Seraphine leaped, her claws coming down like a meteor, while Tessa swung her sword from Alex's right.
Caught between their attacks, Alex grinned and gripped his sword tightly.
Both strikes drew closer, but before they could connect...
BOOM!
A rock-like dome made of the earth itself formed, shielding Alex from both attacks.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as Tessa's sword and Seraphine's claws collided with the dome. But before they could react further, something else happened.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The outer layer of the earth dome started transforming into spikes, nearly impaling Tessa and Seraphine, who were close by.
They quickly leaped back, avoiding the spikes.
BOOM!
The dome crumbled, revealing Alex unharmed, his grip steady on his sword. A grin played on his face as his eyes darted between Seraphine and Tessa.
"Did you two really think you could harm me with such weak attacks?"
His gaze focused on Tessa, clearly marking her as his target.
Seraphine and Tessa exchanged a quick look, and with a nod, Tessa backed off, positioning herself near a distant tree, away from Alex and Seraphine.
A frown creased Alex's face. "Huh?"
As Tessa withdrew, Seraphine slowly began advancing toward him, eyes locked on his.
"Filthy vampire..." Alex sneered.
Seraphine's smirk widened. "Seems like you've tangled with a vampire before. How about we make this one memorable?"
"A duel, just the two of us," she taunted, her claws elongating, red energy swirling around her arms and legs as she crouched, eyes never leaving him.
"A duel, huh?" Alex muttered. "Call it whatever you want, but you're dead—"
"Shut up and fight!" Seraphine shot back, cutting him off as she launched herself at him, claws extended.
In an instant, she was upon him, claws coming down with deadly force.
CLANG!
Alex blocked with his sword, but Seraphine wasn't done.
'I'll use what Master used against me in that forest,' she thought, grinning.
Using her claws on his sword as a foothold, she leaped behind him.
Alex's eyes widened—he hadn't expected that.
Seraphine was already swinging her claws with precision, aiming for his neck.
WHOOSH!
Her elongated claws sliced through the air, but before they could connect…
BOOM!
A surge of fire erupted from Alex, pushing her back and halting her attack. He turned, his expression serious.
"You're stronger than I thought," he admitted, his gaze sharp. "Why are you here? What business do you have with humans?"
Seraphine crouched once again, something she didn't usually do before. But that wasn't all.
'I'll rather not use any Skill, instead...'
Red Energy began seeping out from her hands and enveloping her claws and legs.
Alex's eyes widened as he realized something. 'She wasn't using all her Blood Energy before?'
Blood energy poured from Seraphine's hands, cloaking her claws and legs in crimson. Even the wind seemed to respond to her presence, picking up speed.
She locked eyes with him.
WHOOSH!
In a flash, she charged, weaving in a zigzag pattern as she closed the distance.
But Alex didn't just stand still.
WHOOSH!
He dashed towards her, his sword ready, his feet barely touching the ground as he glided, propelled by a Wind Element spell.
WHOOSH!
As Seraphine reached him, she spun, adding force to her claws.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as her claws clashed against his sword. Flames erupted along Alex's blade, throwing Seraphine back and disrupting her stance.
Not giving her a chance to recover, he raised his hand, conjuring five water spikes that hovered above him.
WHOOSH!
The spikes hurtled toward her with deadly precision, but Seraphine didn't flinch.
Instead, she grinned, crouching low before charging again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
She deflected each water spike one by one as she ran, her claws a blur.
WHOOSH!
Leaping over the fourth spike, she landed and immediately deflected the last one, never breaking her stride.
But then, Alex slammed his hand to the ground, activating an Earth Element spell.
The ground trembled violently, knocking Seraphine off balance as the quake intensified.
For a moment, Seraphine struggled to keep her footing, but just as quickly as it started, the tremors stopped.
Alex grinned as he watched her regain her stance.
"Time to show you a little of what a Mage can do..."
Instantly, he raised his hands.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Fire spikes, water spikes, earth spikes, wind blades, lightning, and even ice spikes appeared above them, encircling Seraphine.
The wind surged around them, intensifying as more and more spikes manifested, all pointed at her.
"Hm..." Seraphine muttered, glancing at the array of attacks surrounding her.
Alex's grin widened as he muttered a single word. "Die..."
WHOOSH!
Every spike launched toward her at once, converging from all directions.
But Seraphine didn't move. She just stood there, watching as the attacks closed in.
But just as the Spikes were about to hit her, she suddenly grinned.
"Huh?" Alex muttered in disbelief as he watched the unexpected happen.
"H..... How is this possible?"
Right before impact, the spikes stopped mid-air, as if held by an invisible barrier. But that wasn't all.
The spikes shifted, scattering in all directions—some even turned toward Alex himself.
BOOM!
Alex quickly reacted, destroying the spikes that came at him, but then he heard a faint sound—a cloak rustling behind him.
Without wasting time, he turned back, with his sword in front of him.
*CLANG!*
Sparks flew as something clashed with his sword, creating a clanging sound, followed by a calm voice.
"Ah.….. Guess my cloak gave me away."
And in that moment, Alex realized something.
'There's one more person.....'