The lightning arrow flew across the burning air with a crackle, heading towards the Stalker with a swift flying speed.
But when it was about to make contact with the Stalker, its trajectory suddenly bent, hitting the ground behind it.
Maeyurai's eye twitched in annoyance, having seen that his lightning arrow wasn't stable enough to hit its target.
Right after the lightning arrow exploded, the Stalker rushed forward in a frenzy, flailing its arms about to try and reach Maeyurai.
In response, Maeyurai conjured a fire arrow, aiming towards the Stalker.
He launched the fire arrow towards the Stalker, staggering its movement. After it slowed down, Maeyurai immediately ran forward, a lightning arrow nocked on his flaming bow.
After he reached the Stalker, he felt the intense heat of the flames burning it. Then at point-blank range, he aimed his bow and shot.
Fwack!
The lightning arrow damaged the Stalker's head, but it didn't have enough power to penetrate the skin.
"Crap!" Maeyurai yelled out as the Stalker almost caught him in its embrace. Fortunately enough, he managed to slide between its legs, avoiding its arms.
The flames in the environment intensified, burning the closest oxygen there was. Maeyurai found it difficult to breathe, but the Stalker was starting to adapt to the flames that surrounded it.
He conjured another lightning arrow, trying his best to keep its form stable.
After he conjured the arrow, the Stalker suddenly rushed forward explosively, the speed catching Maeyurai off guard.
Flinching, he accidentally released the lightning arrow. The lightning arrow flew straight towards the Stalker, bending at the end of its flight and hitting the Stalker's shoulder.
Though hit by the arrow, the Stalker didn't react and continued forward.
Maeyurai would step to the side, passing through the fire, the flames almost burning his clothes.
When Maeyurai moved to the side, the Stalker couldn't stop its momentum and hit the wall with a loud crash.
Maeyurai ran outside the flames' range to not pass out from the lack of oxygen since the surroundings were starting to become unbreathable.
That was close.
It's starting to get angry now.
I best be extra careful.
Then, Maeyurai conjured another lightning arrow. He increased his focus, trying to keep its form stable.
His eyes searched for the Stalker inside the burning area but didn't find it anywhere.
He aimed the lightning arrow in the area and shot, hoping it would travel straight and somehow hit the Stalker if it were there.
The lightning arrow's trajectory, once more, bent after 5 meters. It was like something was pulling it away from taking a straight path.
Maeyurai clicked his tongue, "Tch."
Seeing as he couldn't make the lightning arrow travel straight without it bending away, he forced himself to create more.
But just as he was conjuring another lightning arrow, a powerful force hit him on the side, launching him a few meters away.
"Ack!" uttered he as he rolled across the floor, the flaming bow dissipating into the air.
After he caught himself, he immediately looked back to see what threw him away.
He saw nothing.
Then, his eyes lit up in realization.
Wait...
Is it attacking in its invisible state now?
If so, then it shouldn't be going easy anymore, right?
Okay, this is trouble.
Standing up slowly, he didn't make any noise. He kept quiet, observing his surroundings carefully.
A few seconds had passed, and the Stalker finally left its invisible form, standing in front of Maeyurai.
But when it showed up, something strange occurred.
It was standing still, its back facing Maeyurai. It was seemingly looking for him, but why?
If it attacked Maeyurai in its invisible state, why would it be looking for him now?
"There's only one answer," said Maeyurai in a low voice, intentionally letting the Stalker hear him.
After he spoke, the Stalker suddenly turned around in a surprised manner and swung its arm.
Maeyurai dodged its attack by rolling to the side and said, "I knew it! You react to sound, huh?!"
"You can't see, but you have sensitive hearing; is that it?!" added Maeyurai. "If that's the case, then the surroundings are my key to victory. You're going down!"
After rolling, he swiftly took a piece of wood just lying on the ground and infused it with his Fire Mana. Then, he added an extra layer of mana to the infused mana with conjuration, creating a blade of fire with the wood as its hilt.
