Hastora attacked.
A blur of motion slicing through the air, his blade arcing with deadly precision.
Elyshara, momentarily surprised by the sudden assault, reacted instantly.
She leaped sideways, dodging with nimble grace.
"Don't get complacent, okay?" she said, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Hastora didn't reply.
He ran along the cave wall, his movements swift and sure.
Raising one hand, dark crimson energy enveloped his arm.
"Flamma Infernus."
A magic circle appeared on the cave ceiling, and from it, a sphere of dark crimson fire plummeted at incredible speed.
The mere vapor made Elyshara sweat.
BOOM!
The cave floor and walls trembled, cracked, and exploded.
Dust filled the air, obscuring vision. Slowly, the dust cloud settled.
And Elyshara stood… unmoved.
"…Why?"
Hastora's eyes widened in disbelief.
He'd unleashed his full power in that attack.
How could she have withstood the Flamma Infernus, barehanded? It seemed impossible.
Even a Rank B monster would be instantly incinerated by that attack.
"Did you use high-level magic?" he asked, pointing at Elyshara.
Elyshara simply smiled.
"Care to guess?"
"Answer me."
"Nope."
Elyshara stuck out her tongue.
Hastora didn't respond.
Reacting to such childish provocation was a path to defeat.
He knew this from his Mixed Martial Arts training; a lesson drilled into him by his sensei's combat manual, a book he'd studied religiously.
The most important lesson? Don't get provoked.
Easily provoked fighters had a measly 40% win rate, far less than the 60% of their composed opponents.
Cheap taunts wouldn't work on him.
Hastora pondered the magic Elyshara had used to deflect his Flamma Infernus, then it clicked.
"Anti-Magic Barrier?"
"Wow! You figured it out faster than I expected!" Elyshara gave a thumbs-up, winking.
The Anti-Magic Barrier repelled all magic, reflecting it like a mirror.
No magic could penetrate it—temporal magic, epic spells, elite enchantments, elemental conjurations, existence-erasing spells, the works. It was an absolute barrier, a nightmare for magic-dependent fighters.
Hastora realized magic was useless against Elyshara's Anti-Magic Barrier.
He assumed a fighting stance, ready to attack. A dark, inky energy coated his blade.
"Keep your head if you don't want it severed."
Hastora launched himself into the air, his eyes showing his deadly intent.
No hesitation, no doubt.
Elyshara had no choice but to meet his attack, parrying his strike.
Clang!
Their blades clashed, the force reverberating through her body.
Elyshara activated her aura, deflecting his blade before launching a straight thrust.
Hastora leaned slightly to avoid it, then executed a rapid forward spin.
Elyshara, quick as a flash, leaped high before forcefully throwing her sword at Hastora from a distance.
Her blade flew through the air with terrifying speed.
Recognizing the risky maneuver, Hastora did the same.
He threw his sword to intercept Elyshara's airborne weapon.
TRANG!
Their blades collided in mid-air before falling to the ground.
Seeing her chance, Elyshara leaped back, extending her arm.
Blue energy danced across her limb, emanating a soft glow before…
"Titanbind Grasp!"
A pair of colossal, blue-glowing chains shot forth at incredible speed, swirling like gigantic serpents, each tipped with massive, claw-like ends crackling with magical energy.
They wrapped around Hastora with brutal force, completely immobilizing him.
"What the—?" Hastora struggled, but the chains held him fast.
Realizing his efforts were futile, he stared at Elyshara with a flat expression.
"I surrender," he said heavily.
Even bathing in the Arcanum's waters wouldn't have been enough to defeat Elyshara, a being who had lived for 5,000 years.
He'd been overconfident, and now he was utterly helpless.
The difference in their power was staggering.
He felt an insurmountable wall between them.
"You surrender so easily? Your style doesn't match your actions," Elyshara chuckled, quickly hiding it with her hand.
"Shut up and release me. You're too noisy for such a small woman," Hastora grumbled.
"My body's killing me; my bones might snap if you don't get this thing off!"
"Do I care? If you want to be released, you'll do something to please me," Elyshara said, arms crossed.
"And if you refuse, you stay bound."
"What am I supposed to do? I'm bound, I can't move, are you blind?"
"No, I'm not blind."
"Are you farsighted?"
"No, my vision's far sharper than yours."
Talking to her was only infuriating and a waste of time.
Hastora chose silence, enduring the agonizing pain.
A minute passed…
two…
three…
four…
five…
Hastora remained stubbornly silent.
Elyshara realized that making him do something silly wouldn't work.
She sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll release you."
Hastora collapsed limply to the ground as the chains vanished.
He couldn't move a muscle.
The pain was as if a rhinoceros had just charged him.
"I'm sorry…" Elyshara approached slowly. "I think I went a little overboard."
"There's no apology until you help me up."
"Will you forgive me if I help you up?"
"Yes."
Elyshara helped Hastora to his feet, then hoisted him onto her back.
"Forgiven now?"
"Yes."
"Can we go now?"
"Yes."
"Alright then. I'll put you down when we reach the beach."
Elyshara walked out of the cave, carrying Hastora.
His plan to drain the Arcanum had utterly failed.
Now, he couldn't even summon a spark.
His condition was terrible; he needed a day of undisturbed rest.
'I hope no Quests pop up.'
Just then, a Quest appeared.
Ding!
[A Quest]
[Save Valeska von Asterea from a curse]
[Reward: • 100 EP • +5 to all stats • New Spell: Prime Genesis]
[Penalty: • -5 all stats • -80 EP • Sudden cardiac arrest]
[Will you accept this Quest? Y/N]
"What?!"
Hastora jolted, staring at the screen.
"What kind of Quest is this?"
Who was Valeska?
Why was the penalty so severe?
Was she a crucial character?
Hastora reacted instinctively, forgetting Elyshara was there.
"What's wrong? Are you sick from being bound too long?" Elyshara asked, concerned.
"No, no. Just a bad dream. Don't worry about it. Carry me to the beach as promised."
"Alright. I believe you."
Hastora agonized over the Quest decision throughout the journey.
He wanted to accept it, but he was exhausted and knew nothing about this Valeska.
But the penalty for refusal was terrifying.
Frustration gnawed at him, making him bite his lip until it bled.
'What shouldI do? Who is Valeska? DidI even write her?'
Suddenly, a voice echoed before them.
"Who are you?!"
Elyshara stopped, confused, turning to Hastora.
"Hastora, do you know her?"
Hastora turned, his gaze locking onto a single figure.
"Mirellia... Venrosa?"
To be continued in the next chapter…