arrow when the hooded man let out an enraged scream.
An explosion of dark energy erupted from his body, sending everyone flying away.
"You bastards! I was just playing around a little to test my new power, but now I'm going to end this!"
The fighters' bodies were thrown back by the force of the explosion. Trees shook, and the earth split beneath the pressure of the released energy.
Among everyone present, Enrico was the one who managed to remain conscious the longest, thanks to the resistance of his enhanced body. Even so, he could barely move.
'Damn... My body...'
That was when he heard a strange voice. It was a voice he felt he had heard before, although he could not remember exactly when.
'Who is it?'
"That bastard in the water still hasn't come out. So you'll be the first."
Enrico tried to raise his head, but his body would not respond. Tilios was approaching, and he knew he would not be able to withstand another attack of that magnitude.
The voice spoke again, this time with even greater insistence.
'Hand your body over to me. Just for a few seconds, at least.'
There was something about that voice that awakened an unsettling feeling. It sounded eager, almost desperate to take control.
Enrico did not trust it. He had no idea who was speaking, much less what would happen if he accepted the offer. Even so, his attention turned toward the system screen.
For some reason, it was completely different. The interface that usually accompanied him had darkened, taking on a black hue, while red letters appeared before his eyes, demanding that he hand over his body.
Enrico did not know what was happening. The system had never behaved that way before. However, Tilios continued approaching, and there was no time to look for another solution.
After hesitating for a few moments, Enrico made a decision.
"Just for sixty seconds."
'That's enough time for me to have some fun.'
The screen before his eyes changed again, displaying a countdown corresponding to the time he had granted. Then, everything went dark.
Enrico's final thought was a silent prayer.
'I hope I haven't done something stupid.'
Tilios approached the fallen body and raised his shadowy arm. Concentrating magic in his fist, he prepared a blow aimed at Enrico's head.
He expected Kael to interfere somehow, as he had done repeatedly throughout the battle. Therefore, he could not hide his surprise when the boy in front of him raised his hand and caught his fist.
The blow stopped completely. Tilios's eyes widened, unable to understand how someone so badly injured had managed to stop his attack.
"But what...?"
Enrico slowly raised his head.
"Heh, I've been waiting for this for months!"
The hand holding Tilios's fist tightened even further. For the first time since evolving his circle, the hooded man felt genuine pain, a pressure that threatened to crush his own bones.
The smile on Enrico's face was anything but reassuring.
He tilted his head, revealing only the left side of his face. A cross-shaped mark stood out in that area, while the white of his left eye had turned completely black. Around the pupil, features resembling those of a panther appeared, giving his gaze a wild and threatening appearance.
Enrico's expression conveyed a dark confidence, accompanied by a cruelty that did not match the boy Tilios had faced until that moment.
"I don't have much time, so try to entertain me as much as you can, all right, sir?"
Enrico tilted his head slightly to the side with that dark smile, which simultaneously conveyed an intense coldness.