Ed was quite surprised. The man's level was undoubtedly threatening. That fissure had also made him realize something. The earth could be as offensive as it could be defensive. To figure that out seems rather simple, but to make that a part of oneself was another matter.
To Ed, the earthen swordsman did not seem like the type to stay on the backlines.
'But that doesn't mean anything' What would it change? Would he spare them because of that, would HE be spared for acknowledging this?
Of course not!
The earth was sliced in half. From below, Ed had been hiding right under the formation. where one least expected it. He lashed out with his newly acquired dragon blade. Its sharpness was not to be underestimated. But… he was still an amateur.
Bayard was able to jump back into the hallway with lots of leisure, he had seen the attack coming. Still, as Ed's sword was not to be trifled with. Bayard was forced to encase his entire body in thick rock, there was a giant gash that ran across the middle of it.
As this casing cracked and fell apart, Ed could see an eye with murderous glint. It almost sent shivers down his spine.
Almost. He followed up.
With a swoosh, the air was cut apart by a blade of wind. No, not one, multiple! Ed bypassed his lack of wind element with… a crystal! His mana manipulation skill was not there for show, the dragon blade also augmented the sharpness of the slashes.
[Mana Manipulation has leveled]
But Bayard didn't step back, he only stomped down on the ground with sheer strength. Debris flew into the air to be mercilessly shredded by the wind blade onslaught.
One would think this wouldn't hold on its own, but it did! The earth that flew into the air was reinforced with mana. And not a second later, after the wind blades had stopped, Bayard's heavy blade cut through the cloud of dust aiming for Ed who stood not more than a few meters in front of it.
[You've been dealt damage. -3hp]
There was no short interlude, only action!
Ed was amazed. The heavy sword hadn't even grazed him! But he didn't let that stop him from counter-attacking. His initial plan was to push everyone into the hallway but Bayard's quick and calm response had betrayed his expectation.
But that didn't mean things went off the rail, on the contrary, this much resistance was to be expected. And there were also plenty of other opportunities. For example…
The earth shifted under Bayard's feet and Ed charged in. His offensive abilities were still lackluster so he had no choice but to make use of the overpowered blade. He swung like a little kid holding a deadly kitchen knife.
Bayard's who footing had become unstable didn't show a hint of unrest. He performed a stable swing with his dull-looking sword, it even seemed sluggish. As if it was being held down by chains.
With a clang, the two swords crossed. The outcome was arguably unimaginable. Bayard's slow swing held and Ed felt as if he hit a sturdy rock. He bounced back even going as far as stumbling a couple of steps.
'I should stick to magic after all, huh?' Ed thought with a tinge of indifference. He still had other means to attain his goal. After fighting with the adventurers over and over again. He knew of a sure win method to achieve said goal. Ed's storm robe glowed a soft green.
His agility as a skeleton had always been a point of weakness. Ed's agility was not like before now though. He had a total of three agility attributes. He also wore the anklet of the wind that offered three more points of agility, a quantitive change when compared to the one point he had during the previous encounter.
Ed was swift and light as he tried to move past Bayard, the latter couldn't react in time to stop him either. This realization made Bayard's calm exterior crumble.
His indignation had returned tenfold as he clearly knew of Ed's plan. The earth trembled in anger in his stead, the hallway's walls started to extend sideways in an attempt to swiftly crush him.
Ed couldn't ignore it, but that didn't mean it was a good deterrent. He could also manipulate the earth mana.
The walls which wanted to swallow Ed whole were slowed to a crawl and he made it further into the hallway.
Bayard wasn't going to stay behind under such circumstances, he sprinted after him with a seething expression.
'For someone with a heavy sword, he moves rather swiftly' Ed thought as he noticed the rabid animal that went to chase after him. But it didn't matter, how much the man chased. No actually, that was the whole point, right?
Ed swung out towards a knight, he was fighting against Brutus with a comrade. The battle was glaringly one-sided. At the same time, he made the ground form deadly sharp spikes.
"What!?!?" One of the knights exclaimed in surprise. He was running a cold sweat as he felt his imminent death.
But large vibrations stopped both of these moves as if a freight train was passing by, the ground shook and the spikes fragmented. Ed's swing also deviated. It was none other than Bayard who was responsible.
"Bye" He said as he performed a two-handed overhead swing hoping to crush Ed with a single strike. His voice held a chilling calm, the previous anger blew by like a breeze.
Ed didn't feel threatened. He was rather glad that things had gone just as he wanted them to.
'Start' He transmitted. To who? To the mages of course!
The ground was smashed apart with a boom. Ed's figure which should have been laying there had disappeared. Not even his shadow remained. He was outside of the corridor all fine and dandy.
His mana core wasn't though as its mana had been drained. But the most important of all things was…
The hallway was quickly sealed. Skeleton mages had appeared on both sides and sealed both ends of the corridor in its entirety. To top it off, there was even thick and sturdy ice from one of the pseudo crystals. There was no escape.
The ceiling lit up, it came alive. It glowed a navy blue as formations of all sizes whirred rapidly and enchantingly. There were many ways to suffocate a man, Ed was ready to employ one such way.
There was an issue with his air asphyxiation strategy. The deprivation of air was on its own not enough to stop the adventurers. They could easily break apart the formations with their minute left of clarity.
Water was different. If it came crashing at high speeds the adventurers would be buffeted. They wouldn't be able to attack or even think properly for multiple seconds. Their moves would also be impeded by the water. Not to mention they had to hold their breath, nearly impossible! Meanwhile, his anti-skeletons didn't need to breathe, they could pressure the adventurers to ensure the entrapment.
Of course, this was only in theory.
Water came surging in. The sheer force brought many of the knights to their knees or to be rocked side to side like a rag as the water roared with raging momentum.
Bayard was also affected. To top it off, water and earth didn't necessarily mix well, did they?
But he still wished to hold. He stabbed his heavy sword into the ground and held his own. He wasn't on his knees, he wasn't being rocked, he was standing upright. He was standing against the tide for he knew it would only last a moment.
Bayard was not a critical thinker. He could be described as simple-minded. Yet, he made it to what could be said to be the top of the world, how could such a thing be possible? He didn't have wit, he had fists, but most of all he had will. An unwavering one at that.
Even in the face of overwhelming odds, in the face of sure and utter defeat, he would never give up until he finished his mission. Whatever it may be. For he had been given a chance by the Flamewood's and without that chance, that hope, he would still be a dumb child in the minds of others.
The water had just flooded the entire corridor, the currents were still fierce. But he tightly gripped his heavy blade. He then uprooted it under the water's resistance and his muscles felt like they would be torn apart by his sudden movement.
But carrying that same momentum, he smoothly twisted his blade to perform a horizontal strike. Bayard wasn't a man of many words, but he still felt like he needed to make a statement. Drowning gurgles screamed as he with bloodshot eyes and swung towards the nearest exit.
The currents were changed under the weight of his swing. Ed on the other end saw how the sealing he had performed was struck causing a loud thump.
So, to his last breath, he would fight.
And the earth responded it trembled under his unbreakable resolve. Bayard had always had talent. It was about digging to find it.
The sealing on both ends showed visible cracks run through it as the earth shook without stopping. Bayard's mana was quickly being drained, it was being siphoned by the ground, they both worked in tandem to escape the heinous trap.
He swung again, and again, and again. The currents pressured the cracks and water started to flow out from it.. It seeped past the holes.