Nahid fell to his knees from the pain of the punch to his stomach.
His lungs were burning; he was struggling to breathe.
But he had no time to dwell on it.
Stubbornly, he forced himself back to his feet.
His eyes darted over to Zayden.
"Are you alright?"
Zayden, though completely out of breath, tightened his grip on his blade and stood up.
"I'm fine."
Nahid drew the Sword of the Flame God.
His missing arm took shape once again, formed entirely from blazing fire.
A flicker of fury ignited in Nihad's eyes upon seeing this.
He clenched his teeth in rage.
In a flash, he lunged forward, pouncing on Nahid like a shadow.
However, Nahid was ready.
Releasing the full force of his flames, he repelled Nihad.
As the fiery surges slammed into the stone walls of the throne room, they cast a crimson glow across the hall.
Zayden didn't miss his window.
His lightning sword flashed like a bolt of thunder as he executed a blindingly fast strike aimed straight for Nihad's head.
But Nihad was faster than expected.
He raised his hand, halting the blade with the raw power of pure water.
Zayden was stunned.
To intercept an attack that fast and powerful with such effortless ease…
Was this man truly Nihad?
With his free hand, Nihad swiftly manifested a spear made of water.
The spear gleamed like a shimmering ocean wave.
In a split second, he thrust it toward Zayden's abdomen.
SWOOSH!
Zayden brought his lightning blade into a defensive guard, blocking the spear.
Yet the impact was so overwhelming that it forced him back several steps.
Nahid tightened his grip and charged forward.
He swung his sword at Nihad with fury.
Nihad met the strike head-on.
Steel clashed against power.
For a moment, both exerted their strength against one another.
Ultimately, with immense force, Nihad shoved Nahid back as well.
Nahid and Zayden fell back side by side, retreating a few paces.
Zayden turned to Nahid, gritting his teeth.
"We need to fall back."
Nahid glared at Zayden in anger.
"No! The two of us can kill him!"
Zayden shook his head in frustration.
"If you die here, Nahid, it will be on you."
Nahid gritted his teeth but said nothing.
Because Zayden was right.
Nihad was simply too strong.
For now, they had to retreat and devise a better strategy.
This battle was far from over.
It was merely… postponed.
Nihad looked at Nahid and Zayden, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.
"Thinking of running? How pathetic…
I haven't even used the power of the Water God yet.
Up until now, I've only used 10% of my power."
Zayden's face tightened.
You mean everything they had thrown at him so far was fought off using only a fraction of Nihad's true strength?
Was this man even more powerful than that?!
Nahid turned to Zayden, clenching his teeth.
"We have to find a way out of here."
But how?
If they tried to flee toward the back, Nihad's water powers would instantly overtake and drown them.
If they made a run for the front, matching Nihad's speed was impossible.
Zayden narrowed his eyes, surveying their surroundings.
This throne room was grand and extravagant, but above all else:
It had a ceiling.
And that ceiling was ancient.
An idea struck Zayden.
"Can you cover me for a few seconds?"
Nahid gripped his blade without question.
"I'll do whatever I can."
Zayden retreated swiftly, eyeing the supporting columns of the ceiling.
If he could collapse the ceiling with a strike powerful enough, it might give them a window to escape!
However, Nahid needed to draw Nihad's attention for it to work.
Nahid suddenly lunged forward, his blade glowing with the divine energy of the Flame God.
Roaring flames engulfed the room.
Nahid launched a relentless assault on Nihad until he was nearly out of breath.
Blade strikes descended without pause, forcing Nihad to step back each time.
Yet Nihad remained unfazed.
"Really, Nahid? Is that all you've got?"
Wrapping Nahid's sword in swirling water, Nihad blasted him backward.
Right at that instant, Zayden closed his eyes.
He channeled all his energy into his blade.
Lightning crackled frantically across his body.
"LIGHTNING SLASH!"
He hurled his blade's strike upward toward the ceiling.
A massive explosion echoed through the hall.
The ceiling shook, cracked…
And began to collapse!
"Nahid, now!"
Without a second's hesitation, Nahid grabbed Zayden by the arm.
Together, they darted through the falling debris and leaped through a shattered window.
At that exact moment, colossal stone blocks crashed down on top of Nihad.
Half of the room caved in, filling the air with dense clouds of dust.
Nahid and Zayden hit the ground hard beside the palace, rolling across the stone pavement.
Both were completely out of breath.
Nahid looked back at the rubble and sighed.
"That won't stop him. But at least it bought us time."
Zayden pulled himself up to his feet.
"We need to get as far away from here as possible right now. Otherwise, the next time we meet, he's going to drown us alive."
Nahid nodded.
Wasting no more time, both ran off into the dark streets.
This war was far from over…
But for now, they had survived.