Chapter Thirty-Eight — A Battle Between Fourth-Circle Wielders
The attackers finished their preparations: the two who had not yet acted completed their own skills — one gathering a crackling electric surge, the other shaping a focused beam of light. Their gazes fixed on Niral with clear hostile intent. Niral, however, had expected strikes of this kind; he began to activate Wind Steps at fourth level: he lunged forward, then slid suddenly to the right — not only to dodge but to ensure the blows would be aimed at him alone, and not at the companions who had spent so much time fighting together.
Niral avoided the two attacks with consummate grace; he had fought similar duels many times, his movements an internal rhythm. The light beam was the faster of the two; his first shift spared him the direct hit, but the beam re-aimed and struck him for two consecutive seconds before its effect faded. That brief span was enough to put tremendous strain on his body, yet the royal shield his father, the king, had insisted he always wear protected him from any real harm.
The three watching the scene exchanged worried, disappointed glances, edged with a little hatred.
"This is getting difficult now… with that damned shield," one muttered.
The light-beam user snapped at his comrade, trying to spur him on. "Stop talking and focus! We strike as soon as we close in."
He grinned at the third, licking his lips with insolence. "Ready your spear."
The third smiled in turn, as if the game were only just beginning. The air around them thickened with the scent of tension and anticipation; little gusts of sand spun across the scene, dressing the moment in a thin golden veil.
The three closed the distance until only a few steps separated them from Niral, as if the very air had shrunk between their bodies. No lengthy words were exchanged — only compact looks that measured hatred and resolve. Two more explosive fire spheres launched toward the collision point like red, glowing missiles. The Dark-Shield wielder raised his hands without hesitation: the orbs struck his barrier as if it were a bottomless well — the shadows swallowed the flames, and their heat dissipated into a grey spray of sparks.
As the fire orbs' traces vanished and the distance narrowed, Niral extended both hands. He activated two identical skills at once: in each hand the roar of wind — a fourth-level ability. From his palms rose two powerful wind vortices that stuck to the air around him like twin pillars of wind and sound. Everyone saw the sudden shift, and the trio's faces blanched with surprise and dread; the skill appeared larger and stronger than anything they had seen before.
The wind waves struck with external force, pushing the three attackers back as if a heart had leapt in sudden shock. One of them did not let it end there; he cast the Darkness Shield and stood within it, the black barrier absorbing the rushing air as the sea swallows its waves. His eyes remained steady while his two bodyguards behind him braced to defend or counterattack as needed.
The Dark-Shield wielder shouted the plan to his companions: "Okay — one of you sends his lightning strike at Niral; the other hits the wind pillars with the light beam." The voices were terse but resolute; assignments were distributed in an instant.
The second of the attackers slammed his earth shield into the ground — a sandy wall rose up from the dunes before them like a temporary fence buying a little time. The wall hissed into place with rubbing sand that stirred small dust swirls as it formed a barrier. On the other side, the first prepared again and formed another smaller fire orb in his palm — this one about a metre across but unstable, its flames writhing on the verge of detonating. The heavy heat in the air hinted the situation could change drastically in an instant.
He launched the explosive orb toward the three, while the lightning strike surged from the other side aimed straight for Niral. Niral halted one of his ongoing skills and used Wind Steps instead, slipping aside with an inhuman smoothness. When the fire orb reached the midway point, the Dark-Shield bearer tried to interpose himself, but he came a moment too late — the orb detonated near the trio in a violent explosion that left a cloud of smoke and tongues of flame. Had the three not been protected by decent armor, their bodies would have been incinerated to ash.
Niral immediately pulled back outside the blast radius and sent another wind blade at the trio with blistering speed, coordinating the wind and fire strikes. As the man with the explosive orb prepared another, the light-beam wielder called out loudly: "Healing Light!" — then unleashed his second skill: a blinding flash. A white glare so intense that everyone reflexively shut their eyes.
Niral used Wind Steps to retreat calmly while shaping the roar of winds with his right hand; his hands worked like a measured drum — blocking and coordinating energies so he would be ready for the next move. He listened for any movement or footfall that might herald a fresh attack, but heard nothing. Two seconds passed and the aftereffects of the flash faded.
When Niral opened his eyes he no longer faced the three as before; they now advanced from slightly different angles, bodies scorched and smeared with burn marks. The man who had launched the lightning looked as if one of his hands had been lopped by the wind blade — a sight that froze the observers' blood for a heartbeat. Thanks to the Healing Light, bleeding slowed and small wounds began to seal; nonetheless the scene's brutality sank a new, cold fear into Niral's chest — not fear for his power, but fear for the direction this encounter had taken.
As the three turned to engage Daniel's group, one of them raised his hand and discharged the Light Beam at them. Their eyes flicked to Niral, expecting his response — after all he was the faster of them, and speed had caused the attackers' troubles so far. They did not know the prince's element; at first he leaned on wind, using Wind Steps to slip away and make himself hard to catch. Then they were shocked by what came next: Niral did not flee — he advanced slowly toward them. For a moment they thought they had won the bet; then they were struck by what he did.
He stopped using Wind Steps and executed Wind Blade. The blade appeared as before, but he did not release it immediately; it moved forward a little, then halted as if charging. Then, in a sudden, decisive motion, he activated Exploding Fire Orb directly behind the blade. The orb fused with the wind blade and merged into one: the wind blade became an explosive fire blade — a sword of flame and detonation combined. As Niral moved forward with measured steps, this hybrid weapon took form: a blazing explosive edge. He launched it with immense speed — far faster than the previous explosive sphere — straight at the three.
*********
Skills in the Chapter
[Nira: Thunderbolt]
[Mana: Lightning Element]
[Type: Long-range Attack]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
.......
[Nira: Beam of Light]
[Mana: Light Element]
[Type: Continuous Long-range Attack]
[Rank: B]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
.....
[Nira: Roar of the Wind]
[Mana: Wind Element]
[Type: Hindrance]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]
......
[Nira: Explosive Fireball]
[Mana: Fire Element]
[Type: Wide-area Long-range Attack]
[Rank: B]
[Level: 4]
[More details »]