Chương 48: Chapter 52: Down Underground (V)

Although Elin didn't seem too eager to engage in a fight, she was the first to join the fray after her cousin. A frightening amount of wind-attuned mana emanated from her lithe form as she confronted Ezamin, the leader of the group from the Asarii clan. After all, Benny was still Tier 6; he couldn't contend against someone who had reached Tier 7. There was a huge gap between the two tiers. He had to make it to the foul-mouthed bodyguard attendant, who already seemed a handful.

Ember didn't wait ceremoniously, either. He didn't even have to choose an opponent, as the dark-skinned fellow—the one who had scuffled with him the other time—crossed his path.

"Where are you going to run?" the youth barked, casting a potent mana bolt towards Ember. Who is running? Ember thought as his body blurred to dodge the spell.

"Nerin," the boy shouted.

"Remember my name." Ember had his protective ward at the ready while he engaged the dark-skinned youth with his sword and wand. Nerin's eyes gleamed, and he too brought out a machete of his own, its cold edge glaring in the sharp light. As soon as they engaged in close quarters, Ember found out how bad an idea that was. Not only had Nerin's race reached Tier 6, but he also seemed to be more proficient in close combat.

His form was sublime, and his movements, while not quite as swift as Ember's, were minimal and effective, almost akin to those of a seasoned warrior. It was only with the speed of Blitz Steps that Ember managed to evade his strikes. With Mana Augmentation at +4, his acceleration was like a whirlwind, moving by the chasm like the wind incarnate. Yet none of that was of much avail. After a dozen exchanges, finding no purchase against his opponent, Ember shot his most potent Kinetic Push at him.

Nerin swiftly activated his wand to neutralise the force, a sharp gleam radiating in his eyes. But it was only then that Ember launched another Wind Blade at him, pushing him several metres backwards. The youth burst into boisterous laughter. With his protective ward guarding against the spell, he came out of it without even a bruise.

"You have surprised me quite a bit, brat," Nerin said.

"Your form still needs some work, but you have good potential."

"I wish I could say the same about you," huffed Ember.

"Glib-tongued as well." The smile never left Nerin's lips.

"I like it. How about you join us? I'm sure we'll treat you far better than the Oberons do."

"And what?" Ember snorted.

"Become a lackey like you?"

"Aren't you a lackey already?" Nerin's lips curled up as he brandished his weapon once more. It seemed the negotiation ended there, if Ember could call it a negotiation at all. He paid the words no mind. After all, it was ten against eight, and Elin didn't seem to be losing against Ezamin. While the rest of the group fought on by the chasm, the two Tier 7 Ascendants had occupied half of the area for their clash alone.

Spells flared up one after another, streaks of fire arrows ever flowing, illuminating the space in sparkling light as Elin Oberon obstructed them. The two of them seemed evenly matched in spellcasting. While Ezamin had more potent power, Elin was more versatile, neutralising his casting before any of it could strike her. It was only in close quarters that she faltered, always forced to move away as the boy came at her brandishing his blade.

It might have been quite a spectacle, but sadly, Ember had no time to watch their scuffle, as he needed his full concentration against Nerin. Ember hadn't suffered any injuries yet, but that was only due to his protective ward. The same was true for Nerin, although throughout the battle the older boy was leading Ember by the nose. It was only after he figured it out that Ember began to strategise against it. He really met an iron wall here.

Nerin might not match him in spellcasting, but if it were truly a fight to the death, Ember might have to flee with his tail between his legs. As far as he was concerned, victory would only be decided once their defensive gear ran out of mana. Hopefully it wouldn't be a bloodbath. Although their protectors hadn't acted when the goblins assaulted the camp in the middle of the night, they surely wouldn't sit and watch them die at the hands of youths from another clan if it came to pass.

Splitting his focus into three parts, his mind engaged in three grim tasks, none more significant than the other. The first was physical combat, mostly how to implement his Blitz Steps and swordsmanship most effectively; they took the most effort. The second was mana application, which Ember was more naturally inclined towards, while the third was to gauge and read through his opponent's forms. Ember paid special attention to how Nerin's limbs moved, trying to foresee where his next attacks would come from.

He never had much trouble anticipating an opponent's attacks, though that was mostly because all his opponents so far had been quite predictable. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Nerin, however, was far more shrewd. His movements weren't limited to what the elders of his family had imparted to him. He was practical, and just as Ember was trying to read him, he was also anticipating Ember's movements. None of Ember's sword strikes landed true.

He had to be overly reliant on spellcasting to create an opening. Many times, Ember had to release his kinetic force just to impede the youth's advance, and many times he had to withdraw from his brutal strikes, unable to parry half of them. Perhaps the difference between the two of them wouldn't be as prominent were it not for his opponent's higher physical attributes and tier. Ember had sparred against the Tier 5s of his clan when he was Tier 4, but none of them were as difficult as Nerin.

