Sssshhhhh!
Thud!
An arrow suddenly appeared out of nowhere, piercing through the hooded figure’s hand, the very hand that was gripping the sword poised to slash Lyirr’s neck.
“Wrrroooo!” Liora roared with a ferocious intensity, stomping the ground with such force that it shook as she snatched Lyirrs away in a matter of seconds.
BOOM!!
Another hooded figure, who was about to stab Aether, was unexpectedly punched, and sent flying alongside the first hooded figure Aether had been grappling with.
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Aether and the hooded figure landed hard on the ground, tumbling from the sheer force of the blow.
Liora, cradling the unconscious Lyirr in her strong arms, glanced downward, her eyes widening slightly when she saw… Maelona. The woman stood there, steady and poised, clutching a wooden bow with an arrow still nocked.
“Arrrhh…” The first hooded figure groaned loudly.
Taking advantage of Aether loosening his grip, she stealthily wriggled free. Her gaze snapped toward the other hooded figure—the one who had delivered the punch instead of striking a killing blow.
“You’ve made a mistake. Again,” she hissed with venom, her voice sharp and accusing. “Why do I get the distinct feeling you’re protecting him?” Her tone turned both suspicious and curious.
This wasn’t the first time. No—it was the second.
The hooded figure shrugged, indifferent, but then—
Trrrr!
The sound of crumbling debris echoed through the air as Aether groaned, his voice laced with frustration,
“Fuck… This is really hard to control,” he muttered under his breath. His movements were slow, deliberate—no, more like unnervingly odd, as though his body were under the influence of some external force.
The first hooded figure’s frown deepened as she observed him closely. “This doesn’t make any sense… You’re still paralyzed—I can feel it—but… how in the world are you moving?” Her voice carried a mix of disbelief and unease, the realization hitting on her that Aether was becoming far more dangerous than she had initially anticipated.
Aether attempted to wave his hand, though the motion came out awkward and jerky. “Who knows~” he replied, a sly smirk spreading across his face.
For Aether, the explanation was rather straightforward. The world around him ran on Arcane energy, and…. its opposing force, Clarion energy. By channelling Clarion energy into his own body, he caused the Arcane energy in the surrounding environment to repel. This repulsion created movement. Essentially, he used the energy like a pressure valve, directing it into his joints and muscles, enabling his body to move even under paralysis.
It was like something out of a science-fiction movie, where astronauts used pressure valves to manoeuvre in zero gravity. But while that concept was fictional, in this world, Aether had turned it into reality. The conflicting energies allowed him to achieve movement, and he found the concept unexpectedly brilliant.
His brain, however….. It was overloaded, working at full capacity to manage the intricate connections of energy coursing through his body.
[+1 Intelligence]
[+1 Magic Ability]
[+1 Intelligence]
[+1 Magic Ability]
[+1 Intelligence]
[+1 Magic Ability]
[+1 Intelligence]
…..
…
His Intelligence and magic ability attributes climbed rapidly.
“You’re… strange, you know that,” the first hooded figure remarked, her voice tinged with both frustration and intrigue. She then added, almost hesitantly, “Just like… Victor.”
Aether’s lips curled into a soft, amused smile. “Strange? Nah, I’d say awesome~” he quipped, forcing his body to move forward despite the strain, his tone lighthearted as if the situation weren’t as dire as it clearly was.
Thud!
Without hesitation, he drove his fist into the first hooded figure’s gut, the impact sending her hurtling backward. Then, with fluid precision, he spun around and delivered a powerful kick to the second hooded figure, who had been attempting to sneak up behind him.
“Let me slice you up some more~” the first hooded figure snarled as she reappeared, her metallic, razor-sharp swords gleaming ominously in her hands. She lunged at Aether, slashing with murderous intent.
“Whoo…!” Aether exclaimed, his body bending in an almost unnatural, fluid motion. Whether it was skill or the lack of control, he managed to narrowly dodge the blade aimed at his neck. But before he could regain his footing, the second hooded figure was already behind him, poised to strike with a knife crafted from water itself.
