" Feww1 Thump!"
Zacks's vision was sent into a barrel roll as something hit his side hard. He then felt something wrap around his body as he fell and rolled across the ground. Someone had grabbed him from mid-air and pushed him out of the way of the beast's attacks. . .he knew it could only be one person.
As they rolled across the rocky earth he saw strands of her red hair. She had him close as if protecting him like a mother with her child.
They stopped a couple of feet away from the beast who turned with a more violent look on his face. He then spat out a tooth that was knocked out by Zack due to his previous attack. . .Zack had lost the grip on his sword. He turned his head to the right where he saw it lying a bit too close to the beast.
He then looked straight where his silver eyes met the bright red ones of Reha as she was still overtop of him though she had removed her arms hoisting herself up a bit. Zack could see the concerned look on her face...She always cared so much for anyone she was close to. The slightest accidents would cause her to worry.
" I'm fine!" Zack spoke his voice slightly raspy. He wasn't exactly fine but capable. Reha could tell that from those few words. he had hit his head on the decent and his head probably hurt like hell. Still, they needed to move despite both of their pain.
" Okay then." Her eyes darted to the right for a moment. " Move!" She flipped backward off Zack as she commanded this. Zack also quickly followed this order with a flip of his own. Placing his hands behind his head and flipping backward.
" Crash!"
They had moved just in time. The beast had launched itself into the air and crashed down where they had been lying. A crater was created on the impact of the towering beast as it snickered at both of them.
" Do you know that Calicorian teeth like that sell for a fortune? I might not be pure but that's the best you're going to get." Its mana output raised once more, surpassing its original when their battle started. " So I'm going to treat you as if you had stolen one million gold from me!"
The beast just like all the times before launched its sharp skin in multiple directions. Reha and Zack were positioned on opposite sides of the beast now. Both had their own tactics for evading or blocking this attack. But Zack was more concerned about the mana output increase and how it was possible.
[" He shouldn't have been able to do that. His mana output was already maxed. I can see mana properties and I could tell the strain on the body from having it maxed."] Zack decided it was best to keep moving instead of blasting the attack away like the previous times. so he gathered mana around him to form his unique mana defense like before.
Yet the attack didn't seem to stop. The skin blades kept coming and Reha and Zakc were doing their best to evade them or redirect them...This many shouldn't have been possible. Leaving them both confused.
[" It should have a limit. . .Unless." He came to a rather scary conclusion. " He made a deal. A ritual!"
From the information provided to them. They assumed rituals were banned in the kingdom of Aces, and they were right. They also did expect the new king to revoke this role. Still facing someone using the power of a ritual was terrifying to them, because they've only had the pleasure of seeing rituals being used by allies. The fear came from the thought of a monster like him having such a power.
Just as he thought this through the attack stopped. Zack looked to the ground where he found his sword lying. He had slowly been making his way to it and finally had after dodging that previous attack.
He picked it up, the weight in his hand felt right. He scanned the battlefield where chunks of ice were littered with those skin blades stinking from them, but no Reha was found. Causing Zakck to feel slightly uneasy. . .If only one of those blades landed.
" RAH!"
He heard the roar of the best. Followed by the sound of the earth being lifted. Suddenly a bolder with incredible speed was hurled at him by the beast who stood with another chunk of rock in his opposite hand.
[" Shit my defensive mana won't stop this. I'll have to cast defensive magic."] Zack extended his hand to perform the cast for defensive magic. He hated using this as he felt it was a waste of mana when he could use his own defense, but his wasn't viable in some situations. Making it unreliable.
" Shink!"
A red blur crossed his field of vision. The rock then split horizontally and then a gust of wind followed knocking each of them off course. Looking to his left he saw the red outfit and the bright red hair flowing in the wind.
" He. You sure love saving me don't you." His teasing had seemed to have survived up till this point.
" Just for that. You own your own for this one." Zacks's eyes suddenly widened in realization. The beast brought its other arm back and hurled another bolder at him. This one was bigger, even if he dodged he could be impacted.
" I'm sorry!" Zack cried out.
" shink!"
The bolder then spile diagonally and each side went past them. She had come to his rescue once again. . .Yet she still felt so inferior to them. Reha's thoughts drifted to that for a moment spawning a slight smile.
[" I'm sure he'd find that funny."] Zack looked at her. His eyes sunk slightly as he looked at her. His eyes shifted to his sword where he then saw his reflection, his silver eyes shining brightly.
" Next time I'll save you." He spoke in a soft tone.
"...Sure." She replied with slight hesitation. " But first let's kill this thing" They watched as the beast approached them. Its mana output remained the same at its abnormally high level for this beast.
" Funny. . .If your friend died trying to kill me what makes you think you can?" It spoke in that arrogant tone once more.
" He's not dead. He would refuse to die to someone like you I'm sure!" Reha replied a hint of anger was behind those words. . .But more than that was complete confidence behind them.
[" That's how they kept their fighting spirit. And here I thought they would be easy to break.] Pure delusion" The beast commented.
Reha turned her head to Zack and nodded. Zack nodded back. Following that exchange they each shifted their weight to their front foot in preparation to attack. The beast was slightly confused by this as thus far they've shown no real interest in pushing the offensive. Anytime they've gone for an attack it was a surprise or a counter.
" Taking me head on then!"
With that, both Reha and Zack charged at the beast. In response, the beat lunged out its first strike which Zack avoided by dashing to the right. Reha came from the left with her scythe. They knew these wouldn't do much damage, but possibly they could wear him down to where their magic would be effective.
They then danced between the beast's strikes landing smaller insignificant blows on its arms, legs, and torso hooping to ship away. Reha and Zack then appeared in front of it', in response the beast through both its hands down at them.
" Crash!"
It missed. His hands were hidden in the dust but he then felt tinny steps slowly climbing his arms. Then launched both of them aiming to cut its neck. the beast recoiled a bit backing away, then lifting its other foot.
" Bash!"
One strong step created a massive amount of wind. Kicking up loose rocks and dirt. And sending the light children flying away effectively making their attack useless. He saw as they disappeared into the dust storm.
" That was close... too bad for you-"
" Tap, Tap, Tap..."
From within that dust cloud, but in a different direction. He didn't see either of them sent that way. Except for earlier, with the first kid, he landed a strike on. Footsteps were wringing through the earth reaching the beast's ear where a chill followed down its spine.
Turning his head he saw only one singular thing. That thing caused him to take multiple steps back as its presence terrified him for an unknown reason... A singular silver eye cut through the dust and struck the beast in his soul.