Zilong raced through the burning forest toward Ava. Ava, wide-eyed, rushed toward him as well.
"Are you alright?" he asked her, his voice filled with concern. She looked at him in despair. "You… you're bleeding," she said fearfully, glancing at the blood on his face.
"It's nothing; it's not as bad as it looks," Zilong reassured her, trying to sound confident.
---
Meanwhile, Mr. Haruki faced off against the strange beings that had appeared out of nowhere. He was panting heavily, still focused on the elf.
"Wow! I never expected the first General Realm dweller I'd encounter to be this powerful," the elf said excitedly, watching Mr. Haruki, who remained focused, his gaze razor-sharp.
"Who are you?" Mr. Haruki demanded.
The elf smiled. "Well, since you're this strong, I suppose I'll tell you," he grinned. "I am Prince Bloodthorne, the aspiring king of Megelon," he announced, looking at Haruki with pride.
"I've never heard of that. Is it some kind of comedy group?" Mr. Haruki raised his eyebrows.
"Tch, do you think this is funny?" The elf clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Mr. Haruki took a fighting stance, and suddenly, every rune on his body glowed with an intense blue light.
"Well, isn't it time to finish this?" Mr. Haruki grinned.
"I was about to say the same thing," the elf replied. Both dashed toward each other with incredible precision and elegance, cutting through the air as their movements echoed. Mr. Haruki held something in his hand—a fluid-like whip made of water.
[Water Arcane, Self-Taught Style: Rippled Drop]
Mr. Haruki moved like a whirlwind, dodging attacks at speeds that defied the laws of physics. Every step he took rippled through the ground, sending shocks through Isaac Newton's beliefs. As he moved with grace and agility, the elf was also formidable, striking at speeds that exceeded the sound barrier. The two fighters appeared as blue and orange blurs dancing in the moonlight. Mr. Haruki delivered a sweeping kick to the elf's waist, sending it back several meters. Without giving it a moment to recover, he dashed forward and delivered a roundhouse kick to its shoulder.
[Water Arcane: Deep Water Pressure]
The roundhouse kick seemed to carry a trace of water as it connected with the elf's shoulder.
"Argh!" the elf staggered back a few meters.
"You... I thought you had used all your tricks, but I guess you haven't," it sneered, revealing its sharp, saw-like teeth.
Throughout the fight, Mr. Haruki had been studying the other elf, who stood a few meters away, observing carefully. It seemed to have no intention of joining the battle.
"Tell me, are all General Realm dwellers like this?" the elf asked grinning.
"Hmph, I'm not a General Realm dweller; I'm actually a human," Mr. Haruki replied, his gaze unwavering.
"Human..huh? I'll remember that…"
Suddenly, the elf disappeared from sight. Mr. Haruki raised his arms to block on instinct.
BAM!
A loud boom sent Mr. Haruki flying several meters, slamming his back against a tree.
"Well, this is going to be harder than I thought," he said with a smile.
---
Zilong had been in the forest for more than a couple of hours now. The smell of carbon monoxide filled the air, making it hard to breathe. His lungs hurt with every breath he took. Jacob had carried the two girls as far away from the battle as possible, but Zilong insisted on going back to help Mr. Haruki.
The ground rumbled for the fourth time, and this time, Zilong could pinpoint where it was coming from. He rushed toward the location, and what he saw left him speechless.
Or rather, what he didn't see.
Just a blur of blue and orange moving at speeds too fast for Zilong's eyes to track. They moved so quickly that they broke the sound barrier with every sudden movement, creating loud booms. Zilong watched in awe as the two figures moved, then they jumped back from each other.
"Damn, I didn't think I'd have to fight such an opponent," the elf said, straightening up and breaking from his stance. Meanwhile, Mr. Haruki remained silent. His top clothes were burnt off, but his skin was unscathed, and all the runes on his body glowed with a chilling intensity. There weren't just one or two runes on Mr. Haruki's body—there were dozens, if not hundreds, etched all over him, some in places Zilong couldn't even see.
"How could someone have so many runes?" Zilong thought in awe.
Each combatant moved like a lightning bolt, creating loud sounds as they collided. The elf, holding a spear in his hand, looked at Mr. Haruki with excitement.
"Young master... you have to finish this soon," the cloaked figure standing directly behind Zilong said, startling him.
Zilong jolted back, looking at the cloaked figure in shock. "What the...? Where did he come from?" he wondered. The cloaked figure had been so silent that Zilong only noticed him when he spoke.
He tensed, watching the creature carefully.
"Are you watching the fight?" the cloaked figure asked, glancing at Zilong, who was still looking at him in fear.
"Y-yes," Zilong stammered.
The aura emanating from the cloaked figure was so suffocating that Zilong felt dizzy.
"How didn't I see him before?" he thought. This being radiated a calm but potent aura—majestic, yet mysterious.
"Aren't they a little bit too slow?" the figure said, expressionless, as he watched the battle.
"Don't mind me, I'm not even here."
"S-slow?!" Zilong was stunned.
The battle raged on, with Mr. Haruki growing more and more tired. The two blurs stopped for a moment, and Mr. Haruki's body was covered in bruises and cuts—a testament to the elf's ferocious attacks.
"I can't believe you've managed to last this long," the elf said, looking at Mr. Haruki.
"Okay then," it said as the flames surrounding its spear died down.
He sighed.
"I'm tired of playing with this man," the elf muttered, glancing in Zilong's direction.
"Should I intervene, young master?" a voice echoed behind Zilong.
Zilong jolted back again.
"What the—? How did he get there? Wait, has he always been there? How did I not notice him? It was as if he wasn't there," Zilong thought, wide-eyed.
A sudden, bad feeling washed over him—a feeling that everything was about to take a drastic turn.