The bandit chief, Karson, watched from a distance. He had never thought that the tactics would be so effective.
"Chief, if we let the fire burn any longer, the forest will catch fire. It will be hard to control." Piet informed.
Karson looked around and took a deep breath, saying, "It doesn't matter. Our aim is for not a single person to return. They will take care of the aftermath. Release the third wave of the beasts, and tell the men to kill anyone who escapes."
*Thunder*
"It's that girl," Karson said.
"She couldn't be that strong." Piet said, "They have told us that she didn't even absorb the essence for more than a couple of months."
"And how old is she?"
"14."
" My point exactly."
Piet failed to understand what Karson meant by that. Karson sighed, adding, "Normal humans can't control their consciousness when they absorb the essence. The younger they are, the harder it will be. Yet, she did that. Since thunder is unlike any other natural element, its essence must be equally uncommon. It can be a rare essence, too. Do you know what we call them?"
"What?"
"Genius. And you can't think of them as normal humans." Karson sighed as he said, "Release the arrows."
The row of bandits holding crossbows released the arrows in unison. Most of the arrows hit the trees, but many passed through the firewall. From the scream, it looked like one of them had hit the target.
It was a waste to use a crossbow in the forest. But Karson didn't care.
Those people didn't just give them crossbows. They also gave them enough ammunition. In addition to the weapons and gold, he also received two essences.
He knew the target was important because of all those rewards. He even knew who it was. If possible, he wanted to reject the offer.
However, he also knew that if he rejected it, they wouldn't just kill him but also eradicate the bandit outpost. Even women and children won't be spared. After all, there is no way he would be able to survive the assault from the knights.
*Thunder*
Karson noticed that lightning hit the tree on the other side of the fire circle. It made his heart skip a beat.
He had seen it once but didn't dare believe it. He thought she was moving so fast that normal eyes couldn't follow her. That was how she took care of the wolves.
However, now that he had seen it from such close proximity, he was sure "it's an elemental form."
It wasn't a skill granted by the essence. Instead, it was something that depended on the comprehensive ability of the absorber. That's why it's so rare.
And it is not like the absorber automatically gains the ability if the beast possesses it. Similarly, it can also happen that the absorber has the ability even if the beast never knew how to do it.
That's why it's such an extraordinary ability. Very few people in the world have it. The emperor of the Eder empire has it, and the six saints have it too. That was also one of the reasons why they were called saints. But to think a child would do it so effortlessly…
"She's just too fast," Karson mumbled.
*Thunder*
The sound of thunder continued to resonate in the forest, and the more it did, the more people started to scream.
Although Karson had seen his fair share of death and blood, those blood-curdling screams still sent chills down his spine. But he was ready for everything. After all, this isn't the first time he's faced someone with elemental abilities.
"Use the net." He shouted, but another thunder drowned his shout.
"Use the element suppression n*thunder*" With each second, the frequency of thunder was increasing. And it raised the fear in his heart.
He grabbed the metal ball with an intricate design in one hand while his trusty sword was in the other.
*Thunder*
The thunder hit the tree not too far away from him. It was then that he saw it with his own eyes.
It was like a blob of bright white light slithering down the tree, shooting through the body of one of his subordinates and hitting another tree at a distance: one second and another thunder.
Karson looked at the subordinate, who had been struck by lightning. The right side had turned into burned meat, while from the back, it looked like something broke out of his body, making the rib dent out at a weird angle. Karson didn't know the bone could bend at such an angle but not break.
However, it was the least important of his worries. He knew that each clap of thunder meant the death of one of his subordinates. And he was sure at least fifteen of them were already dead.
Alas! He had no way to follow Thyra. Despite possessing the uncommon essence of a mountain bear, he could not pursue The Girl.
Lucky for him, the lightning hit another tree beside him. As soon as it did, Karson threw the ball at the white ball that was coming down the tree.
It happened so quickly that Karson had no time to process whether or not she had been affected. As soon as the lightning struck the tree, his instinct took over, and he threw it. Lucky for him, he didn't hear any more thunder.
It was more advanced than the element suppression net. It would be more accurate to say it is a more powerful version of essence suppression cuffs.
Instead of suppressing essence, it is something that seals the essence. Even if the ball didn't remain in contact with the body, the absorber could not use his essence. The essence will take a few hours to return to normal.
That was what they had told him. However, Karson didn't dare to take any chances. He transformed into a bear before moving in that direction.
The first thing he noticed was the ball. The intricate design was now glowing in a bright blue colour on its outer shell.
"It went well," he sighed in relief. When he looked around, there was nothing else besides his shocked subordinate and a red blob of flesh.
"Even in that situation, she was able to kill another one." Karson sighed.
"Chief," Piet came running. He, too, had transformed into a half-wolf. "What happened?"
"She can't use her essence anymore. She is just a normal human. Find her quickly."
As soon as Karson gave the order, Piet started rallying other bandits. But another scream rose on the other side of the fire circle.
"Shit," Karson cursed, realising some soldiers had escaped the firewall. "Piet, take the men and kill anyone who is alive. Don't let a single one escape."
"What about her?"
"She is just a teenager without essence. Do you think she would be able to fight me? I will take care of her."
Piet hesitated for a moment but did as he was ordered. Karson, too, began looking around. The footprint was the first thing he looked for. However, there were none.
To be precise, there was not even an impact spot, as if the body didn't hit the ground. No matter how much he looked, the only thing he could see was the two bod…
"Where is the other one?" He couldn't see the blob of mass anymore. And before he could look anywhere else, the area around him darkened. As soon as he turned around, the massive blob of mass swallowed him.