He spun the flaming blade around playfully, trying to get used to its weight. The movements weren't nearly as smooth as a swordsman's since he was only experimenting around.
"Ugina, this swing is for you," said Maeyurai as he swung the flaming blade downwards, launching a slash of fire towards the Stalker.
The Stalker rushed forward, dodging the slash of fire easily.
In response, Maeyurai sent out several more slashes in its way, trying to slow it down. Then, he held the medium handle with both hands and rushed forward.
The slashes of fire missed the Stalker completely, but they did manage to redirect its movement.
Once Maeyurai was only a few feet away, he pointed the flaming blade forward, aiming for the Stalker's navel.
The flaming blade dissipated upon contact with the Stalker's tough skin, only melting a part of its surface.
"Ugh," Maeyurai grumbled, seeing as he still couldn't get past the Stalker's skin.
The Stalker raised its arm up after Maeyurai's flaming blade made contact with its navel. Then, it swung its arm down onto Maeyurai's head, slamming him to the ground with powerful force.
Maeyurai's face hit the floor, making his head spin from the impact.
"Uwagh—!"
When Maeyurai bounced off of the floor, the Stalker shifted its legs and kicked his stomach, launching him dozens of meters away towards the docks.
Maeyurai continued crashing through the floor until his back hit a wooden pole, snapping it from the base upon impact.
Carrying extra momentum, Maeyurai fell into the water. Fortunately enough, it was only 3 feet deep and was still near the shore.
Upon feeling the cold water make contact with his body, Maeyurai immediately jumped up in shock, trying to climb on the docks.
"That's cold!" he exclaimed, swinging his limbs around to flick away the water that stuck on his body.
Once he was back up, he jumped up and down to dry himself off, moving to the fence on his left to have something to hold.
"Okay," said Maeyurai. "No more doing tricks; I'm actually going to die if I don't make a proper plan."
As he looked in front of him, he couldn't see the Stalker anywhere. The Stalker entered its invisible state.
Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation.
Instinctively, he moved to his side, as if his body was telling him to move away from something.
And to his surprise, the fence behind him broke into pieces. It was the Stalker attacking in its invisible state. After the fence was broken, the Stalker fell to the water, finally leaving its concealed form.
Maeyurai smirked in satisfaction. He felt proud of himself for dodging something that he couldn't see.
"I knew it," he said.
Then, he reached his left arm out and conjured a flaming bow. He pulled the bowstring, a lightning arrow forming on the bow's rest to the string.
He shot the lightning arrow in the direction of the Stalker that was sitting on top of the shallow water, the electric charge spreading across the surface and electrocuting it.
He conjured another lightning arrow and continued to shoot even if the arrow missed due to it changing its trajectory.
Repeating the same actions, the water around the Stalker was splashing violently.
The Stalker was electrocuted by Maeyurai's lightning arrows charging up the water.
Due to water having a high conductivity of electricity, the Stalker couldn't help but become paralyzed by Maeyurai's lightning arrows.
Maeyurai yelled out, "The lightning arrows may be inaccurate, but if you're around water, you're still going to be affected!"
With a growl, Maeyurai conjured a lightning arrow with more mana than he previously did, creating an even bigger and more powerful lightning arrow.
He drew the flaming bow and shot.
The lightning arrow traveled at a ridiculous speed.
However, it missed. The same as it usually does.
The power output of the lightning arrow rumbled everything nearby, pushing away the water around its landing point.
The Stalker was affected and greatly electrocuted.
While paralyzed on top of the water, the Stalker was visibly angry. It let out a loud shriek, pushing itself forward to move.
"RHYAH!!"
With an explosive force, it jumped up and tackled Maeyurai, gripping him tightly while the two of them fell high up in the air.
"Crap!" exclaimed Maeyurai, the flaming bow in his hands dissipating. He tried to push away, but the Stalker was stronger.
