Chapter 229 - Against an A-Rank [2]

Alex wasted no time casting . He raised his hand, and a basketball-sized black sphere began forming before him. Its surface pulsed violently as dark mana gathered within, growing increasingly unstable with every passing second.

The sphere suddenly burst apart, releasing a storm of tiny black orbs in every direction. Several streaked toward the A-Rank leader, while the rest scattered across the surrounding area, threatening anything caught in their path.

The leader reacted immediately. Several magic circles appeared around him, unleashing a barrage of spells that intercepted the incoming orbs. Explosions rippled through the air as the two attacks collided, filling the area with bursts of dark energy.

Yet the leader hadn't even finished destroying the entire volley when Alex launched his next attack with .

A long, black spear materialized beside Alex before vanishing into the void. Several more spears appeared around him, each aimed from a different angle.

Using his D-Rank active skill, Tracking Mark, Alex marked the leader as his target and sent the spears hurtling toward him.

The attacks converged from multiple directions, leaving few obvious escape routes. Yet the leader remained composed, countering the incoming spears with precise spells. Every time one threat disappeared, another was already closing in.

Alex didn't expect a few projectiles to defeat an A-Rank opponent. Their purpose was to keep the leader occupied and prevent him from gaining control of the fight.

He used to move before the next counterattack could reach him.

His figure dissolved into darkness just as a spell tore through the space he had occupied. He reappeared several metres away, only to shift position again with .

The spatial displacement carried him past another incoming attack, allowing him to keep moving while launching spells of his own.

The leader's counterattacks grew more aggressive. Bursts of magic swept across the ruined gate, forcing Alex to chain his movement spells together to avoid being caught. Each displacement consumed mana, but standing still against an A-Rank mage would have been far more dangerous.

Alex kept up the pressure, alternating between and whenever he found an opening. The leader's defensive spells dealt with most of the attacks, but they still forced him to react rather than launch an uninterrupted assault.

'This isn't going to work for long.'

Alex needed more than ranged attacks. The leader's defensive artifact had already proven capable of protecting him from unusual abilities, but Alex still wanted to test its limits.

More importantly, he needed to find a way around its protection.

He abruptly changed tactics. Using the explosion to conceal his movements, he cast and circled behind the leader, masking his presence as he waited for the right moment to strike.

Then, with Death Scythe in hand, he struck.

Alex emerged from the darkness at close range and swung the scythe in a swift arc toward the leader. He had approached from behind, timing his strike to catch the man while his attention was occupied by the incoming spells.

For a fraction of a second, it seemed as though he had succeeded.

But a golden bell phantom materialized around the leader.

The scythe struck the protective barrier, producing a sharp, resonant clang. The impact sent a ripple across the golden surface, but the barrier held firm. Death Scythe failed to reach its target.

Alex's eyes narrowed. He had come that close, yet the artifact had stopped him completely.

The leader turned toward him, his expression sharpening as he recognized the threat. Alex immediately retreated with , putting distance between them before the man could counterattack.

'Damn it. Even at close range, I can't get past that thing.'

The golden bell wasn't merely blocking spells; it had also stopped a direct strike from Death Scythe. Alex had no easy way to bypass its protection.

He couldn't afford to keep attempting the same approach. Every failed attack cost him time and mana, while the leader remained largely unharmed.

There was another reason Alex had limited his options.

He deliberately avoided using Ice magic. Sherry's connection to him made that attribute a possible clue to his identity, and revealing it here would create unnecessary complications.

Using Bloodedge was an even greater concern. It belonged to Alicia, and anyone who recognized it might be able to trace the weapon back to her.

For now, he would have to rely on his Dark magic, along with Death Scythe.

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While Alex kept the A-Rank leader occupied, the other four enemies remained under the effects of . Their thoughts were muddled, and they could no longer properly distinguish friend from foe. One of them had already turned against his own companions, leaving the group in disarray.

