Struck by a blow that pierced her defences and left her reeling, Elora's usually calm demeanour shifted. Her brows furrowed, and a glint of determination sparked in her eyes. The final spar was taking a turn that neither of them had anticipated. Ryan had concealed much, and now she decided it was her turn to unveil a hidden facet of her abilities, a skillset she had yet to showcase even during her battle with the Warlock due to her weakened state.
Elora grasped her bow firmly with both hands, one on each side of the grip. Drawing it taut, she infused it with nature mana, channelling the very essence of her surroundings into the weapon. In a breathtaking transformation, the bow split into two separate entities, each elongating to form twin gleaming daggers. A testament to her unparalleled mastery over her weapons, they exuded a sense of deadly precision.
With a determination that belied her calm exterior, Elora sprang into action. Closing the gap between her and Ryan with extraordinary swiftness, she began a relentless dance of steel. Twin daggers shimmered like liquid silver as they darted through the air, seeking their mark. Her movements were a blur of finesse and power.
Her voice carried over the fray, calm and poised despite the chaos she wrought. "This is one of the most exquisitely crafted weapons in all of Aria, custom-made for myself. And if I failed to mention it before, my bow is merely my secondary weapon."
Ryan, still reeling from her initial attack, suffered a flurry of cuts, too fast for the untrained eye to track. The daggers moved with an almost ethereal quality, their gleaming surfaces seeming to meld with their surroundings, making them nearly impossible to follow. While Elora was relentless in her assault, Fluffy, ever loyal and undeterred, attacked simultaneously. The coordinated assault overwhelmed Ryan, causing him to sustain a series of painful injuries.
Each time he would break away from Elora's onslaught of slashes, he would receive a powerful blow from Fluffy. Ryan was forced to be completely on the defensive, barely managing to handle their attacks, and was not allowed any breathing room to try to use Spatial Warpng or Earth Synthesis.
That lasted for minutes, with Ryan employing all defensive measures he could muster, but still being overwhelmed by the elf and beast duo.
In this dire situation, Ryan came to a realisation. He recognised that the battle couldn't continue in this vein; his endurance was waning rapidly.
An idea sparked in his mind, almost as if his very thoughts had summoned it. It was a radical move, a gamble, but in his mind, it was now or never.
With a sense of trepidation, he thought, 'I might as well try using this for the first time now. What's the worst that can happen?' As the thought solidified in his mind, the emerald ring on his left hand suddenly materialised, casting an eerie glow.
Elora and Fluffy, their senses sharpened by the unexpected apparition, instinctively backed away, leaving an opening for Ryan to put his plan into action.
-
Upon drawing on the power of his Mana Ring, Ryan's transformation was nothing short of spectacular. His eyes shimmered with an intense, almost ethereal golden light, a hue reminiscent of the otherworldly aura of Odus. Even his usually tousled hair stood on end, radiating a golden hue that seemed to mirror the incredible energy coursing through him.
The surge of energy he experienced was unparalleled. It was as if he'd become a vessel of boundless mana, no longer reliant on drawing power from his surroundings. The force within him was monumental, like a great reservoir that threatened to overflow its boundaries. It felt as if his very being was struggling to contain this newfound power, creating a sensation of almost painful intensity. At that moment, he yearned to release it, to unleash it upon the world.
His targets? Elora and Fluffy, who had been dominating the final spar until this unprecedented transformation. Ryan felt as if there were no limits to the mana he could now release, a sensation that thrilled and empowered him. It was as if the emerald ring had forged an unbreakable bond with his body, and he intended to exploit this connection to its fullest.
With a mental command, Ryan directed this overwhelming surge of mana into a potent beam of energy. The attack was many times more formidable than any of his previous mana beams. Its power was so great, so overwhelmingly swift, that Elora couldn't react in time to defend herself. In a desperate act of loyalty and courage, Fluffy hurled himself in front of her, absorbing the blow with his formidable frame.
The beast's sturdy constitution allowed him to endure the assault without apparent damage, but Ryan sensed that Fluffy's strength had been sapped. As he observed, he also realised that he'd unwittingly activated his Mana Vision. His awareness had sharpened to an extraordinary degree, enabling him to discern even the faintest fluctuations of mana in his surroundings. It was as though the emerald ring was fortifying him in every conceivable way, augmenting his physical abilities and providing him with a seemingly inexhaustible well of mana to draw upon as a last resort.
He marvelled at his newfound potential. The effects of the Mana Ring were astounding. It allowed him to envision utilising Spatial Warping without any restraint, and it facilitated a level of power in Combat Magic that he had never dreamed possible. Along with his enhanced clarity and focused mindset, he seemed invincible.
Maybe even on par with the Warlock...
-
In the blink of an eye, he vanished and reappeared behind Fluffy, who had been reeling from the attack it had just endured. Swift as a thought, Ryan manipulated nature itself, summoning a colossal tree to propel the beast into the air. He used Nature Manipulation at a speed that surpassed Elora's and even what she had seen from other Elves. Ryan then appeared above the airborne beast, poised for a follow-up attack.
Observing Ryan's intent, Elora, reacting with her characteristic poise, fused her daggers back into a bow and prepared to rain arrows on her elusive opponent. She aimed, ready to fire the instant Ryan materialised.
But Ryan was one step ahead. He had anticipated her response. With uncanny speed, he employed Spatial Warping once more. It granted him the advantage, allowing him to reposition himself just as Elora released her arrows. He emerged behind her in an instant, delivering a devastating blow to her back. The impact sent her hurtling through the air, her once unwavering stance shattered.
Ryan's tactics were ruthless, yet effective. Summoning a series of trees in Elora's trajectory, he intensified the force of her collision. The final collision was brutal, and Elora sustained significant damage as she was slammed into a large tree, struggling to breathe. Meanwhile, Fluffy, who had been hurtling towards the ground, was intercepted yet again by Ryan's relentless assault.
Overwhelming the beast with sheer speed and unpredictability, Ryan battered Fluffy whose durability was waning.
At this moment, Ryan was undeniably in control. The tide had turned, and he now held the upper hand. His mastery of the battle was awe-inspiring. But this newfound power came at a cost. As his golden-hued hair began to fall back to its normal state and his eyes lost their otherworldly glow, he felt a metallic taste in his mouth, like the aftermath of intense exertion.
The ring's magic that had suffused him with an almost berserker-like energy began to recede. The euphoria of battle left him, replaced by the awareness that he might have gone too far. Ryan, in the heat of the moment, had seemed to have mistaken their final spar for a true battle, and he hadn't held back as he should have. In his frenzied state, he had taken measures that went beyond necessity.
Throughout the intense battle, Fluffy had refrained from unleashing his full potential, keeping his razor-sharp claws and other formidable abilities in check. Elora, too, exhibited remarkable self-control. She wielded her twin daggers with precision, holding back from targeting Ryan's vital areas, even though the opportunity presented itself. In her skilful hands, the twin daggers could have been deadly, capable of inflicting mortal wounds at will.
Yet they remained level-headed, unlike Ryan, who felt his body giving in to the immense strain. As the golden light faded, he stumbled to the ground, his legs wobbling beneath him. But this time, unlike the countless moments of unconsciousness he'd experienced during his training, he remained aware.
Fatigued and shaken, but undeniably conscious, he sat there feeling slightly disappointed despite his incredible display of power and skill.