Kei closed his eyes. I'mstartingto thinkmoreclearly... this feelsstrangelygood. he thought, letting out a long sigh. He snapped them open and dropped into a fighting stance, his gaze locked onto Varyss.
Eirene smiled as she watched the humanoid. If I combine both my abilities...I can pull offan unexpectedstrike to knockhim off balance.It mightnot be pure power,but if itlands, it'llbe effective. Her mind raced through possible maneuvers, calculating trajectories and scenarios in a heartbeat.
Kael frowned while tending to Yuto's minor wounds, casting a sidelong glance at Varyss. We'rewinning...but we couldstill lose. he thought, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any strategic opening to seize the advantage.
Finally, Eirene raised her left hand, manipulating gravity to lift a massive boulder—a fragment of the fallen colossus—slowly into the air. Her fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted to the weight, calibrating the exact pressure required. With a swift pull of her right hand, she thrust it forward, conjuring a powerful gale to propel the rock. The stone whistled through the air at high speed, spinning slightly as Eirene calculated every fraction of a second to ensure it struck the humanoid's weak point.
Her eyes burned with concentration, gauging distance, velocity, and the enemy's likely reaction. Every muscle in her arm was synced with her mind; a single mistake and the rock would miss—or worse, be deflected back at them.
The boulder flew straight at the humanoid, cutting through the air with a musical hiss. Eirene felt the flow of Ether coursing through her body, micro-adjusting the trajectory until the very last moment.
Kei was momentarily taken aback. I can't wait any longer. He immediately bolted toward Varyss, sword in hand. He knit his brows, trying to time his strike perfectly. His breathing became rhythmic, and the ringing in his ears seemed to amplify every movement of his enemy, every slight distraction Varyss showed.
[87%]
The rock reached the humanoid. He tried to slide to the right to dodge, but it slammed into his left shoulder, shattering the metallic plating. The humanoid groaned in pain, clutching his shoulder and glaring at Eirene with pure fury.
Varyss stood staring at Eirene's unexpected assault, his brow furrowed, failing to notice Kei closing in on him.
Kei lunged at Varyss with his blade raised, ready to slash and weaken him. Startled by the sound of Kei's footsteps, Varyss turned toward the boy and made a sharp gesture. Nexus threads snaked around Kei's sword and hands, wrenching the attack to the left.
Kei hit the ground; his sword severed the threads and struck the asphalt with a spark. Damn you! he thought, frustration etched across his face. Without a word, he rolled up, raised his sword, and charged again, unleashing a flurry of direct strikes at Varyss.
The villain retreated with quick steps, his threads lashing out to trap or strike at every opportunity. It was a deadly dance of precision and reflexes—a constant exchange where the slightest hesitation carried a heavy price.
[92%]
Eirene spun on her heel, the compressed Ether beneath her feet forming razor-sharp gusts of air that grazed the humanoid's armor. Every movement was calculated, seeking not just to inflict damage, but to break his posture. With a sudden burst of energy, she thrust her hands forward, sending another floating rock crashing into his shoulder, making the giant stagger.
Yuto seized the moment, unleashing a blast of fire—not directly at the humanoid, but at the ground surrounding him. The flames crackled and roared, forcing the giant to step back and lift his feet as small cracks spiderwebbed across the asphalt. Heat and smoke blurred his vision, but Yuto calculated the spread with surgical precision.
Kael, for his part, extended his vines, snatching up debris and hurling the fragments like projectiles. He aimed strategically at the humanoid's joints, forcing him to block while losing his footing. Kael anticipated every attempt the giant made to recover, shifting his vines with the speed of someone reading his enemy's very thoughts.
The humanoid growled, trying to retaliate, but the team gave him no breathing room. Eirene adjusted the air currents, Yuto intensified the fire's pressure, and Kael moved his vines to keep him pinned. However, a sudden, violent lunge from the giant sent Yuto flying back. Eirene reacted instantly, conjuring a wind shield to cushion his fall, while Kael recalculated his movements, bracing for the giant's next move.
Every action was a chain reaction, the team adapting to the humanoid's errors and successes. It wasn't just a continuous assault; it was a game of strategy, coordination, and constant calculation. The giant pressed forward, but every step was countered by their synchronized movements, forcing him to stumble back as the combined pressure of the four humans cornered him ruthlessly.
Arata frowned, observing the faint aura beginning to emanate from Kei. Something in the boy's breathing, in the way he gripped his hilt, told Arata that Kei was nearing the limit of his willpower. I can'tjust stand here...but Ican't interfereeither... he thought, a mix of worry and frustration gnawing at him. His eyes tracked Varyss's every move and the humanoid's every breath, anticipating the disaster that could follow if Kei rushed in blindly.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. Arata whirled to his left, sensing an unexpected presence. His muscles tensed, but there was no immediate threat—only a cold draft that didn't belong on this battlefield. He stood perfectly still, alert, every fiber of his being ready to react.
It was Caelum, watching the struggle. His slumped shoulders and apathetic gaze betrayed total indifference. He observed the battle for a moment, his eyes evaluating the scene without emotion, before finally letting out a slow sigh. Without saying a word, he turned his back and began walking toward the Council building, each footstep echoing with an eerie calm that contrasted sharply with Arata's tension.
Arata watched him leave, feeling a wave of disbelief and resignation. I don't get it...howcan he remainso unfazed? he wondered. His gaze snapped back to Kei just in time to see the faint aura flare with a more intense light. The sense of urgency spiked; every second mattered, and Arata knew that whatever happened next could change everything.
