Clang!
Using the dagger at her waist, she defended against Colin's charge, but he didn't seem to stop at that attack. He kept pressing the attack, faster and faster, but the Elf seemed to be having fun, keeping the fight at the opponent's level.
Safira and Kurth stayed alert, following the rapid movements of both.
Clang!
The blades met again and they pulled apart, going to opposite branches.
"Is that how much you want to know where the cutie is? Hehe! What a disappointment."
Colin's hands kept trembling. Every exchange of blows with that woman made the bones in his arms vibrate.
If it keeps going like this, my arms are going to break. We need to attack all together, otherwise our chances of winning drop by more than half. If she managed to deal with Brighid, it means she is strong enough to deal with each of us individually. I have to act, now!
"Safira, Kurth! Follow my lead!"
The three of them at once? Finally they decided to use their heads!
WOOSH!
The Elf, now facing Colin, Kurth, and Safira, demonstrated remarkable agility. She moved quickly, dodging Safira and Colin's initial attacks.
Safira summoned her flames, launching them toward the Elf, but instead of burning, the
Elf absorbed the fire energy, strengthening herself. "No magic, brat, you'll have to try to beat me without it!"
Colin tried to launch a quick attack, but the Elf defended with dexterity, dodging his blows and retaliating with graceful movements, pushing him back.
Meanwhile, Kurth tried to find an opening for a devastating attack, but the Elf was attentive to his movements. She avoided his blows, keeping him at a distance.
"A Void user? Hehe! Your tree's strikes are hard to follow, but not for me!"
She vanished, sucked into a portal and reappearing next to Kurth, striking him with a kick to the side of the head, causing the boy to lose consciousness for an instant as he crashed into the tree.
Again, a portal sucked her in and she went onto a branch. Safira continued to fire fire magic, but the Elf absorbed the energy effortlessly, becoming increasingly formidable. "Didn't you hear what I said, girl? It's usele-"
Colin appeared behind her, the veins in his arms popping and a smile stretching from ear to ear. He got faster! She disappeared before Colin's punch hit her.
WOOSH!
The branches rustled and she appeared behind Safira, but before touching her she retreated, feeling a vacuum shot graze her.
These little pests are adapting to me. Hehe! Incredible!
WOOSH!
Again she disappeared, going further away, staying out of reach of those three.
"You have good moves and manage well amidst all this mess. Few groups have this synergy, but I don't intend to prolong this battle much longer, so-"
Colin was crouching on a branch, and beneath him a magic circle appeared; electric chains took shape, heading toward the Elf who was forced to use her portals, reappearing even further away, but the chains continued following her, destroying branches and piercing through them.
So you can already give shape to mana? That's incredible, it seems that fairy really has been training you! She extended her hand, absorbing the chains. But you remain a low-level man.
Safira and Kurth appeared on her flanks, about to unleash their charged strikes.
WOOSH! BOOM!
As soon as she disappeared, the powers collided, destroying half a dozen trees hit. Appearing in Safira's blind spot, she struck her in the abdomen, making her disappear like Brighid.
"Safira!" shouted Kurth.
He didn't have time to lament, taking a solid punch to the chin. The boy fell, hitting his abdomen on the branch below, lying there, passed out. She disappeared again, and this time Colin was surprised by the Elf with a kick to the shoulder that launched him to the forest floor. He stood up quickly.
"What did you do with them?" he questioned, spitting blood. "Don't worry, they are still here, on this plane, just far from you."
"Who are you?"
"It's not time for you to know yet. Come, little Colin, show me what you know!"
Brighid, Safira, and Kurth... she got rid of the three of them, right? And she knows me... shit, I'm getting nervous... scared, maybe? I can't feel like this, I'm the leader of this team! Smiling, she beckoned him with her finger.
Then Colin charged and they engaged in a fierce exchange of blows. The Elf dodged Colin's first punches with grace, dancing through the battlefield. Her movements were fluid, almost hypnotic, avoiding the opponent's brutal blows with incredible dexterity. Colin, realizing that direct hits wouldn't work, decided to change strategy.
So that's how it is? Time to resort to Muay Thai!
