The Inner Odyssey

Alden sprinted toward the Dark Elf, intent on finishing this duel. He had already spent far too long in this fight alone. He needed to kill more Defiled.

A hint of suppressed bloodlust escaped its seal.

Alden imbued himself with [Haste], his figure turning hazy within the thin mist.

As if sensing his desire to end the fight quickly, the Dark Elf's grin widened. The corrupted creature followed his lead. It dashed forward swiftly, wishing to meet Alden in the middle. And converge they did.

Alden circulated his mana and sent a burst to his feet, throwing a devastating punch. The Dark Elf nimbly evaded the strike, shifting its neck, before responding with a jab of its own.

Alden dodged the blow, turning his torso to deliver a violent kick. The Dark Elf blocked with its forearm, thrusting its other palm into his chest.

He immediately set up a [Shield].

As if it knew he was going to do that, the strange being's hand glowed with an icy hue. Alden's magical barrier quickly froze. Undeterred, the young man instantly executed a leg sweep. The Dark Elf instinctively jumped.

'Got you!'

He grinned.

A dark tentacle immediately materialised, looping around the creature's midsection.

Just before Alden could make the shadowy appendage constrict, though, the Dark Elf reacted with startling speed, gripping the tentacle with its hand. The jet-black protuberance froze and broke into tiny shards after it crushed it.

Alden clicked his tongue.

'What a shame.'

It would have been a little nice if his attack worked so easily.

Unfortunately…

Alden would have to put in more effort to kill the blasted Elf. He sighed haggardly.

The strain of so much prolonged combat was beginning to come back and bite him. That was on top of lacking an alarming amount of sleep.

Internally shaking his head, Alden forcefully increased his focus, well aware that if he let up for even a second, he would have to pay the ultimate price. There would be time to relax a little after he dealt with the Dark Elf. Reaffirming his resolve, Alden began another round with his opponent.

The chaotic symphony of death continued to reverberate around them.

Sometimes, little spikes of heat would indicate that the Ember Clan had advanced a few paces into the vast army. Other times, the lack of warmth and extra chilliness indicated that the flame wielders had stepped back. Consequently, that also meant Alden found himself a little deeper in the endless horde.

Which had a slightly negative effect on the battle between him and the Dark Elf.

…Suddenly, an abomination dove at him from the side. It broke the relative peace Alden and his foe had endured.

Alden dodged a blow from the Dark Elf - they had settled for a contest of fists and kicks, forgoing the use of magic unless strictly necessary - and shifted his body, letting the Snow Tiger sail past him. It barreled straight for the corrupted Elf, maw wide ready to devour it whole.

Without even having to look, Alden immediately knew what the outcome of the clash would be.

A blade of ice formed in the being's hand. In the next moment, the abomination's head rolled to the ground. Fetid black blood spurted out of the wound like an omen of death, and Alden couldn't help but appreciate how efficiently his opponent had dealt with the tiger.

The Dark Elf didn't even break its stride.

'That's totally not unnerving at all.'

He thought sarcastically.

Gritting his teeth, Alden threw himself at the Dark Elf once more.

Again.

And again.

And again.

They continued to battle.

The thin mist roiled around their figures, disturbed by the ferocity of their fight. Alden snarled, his bloodlust rising the longer the clash raged on.

The Dark Elf too appeared to be affected.

No longer did it seem like it underestimated him. He would even go as far as to say the creature held a little respect for him. As bizarre as that notion was.

…He was probably the worthy opponent the Dark Elf had been searching for in his human race.

A little pride surfaced in Alden's heart.

However, that gratification disappeared almost instantly.

The reason…

Alden spied a cold, calculating glint within the Dark Elf's eyes. An ominous premonition gripped his mind.

Sliding back after a particularly fierce blow from the corrupted creature, he feverishly tried to rack his brain. Why was it showing such an expression?

Alden received his answer a moment later. A small ice spear rapidly materialised around the Dark Elf.

The grey-blue being did not stop there. The gelid weapon shone with a pale hue. It was as if the Dark Elf was pouring an endless amount of ice magic into it.

A shiver crawled down Alden's spine at the display. He watched as the corrupted Elf gripped the frozen lance. Then, suddenly, it took a step forward and launched the spear towards him.

Alden prepared to collect the ice spear as he usually did, using a dark tentacle to neutralise it.

However…

Alden belatedly realised this throw was much faster than all the others. He wouldn't have enough time to manifest a shadowy appendage.

Nor would he have enough time to use a [Shield].

His gaze constricted.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Alden immediately poured a significant amount of mana into [Haste], forcefully activating the skill. With this, his mana reserves were very close to drying up. The frozen spear streaked through the air.

At the last moment, Alden managed to shift his neck, and instead of his brain, the weapon sliced across his cheek. He felt the blood pouring from the wound freeze. The left side of his face also became extremely stiff.

'Blasted Asterons!'

He cursed.

Alden took an unconscious step back after receiving the blow.

However, instead of meeting solid ground, he sensed himself tilt backwards. Alden tapped into his Mana Sense, noticing the earth beneath him had gotten a lot more icy.

Why did he have to fall over now of all times!?

Then, his eyes widened, a terrible realisation taking over his mind.

As he sneaked a glance at the Dark Elf, Alden instantly knew they had planned this.

He cursed.

Had the corrupted being subtly used its powers to coat the ground with ice - whilst they were having a fierce hand-to-hand clash with him-, and then once it had reached a suitable quantity, it formed a powerful spear to force him to take a step back into the frozen patch?

'Devious.'

Alden was stunned by the craftiness of the Dark Elf's scheme.

He watched, a little helplessly, as the grey-blue creature exploded into motion, doubtless going in for the kill.