As I swung my blade of light, while trying, on the fly, to utilise my new Grand Mage physique, I imbued light into various parts of my legs, thighs, knees, and feet. Then further than that, the ligaments all the way down to the cells.
My legs burned but I gritted my teeth, and suddenly as Seraph was about to calmy deflect my strike like water, my speed increased drastically, catching her off guard as my sword slashed her shoulder, blood spurted out.
'Fuck' I thought, I was aiming for the head.
Seraph for the first time, showed shock, her usual calm shattered in that moment. She cried out lightly, as the pain hit her like a wave. She staggered back trying to create a spell.
As I went to finish her, the demon struck out with those same lava whips, they wrapped around my arm and yanked me back, I quickly dissolved the sword and recast it in my free hand, while I slashed at the whip, breaking free with minimal damage.
I then used my new blink spell, to jump back and gain some distance, the crater now as large as some small cities from that brief exchange.
The surroundings were obliterated, the castle was falling apart from the sheer pressure of me and the others. Falling down into the city below. The cliffside where we were situated had started to give way, causing rockfalls.
I didn't have time to worry about any of that as the dwarf now slammed his staff on the ground, and was about to summon large earth boulders as large as buildings to crush me.
The interesting thing about the fact he is using a staff is that, usually mages only use weapons when they start out on their journey as a mage all the through to Emperor Mage.
As it helps with controlling and using their element and mana, when you reach Great and Grand Mage, your connection to the mana around you and your control over it becomes so pronounced, you don't really need one, they become obsolete.
So, that is why I think its interesting that this dwarf, Adrik, would choose to use one, is it an artifact I mused quickly.
Then the boulders were suddenly upon me, I casually summoned large light magic shields to cover me as the comet-like earth boulders crashed against them, while simultaneously firing back thousands of swords of light.
They blotted out the sky as they rained down upon the dwarf, Adrik, whom simply summoned earth to converge around him with a wave of his staff.
As this exchange was ongoing, I launched myself again with blink to the demon, Zenith, ready to pierce him with my sword, when suddenly the elf from a distance seemed to summon the very air around us, to lock me in place just as I was about to pierce the demon.
Zenith then looked at me with a malicious smile, as he conjured a sword made of pure lava element as he was about to pierce me, I quickly released a wave of light from my body, outwardly in a 360 degree angle, it was a desperate gamble, that paid off. I was able to regain control and quickly sidestepped and twirled as I barely missed getting stabbed.
Unfortunately, using that made me expend a large amount of mana.
Quickly regaining control of the situation, I imbued the light element into my legs and I used blink, seeming as if I teleported instantly to even the Grand Mages I am fighting.
I arrive in front of the elf, Rumil, who tried to back up by using the air element to fly back.
I followed him by using the same trick of a Grand Mage, using your deeper connection to the mana and your element, to fly.
I flew after him into the air, constantly tracking him and hunting him with elegant ferocity, swinging my sword of light, throwing weapons manifested with light, not letting up. This guy is dangerous with that element of his I mused, I need to deal with him before the others.
Out of nowhere, the large, imposing figure of the bearman, Zarog, launched himself like a cannonball from below, using his pure physical strength to fire himself directly at me, as he was about to collide with me in mid air, rock formed around his hands like makeshift gauntlets ready to smash into my body, he screamed "you are worthy!" and gave off an erratic, excitable aura.
It seems he hadn't made a move yet to see if I was worthy, nutjob.
I blinked away again, as I launched multiple weapons made of light at the bearman, who formed a set of rock armour around himself that absorbed the damage.
Suddenly, another figure appeared, it was the disgruntled figure of Seraph, her calm demeaner now shredded, her wound it seems, is healing quickly, that's a Grand Mages physique for you, I thought. She now wore a murderous gaze, as she started to form and launch thousands of water spells at once.
Some took the form of weapons, some water tentacles of some sort of sea monster, trying to restrain my movements, others were mythical magic beasts like Loong's trying to bite and rip me apart.
I manipulated the light element while in the air, then distanced myself yet again, slightly panting now from the amount of mana I expended, as the the spells Seraph launched seemed to go in different directions after they lost sight of me from the use of blink, before fizzling out.
As I was floating there, I looked out over our surroundings that had been completely obliterated, the cliff the castle was situated on, was completely destroyed, the castle itself has basically been reduced to its foundations. The military compound is gone, erased from our exchange. Then from the corner of my eye I see the others, the dwarf, and the demon appearing in the sky, joining their companions.
The demon, Zenith, said with a victorious smile, as he took in my slightly tired form "How long are you going to last Lightborn? You have got some skill, I will admit, but it is over."
The hulking bearman, said with excitement "There is no way he is done yet, I have just gotten started!"
The others however, especially, Seraph, looked as if they either wanted me dead or just wanted it over with already.
Suddenly, we all sensed the fluctuations in the mana as the figure of an old human man appeared in the sky above us, he had long silky grey hair, with a light grey beard that fell to his waist, wearing what seems to be an academy dean's attire, with striking, strong looking dark green eyes.
He ignored the other mages I was facing and directly spoke to me, I really thought I wouldn't see him again after the way we parted ways.
"Hohoh, if it isn't my only disciple, you have gotten yourself in a bit of a pickle." Fuck, of course he is still an insufferable prick.
I look up to him and say seriously "Old man, who you calling disciple? I left you remember? I thought you had enough of me."
The old man, looked at me with those same, strong defiant eyes, he used to look at me with, bringing back irrelevant memories, from years gone by. "Who are you calling old man? Has time still not taught you basic manners? And I am here, of course, to congratulate you on your breakthrough, however, it took me a while to track you, and look what I walked in on." He said as those same eyes looked over the others.