He began to unleash a series of fast and precise kicks, aiming at the Elf's legs to take away her stability. The blows were devastating, but the Elf defended against them with agility, using fluid movements to avoid the kicks.
"Is this strange martial art all you have?"
Colin, however, did not give up. He delivered a sequence of elbows and quick punches, aiming for the Elf's face, but she continued to dodge skillfully, moving her head with agility to avoid the blows.
That wretch! She is faster than me!
The fight turned into a deadly dance, with Colin using all his strength and technique, while the Elf demonstrated her supernatural ability to dodge and defend. The advantage remained in the Elf's hands, who seemed unreachable. It was a fight of strength against agility, brutality against dexterity.
"Come, little Colin, keep up!"
She jumped up into the trees and Colin went after her. The fight continued, with Colin and the Elf moving gracefully through the treetops, dancing among the branches as they exchanged blows and dodges.
"You're improving, kid, come on! I bet you can do better than that!"
She was like a shadow. It seemed impossible to touch her, and frustration grew in Colin's determined eyes. He tried spinning kicks, devastating punches, and even powerful knees, but the Elf dodged everything.
Her hands and feet were like arrows, gliding through the air and finding the perfect space to deflect the attacks. She retaliated with quick and precise blows, aiming at Colin's vulnerable points.
He is just like Saphyelle said he would be: insists until the end, a hardhead who doesn't see death even when it's right in front of him.
Finally, after a long exchange of blows, Colin saw an opening. A moment of hesitation, almost imperceptible.
Here!, he thought, focused. Got you!
With an explosion of strength, he launched a devastating punch that hit the target with precision. The impact was tremendous, hitting the Elf's face, who was thrown back, losing her balance.
She collided with a branch and fell toward the ground, but before she could crash into the roots, she conjured a portal and disappeared in a blur of light. Colin stood panting, looking at the spot where the Elf was seconds before. He had finally hit her, but she had escaped.
"That was a good move," she said, reappearing on a nearby branch, wiping the blood from her nose with her thumb. "However, you still have a lot to improve. If you want to evolve, you'll need much more than what you have now. The green-haired cutie, don't lose sight of her. We'll meet again, little Colin, take care."
Before Colin could ask any questions, she disappeared.
"Mr. Colin!" shouted Kurth, approaching. "Are you okay?"
"I am..." he sighed. "Let's go, we have to find Safira and Brighid."
"A-Are they still here?"
"That woman said so."
Kurth scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly.
"I'm sorry, sir, I couldn't fight her..."
"No need to worry, neither could I. Let's hunt some groups."
"Alone? I thought we were going after the girls."
"They can handle themselves." His smile widened. "This test is going to start for real!"
◊❱───────⸂◍⸃───────❰◊
Safira and Brighid were in an open field, with the fresh breeze blowing on their faces.
"There are other manas approaching," said Brighid, clenching her fists. "The mana that put us here disappeared..."
"Who was she?" asked Safira, massaging her shoulder.
"I don't know, but she was powerful. We'd better go, more people could arrive in moments."
"Okay!"
In the nobles' hall, they still didn't understand what had just happened. The Elf had the advantage, so why did she disappear?
"Can you locate her mana?" Ayla asked her companion. "No... it just... vanished..." Ayla focused her gaze on the screen, on Colin, and frowned. "Why him? What's special about this Elf?"
"I-I don't know, my lady..."
"When we get back, I want you to gather all the information we have on him."
"Y-Yes, my lady!"
◊❱───────⸂◍⸃───────❰◊
Far from Ultan, on a peak, a portal opened and the redhead stepped out. The breeze shook her orange hair.
"Was it as you predicted?" asked a man sitting on the rock. "Actually, it was better. You can crawl back to Bledha, you fulfilled your mission."
"Don't treat me like I'm a dog!"
"But you are, mutt. By the way." She walked past him, her whole body wrapped in electric mana.
"Take care, Elnan. By the way, your sister has grown, she is quite powerful too, you should have seen her."
He shrugged. "That makes no difference to me."
The Elf's hair began to change from orange tones to black. Her skin also changed tone, shifting from pale to brown, and her eyes gained a powerful vibrant yellow.
"Well, see you around, tell Bledha I said hi."
WOOSH!
She was sucked into another portal, disappearing without a trace.