Impaling the archer with Zartha that had shot me in the air, I used Trina to cut the shaft off, leaving just the arrowhead deep within my cheek, something I would have to deal with later since I don't think I was bold enough to just rip an arrowhead out of my body.
Blocking several more arrows using my great swords, I quickly leaped into the air, evading a sword from behind me before kicking his head, though he managed to block it while I used [Air Step], creating a temporary platform out of the air, allowing me to push off of it as I propelled myself into the distance away from the several mercenaries that had just managed to surround my previous position.
'I can't allow myself to get surrounded like that.' Thought Alexander while falling to the ground, only to use [Blink] to teleport himself a few feet to the left as he kneed a man in the chest.
Caving the man's chest in by using his body to disperse the force of my landing, I quickly stood up and backed away, evading the fireball that landed upon the dying mercenary, though I happened to take an arrow right into the back of my knee, causing my leg to buckle as I collapsed to one leg.
"It's over!" "Kill him!" "He can't run no more!" Yelled several mercenaries as they lunged at Alexander, who suddenly vanished from their line of sight, only two to be impaled by his greatswords.
Lifting the two men impaled by Zartha and Trina into the air, I flung them at the other approaching mercenaries before turning around, continuously blinking as I distanced myself from my attackers.
However, while I was trying to gain distance, not only was I being shot at by several arrows, but I also happened to notice several mercenaries leaving the encampment to chase after Lazuli, Vanye, and Vanimo, which caused me to click my tongue as this is the whole reason why I'm even here in the first place.
'D-Damnit!' Thought Alexander as he suddenly grabbed the arrow lodged in the back of his knew before gritting his teeth and forcefully yanking it out.
Grunting in pain, I continued to use blink for a few more seconds, which was burning through my mana; it was a costly skill given what it was capable of, but repeated use damn sure wasn't cheap. However, after a few seconds passed, I started running, my knee having fully healed, something I'm sure wouldn't take long for the mercenaries to notice, not when I've left trails of my golden blood all throughout the encampment.
'The encampment, that's it!' Thought Alexander with a faint grin as he swiped his swords together, setting them ablaze with fire as he swung then in different directions, launching several weak fireballs.
The fireballs may have held next to no damage, but they didn't need to be powerful to get the job done. Firestorms also use fire, but they don't spread since the raging wind will quickly snuff it out whenever they ignite something. However, unluckily for me, my genius plan didn't come to fruition as several mages quickly snuffed out flames before they could get too big; the most my fire did was burn half of a small tent.
'Tsk, never mind then.' Thought Alexander with a click of his tongue as he swiped Zartha toward the mercenaries attempting to chase after Lazuli, launching a void slash their way.
One thing I loved about the space element was how hard it was for people to perceive it; if you weren't strong, experienced, or didn't have an attunement for the space element, it was by no means easy to find it. So, although I attacked from far away, I still managed to bisect two of the six Elves that were chasing after Lazuli, scaring the remaining four.
With their focus on me, I turned back around and ran back towards the encampment, prompting them to chase back after Lazuli, yet whenever they did so, I would launch a void slash their way, killing one of them, which practically forced them to abandon Lazuli in hopes of killing me. To start with, the one holding the reddish-black stone, the one who I assume is in charge, didn't seem concerned about his men giving up on chasing Lazuli; I didn't know why that was the case, but a part of me assumed the stone could trace her location.
I didn't know whether I was right or wrong, but it didn't matter since I planned to take it anyway.
'That is… If I can survive this onslaught.' Thought Alexander with an ugly expression as he was relentlessly pelted by mana attacks along with warriors wielding weapons.
Blocking a fireball with my sword, I pushed it outwards, deflecting a swing of someone's sword, only for a hammer to hit me in my knee, causing me to grunt as I pushed off that specific leg while using my other one to kick my attack in the face, which allowed someone with a thrusting sword to stab the gap where my under arm is, penetrating deep into my chest and boy was it both painful and uncomfortable.
Hissing in pain, I landed on the ground and firmly grabbed the woman, preventing her from retreating before I stabbed Zartha into her chest, killing her. Tossing her body onto the ground, I quickly blinked away, using the half second of respite to yank the sword out of my underarm, only for an arrow to suddenly penetrate my chest piece while digging into my chest.
'W-What the!?' Thought Alexander in shock as he widened his eyes while eyeing the woman sitting on a tower wielding a longbow.
The fact she could penetrate my armor left me stunned; in the five years I've worn this armor, it's been practically indestructible, and the last thing I thought that would finally pierce it would be an arrow.
'Great, now I've got something else to worry about.' Thought Alexander with a hiss as he pulled the arrow off his chest while cutting the shaft, causing the arrowhead to fall out of his armor.
Quickly realizing I couldn't stay here too much longer, I shifted my focus to the man in charge holding the reddish-black stone and dashed toward him; what I was doing was pretty damn dangerous, but at this rate, I felt like the outcome would stay the same whether I took my time or rushed things.
I'd most likely still end up dying; I could either fight the man after exhausting more than half of my mana, or I could fight him now when he's still got a lot of reinforcements. Not to mention, my healing capabilities haven't been noticed as of yet, though if I decide to take the long route, they will be revealed.
'I've got to make this quick; only a few exchanges at most.' Thought Alexander solemnly as he dodged several arrows and speedily dashed through the encampment, heading directly for Boss, who narrowed his eyes.
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"Ho, so the human wants me? Either he has a grudge against me, or he wants the stone." Said Boss lightly as he glanced at Alexander, who plowed through everything in his way before removing the tarp from a random pile, revealing a battle axe that had seen better days.
Storing the stone in my shirt pocket, I circulated the mana through my body, using it to strengthen my physique while flames flowed out of my hands onto my axe, coating it entirely in reddish flames while I glanced at the approaching human, who did something similar, but instead combined his fire with wind, further increasing the destructiveness, allowing it to reach a level comparable to mine.
Once the human finally neared me, he raised his greatswords into the air, only to suddenly appear standing in front of me, causing me to faintly smirk as I swiftly swung my axe, intending to cut the human in half, yet he managed to block my swing, albeit I can tell he was struggling, though the fact he did so was surprising as I was expecting him to evade such an attack, which would allow me to follow up with an even stronger attack.
"Impressive, human; I see you're not completely stupid for raiding my Yamen Mercenary group by yourself." Said Boss with a faint nod as he eyed Alexander, who suddenly vanished, only to reappear a few feet above his original spot while swinging his greatsword.
Having watched his fights against my Mercenaries, I knew better than to block his swords; they were astoundingly sharp and seemed to cut through everything. Backing away, I dodged his attack before kicking a random barrel into his chest, knocking him slightly off balance while swiftly lunged at him with my axe, aiming right for his neck, yet, unsurprisingly, he vanished before I could reach him. However, I didn't stop my attack and continued with my moment, spinning in a circle as I looked behind me, where I saw him trying to attack me.
Slamming my axe onto his sword, I sent him flying through the sky, yet before he got very far, he pushed off the air itself and lunged towards me, though while doing so, he swiped his swords at me from a distance, causing me to narrow my eyes.
"They may fool my Mercenaries, but not me." Remarked Boss as he eyed the void slashes before shifting his body, allowing them to harmlessly pass right beside him.