The mercenaries had the upper hand when it came to numbers. Nine of them in total: four red cores and five green cores. The scarred man, their leader, was the only battlemage among them. The other red cores, though formidable spellbounds, wielded a fearsome combination of elemental control and combat experience. They moved with the precision of warriors who had seen countless battles, their confidence clear in every motion. Any other team of red cores would have been overwhelmed by now.
But they weren't fighting no ordinary battlemages here. These were elite battlemage Legionaries of Hepestus.
Rifi's heart thundered in his chest, the air around him thick with the electric hum of his mana. He controlled both types of mana effortlessly—his crackling lightning mana and the non-elemental core energy that gave him unparalleled control in battle. Each of his muscle fibers was saturated with raw power, his mind able to shift between the two energies with a single pulse, a single thought. His body was a living conduit of energy, ready to explode into motion.
Sweat dripped down his back, mingling with the ambient heat of Kaelin's fire mana as it scorched the air. The forest rang with the sound of steel as Serra darted in and out of combat, her twin blades gleaming like silver in the fading light, every strike of hers accompanied by the sharp blasts of wind mana. She was a blur, slicing through her opponents with deadly precision.
But Rifi had no time to focus on them. The scarred mercenary leader was already charging toward him, his sword glowing red-hot, distorting the air around it with its heat. Behind him, crescents of fire arced through the air, hurtling toward Rifi with searing intensity.
Rifi's senses flared. His body reacted on instinct, lightning mana flooding his muscles, allowing him to move in an electrified blur. His feet shifted, and with a series of precise movements, he dodged the incoming crescents.
The scarred leader's blade slashed down in a deadly arc, the tip infused with dark red mana, while his flanking spellbound companion propelled himself forward with fire mana, ready to strike from Rifi's blind side.
"Try and keep up, Legionary!" the scarred man sneered, his voice laced with malice.
Sparks erupted as Rifi's twin swords met the scarred man's in a deafening clash, the lightning and fire mana clashing violently at the impact points. Both forces hummed with raw energy, each one threatening to overpower the other.
At that moment, Rifi sensed the spellbound mage behind him. Fire missiles were already in the air, racing toward his back. But Rifi had anticipated this. His mana senses had already detected the attack. With a sharp pulse of lightning mana through his swords, the clash between him and the scarred leader sent a shockwave through the air, forcing the scarred man to pull back and allowing Rifi to spin away from the incoming fire missiles. The fiery projectiles flew harmlessly past Rifi and directly toward the scarred mercenary, who was forced to dodge, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"You'll have to do better than that," Rifi growled, his lightning mana intensifying until the very air shimmered with energy.
Without a second's hesitation, Rifi retaliated. His legs crackled with electricity as he launched himself toward the spellbound mage. His speed was blinding, and the mercenary's eyes widened in disbelief, barely managing to raise a flaming shield to block Rifi's incoming strike.
For a split second, fire and lightning collided, their clashing energies crackling and sizzling through the forest air. But Rifi's power was overwhelming. His first sword tore through the fire shield, splitting it apart. His second sword followed seamlessly, aiming for the spellbound's chest. The mercenary managed to deflect the strike, but not entirely—Rifi's blade sliced into his shoulder with a burst of electric sparks.
The spellbound grunted in pain, stumbling back as blood dripped from the fresh wound. Before Rifi could press the advantage, the scarred leader was upon him again, his blade swinging for Rifi's neck with terrifying speed, propelled by a surge of fire mana.
Rifi ducked, the blade hissing through the air just inches above his head. The intense heat of the strike brushed against his skin, reminding him of how close he'd come to being decapitated. This fight was far from over. The mercenaries were skilled, coordinated, and unrelenting.
Meanwhile…
Kaelin roared, his sword ablaze, flames wrapping around him like a living entity. His opponent, another red core mage, commanded the earth with brutal efficiency. Jagged spikes of rock shot up from the ground, aiming to skewer Kaelin where he stood. But Kaelin's fire was faster. With a sweeping strike, he melted the earth spikes into molten slag, his eyes blazing with fierce determination.
"Is that all you've got?" Kaelin taunted, his voice rough and taunting as he deflected another earth spike with ease.
The mercenary's sneer deepened, but before he could respond, Kaelin surged forward in a flash of fire, his sword cleaving through the enemy's defenses with raw, overwhelming power. The red core barely managed to raise his blade in time, but the sheer force of Kaelin's strike sent him staggering back, flames licking at his armor.
"Serra! On your left!" Kaelin barked, his fiery gaze flicking toward their agile companion.