“Water being used as a weapon… fascinating,” Aether muttered, his voice calm yet tinged with awe as he instinctively twisted away again, his movements still erratic and unpredictable.
The two hooded figures exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with mounting frustration. They attacked in unison, their strikes growing faster and more relentless. Aether, meanwhile, continued to dodge every single blow with unnatural precision, but his lack of control left him unable to counter or cast any spells. His focus was entirely consumed by the effort of moving his body.
Meanwhile,
Liora landed gracefully on the ground, holding Lyirrs close. She turned her sharp gaze to Maelona, who was approaching quickly.
“Where are the soldiers?” Liora demanded, her tone clipped with urgency. Maelona had been tasked with bringing reinforcements, yet she was alone.
Not a single soldier was with her.
Maelona inhaled deeply, her expression pale and stricken with dread, “T-They… They turned into monsters,” she stammered, the words trembling on her lips.
Liora’s eyes widened in shock as Maelona described the horrific scene—how every soldier had transformed into monstrous beings, much like the wood elves, driven mad and savagely attacking one another. They were killing and devouring each other, completely devoid of reason or sanity.
“What in the…” Liora whispered, her voice barely audible. ‘The situation has spiraled out of control…’ she thought grimly. Handing Lyirr to Maelona, she spared a glance at her son and Aria, who seemed to be strategizing a plan to handle the massive monster. Her gaze then shifted to Aether, who was still evading the hooded figures’ attacks with seemingly effortless skill.
But Liora’s instincts told her otherwise—his movements were far too erratic to be deliberate. “I need to help him…” she murmured, preparing to step forward when—
“5”
“4”
Aether’s voice rang out suddenly as he began counting down. The hooded figures faltered slightly, their focus sharpening on him as he twisted mid-air, narrowly dodging a sword aimed at his hand. The water knife from the second hooded figure grazed his shirt, missing his flesh by a hair’s breadth.
“3”
“2”
“1”
!~Ding~!
[Your blood has been purified… The paralyzing effect is removed!]
At the very last moment, Aether caught their hands just as the sword and knife hovered mere inches from puncturing his eyes. With a wicked grin spreading across his face, he murmured, “Now… it’s my turn to play~” His ice-blue eyes flickered into a vibrant, mesmerizing purple, and in an instant, purple flames erupted from his hands, scorching the attackers in a violent burst of heat.
Both hooded figures flinched in agony, hissing as they instinctively released their weapons and staggered backward, their movements jerky and desperate to avoid further burns.
Step…..
Before they could even process what had just happened, Aether was already upon them. With brutal precision and speed, he grabbed their heads in his firm grip and slammed them into the ground with devastating force.
BOOM!
The earth trembled and cracked under the sheer impact, sending small chunks of debris flying into the air. The first hooded figure, though visibly dazed and disoriented, reacted on pure instinct. She swung her sword toward Aether’s arm, aiming to sever it in one clean strike. But before the blade could connect—
A deep black void materialized beneath Aether’s fingers, a pulsating sphere of nothingness that devoured her sword in an instant. The void didn’t stop there—it began consuming part of her hand as well, the flesh and bone vanishing into oblivion.
“Arrrhh!” she shrieked, her voice piercing as she writhed in excruciating pain, blood gushing from the mangled stump where her hand had been moments ago.
Aether’s sharp eyes didn’t miss a single detail, ‘So, she’s normal,’ he thought… Ever since this chaotic battle began, the lack of blood from his opponents had unsettled him deeply. Now, at least, he could be certain he wasn’t fighting something entirely beyond his understanding.
“If you can bleed… then death is just around the corner for you, dear~” Aether taunted, his grin stretching wider, turning more sinister just like her!
The first hooded figure struggled, her body trembling as she fought to recover. But before she could make her next move, a towering wave of water surged out of nowhere, aiming to engulf Aether in its unrelenting force.
“Nice try,” Aether muttered under his breath, his tone carrying a trace of annoyance. With a single cold breath, he exhaled, freezing the entire wave into a solid mass of ice.
