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"I can't blame you, I would be angry if somebody would take someone I cherish too."
When I hardened my fists and focused all the nearby mana, the fire drake jumped and moved like it was floating while looking so proudly down on me.
"Detecting two sentries. Force analysis. Processing." I can feel Sprigg's annoyance while saying her announcement through my head.
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"I can sense another drake using another element when the fire drake jumped. I don't think it learned how to propel itself using the heat force since I can detect air elements supporting it."
"So, you mean there is another elemental drake that is not showing?" I baffled.
"Affirmative. Analysis complete. The air drake seems to have knowledge how to thin out its mana and turn itself undetectable and invisible to the naked eye." she confirmed.
"Is that how you use your invisibility skill, Sprigg?" I asked her again to make sure we understand our opponent's way to turn invisible.
"Negative. I am using a skill. The drake is using a trick." She denied what I thought.
Such a nuisance. All I can see is a fire drake and its raging fire starting to decorate the trees with fire. Damn! It is planning to burn all the trees while fighting with me. I respect how you want to fight me but I can't let you do that! I started to focus my mana with the water element nearby and sprinkled it to extinguish the fire that is slowly consuming the trees. In the first place, I am not here to destroy the forest but give the other living beings a chance to thrive and continue to live and also for my sake. However, this beast isn't really giving any interest as long as it defeats me.
"Completing analysis. Locating the air drake," she spoke through my head while I am busy extinguishing all the flame that the fire drake is pouring out. Sprigg said that she wants to know where the air drake is. So, I let her focus on getting the air drake's location first while I safeguard the protection of the forest. This damn beast is ludicrous. This is very annoying!
"Do you really loathe me that much? Huh!?! Just because I fought and slain your comrades? This is a battle after all!" I shouted and kept going.
"Sharing information through the shared link." The instant she whispered that I began obtaining all the knowledge Sprigg spoke about. I can see the air drake hiding at the back of the fire drake while keeping its mana dispersed in the air, or rather it acts as a shield to them. That's amazing. I never knew you can also do that through air magic. Such a splendid view. I mean, what I am seeing right now is although the outline of the air drakes form as the dragon-like existence it is thinner than what I thought. You can only compare it like a scrawny dragon-like that is regularly supporting the fire dragon as if it's riding it and shielding it too. I guess I can't use the same trick when I fought the stone drake, huh.
"This will be a troublesome fight." I murmured.
I am accessing Sprigg's battle strategy through the shared link while I am looking at the two elemental drakes that seemed to fuse into one entity afloat. These strategies are brutal and nasty. "How in God's bone are you able to come up with these strategies, Sprigg?" I asked her as I furrowed my brows.
"I don't know. Being complacent may lead us to our demise. So, I need to make a lot of anticipation in fighting such a strong foe." She answered as she continued to lay the groundwork through the link.
If there is one strategy that I can approve of, that is we bring the fight of the elemental drakes in the air to lessen the burden of the forest but focusing it under my feet is a really tough job. Hm. Looking at the proud fire drake and its orange-red flame revolving around it makes me think that physical attack is out of the question. Strengthening the pressure of the strong hot wind of the beasts magic makes it really dangerous to fight it with simple magic. Learning from what Sprigg wants to take actions, I can only agree to it.
Gathering the same mana of the air around me I immediately focused it on my feet, similar to how I gathered mana of the water, but the air is much lighter and stable making it easier to control. I instantly got the hang of it while hovering half my height. Sprigg told me to support my body with air magic to be certain I don't fall while I am flying, taking advantage of this kind of unfamiliar trick we imitated from the last adversary. Meanwhile, the fire drake continues to intensify the wave of heat to the air whilst adding dense mana to supplement its power.
I propelled myself upward to face the fire drake and stretch out my arms to amass the mana while suspended in the air. Brilliant! Sprigg's plan is brilliant. Fighting the beast that contrasts its element is brilliant. I spontaneously build up water on the air mana like a cyclone whirling around my hands forming a new magic element which she calls the Intermediate level, Ice magic. The beast may continuously take advantage of their tandem but they are not able to reach the next stage of their power, the only beings with a huge mana pool can suffice the next stage of elementary magic.
"Let's end it quick, master." the high-pitched voice rang on my head while I sneered at her proudful voice in my head.
Although the afloat drake is really far away from me, I can still feel the warmth of its flame magic as I steadily invoke my ice magic. Of course, I need to stay away as I remove the heat from the air and insert more moisture into it because its construction requires mist to cool down the temperature. I then gradually formed shards in my hand. One. Two. Three shards at a time, floating in the sky. Ready to aim the fire drake. Sprigg told me to carry out the shards with more layer as it will melt upon meeting the fire magic, and I did. I am ready to shoot. But…
"Detecting multiple summoned fire vortices. Please act accordingly." Sprigg who's assisting me from above my head informed me along with all the necessary information to deal with the fire magic of this opponent.
The fire drake initiates by summoning a whirl of wind rendered visible by the smoke from the charred lodge and leaves from before and amplified with the intense rising of heat and turbulent wind conditions integrated to form whirling cyclones of air. These cyclones can bond and suck in clutter and combustible gases which powers its fire even more. Although, I am trying to bring the fight above the ground the fire drake is drawing it from below us. Uh. How vexing.
There are multiple fire cyclones twice taller than me whirling around the fire drake as it summons a fire vortex which acts as its core and I can't get closer. The fire is beginning to scatter while it creates another fire vortex again to siphon the fire shaping another fire cyclones. I know how intelligent the other two fire drakes but this is a trick I can't even think of. Such a cunning beast! I released the ice shards that are also taller than a tree by now to the moving fire cyclones while flying, evading all the breeze of hot cyclones enough not to burn me. It effortlessly changed positions all the gales of fires toward me while I am still getting the hang of flying through the air magic while creating shards of icicles that looked like a spear pointing to the floating fire drake.
Blocking all my attacks with a fire cyclone while melting it is really praiseworthy. The intense heat that the fire drake is drawing from the area is not draining it which makes it hard to believe how it can power up such magic with a little mana it has. There are a lot of tricks that drake up his sleeve huh.
"No wonder you're the leader of these strong beasts. You're more proficient with your element and have a lot of tricks too." I mumbled as I maintained the air magic on flying until I reached the top of its fire cyclones where it can't touch me while I positioned all my icicle shards to fall on its head but it blocked again with the air barrier. I nearly forgot that I still have another invisible opponent to remember.
Just like my battle with the water drake, it uses the air drake's power to shield them while continuously devastating the surrounding by burning all the trees and everything that comes in contact using its fire magic. Physical attacks are useless against it while the ice magic seems to lack the power to destroy its barrier.
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