The Stalker then threw Maeyurai down to the ground while being a few meters away from the ground. At that height, Maeyurai would suffer harsh injuries if he landed on his back.
"Damnit!" Maeyurai yelled out as he watched himself near the ground.
Then, he landed on his feet. He rolled forward violently in an attempt to cushion his fall. While he received minor scratches, he didn't break any bones.
Maeyurai stayed on the ground, the shock from the impact keeping him from standing up.
"Cagh—!" he coughed.
A few meters back, the Stalker finally landed, tumbling over the ground with a loud noise as it crashed on a wall.
With a struggling motion, Maeyurai finally managed to stand on both feet. He clutched the side of his stomach, his face tightened up as he endured the pain of landing roughly.
He took one long breath in.
Then, he infused his whole body with Fire Mana, boosting his physical capabilities.
I'm going to run out soon. I better end this quickly.
He picked up a piece of wood from the ground and created the same flaming blade as earlier. This time, its power was increased. The blade itself didn't change in shape, but the density was different.
The heat it radiated was powerful. It was like holding molten metal with bare hands.
He approached the Stalker as it stood up from the ground.
After standing, the Stalker went into its invisible state. It knew Maeyurai's position and was going to take advantage of it.
Maeyurai reminded himself of the striking motion that Naguta taught him in the second assessment. He turned the flaming blade to his side and applied the same motion, but horizontally.
Suddenly, the Stalker showed up, its hand chopped off. The wound burned due to the flame's intense heat, and it screamed in pain.
"Yahh!"
Seeing as the Stalker was momentarily stunned, Maeyurai immediately took action and stabbed the Stalker by the navel.
Finally, the blade penetrated through.
But the Stalker wasn't dead.
Its heart wasn't in the navel.
"Tsk," Maeyurai clicked his tongue in annoyance. Then, he jumped up and kicked the Stalker forward, making sure to push it back.
The Stalker landed on the floor, but it fought back right away, punching Maeyurai's face.
Maeyurai staggered to the right as the Stalker's large hand made contact with his head.
If its heart isn't in the navel... Then where the hell is it?!
All I've got is the head and the chest!
Urgh... Which one do I strike first...?!
Not wasting time, Maeyurai rushed forward before the Stalker could recover. It was about to stand, but Maeyurai tackled it back to the ground.
With his body strengthened by the infusion of his Fire Mana, he could push the Stalker with his own power. However, in an equal battle, the Stalker would obviously win.
He kicked the Stalker's head, making sure it stayed down. Then, he grabbed the flaming blade by the hilt and stabbed the Stalker's right biceps, making sure to immobilize it.
The Stalker yelled in aggression, trying to break free.
"Rahh!"
It then gripped Maeyurai's thigh with its left hand, trying to pull him away on top of itself. In response, Maeyurai lifted his foot and kicked its left biceps, immobilizing two of its limbs.
"Damn you!" yelled Maeyurai as he formed a longbow made of fire.
And on that longbow, he conjured a lightning arrow.
It was the same lightning arrow he conjured earlier that had incredible power. It was thick and bright and radiated powerful heat as it crackled.
Maeyurai pulled the bowstring and aimed directly at the Stalker's head.
"HRYAH!!" the Stalker screamed out as it kicked its legs repeatedly, trying to hit Maeyurai.
It lifted its arms, but Maeyurai merely pushed it back away with all his strength.
"Die!" Maeyurai cursed out, releasing the lightning arrow at point-blank range.
The lightning arrow pierced through the head of the Stalker, creating a large, gaping hole. The impact of the lightning arrow hit the ground like thunder, launching Maeyurai to the docks.
To Maeyurai's luck, the Stalker's heart was in the head. It was finally defeated.
In exhaustion, Maeyurai passed out. He was lying on the edge of the docks.
Maeyurai has officially defeated an Elite-Level HS on his own.
Though unconscious, a triumphant smile curved his lips, an instinctive sign of his victory.