"Fire lines."
The flames coil around Sylphaer's spear, forming unstable spirals that spin along with the wind. Enrico knew this boy; he was one of the troublesome ones from the Elf Arc for being sixth circle, Malik's youngest son, Sylphaer Von Kairiath. Creating his fire bow, he uses the unique ability of his ego weapon.
"Control over ashes."
An arrow made of ashes appears on the bow when Enrico draws the string. His unique ability was quite simple compared to other ego weapons. It caused internal damage and prevented the enemy from healing, potentially taking months to recover even from a small wound.
When released, the arrow did not glow. It was dull, irregular, as if it were constantly falling apart. When he fired it, it did not cut through the air; it was consuming it.
'This is dangerous.'
Sylphaer senses the danger and changes his trajectory at the last instant. The arrow grazes his shoulder and explodes against the wall behind him, leaving a dark mark that spreads like a living burn.
'That weapon…'
Enrico winked at him as if congratulating him for managing to dodge. This made the elf grit his teeth, and with clenched teeth Sylphaer spins the spear as the wind condenses at its tip.
[Looks like you don't like him… but I agree, he almost killed Valença in the original arc, so wreck him.]
'For the first time in a long while, we agree on something.'
"Elven wind magic: Gale Lance."
He throws the spear with as much force as he can. Midway through its path, it splits into three currents of solid wind. Enrico rolls to the side, feels one of them tear into his leg, and the pain comes heavy and deep, but with his water magic healing his foot, he gets up before the elf can recover the weapon.
With force, another arrow is fired from his bow, this time aiming at the torso. Sylphaer raises a wind barrier, but the arrow partially pierces through, tearing into his side. The elf drops to his knees for a second.
'Internal damage?'
He feels his body not responding as it should when he tries to heal his wound with his wind magic. Mana flows, but something blocks it.
"Damn it."
Enrico didn't want to give the elf time to stand up, so he advances, the bow already dissolving into fire as he turns the motion into a direct kick to Sylphaer's face. The impact throws him against the stone floor. Lines of fire begin to surround him, but before Enrico can finish, a shout echoes.
"SYLPHAER!"
'Damn it, this one's going to be impossible.'
The sound of wings cuts through the air, and Enrico looks up with the expression of someone who should leave that place quickly before the situation gets worse. From above, dozens of birds made of mana descend like blades. Enrico jumps backward, forcing his way through a window by pure bodily instinct, but several attacks still cut his clothes and skin. Faelion, the older brother, lands on a broken column, his cold gaze fixed on him.
"You shouldn't be here, human."
Enrico wipes the blood from the corner of his cheek and smiles faintly. He felt amusement rising within him, but this wasn't the time to have fun.
'Well, we could say that today there are a lot of people who shouldn't be here.'
Turning his eyes toward where Valdir was, he snorts. That dark elf traitor he had heard about in the story shouldn't even have appeared at this point.
'The worst part is that this is happening because I interfered… great, things got worse.'
[Who told you to change the story so much?]
'I'd rather change it in a direction where we get stronger and they get weaker, so I don't regret it at all.'
The elves around begin to move. Many of them. Too many. In fact, it was starting to get uncomfortable, since most of those there were fifth or sixth circle.
'Staying here will turn into a siege.'
Enrico takes a step back, fire wrapping around his feet. An explosion launches him away, breaking another part of the ceiling and creating distance. Sylphaer tries to get up to follow him, but his body fails again, making him grind his teeth.
"No… not now…"
"That arrow…"
Faelion observes his brother's wound and understands what is happening. The mana birds spread through the castle, sounding the alarm and going after Enrico.
'Now how do I escape from here?'
Enrico was a few floors above and ran through a corridor as he began to be chased by the birds. Looking out a window, he notices another battle happening and narrows his eyes.
'Wait, those are…'
In another corridor, the fight between the two cults continued. Sicra spins the whip and binds the arm of an elven guard, pulling him closer; with a kick covered in silver magic, she strikes, breaking the elf's neck with a dry blow. Galahard raises his hand, circles of light forming.
"Light Magic of Order — Dissipation."
The pressure of the new trap that had appeared over Lyria diminishes for an instant. She takes advantage of it, driving her hand into her own arm and pulling the blood out, shaping it into thin blades.
"Blood manipulation, blade form."
The blades pierce two guards almost at the same time. Rhaziel finally moves. He appears behind Galahard and strikes him in the back with a mana-reinforced blow. Galahard spits blood and falls, rolling across the floor.
"You are the most annoying one."
Sicra advances, the whip cracking against his shoulder. The impact makes Rhaziel slide several meters, but he smiles.
"Seventh circle really are strong."
More elves appear through the corridors. Lyria looks around, breathing with difficulty. That was exactly why her opponent was so confident, even while facing someone stronger.
"We're being surrounded."
Sicra tightens her grip on the whip, her gaze firm toward everyone. She wasn't a weakling who could be defeated just by numbers.
"Let's just push through them."
'As if that plan would work, idiot. Seventh circles are arriving.'
Lyria couldn't believe everything would end like that after a sense of survival had been growing inside her for months.
"I can't believe you're here too."
A voice from behind draws everyone's attention. It was Enrico, with the smile of someone about to cause trouble.
"Who—"
Rhaziel was about to ask who it was, but a rain of magical birds was chasing him. And he was coming straight toward both him and the elves. With speed beyond a sixth circle, he was already in front of them, and with a backward leap, the birds passed by without hitting him. Rhaziel and the elves are surprised as they start getting hit by mana explosions from that attack.
"So, cult of sacrifice of the goddess of war, how about an alliance? …you should choose another name."
Enrico looked at the three behind him with curiosity to see if they would accept. Especially the girl he recognized from when he left the barrier back then.
"Sure, just temporarily."