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Aldric and Adrian clashed across the shattered mountain peak, their battle illuminated by the dim flashes of lightning that tore through the dark skies. The rain poured relentlessly, soaking the already blood-stained ground.
Each time their blades met, sparks scattered into the air, mixing with the falling rain. The sound of steel striking steel was drowned out by the distant wailing of the giant moth that hovered in the storm above.
Aldric quickly realized one thing—he was outmatched.
Adrian's movements were sharp, precise, and filled with a kind of cold elegance. His every swing carried an invisible pressure that forced Aldric onto the defensive. Even though they were both arcanists of similar rank, the difference between them was far too large.
Adrian fought like someone who had been through countless battles, someone who had lived through death again and again. His timing, his stance, even the rhythm of his attacks were refined to perfection.
Aldric blocked, evaded, and retreated, his mind racing to find a solution.
He barely avoided a horizontal slash that would have taken his head. The wind from the blade alone tore through the air beside him. Aldric fell backward, rolled, and used the momentum to get back on his feet.
He had no intention of dying here.
All around them, the mountain range had turned into a battlefield of beasts and horrors. The vile spawns of the moth clashed with native creatures of the Blood Fang region, tearing at each other with frenzied violence. The once-stable ground trembled under the chaos, shaking with every roar, shriek, and explosion of mana.
Using the distraction to his advantage, Aldric retreated into the mist and chaos below.
He weaved through the battlefield, avoiding the vile spawns that screeched in pain and fury, using the corpses of dead beasts as cover. Each step was a gamble, but for now, he was still alive.
Yet Adrian was relentless.
No matter how far Aldric ran, the sound of steel boots against stone followed him. Adrian's presence was like a shadow—always there, always closing in.
Aldric's lungs burned, and his body screamed for rest. He turned sharply behind a large boulder, pressing his back against it, his breathing shallow. He could still feel the faint trace of Adrian's mana signature approaching fast.
There was no doubt.
Adrian was hunting him down deliberately, not giving him a single moment to think or recover.
And yet, something about all this didn't add up.
If the moth was under Adrian's command, why was it attacking him too?
Aldric had seen it more than once—the giant creature's black tears falling dangerously close to Adrian. One of the larvae had even tried to attack him, forcing Adrian to slice it apart mid-air.
Was he really in control of that abomination? Or was he being controlled by it instead?
Aldric gritted his teeth, pushing the thought aside as another sound caught his attention.
Boom!
A beam of condensed mana exploded in the distance, and a wave of energy rolled through the valley. The vile spawns shrieked in anger, and the giant moth turned its eyeless face toward the disturbance. Its torn wings flapped once, and several more of its minions burst from the ground, rushing toward the new chaos.
That was his chance.
Aldric bolted from cover, moving swiftly down the slope. He slid between two large rocks, nearly losing his balance before steadying himself with one hand. Behind him, he could feel Adrian's killing intent closing in.
"Running again?" Adrian's voice echoed through the rain, low and cold.
Aldric didn't answer. His mind was focused entirely on survival.
He leapt over the remains of a fallen beast, the stench of blood thick in the air. A group of vile spawns clashed with a giant bear-like creature not far away, their screeches piercing the storm. The world was chaos, and Aldric used that chaos as his cover.
But even so, Adrian's sword appeared from the mist.
Aldric barely managed to twist his body, the blade grazing his shoulder. Blood sprayed into the air. He stumbled forward but didn't stop moving. He swung his arm, and a small orb of mana exploded between them, creating a flash of light and smoke.
Adrian shielded his eyes for a moment, but by the time the light faded, Aldric was gone again—blending into the chaos of monsters and storm.
For a brief moment, Adrian stopped chasing. He stood in the rain, breathing heavily, his expression unreadable.
Overhead, the giant moth let out another screech, its wings beating slowly. It seemed weaker than before—its movements sluggish, its cries distorted. The people from the caravan had indeed done serious damage to it before they fell.
If not for that, neither Adrian nor Aldric would have survived this long.
Aldric hid behind the remains of a large, broken tree, clutching his bleeding arm. His breathing was ragged, his entire body trembling. The sound of monsters fighting echoed all around him, the world a blur of motion and noise.
He looked up toward the sky, where lightning flashed and revealed the enormous shadow of the moth above the clouds.
His mind raced.
The situation was hopeless. He couldn't fight Adrian head-on, and the moth was beyond anything he could handle. Every path seemed to lead to death.
But Aldric wasn't one to give up.
He had something.
Something he had been preparing for weeks—an arrangement he'd started as a way to pass time but later decided to refine as the dangers of the Blood Fang Mountains became clear.
A special formation. A creation of his own design.
He never expected he would need to use it now, but it seemed fate had other plans.
Aldric pressed his bloodied hand against the ground, muttering under his breath. Thin threads of faint light extended from his fingers, vanishing into the wet soil. The faint hum of mana pulsed in the air.
It wasn't ready yet. Not completely. But if he could just buy some time...
He looked up toward the ridge where Adrian's figure had reappeared, sword drawn, eyes glowing faintly through the rain.
Aldric exhaled slowly. His face was calm. His heart was not.
The battle would continue. But this time, he wasn't without a plan.
He was already setting the layout for his grand scheme.
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