Among the dense trees, Kurth ran at high speed, firing his vacuum shots in various directions.
The darkness hindered his aim, so he relied on his ears, trying to hit the targets based on the rustling of the leaves and the snapping of branches.
The Pandorian he was fighting was agile and fast, sliding skillfully between the trees. Although the dense canopies hindered his movements a little, they didn't stop him from brandishing his sharp blades, cutting trunks in half with precise strikes.
The forest was becoming a chaotic battlefield, with broken trees and branches scattered on the ground.
After a long frenetic run, the duo finally arrived near a crystal-clear pond.
The weak light of the fake moon reflected on the serene surface. Kurth felt exhausted, his body heavy and muscles tired.
Panting breath escaped his lips as he fought to catch his breath and find strength to continue the battle.
He had run a lot and used his vacuum shot magic almost incessantly. Sweat ran down his pale face, soaking his hair which stuck to his forehead.
Kurth desperately sought a viable strategy to defeat his opponent.
The Pandorian, who looked more like a humanoid mantis child, smiled, displaying his pointed dental arch. From experience, he knew that in the open field, the redhead boy had a clear disadvantage.
"You lost!" said the Pandorian with a childish voice, preparing to advance.
Slash!
Without even realizing it, Kurth received a deep cut on his chest.
Trying to point his index finger at the figure in front of him, Kurth felt a brutal blow to his stomach and skipped on the water until sinking into the lake.
Skid! Skid! Splash!
While drowning, Kurth rested his hand on his abdomen and felt that some of his ribs had broken with that blow.
His blood joined the lake water and, making an almost superhuman effort, he began to swim until surfacing.
He swam to the shore and lay down, trying to catch his breath, but dodged to the side, escaping another cut that came from above.
Pointing his finger upward, Kurth fired once again, but hit nothing but air.
"You are too slow!" said the Pandorian atop a rock near the lake.
Kurth remained calm.
He knew his opponent had the speed advantage. Colin said he would handle Barone, and Kurth wasn't in the mood to lose there.
Inexperienced in battles, Kurth learned everything from his father, who belonged to the same tree as him. One of the main teachings was that powerful enemies needed to be defeated with a single blow. But how to defeat something he couldn't hear or see?
The Pandorian had turned invisible, and so had his strike. That was when Kurth felt two deep cuts on his back.
Woosh!
Rolling on the ground, Kurth stood up immediately and tried to aim where his enemy was, but he had disappeared again.
He is faster than me, and to make matters worse, he can hide his strikes and his movements. It's like Dad told me: users of the Tree of Silence are too dangerous. I haven't landed a single hit so far, and if I don't think straight, I'll end up losing. When I hit him, it has to be a knockout. I know what to do!
With a deep sigh, Kurth concentrated his magical energy in the soles of his feet, feeling it pulse with power. With a deafening boom, he jumped upwards with impressive force, propelling himself to the maximum of his capacity.
While he was in the air, his body hovering temporarily amidst gravity, Kurth cast a glance downward, admiring the view of the huge lake stretching beneath him.
He clasped his hands, as if preparing a devastating attack.
Even in free fall, his mind remained focused and his concentration unshakable. He channeled the mana flowing in his being, gathering it in his joined hands, as if molding a sphere of power.
The sensation of rapid fall didn't shake him, for he was immersed in his purpose, ready to unleash a powerful attack as soon as he reached his target.
It was quite a challenge to use that skill while still in free fall, and it would be even more challenging to make his attack work the way he wanted.
When he was two meters from the lake, he launched his attack.
[Final Echo.]
Kurth extended his palms forward, concentrating a powerful gust of air inside them.
With a quick and precise movement, he launched the gust directly into the lake, unleashing an impressive scene.
The force of the blast was so overwhelming that the lake water was instantly dispersed, as if an immense gale had emerged from the center and propagated in all directions, sweeping everything in its path.
While the water cascaded around him, Kurth landed firmly on the bottom of the lake. He joined his hands again, this time positioning them back to back.
With subtle movements to the right, he slightly curved his body and raised his hands to chest height.
The result did not take long to manifest.
The dispersed lake water began to fall from the sky at a steady pace, starting a light drizzle that enveloped the whole area.
Kurth closed his eyes and dove into a state of deep concentration, blocking all visual stimuli around him.
His focus fixed exclusively on the sense of hearing, becoming sensitive to every sound. The water droplets echoed in his mind, colliding against leaves, stones, and the earth.
Luckily, the shape of the lake created a peculiar acoustic effect, amplifying and making every sound crisp and discernible.
It was then that, among the chorus of raindrops, Kurth noticed a different pattern, a characteristic sound of something moving in a zigzag coming from behind him.
Although he couldn't see with his eyes, his acute hearing provided valuable information. Without hesitation, he opened his eyes and spun quickly toward the sound.
Even without seeing clearly what it was, he instinctively knew that only the Pandorian possessed the necessary speed to move that way.
[Galick Storm.]
Kurth's strikes normally lacked color and exhibited no visible manifestation of mana, but this time was different.
A purple energy began to course through his body, flowing in his veins and concentrating in his arms, before being released with intensity from the palms of his hands.
As the mana pulsed through his veins, they became prominent, swelling and standing out under his skin.
The tension was so intense that it seemed like at any moment the veins in his temple could explode. Kurth concentrated all force and power into his strike, preparing to launch it at the right moment.
The Pandorian, who was preparing to charge at Kurth, was hit squarely by this powerful concentrated blow.
The impact was so devastating that the Pandorian was launched at impressive speed, colliding violently with the damp walls of the lake.
The surrounding earth, softened by the water, gave way under the force of the impact, creating a deep hole in the ground after an intense tremor.
Rumble! Rumble!
A powerful shockwave erupted from Kurth's blow, making his hair and clothes shake violently. His muscles, already overburdened by the intensity of combat, began to tear, and the bones in his arms emitted a disturbing crack.
Sharp pain shot through his joints, making him fall to his knees on the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath.
His magical energy was almost completely exhausted, and his clothes reduced to rags after countless cuts and tears suffered during the grueling battle.
The spectators watching the fight were jaw-dropped.
Indeed, the level was high this year. Stedd's popcorn had run out, so he started taking from the Elf beside him, who stared at him with disdain.
"Why don't you go get more for yourself?" she asked.
"And miss this show?"
"Right…" She turned her eyes back to the big screen. "It is rare to see a level 2 vacuum novice manage to use the Galick storm."
Finishing chewing, Stedd nodded.
"That's why vacuum users are annoying. When they level up, the destructive power of their abilities practically doubles."
The Elf pointed with her chin at the big screen showing Anton.
"That explains why Anton is so strong, right?"
"Exactly, imagine that Galick cannon seven times stronger. It would be quite the power."
Exhausted, with his mana almost at zero and his body in tatters, Kurth walked out of the hole and struggled to grab something from his pockets. He took out a photo of him, his father, and his mother.
As he looked at it, he smiled.
Looking at that gave him strength.
"Right! Now I have to help Mr. Colin…" Kurth could barely stand.