She was drinking a cleansing potion as she ran past Eldros, reeking of blood and gore.
He caught sight of her darkening arm from the corruption of Noxium in the area, as well as the side effects of using mana for too long.
Jarek went past where Scar was and then sat down and began to meditate, drawing in the surrounding mana to replenish herself as well as drinking healing potions.
Next came Stepper.
The monsters ran at him, their short barks filling the air, but the big man stepped on the ground and hardened earth shot out like arrows, impaling many and causing them to yelp painfully.
Then he fell on them.
In a way, he was even more impressive than Jarek because he used brute force.
Crack! Bam!
The hammer would slam into the monsters with bone-crushing force, killing the first it touched in a shower of blood and breaking the bones of the rest.
But Eldros soon noticed the difference between three and six stars of the Initiate of the Arcana.
For one, Stepper didn't have the reach that the old woman had. Her attacks could reach far deeper into the ranks of the monsters and killed many more.
For every one monster that Stepper killed, Jarek would have killed eight.
And the duration too. Jarek had a lot of mana to spare and thus, it didn't take long before Stepper began to breathe hard, and his face blackened as if he was charred by fire.
One of the monsters got close to crushing his throat before he pushed it back with his left hand, which instantly began to drip blood as the monster bit him.
The monsters took advantage of that and surged toward him, mouths open wide, vicious aura overwhelming as they flew at him.
But the next moment, a light flashed and all of the surging monsters died.
Eldros wasn't the only one surprised, as the other monsters flinched back.
But it soon became clear.
What killed the monsters that were rushing Stepper were arrows—about twenty of them—made of light that vanished in a few seconds.
Scar!
Eldros looked up at the tree the man was occupying, and he saw a single arrow fly out like a bullet. As the arrow flew, faint golden light formed around it into the shape of the same arrow, about twenty more, gaining the same speed as it.
Twack! Twack!
The arrows slammed into the monsters, and painful howls filled the air.
"Fall back, Stepper," Jarek called, her voice calm. She was breathing regularly. The darkening corruption had also retreated away from her.
Stepper nodded, breathing hard as he immediately left the place and ran back. He went a few steps behind Jarek and began to replenish his energy.
Meanwhile, Scar kept the monsters back with his arrows.
Soon, it was Kat's turn.
As the first wave of the monsters bore down on her, she activated the first enchantments that she drew on the ground, and a wall of translucent energy sprang up between her and the monsters. Next, she calmly picked one of the jars and sprinkled it on the monsters trying to break through her shield.
Immediately, the powders hit the monsters. The shimmering light hooked into them and entered their bodies, and they turned against their own.
Growls and shrieks erupted as eight monsters turned against their fellow monsters and began to attack them. Blood sprayed into the air as they tore into each other.
Kat stood there and watched with impassive eyes.
But there were simply too many monsters for eight to go against, and they were torn to shreds.
And that was the strategy she used.
Again and again, she made monsters fight each other, and each time the monsters ended up dead. But the fighting eventually caused her shield to shatter.
Another one sprang up when she moved beyond it, and the cycle began again.
Meanwhile, the other Magus were resting and replenishing their energy.
"...Although her Arcane Art seems to be keeping the monsters out, she has killed far less than the others. She seems to be the support type..."
Eldros thought as he watched. If it came down to a fight, it would be easy to kill her.
Meanwhile, she was also tiring. Each of the powders she was using was infused with her mana, and it was draining her.
She repeated her fighting plan a few times before she fell back, going as far as to rest behind Stepper.
Eldros's hand tightened on his disc. It would soon be his turn.
The last shield that Kat erected crumbled, and Scar began to fire his arrows, once again taking control of things.
"Brat, it's your turn," Jarek called. "You don't have to try so hard. Just fall back once you've done enough. I have rested enough."
Eldros didn't reply to her.
Instead, he stepped forward.
Mana bellowed from him as he activated his Arcane Art. His hands turned dark and leathery, his nails sharpened, and strength filled him.
Hand of the Demon!
The monsters rushed forward.
The first two to hit him opened their mouths to growl, but before any sounds came from their mouths, their heads had already hit the ground as an iron disc parted them with a brutal swing.
Even before their heads hit the ground, Eldros was already shooting forward so fast he seemed a blur. His left hand clamped on a monster's head and he crushed it.
While his right hand swung, cleaving a skull open.
Just like that, in five seconds, he had killed four monsters. Green blood already splattered him, and with the maniac aura that surrounded him, the monsters flinched when he glared at them.
But they were monsters, and their numbers gave them a sense of strength. So they rushed him.
Meanwhile, Kat was looking at him with a shocked expression. "Are you sure that is a two star?"
Stepper, who was in front of her, grunted. "I don't know. I don't think I was that fast when I was there. But I do have the strength."
"Look at your size. It'll be surprising if you don't. But seriously, who's the brat? I've never seen that type of Arcane Art before either."
Jarek, who was already on her feet, waiting for the chance to shoot forward in case it was needed, began to relax. Her eyes glittered. "There are millions of Arcane Arts. What you should be worried about is how your enemies use their own."