Enrico looked toward the direction where Valença was fighting. His eyes were red because of the Crimson Eyes magic. He moved between two Circle Six attacks with visible fatigue on his face. That was because he was also chasing the place where Sairao and Victoria had gone, while at the same time fighting these two and helping Valença from a distance.
As for why Faelion was no longer there—Enrico, using the body of a peak Circle Seven, had used brute strength to throw him off the continent. That gave him enough time to switch back to his normal body, which was still strong, and use his magic to help Valença.
'I didn't use the Circle Seven body to finish them quickly because I saw Valença was about to be struck by Val'Drakar's sword.'
[And because of that these guys managed to hit you. You need to be more careful.]
The system was right. While dodging Rhaziel's hand covered in spiked stone, Enrico glanced at several wounds on his skin—cuts and purple marks left by Verias's curse magic. Crouching, he placed his hands on the ground and kicked upward, striking the cult mage's face. Creating lines of fire, he wrapped them around Rhaziel's neck.
'I can only switch to the Circle Seven body one more time today…'
The lines of fire began burning and cutting his neck, and if Verias hadn't interfered by launching a purple curse spell toward him, Rhaziel's head would have been torn off completely. Looking at the two opponents, Enrico knew he couldn't waste time, so he ran with a faster movement toward the right. The two chased him at full speed.
"We can't let him escape."
"I know, idiot."
"And who said I was escaping?"
Suddenly Enrico stopped, letting them pass slightly ahead before grabbing the arm of the closest one—Rhaziel. Once again Enrico activated his Circle Seven body to twist the mage's arm backward, then slammed several punches into his face. Verias used curse magic to weaken Enrico's body, but he didn't seem to care.
'Zero Impact.'
His fist struck his opponent's face, crushing the skull and leaving a hole where it had been. Verias watched his companion's corpse fall to the ground and took a step back. He couldn't defeat his opponent now, so the best option was to retreat.
"As if I'd let you."
Enrico's voice came from behind him as two hands wrapped around his face. Verias was physically weaker than Rhaziel; with a single movement, Enrico twisted his neck backward. He released the body and immediately began running toward Sairao again.
"Bird Magic: Cutting Wings."
'What an annoying guy.'
With an irritated expression, Enrico stepped aside, dodging the attack before continuing to run. Faelion had returned after being thrown away. He held a sword made of bird feathers and was sweating slightly. As he chased Enrico, he saw the bodies of the two cult mages on the ground.
'Bunch of useless fools.'
The elf used his bird magic to transform into a green eagle made of mana. His speed increased even more. That was the form he used to return quickly. The only problem was that it didn't have the same power as his normal form. Enrico moved faster, dodging several air bullets fired from Faelion's mouth.
[It will be difficult to defeat him without using mana. Unlike other Circle Sevens, this one is close to reaching Circle Eight.]
'Even so, I think I can win.'
Showing a faint smile, he turned while still moving and raised his arm. Punching the air, he released a shockwave from his fist. The shockwave crossed the air like an invisible wall crushing the wind ahead of it as it rushed directly toward the green eagle formed from Faelion's mana. The impact struck the creature in midair, scattering feathers of energy across several meters while the bird's form distorted violently before dissolving. A moment later Faelion reappeared in his normal form several meters above the ground, gliding in the air with his wings spread while stabilizing his body.
'That strength is definitely that of a peak Circle Seven…'
With that thought, he moved again without giving Enrico time to keep running. Dozens of mana feathers appeared around him and shot forward like blades. Enrico dodged the first ones by leaning his body to the side while continuing to run, but others came from different directions and pierced his defense. Two sliced his shoulder, another tore through his thigh, and a fourth pierced the side of his abdomen. Blood splattered onto the ground as he stumbled for a moment—but he kept moving.
'Damn it. Where are Victoria and Sairao?'
Because he had to pay attention to so many things, he lost sight of them. Now he was searching everywhere, following the direction where he had last seen Sairao move. This battle had turned into a race against time—he couldn't allow Victoria to die.
'I have to find them, but with this guy chasing me…'
He spun his body, dodging more blades, and punched the air again. Another shockwave smashed the approaching wind blades while also pushing Faelion backward in the air. Faelion spread his wings even wider and the sky above them filled with green feathers made of mana. Hundreds began spinning like a swarm before descending all at once.
Enrico clenched his teeth and charged straight through the storm of blades. Several feathers cut into his skin as he pushed through, leaving deep marks across his arms, chest, and back. One pierced completely through his leg, making his body falter for a moment—but he kept running anyway.
Seeing that, Faelion narrowed his eyes, already suspecting something.
'He's strong, without a doubt… but why isn't he using magic?'
While he observed, Enrico's eyes began to grow dull little by little. His body started to fail, and with each second he felt a pain in his muscles that was difficult for a human to endure.
'Just a little more.'
From his perspective, he began to see what he wanted. The world around him started to darken, and a staircase appeared beneath him.