The expedition team didn't waste the opportunity. With the enemy's attention divided, they hurried toward the exit, unwilling to risk another moment near the ongoing battle.

However, the fight wasn't their only concern.

The entire secret realm had been trembling for some time, but the disturbances had grown noticeably stronger.

The clashes of magic coincided with increasingly violent tremors, shaking the ground beneath their feet and sending loose debris tumbling from damaged structures.

No one knew whether the battle was responsible for the worsening instability. The repeated explosions and powerful spells might have aggravated the situation, or the independent realm could have already been on the verge of collapse.

Whatever the cause, the danger was becoming impossible to ignore.

Until now, they could only guess how much time remained before the independent realm collapsed. The worsening tremors made one thing clear: they couldn't afford to stay much longer. They might have minutes left, or even less.

The expedition members pressed on toward the exit, hoping to escape before the secret realm fell apart around them.

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Alex was struggling to keep up with the A-Rank leader.

He had already consumed a temporary magic power enhancer potion and activated his E-Rank skill, Berserker, while also using his D-Rank skill, Resonance to push his combat capabilities even further.

Even with all these enhancements, however, the gap between them remained substantial. The leader was simply too powerful for Alex to overcome through brute force alone.

Using Ice magic wouldn't solve the problem either. His opponent was a fire mage, and a considerably stronger one at that.

While the elemental advantage might have helped under different circumstances, it wasn't enough to bridge the gap in their strength.

He could attempt a Tier-6 or Tier-7 spell, but those required time to cast. This wasn't a tournament where he could prepare a powerful attack while his opponent patiently waited for him to finish.

Every exchange was potentially lethal, and even a moment of hesitation could cost him his life.

His weapons offered little hope as well. Death Scythe was an S+-Rank weapon, a step above his S-Rank Bloodedge sword, but its power was still limited by the lack of accumulated blood energy. It hadn't gathered enough to make a decisive difference.

Worse, Alex couldn't reliably get close enough to land a hit, and even if he managed to strike, the golden bell artifact would likely block the attack.

For now, his only viable option was to keep fighting.

Fortunately, the situation wasn't entirely one-sided. The leader's spells threatened Alex with every attack, but his combination of and had allowed him to evade or avoid taking a direct hit so far.

Neither side could gain a decisive advantage. Alex couldn't break through the leader's defenses, while the leader couldn't pin him down long enough to finish the fight. It had become a battle of endurance.

It had become a battle of endurance.

There was, however, one advantage Alex held over his opponent. He had already stolen the storage rings belonging to all five intruders, leaving them without access to their stored equipment, weapons, and supplies.

The leader might still have his protective artifact, but he could no longer reach for a mana potion to replenish his mana reserves.

Alex had no such limitation. His mana reserves were enormous, and his regeneration was exceptionally fast. He also had the Soulessence Nexus Ring, which stored a considerable amount of additional mana.

Even without drinking a mana potion, he had enough reserves to keep fighting for a while longer.

As long as the leader couldn't replenish his mana, Alex had a chance of outlasting him. The question was whether he could hold on long enough.

Alex briefly turned his attention inward.

'Aurora, any ideas?'

Aurora watched the ongoing battle with a troubled expression. She was knowledgeable about magic, but that didn't mean she could solve every problem. As a spirit, she had few ways to directly influence a fight like this.

"I can't think of anything that would give you a decisive advantage." she admitted. "You're already using most of your available options."

Alex frowned. He had hoped she might notice something he had overlooked, but the situation remained unchanged.

His opponent was stronger, his spells couldn't penetrate the golden bell's protection, and his only real advantage was the leader's gradually dwindling mana reserves.

Even so, he saw no reliable way to win without revealing one of his trump cards.

He had been reluctant to use them, but the longer the fight dragged on, the fewer options he would have. The ancient ruin was also becoming increasingly unstable, leaving him with little time to spare.

'Looks like I have no choice.'

Alex made his decision and prepared to use one of his hidden abilities. Before he could act, however, the situation changed abruptly.