Flexing his knees, Barone advanced and soon became invisible. Even his Pandorian had disappeared completely.
Hearing a branch snap to the side, Colin jumped back but felt a deep cut on his back.
Slash!
The Pandorian attacked as soon as Colin got distracted. The moment the Elf turned back toward the humanoid mantis, he felt another deep cut on his back.
Slash!
Colin gritted his teeth due to the pain but recovered immediately, ignoring Barone on his tail.
Intense sparks enveloped his fists. He pulled his arm back and clenched his right fist with all his might.
The mantis widened its eyes; it knew that blow would hurt.
Shit! thought Barone.
Crack!
With a direct hit to Tetrius's face, Colin made him bounce violently off the ground, but the mantis didn't stop there. He tumbled for a few meters until disappearing into the forest.
Colin didn't imagine having enough strength to send an opponent that far, but he took advantage of the fact that Barone was stunned and worried about his companion. Making part of his electric mana flow through his body, Colin managed to exponentially increase his perception and speed. He turned around, coming face to face with Barone.
Crack!
Colin's foot struck him in the face, launching him backward.
Barone skidded for a few meters and recovered from the blow, still a bit dizzy.
That hadn't been an ordinary kick. From the pressure, Barone deduced that if he took another one of those, he could be knocked out. But he was used to this type of frenetic battle.
It was a matter of time before he adapted to Colin's combat style.
Barone did a backflip, throwing his invisible dagger at Colin. Luckily, Colin could read the mana flow of the blade's path. He molded the shape of his mana, also conjuring electric daggers in his hands and deflecting the attack away.
Clang!
However, Barone was prepared. The assassin shoved both hands into his trench coat and pulled out two more daggers.
Swoosh!
Both charged toward each other.
Thud! Thud! Clang!
Sparks danced frantically around the two combatants. Barone, surprisingly, was adapting to Colin's speed, which was impressive to the audience watching the fight intensify by the moment.
To the spectators devoid of magical abilities, all they could glimpse was a bluish and blackened blur, moving rapidly from side to side.
Sparks flew in all directions, while the clashing of blades became increasingly sharp and aggressive.
Totally focused on the battle, Colin didn't notice the Pandorian approaching silently from behind.
At the exact moment the creature's fatal blow was about to strike his back, a sudden blast of air pressure launched it violently away, hitting precisely the center of its thorax.
Pah!
Kurth had his index finger pointed at the Pandorian while panting. He was concentrating to keep up with the speed of Colin's fight, and that was no easy task.
"You're mine!" shouted Kurth.
"Kid!" bellowed Colin, still in combat. "Take the Pandorian somewhere else, I'll handle this one!"
Clang!
After a powerful clash, Barone jumped away from Colin, standing beside the Pandorian.
Tetrius looked at Barone, and he nodded.
"Good old one-on-one," mocked Barone. "Doesn't seem like a bad idea! Let me take over here, Tetrius."
Kurth gulped, running toward the forest.
The Pandorian followed him.
Colin remembered Kurth's words: Normally, I'm pretty useless in melee. Despite that, Colin trusted the boy with that task. Just the fact that he managed to keep up with the speed of that fight and intercept the Pandorian had already made it clear the kid could handle it.
The kid can do it; now I don't need to worry about someone attacking me from behind. Shit! I'm getting excited; I didn't know risking my life in a fight felt this good!
Colin smiled, and Barone reciprocated.
"You're good, Colin."
Barone looked toward the forest.
"You shouldn't have let the boy go alone; he stands no chance against my Pandorian."
"Forget both of them and focus on our fight, or are you so afraid of fighting me that you'd rather help your friend face a brat?"
A subtle smile formed on Barone's lips as he tossed his two daggers into the air.
At the same time, intense energy began to accumulate in his fists, revealing an absurd amount of concentrated mana.
With an agile movement, Barone raised his arms above his head, preparing to deliver a powerful blow.
The ground trembled beneath his feet, and in an explosive instant, he struck the ground with all the force of his will.
Bam!
The impact was overwhelming, causing the ground to crack into countless rocks hurled violently upward, reaching impressive heights.
The strangest thing was seeing the hundreds of rock fragments turn invisible.
[Silent Despair].
Raising his arms, Barone caught his daggers as they fell into his hands and charged toward Colin.
His speed didn't even compare to seconds ago.
The moment Colin prepared to trade blows with Barone, a stone appeared out of nowhere, hitting him right in the head.
Pah!
The blow was as strong as a mana-imbued punch, managing to open a cut on Colin's eyebrow.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Barone took advantage of Colin being disoriented and slashed his chest in a cross shape; immediately after, he ducked, and another stone hit Colin in the abdomen.
Bam!
He almost felt his guts come out through his mouth.
Taking advantage once again of the opening in Colin's defense, Barone launched a devastating blow toward his opponent's chin.
A powerful kick connected, propelling Colin upwards, lifting him off the ground in a sharp movement.
However, Barone wasn't satisfied with just unbalancing his opponent. In an impressive instant, a rock of enormous proportions materialized in the air, hovering directly above Colin.
With a deafening crash that reverberated throughout the place, the stone collapsed with overwhelming force, driving Colin into the ground with a violence capable of shaking everything within a fifty-meter radius.
Barone remained cautious and did not approach the impact site.
He wasn't a man cocky enough to underestimate his adversary, but he was certain his blows had caused significant damage to Colin.
This awareness kept him on alert, knowing the battle wasn't won yet, but at least he had managed to injure his opponent severely.
"Why don't you stop pretending and get up? I'm just warming up!"
With the impact of Barone's devastating blow, the huge boulder that had fallen on Colin cracked in half, exposing the visibly wounded Elf.
Despite the injuries, he managed to maintain consciousness.
His eyes focused on the mana flow emanating from Barone, as if they were countless energy lines connected to hundreds of small stones floating throughout the arena.
It was an impressive and, at the same time, frightening spectacle. The mana lines seemed intertwined, forming a magical web that enveloped the environment.
The set of suspended boulders seemed to have a life of its own, moving in sync with Barone's energy.
Colin felt a mix of admiration and apprehension witnessing such an impressive magical ability. It was a demonstration of exceptional power and control, capable of inspiring fear in any adversary.
I have to do something about these stones, Colin spat blood. If I weren't from the Tree of Migth, my injuries would be very serious. This guy must be used to battles of this level; you can tell by his calmness. This Tree of Silence is a pain. Besides making everything invisible, it can also hide the sound of things. If I don't concentrate, I can't observe the mana flow of absolutely anything.
Colin's clothes were starting to get saturated with blood, stained by the wounds covering his body.
Every breath was an effort; his chest rose and fell heavily as he fought to catch his breath. Exhaustion infiltrated his tense muscles, and the feeling of depletion deepened by the moment.
Meanwhile, his mana reserve, the energy source that sustained him in battles, was gradually decreasing. The vital flow of magical power that propelled him was beginning to run out. Colin realized with uneasiness that his resources were fading fast.
This scarcity of mana was a serious challenge, especially considering that the selection trial was still far from over. The battle demanded continuous stamina and skill, but without the necessary magical energy, he faced an ever-growing obstacle.
The prospect of not being able to proceed in the competition only increased the pressure and urgency to find a solution.
"Right!" said Colin, cracking his neck. "Sorry, Barone, but I don't have any more time to waste with you."
"Oh, yeah? And how do you intend to beat me in this deplorable state? Are you finally going to show me some interesting skill?"
Colin grinned from ear to ear.
"You'll see!"