*Bang*
Abe skidded across the ground with his arms in a guard up position. Through the flames he could see his opponent running at him in full force. Although Mane had no energy per se, and his speed was far from anything outstanding, his manipulation of the elements compensated for this disadvantage a bit. His magnificent command of the elements was notable. Although he wasn't able to avoid all of the attacks, he avoided at least 65% of them. That was a very high evasive rate considering that he was battling as a non-wielder. This was made possible due to Mane's understanding of the wind element. Apart from using the wind to magnify his flames, he was also able to perform complex movements from his comprehension of the wind element. These movements required a high level of flexibility. Luckily, Mane did not only know how to bend water to his will, but he understood its composition. Hence, the flexibility of water was also a skill he had under his belt. Relying on the nimbleness of the wind element and flexibility of the water element, Mane was able to achieve this high degree of evasion.
As for the attacks that did get through, the thin coat of earth that acted as an extra layer on his body took most of the damage. Among all the basic elements, Mane's understanding of the earth element was probably the highest. It was not difficult to manipulate an element when one had some understanding of it. However, to compress them to small, miniscule particles, and still manage to maintain the initial level of durability was an impressive feat. It was because of this that Mane was able to survive a head on attack from a 4th level mortal realm Frederick, when he was seemingly so weak.
A wall of water appeared between Abe and the flames. Its manipulator? John. The water half of the hydra twins had been doing this since the fight began. Thanks to his bloodline, and the glow he had received as a result of his awakening, his understanding of water was very good. This allowed him neutralise the threat Mane's fire posed. As for Jake, his glow belonged to the fire element. In a fight against someone like Mane whose understanding of fire was a notch above his, his fire was rendered a bit useless- to them. Since Mane did not have any energy, he couldn't really conjure the fire from nothing. The reason why he wasn't able to conjure any of the other elements in the fight was because he had no energy. The fire he was using was the same as the one that had been manifested in the beginning. This was fire that had been conjured and sealed into his boots via runes. He only needed to activate them. After that, all he had to do was continuously manipulate the flames that already existed to wreck more havoc. As for wind, the trees provided plenty. There was no water close by- and the only source of it, John, was careful not to let it reach him; the earth element was hidden underneath the tall and plentiful grass (without any energy one needs direct contact to use the elements); so Mane couldn't use these two. The coat of earth he had used on himself was also done before the battle, when he hadn't deprived himself of his energy.
Before the battle began, Mane had a simple plan. He was going to wait for his teammates to attack, and then take advantage of that. As long as the twins attacked, Mane would not only acquire water, but more fire too. As for Abe, he was a master of the earth. This allowed him to fight at close range. So when Mane asked that they should take the initiative to attack, he wasn't doing it so he'd be at a greater disadvantage. He was doing it to gain the advantage!
Unfortunately, things didn't go according to his plans. They had refused to attack him. And Frederick's attack had forced him to use his flames. Right now, his flames were only half their original size. John's constant conjuring of the water shield had been very effective in dwindling its size. And the twin was exceptional in his control, always conjuring just enough to stop the attack. This ensured that there was no water left behind that Mane could use. Jake wasn't using his flames. He had clearly been told not to. As for who had given such an instruction, it was obviously Abe.
This was no doubt a strategy that he had developed immediately the fight began. The brown haired prince had noticed, unlike the others, that there were no energy fluctuations when the fire was produced earlier, meaning it couldn't be used continuously. He had no idea how deep Mane's understanding of the elements was, but he didn't want to take any risks, and had commanded that Jake not use any fire. As for Selina and Frederick, they couldn't freely control any elements yet. Such abilities were available to those at the high level of the mortal realm. Since no weapons were allowed, Jake, Selina, Frederick and Abelard acted as the close combatants. John provided support from behind. Abe had also held back from using the earth element on a large scale, only using it to conjure bats and smaller weapons to prevent Mane from gaining any access to it.
Once the fire had dwindled again, the water shield disappeared. Unsurprisingly, the fire had lost all its earlier forward momentum. The shield had clearly accomplished its task.
"Now!" Abe exclaimed, rushing past the flames towards his target- Mane. The other three who were on the side lines moved at the sound of his voice. Selina and Frederick on the left, and Jake on the right. The middle route was traversed by Abe.
Mane looked at his well-organised opponents. Even he had to admit that this wasn't going the way he had planned it. However, there was no worry on his face, only pride and glee. Pride for his team's combat skill. As for the glee, it was because he felt constricted, helpless. How long had it been since he felt this way? How long had it been since he was at his wits end?
The battlefield was a strange sight. A boy besieged on all sides had an excited smile on his face as he welcomed his opponents. There was no fear, only expectation.
"This is the best type of hunt!" he exclaimed, his grin only growing wider as he continued.
"When the predator…becomes prey!"