Serra was already a whirlwind of motion, her wind mana swirling around her like a protective storm. She ducked under a strike from one of the green core mercenaries and retaliated with lightning speed, her twin blades slicing through the air in a lethal dance. The green cores barely had time to react as Serra weaved between them, her wind-enhanced movements turning her into an untouchable force of nature.
One of the mercenaries lunged at her, but Serra was faster. She sidestepped the attack with ease, her blade flashing as it found the weak point in his armor. Blood sprayed, and the mercenary crumpled, his body falling lifeless to the ground. Serra's expression remained cold and focused, her mind already moving to the next target.
Back to Rifi…
The scarred leader grinned, his sword glowing brighter with each swing. "You're fast, Legionary," he mocked, his voice dripping with malice. "But speed won't save you."
Rifi didn't respond. His focus had narrowed, his thoughts racing as he analyzed the movements of his two opponents. They were working in tandem, trying to trap him, to corner him in a position where his speed would become useless. He couldn't afford to hold back any longer.
It was time to unleash his full lightning mana potential.
Rifi's skin darkened under his armour as the full force of his lightning mana surged through him. The air around him seemed to buzz with energy, his body enveloped in an electric aura. He could feel the power coursing through every muscle, every nerve, heightening his senses to the extreme. His vision sharpened, his reflexes quickened.
With a deep breath, he let go of his restraint.
In a blink, he vanished—a blur of lightning that left scorch marks on the dirt where he had stood. The scarred leader's eyes widened in shock, but it was already too late. Rifi reappeared behind him, his swords crackling with raw energy as they slashed toward the mercenary's back.
The scarred man twisted desperately, avoiding the worst of the blow, but Rifi's swords still grazed his shoulder and arm, leaving searing burns that smoked in the air. The mercenary cursed, his confidence faltering as Rifi pressed the attack with relentless speed and precision.
Rifi was a storm, moving between the two red cores in a blur of motion, his swords striking from every angle. Sparks flew as blades clashed, the crackle of mana filling the air with every impact.
As Rifi and the scarred man clashed once more, their blades ringing out through the tense air, the spellbound mage seized the opportunity to create distance. This was the moment Rifi had been waiting for. The instant the spellbound began to retreat, a narrow window opened—an opening Rifi wouldn't waste.
Lightning surged within him, every muscle and nerve in his body firing as he pushed himself to his absolute limit. In a fluid, electrified motion, Rifi blocked the scarred man's next strike, their swords sparking as mana clashed. Without hesitation, Rifi followed the block with a fierce kick to the scarred man's chest, his leg crackling with lightning-infused power. The impact sent the mercenary staggering back, but Rifi was already in motion.
The force of the kick propelled him forward, launching him toward the spellbound mage with blinding speed. The spellbound's eyes widened in panic as he realized what was coming. Desperation flickered across his face, and he began hurling fire attacks frantically, flames bursting from his hands in a last-ditch effort to slow Rifi down.
But Rifi was too fast.
With precision and grace, he weaved between the fire strikes, his body a blur of lightning and momentum. In mere seconds, he closed the distance, his lightning-infused swords glowing with lethal energy. Before the spellbound could react, Rifi's blades pierced through the mage's defenses, cutting deep into his chest with a flash of crackling electricity.
The spellbound gasped, his body convulsing as the electric surge overwhelmed him, his eyes wide with shock before he crumpled to the ground, his body smoking from the inside out.
Rifi didn't stop. His eyes locked onto the scarred leader, who was now backing away, fear creeping into his expression.
"You… you're not human," the scarred man muttered, his voice trembling.
Rifi's eyes gleamed with cold intensity. "I warned you. This isn't an easy fight."
Just as Rifi moved in for the final blow, a barrage of earth and fire mana surged toward him from the remaining mercenaries. He was forced to pull back, deflecting the attacks as the scarred leader retreated into the shadows.
"We'll meet again, Legionary!" the scarred man's voice echoed through the forest as he disappeared into the trees, his spellbound companions following after him, hurling mana attacks toward Rifi and his teammates as they made their escape.
Rifi stood still for a moment, his chest heaving, the crackle of leftover lightning mana dissipating into the air. He glanced at Kaelin and Serra, who had just finished off the remaining green cores who werent as lucky as the rest of their troupe. The forest was eerily quiet once more, the only sound the soft crackling of dying flames.
"We shouldn't chase them," Rifi said, his voice steady though his body trembled slightly from the aftereffects of his mana usage. "This was too well-prepared. We'd likely run into another trap."
Kaelin sheathed his sword with a frustrated growl. "They got away. For now."
Rifi nodded, his mind racing. This ambush had been too deliberate, too precise. Someone had sent these mercenaries, and it wasn't just for a simple skirmish.
"We need to move carefully," Rifi muttered, glancing toward the darkened woods. "This isn't over."