Aeon regretted how he proposed a hit and run tactic earlier. In truth, he planned the scenario quite well. He wanted to do the said plan in order to save as much energy as possible to defend from any potential attacks. What he did not predict, however, was the illogical arrangement of the exam. He was extremely confident about being one of the first people to reach the center and take a flag, but when he got there, what greeted him?
Dozens of people and only a few flags!
He racked his brain thinking about this but he couldn't tell how. In the end, he decided that he would ask the administrators for an explanation about the arrangement if they had time.
It then led to Korona being unconscious and not being able to fight back at all when they were ambushed.
Thinking about this, Aeon fumed with anger and rushed even faster, breaking his previous top speed. He would circle around the enemy, cutting their path towards the hill. Since they were already running at the edge of the forest, the enemy team would not be able to turn right. They could only stop or engage him. Both were favorable to their plans, but he hoped that they would stop. He's not a superhero capable of fighting off three people at the same time.
After some time, Aeon was finally able to see figures of the three people running. One of them was indeed holding a flag. They were only a few dozen meters northeast of him, and they were moving at a fast pace. With his current speed, he would be way ahead of schedule so he slowed down. He tucked his dagger on his belt, took a fist-sized rock from the ground while running, then accurately threw it towards the incoming team.
The rock flew through the air. The force behind the throw was so great that it didn't weaken even after passing through several leaves and twigs. The target was absolutely clueless about the incoming rock missile and he was hit straight in the shoulder. The person stumbled and lost his balance, causing him to fall hard on the ground. His two team members were surprised, but they prepared themselves for combat.
Aeon smiled. It was a great outcome. Better than he expected, to be honest. He decided to pick up a few more rocks and jump from tree to tree to avoid being seen. He threw several more rocks as he overtook them, but the other team, having been prepared, were able to dodge some of them.
After some time, they were able to realize that rock-throwing 'earth' mage was now in front of them, having been able to circle around them freely and successfully. For sure, they were now caught up in a trap.
The other mage, having lost his patience, started to cast a strong spell. The other one, the mage holding onto the flagpole, instinctively stood in front of him, defending him from any possible rocks. He summoned three fireballs above his head, his left hand holding a thick red book.
Seeing this, Aeon was impressed. The person had good control over magic, being able to summon three fireballs at the same time. He decided to test him by throwing rocks in quick succession.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Three rocks flew through the air. Targeting the mage casting a huge looking spell from its long cast time.
The one on guard reacted swiftly. He accurately struck the three rocks thrown by Aeon.
Aeon was about to praise the fire mage in his mind when the tree he was standing on started to shake.
The other mage had finished casting his spell.
The tree Aeon was standing on was being swallowed by the ground, along with the other trees. He had no choice but to jump away to avoid being stuck on its twigs and being buried alive. When he landed on the ground, the area was already clear of trees. He was left completely exposed to the enemies.
Aeon stood awkwardly in front of the enemy team before he flashed a crooked smile at them and rushed back towards the hill.
The mage he struck on the shoulder had finally been able to recover. It took him quite some time because his shoulder was dislocated from the impact, so he had to painfully snap it back into place first. Gritting his teeth, he pursued Aeon as fast as he could while holding onto his shoulder. The other two followed suit.
To Aeon, the one pursuing him looked super silly. It was as if he was getting ready to ram onto something, running like that. Aeon's laughter reverberated through the air.
Unsurprisingly, it only fueled his pursuer's anger. The person had no weapons in hand, so Aeon wondered whether he was a Remoran or not. Seeing that the former did not throw any spells at him, he shrugged it off.
He could already see Suri and Korona from a distance. The other team was too focused on him and completely disregarded the surroundings so they still had no idea that the enemies they were expecting were already behind them. Aeon's antics must have really pissed them off.
Aeon saw that the mage pursuing him was quite far from the other two because he rushed on his own first, so he deliberately slowed down. It was time for him to fight close combat.
Aeon ran behind a huge tree. Just as he had predicted, his pursuer did not make the stupid mistake of being ambushed from behind the tree. Instead, he kept his distance and circled around the tree slowly. He started casting a spell and a pair of sharp icicles emerged from his gauntlets.
When he was about to finish circling around the huge tree. He noticed something amiss.
He isn't here?
Aeon had long since abandoned him. The enemy was too cautious about the ambush behind the tree that Aeon was able to silently approach his other teammates. Aeon's pursuer was now farther from his teammates compared to Korona and Suri.
Based on the two's skills, they were both Remorans. Then, based on their weapons of choice, they were not highly capable of close combat. The one carried a tome, and the other held onto a staff. He engaged the two clueless mages, who were still running forward, from the side.
Fun, fun!
Aeon pounced on the earth mage.
….
Suri and Korona had almost arrived. From a distance, they saw how Aeon effectively fought a 1v2. He carefully kept the two at bay, focusing on one, while not letting the other cast freely.
Whenever one of his enemies did cast a spell successfully, he would immediately close in on the other, making the caster hesitate if he would throw the spell or not. Most of the time, they did not, while the ones thrown did not land on their target.
Aeon still had a hard time, though. He could not turn his back on one opponent for too long. He had to look back from time to time, leaving some openings for his enemy in front to exploit. However, it was safe to say that he fought his enemies to a standstill.
Suri casted a short spell on his weapon and it started to glow red. Korona also summoned a small ice shard while running. It was the best they could do since it was quite hard to cast a long spell while running.
The ice shard shot towards the staff-wielding earth mage while Aeon was engaging the other.
Unfortunately, it didn't hit. The target was able to dodge and was alerted about the presence of Suri and Korona. He looked towards their other teammate. When he saw that the water mage, his companion, was still running towards them, he cursed loudly. He casted a short spell then hit the ground with his staff. An earth wall emerged around Aeon, trapping him.
The Fire Remoran reacted quickly and ran away from Aeon. The earth mage followed suit. Based on the direction they were heading, they were planning on abandoning their companion.
At first, Korona thought it was a stupid move, but then she recalled their situation.
They were planning on buying time!
Suri and Korona rushed in faster.
When they arrived, Suri broke down the earth cage, and Aeon got out, coughing. Apparently, it had been very dusty inside.
After coughing a few times, the three rushed together. They were almost back at square one. However, now their enemies were not heading towards the hill anymore, so it was a win for them.
It should be a much easier chase.
Aeon rushed ahead of the two, as he did earlier. But now, he did not bother taking a roundabout path anymore. His enemies knew he was coming anyway.
Suddenly, the two stopped running.
The earth mage casted a short spell and created a wall that covered the fire mage.
Not good!
Judging from the distance, it was safe enough to cast a long, destructive spell. On top of that, the earth wall provided enough cover for the two.
Aeon hurriedly stopped then screamed, "Korona! Ice wall!"
The earth wall suddenly dropped, the fire mage's tome was glowing brightly, sensing the fire magic. He extended his hand forward. A small ball of fired condensed on his palm then…
Roar!
Like a dragon's breath, a large fire blazed straight towards Aeon. And it was continuously getting bigger and bigger.
The light of the fire reflected on Aeon's eyes.
….