"Aren't you the feisty one? Just like your master" it said with an amused tone, blocking Eli's sudden attack with a gauntlet.
"..." Eli's eyes narrowed in confusion as he tried to decipher the cryptic words, 'Master', uttered by the Dungeon Walker.
'sniff, sniff'
"Hmm? What is this smell?" Dungeon Walker's grotesque face contorted further as it caught a peculiar scent in the air....even though there was no nose to begin with.
'Tsk, it's affecting Monster too' Eli mumbled inwardly.
With a casual and indifferent tone, Eli proposed,
"Shall we play round two?"
His voice was laced with confidence as he prepared for another bout.
Mana Breathing
'Deep Inhale'
"Terra Arts: 2nd Form"
His body visibly transformed, veins protruding on his arms and legs, revealing the underlying raw power coursing through his body.
"Round Two?" Dungeon Walker, still struggling to make sense of Eli's words, mumbled a few incoherent phrases but ultimately shrugged it off and, with a deafening,
'BOOM' Propelled itself forward with incredible speed.
It reappeared right in front of Eli, wearing gauntlets that radiated menacing power, and unleashed a fierce punch toward him.
"SMASH"
The attack was swift and ferocious, reminiscent of the first encounter between the two.
"Hehe..." Dungeon Walker giggled thinking it crushed Eli flatly....but,
"That's all you got" An indifferent voice came under its hands.
Eli, maintaining his calm and almost disinterested demeanour, met the punch with a single open hand.
His left arm, bulging with protruding veins, absorbed the blow effortlessly, holding it back with astounding strength.
Dungeon Walker, its lipless grin turning into an ugly expression, couldn't believe its eyes. It gazed upon Eli, who had effortlessly halted the attack. The monster's black eyes met Eli's emerald green pupils that glinted with something darker.
His right hand which holding Celestria softly tapped on the ground,
'Tick, Tick'
/Domain/
The room seemed to tremble and shift as Eli's aura intensified, creating an imposing magical pattern on the floor beneath him.
He maintained his indifference even as his eyes met Dungeon Walker's. The monster's face twisted with confusion and surprise.
'chuckk'
Eli swiftly moved, slashing his blade-like hand through Dungeon Walker's stomach. The monster, taken aback by Eli's speed, staggered backwards, injured and perplexed.
"Grrrr" it growled, focusing its energy on healing its injuries. To Dungeon Walker's surprise, its wounds began to close rapidly.
However,
"BOOM!!"
Eli appeared behind Dungeon Walker in the blink of an eye and landed a powerful punch on its face.
It was a devastating blow, and Dungeon Walker, still recovering from its previous injuries, was unprepared to defend itself.
"FFrrrrffff"
Eli exactly hit on its jaw joint.
The impact rattled Dungeon Walker, sending it rolling across the chamber. Despite its considerable size, it seemed as if it had been struck by an opponent far more massive.
The room reverberated with the monster's heavy crash as it helplessly rolled toward the wall but something was amiss.
Dungeon Walker was alarmed to find a dark trident hovering in its path, positioned to pierce its head.
Sensing the imminent danger, Dungeon Walker altered its trajectory slightly, causing Celestria to pierce through its collarbone instead.
"aaarrrrhhhhh"
hosted-on-NovelFire
It let out a painful cry as it slammed into the wall, Celestria impaled in its collarbone.
With hazy, pained eyes, Dungeon Walker glanced toward the source of its anguish.
"Plasma Arts: 1st Form"
Eli backed off, observing the beast's agony. Eli's right hand, which had previously been sheathed in a gauntlet of stones, shed its outer layer like sand. Sparks faded from his legs as he ended his previous manoeuvre.
Then Eli clenched his hand, his eyes never leaving Dungeon Walker's form.
Although Dungeon Walker was wearing the gauntlet, it still felt the burning and stinging sensation when it tried to pull Celestria from its collarbone.
"chhkkk"
Dungeon Walker swiftly countered Eli's attack.
"Flame Arts: 1st Form"
Celestria burst into flames, wrapping Dungeon Walker in fiery tendrils of red and yellow,
'Snort'
But the monster sneered, releasing a contemptuous snort.
With a single breath, it extinguished the flames.
"It seems you're slowing down a bit" Dungeon Walker said, regaining its confidence as it assessed Eli's diminishing power.
Eli merely tilted his head and smiled with an enigmatic expression.
'Sssshhhnnnnnn'
Dungeon Walker felt an impending danger and hastily attempted to block an incoming light beam.
Eli stepped back, his gaze shifting from his trembling leg to the unconscious Alexander.
"Y-You should have asked for help" A cute shy voice came.
Eli glanced back to see a white-haired woman with a blush on her face.
"Y-Yes?" Amber stuttered while supporting Eva, who had just woken up.
"Ash, Y-you must" Maire while hiding her red face.
"Asher Eli, Count me in" Rize said straightly even though her face was red.
"A-Asher, I am too" Oliver stammered, trying not to look at Eli and cover his sister's eyes, who were blankly staring at Eli after waking up.
"....I would have been grateful, if not for your bashful looks" Eli said.
"S-Shut u-up!!" Amber shouted.
Eli's eyes landed on Silver haired woman who had dead eyes although her face was red.
"She is Alive" Those words were directed towards Alysia making others frown.
Alysia's eyes widened in surprise as lost colour returned back to her eyes....
"S-She..." Alysia stuttered.
"Yes" Eli affirmed before smiling making others even turn their face redder....however, when his eyes fell on Oliver, he suddenly turned indifferent.
"How many times?" Eli asked.
Amber understood his question and indicated the usage of the white spheres.
"Only two times left" she replied.
"...." Eli looked around once more before closing his eyes and said, "Don't slow me down".
His words irritated the others, but after witnessing his extraordinary fight....they swallowed their words.
As Eli prepared to move,
'Crack, Crack'
A sudden sound of cracking.
Making everyone turn their attention to his leg, which had just crushed Alexander's balls.
'Did he really have to go to such lengths to crush Alexander's balls?' they thought collectively.
Eli stopped and turned back, addressing everyone, "Attack the spot where I hit it.".
"???" Seeing their questioning gaze,
Eli pointed towards the monster which had some brown spots in its black body.
Confusion filled the air as they looked at the monster, particularly the brown spots on its black body.
"Don't tell me thats....?" Oliver was shocked, recognizing the similarities with the cleansing spell Kyra and Kira had used to remove dark mana.
"Hero Candidate?" Alysia muttered, but Eli remained silent.
"A-Ash" Marie walked towards Eli with the intention to help,
But he raised his hand and looked at everyone before speaking sternly, "No, don't come closer unless you're prepared to lose your innocence."
"....." Maire and the others bit their lips, feeling a mix of anger and frustration, unable to comprehend their emotions fully.
'ssshhhhh...hh..."
The white beam finally ceased, and with determination, they prepared for a second round.
[Eli, Help Alysia]
'Even now you are worried about your friend...ah' Eli smiled warmly when he heard those words.
Suddenly, Eva stepped forward and stood in front of Eli, her gaze intense.
"..." Eli frowned.