"Nerin," the female bodyguard barked from their rear, "stop fooling around with the kid. Finish with him already." The dark-skinned youth spared her a thoughtful look before returning to Ember.

"This is getting quite boring, don't you think?" he asked as their blades clashed with metallic echoes, sparks flying with each exchange.

"How about we both release our protective wards? That way we can decide the victor rather quickly." Ember said nothing. He withdrew, casting a Wind Blade at the youth's lower body.

"How about you open your ward first," Ember retorted, "and I'll follow suit after you." Nerin laughed.

"You're certainly young in age, but not too young in cunning." His expression soon darkened.

"If not for that protective gear, do you think you could really hold your own against me?"

"If you weren't Tier 6 and three years older than me," Ember sneered, "you would already be on the ground biting the dust."

"Ho ho, I like your optimism. Perhaps it's time I show you what the real difference between us is." At once, his form burst into motion, pushing towards Ember in a cascade of kinetic waves. His machete struck against Ember's protective ward. Though it was unable to penetrate, a deep oscillation rippled through the kinetic shield, pushing Ember several metres backwards. Ember barely managed to orient himself when Nerin came again, his blade wrapped in a dark, cold gleam.

Blitz Steps allowed Ember to evade the blow, but now Nerin was matching his acceleration remarkably well, charging after him without holding anything back. Even pushing all of his abilities to the limit, Ember could barely evade him. As for attacking, that didn't even cross his mind. It wasn't that he could not; it was that it would be completely ineffective with the protective ward guarding Nerin. It reminded him of his sparring sessions against his grandfather.

Not just because Timber Blackstone would always charge at him with speed and mastery beyond what he could contend with, but also because the old man had a similarly foul mouth, always spouting something to get a rise out of him. If not for those sparring sessions, he would already have been on the ground biting the dust himself. Thankfully, he managed to stay on his feet by the time the dust of the battle settled. The group fought to a standstill.

The youths from the Asarii clan matched them completely even though they were missing two people. In spite of the feud between the clans, the battle between the younger generation had not turned into complete carnage. Ember was glad to see that, though there were a few barely standing in his group. Elin didn't seem to bear any wounds, but her face was pale as a sheet from mana exhaustion. Benny was in no better condition either.

He had been forced to fight against two opponents after a couple of their group had failed in their charge.

"Next time we won't end it halfway," barked Nerin, casting a smile towards Ember.

"We'll be waiting," Benny snorted back. As soon as the people from the Asarii clan departed, many shoulders slumped as they sat back on the cold floor, panting desperately. Ember crept over to Zea and rested beside her. Among those who hadn't fared well, she seemed to have taken the worst blow, already downing healing potions to nurse the wound on her calf. The attack had penetrated her defences and cut into her flesh. Her face was already pale from blood loss, her lips pressed into a thin line with pain.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. She looked up, only noticing his presence now.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Believe me, I've had far worse than this. Though I'm more worried about my ward. It seems to have broken during the fight." Ember eyed the necklace. While he had no real skills in mana crafting, a little testing proved it really had broken. Well, artefacts of lower tiers usually did not last long.

"You lot," Benny burst out, glaring at the rest of the group as a whole.

"You all have really let me down. There were only eight of them and ten of us. Those savages shouldn't stand a chance." Ember was unsure what to say to that. He might have been able to play his ten-year-old card, but he didn't like it. Even the Huan siblings bowed their heads in shame, while a couple of the others had no energy to pay attention to the rebuke. While there was still no improvement in his Breathing Art, Ember managed to steady his breathing far quicker.

"Are you so incapable?" Benny shouted.

"Did your instructor really teach you nothing, that even with such a clear advantage we'll falter against the savages of Whitehorn?" Elin clasped a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from saying more.

"We will discuss it once we return to camp." Benny seemed reluctant but fell silent after receiving a shake of her head from his cousin. So the group departed in a far more dispirited manner than usual. In Ember's opinion, the difference between them and the party from the Asarii clan was how experienced they were. Not to mention there were no weak links in their group. The savages might have had some brutal training to boot. Elin didn't follow through on her promise once they returned to camp.

She said she had to replenish her mana, so Ember had to wait another day for the magic lessons. Well, he wasn't too disappointed, considering he himself had to restore his mana. The battle with the Asarii clan had already left him with little remaining. There was also another thing to consider. He was still too weak, his form predictable, his battle prowess barely amounting to anything against a Tier 6 Ascendant. If not for his protective gear, his condition would be no better than Zea's.

That only led him to think about how he could close the gap in a short time. It was impossible to improve his physical prowess in any meaningful way in the short term. There were only two things to consider: his skills and his mana foundation. Ember was barely halfway through Tier 5. It would take a year, if not more, to reach Tier 6. But he could try to make his way to Tier 4 in the Mana Foundation. He had met the requirement for the number of breaths of mana for half a year now.

It was only his mana circuit that was stopping him. Thankfully, Ember had a shortcut to get through that.