But then,
Crack!
The ice shattered unexpectedly, breaking into countless razor-sharp fragments that shot toward him like deadly arrows. Aether’s brow furrowed as he twisted and dodged, ‘This level of control over water… It’s rare. who is it from the Arcane Hunter organization?’
He pondered the possibility for a fleeting moment, but his thoughts were interrupted as the first hooded figure lunged at him. Her face twisted into a crazed grin which was still hiding under the hood as she latched onto his arm with a grip like iron.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she rasped… She seemed fully prepared to sacrifice herself if it meant taking Aether down with her.
“You crazy bitch!” Aether snapped, his voice tinged with disbelief. The razor-sharp shards of ice rained down around them, and yet she clung to him, determined to pin him in place.
“Crazy? Maybe~ But a bitch? Oh, not sweet boy~” she retorted, her tone mocking and laced with amusement.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them. The hooded figure flinched, her gaze snapping upward just in time to see a massive set of sharp, saliva-dripping teeth descending toward her….. It was Liora, fully transformed into her terrifying wolf form, snarling with unrestrained fury.
Aether crouched instantly, ducking low to avoid the chaos about to unfold.
“Shi—”
Chuccckkk!
The hooded figure’s curse was cut short as Liora’s powerful jaws clamped down, biting her in half with a sickening crunch. Blood erupted in a violent spray, splattering everywhere as the gruesome remains of her torso slumped lifelessly to the ground.
“Yuck…” Aether mumbled, grimacing as he wiped a smear of blood off his face. Before he could react further, Liora swept him onto her back with a single, fluid motion, dodging the sharp shards of ice still raining down like deadly projectiles.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
“Hold on tight, Aether!” Liora growled, her voice commanding as she zigzagged expertly to avoid the deadly barrage.
Aether clung to her fur, his sharp eyes darting toward Aria and Kaelen. They seemed to finish their duty ‘Can’t let them outshine me!’ Aether thought, a sly grin tugging at his lips as he scanned for the remaining hooded figure.
“There you are…” he muttered when he finally spotted it, standing atop one of the larger ice shards.
“Liora, turn right!” he commanded. Without hesitation, Liora obeyed, weaving through the chaos with precision. As she moved, Aether slowly stood atop her back, his fingers cracking with blue sparks of energy. Ice began to form around his hands, coalescing into a sleek, deadly spear that glinted ominously.
“Halt!”
Liora came to an abrupt stop, giving Aether the perfect opening. He launched himself forward with explosive force, twisting in mid-air to dodge the falling shards of ice. His trajectory was aimed directly at the hooded figure.
However, the figure was ready yet…
Step…..
Chucckk!
Aether’s ice spear alredy plunged deep into the hooded figure’s stomach.
“Cough…” Blood spilled… it’s trembling hands clutching at the spear in a futile attempt to pull it free.
Aether leaned in close, “Well, your friend’s waiting for you in the afterlife. You wouldn’t want to keep her lonely, would you? Goodbye, dear~” He winked before snapping his fingers.
Purple flames erupted from the spear, engulfing the hooded figure in a violent explosion of heat and light.
BOOOOMM!
Thud!!!
“Yaaayyy!!” Maelona’s cheerful clapping echoed across the battlefield. She clapped enthusiastically like an excited child, her face glowing with pure admiration.
Aether turned to her, smirking when her cheeks flushed a deep red. She quickly averted her gaze, her embarrassment written all over her face.
Shaking his head in amused disbelief, Aether gave her a theatrical bow. “I trust the show was to your liking, my lady~” he said, his tone playful and dramatic.
Maelona’s blush deepened as she stammered, unable to muster a coherent response.
Just as Aether prepared to retrieve Raven and the others, a weak, pained voice broke the moment.
Cough, cough…
“I… It’s hurts… shit!”
Aether froze, his entire body stiffening as his face drained of all color.
“S-Sandra?” he whispered, his voice trembling with dread.