Kei took a firm step forward, his breathing precise as the aura around him began to pulse faintly. Every one of Varyss's movements was measured, yet the young man noticed tiny fractures in his guard—mechanical motions, barely perceptible breaths—signs his mind refused to ignore.
I can't hesitate...one mistakeand I'm done. Kei thought as his sword traced a lightning-fast arc toward the enemy's chest. Varyss, sensing the intent, tightened the threads emerging from his body, parrying the blade with a nearly invisible flick. The contact produced a metallic snap that rang through the air, and Kei felt the vibration shudder through his arm.
Without missing a beat, he pivoted on his heel, changing the angle of his attack to find the gap between the threads. Varyss responded, moving with surprising agility for his size, weaving his limbs with the threads to block and counter simultaneously. Every strike from the boy was calculated, but the speed and reach of the threads forced him to constantly realign his strategy.
[94%]
The tension in the air was palpable; the sound of threads scraping against metal and the whistle of them cutting the air created a rhythmic, almost hypnotic tempo. Kei breathed heavily, calculating the energy in every muscle, every leap, and every turn, his mind processing patterns of attack and defense in fractions of a second.
A thread managed to graze his arm, leaving a shallow cut that stung on contact, and frustration hit him like a wall. However, he exploited the tiniest opening as Varyss retreated, launching a flurry of rapid slashes to disrupt his enemy's coordination. Each movement was a clash of reflexes and raw will; Kei could feel the edge of his willpower approaching, but there was no turning back. The fight had become a collision of instinct, strategy, and pure endurance as they studied and measured each other with millimetric precision.
Eirene lifted her feet slightly off the ground, spinning with precision to adjust the gravity holding the boulder suspended over the humanoid's back. With a subtle hand gesture, she conjured a vortex of air particles that slashed at the metallic joints, forcing the humanoid back a few steps to keep his balance. None of these gusts were random; Eirene calculated the angles and speed perfectly, anticipating the giant's every twitch.
Yuto didn't let up. His control over the flames was surgical: short, fast projectiles aimed at where the joints met the armor. The fire wasn't meant to destroy him outright, but to saturate him—to force him into constant movement and create gaps in his defense. Every spark and heat wave was designed so that Varyss couldn't intervene with his threads without getting caught in the crossfire.
Kael constantly adjusted his focus. His vines moved independently, grabbing debris and hurlng it like projectiles following predictive patterns: if the humanoid lifted his right foot, a rock struck his left joint; if he tried to turn, a vine snagged him gently, keeping him off-balance. The coordination between Kael, Eirene, and Yuto was flawless—each action complemented the next, reducing the humanoid to mere defensive reactions.
The humanoid groaned and stumbled; every hit seemed to sap his stability, forcing him into brief pauses that the humans exploited. His metallic breathing wheezed through the air as his movements grew more predictable. Eirene spotted a slight opening in the giant's rear guard and, with a flick of her wrist, adjusted the pressure of the rock still hovering above him. Yuto intensified the flames around his feet, hampering his mobility, while Kael increased the speed of the projectiles to fatigue the humanoid's limbs.
Every second counted. Though they couldn't bring him down immediately, the humanoid was clearly flagging: his balance was precarious, his defense slower, and every movement required a visible effort. The team breathed hard, knowing one slip-up could be fatal, but the feeling was undeniable—they had the initiative, and the humanoid was on the verge of buckling under their strategic coordination.
Eirene didn't waste a moment. With a quick twist of her body, she lifted several small stones from the ground, subtly controlling gravity so they orbited her like bullets. Each rock spun with precision, targeting the humanoid's metallic joints. When one hit his shoulder, a metallic crash echoed; the impact didn't stop him, but it made him stagger, his internal gears grinding audibly.
Yuto, seizing the opening, combined his fire with small bursts directed at the giant's legs. The explosions didn't cause direct damage, but they superheated the iron, making his footsteps ring with a clanging echo that disrupted his rhythm. The heat and smoke thickened, forcing the giant to whip his head around, trying to track every threat.
Kael extended his Anima vines toward the humanoid's arms and legs. The thorny vines coiled around the metal hinges, pulling with all their might to lock his movements. The giant struggled, but the metal groaned and strained, each attempt to break free producing a screeching, almost painful sound. Kael adjusted the vines with surgical precision, careful not to let them snap while preventing the enemy from regaining his stance.
Even the humanoid's defensive maneuvers were showing cracks. Every block was weaker, every step heavier. The team synchronized their assault: Eirene kept shearing winds near his shoulders, Yuto detonated small flames around his feet, and Kael manipulated his vines to keep him unstable.
A combined strike forced the giant back, his metallic body ringing with a deep echo that filled the area. His joints shrieked, and some plates buckled under the constant pressure. He teetered for a moment, his coordination failing, and the four humans knew they had finally cracked his defense. Though still a formidable foe, he was starting to show clear signs of vulnerability.
Kei lunged back with a great leap, exhausted and searching for a moment to breathe. He looked at the fallen humanoid, a flash of surprise crossing his face before he quickly turned to face Varyss.
"Well... looks like you're all alone now," he said, fixing his eyes on Varyss. His heart hammered against his ribs, fueled by the adrenaline of being so close to ending this.
[99%]
Varyss let out a cold, defiant laugh. "And yet, I can still win. Those three were nothing more than tools." A confident smirk played on his lips, certain that the battle was far from over.
Arata remained in the back, watching the humanoid fall in silence. Without a word, he began walking toward the rest of the group, his steps measured and calm, but his focus remained locked on Varyss.