"Oh dear, don't be alerted. I am merely here as a distraction for my Master. Or in other words.."
Verkoth stood up from his chair and while tidying up his dark purplish suit said-
"to keep you occupied." Verkoth smiled as he said those words.
"Zai really learnt an annoying trick."
Elysa said in an annoyed manner as she took her battle stance and an green aura of magic started surrounding her.
"I guess I'll just break out of this damn room first."
"I'd love to see you try."
Verkoth unleashed his own mana as both of their auras collided with each other, Elysa could feel it.
The Verkoth they fought was significantly weaker than the one here. It was like he was using less than 5% of his real power outside. Elysa was being pushed back.
"Why the hell are you here and you there so goddamn different?"
"Oh, he's just an egg that would, one day hatch and become what you call, me."
Elysa started releasing more aura from her body.
"How? Why is this damned bat stronger than me?
- is what you are thinking."
Verkoth said mimicking Elysa.
"I'd like an answer to that too."
"Well.."
Verkoth unleashed even stronger aura
"for starters, I am merely a power source, not a physical source but rather a form of soul connection. If I had to explain it in easier terms, let's just say I am just a part of a machine that provides energy for one specific purpose."
"Then what's your purpose?"
Elysa asked while struggling to maintain her aura.
"To be th.... of... ki..."
Elysa couldn't hear what he said as her mind was thrown out of the [The Never ending maze].
***
On the battlefield where Zai and Elysa were clashing as the purple smoke vanished, Deeno and Luke were surprised to see Elysa disappeared.
"Where is she?"
Luke asked Zai, who was recovering himself from Elysa's attack.
"Don't worry. She's with Verkoth in [The Never-ending Maze], she'll be fine. It's simply a distraction for me to recover myself."
Luke was convinced with Zai's answer and stood alongside Deeno again.
Zai stood and used [Mana Focus] and tried recovering his body. It was after thirty seconds when a purple smoke emerged out of nowhere and strong gusts of wing started again.
Zai took a deep breath and took his battle stance. Elysa emerged out of the smoke and dispersed it. This time, vortexs of air appeared as the clouds gathered around her and storms gushed out.
"This will be the end, Zai"
"Do it."
The violent storms were crashing down from heaven as thunder storms rained down. Elysa floated among the clouds above Zai as her cold eyes looked down on him.
Zai also released all his aura as a figure of Verkoth appeared behind him. Verkoth without any words roared. Hordes of bats and insect started gathering around Zai.
Air trembled as screeches of bats and insects clashed against the wind.
Luke and Deeno baffeled by the sight knew that they had to intervene before it's too late.
"I knew about Elysa's powers but how come Zai.. that guy couldn't even kill a ghoul 2 days ago but now he is standing against Elysa, that to on a similar footing. I know Elysa's holding back but still It's ridiculous."
Deeno said in an astonished voice. Luke then proudly said
"Of course he is the best. He's my best friend of a reason."
As the insects and winds collided, Zai stood in his place with chains emerging from his chest connected to Verkoth's wrist. Elysa summoned even more violent tornadoes. Verkoth unleashed his purple aura and jumped towards Elysa.
Their fists collided mid-air resulting in a horrific earthquake. As neither party was willing to bulge, Elysa used force of Verkoth's punch in reverse and used her [Ordered winds] to send him flying in the air. Verkoth regained his balance and again rushed towards Elysa. He punched her and threw her onto the ground and then he used the storm of Insects as camouflage to hide his movements.
Elysa couldn't feel him due overwhelming amount of insects and bats surrounding her and rewriting her senses. So she focused for a second and found her target. The moment she grabbed Verkoth out of insect horde and took him into the air, she looked at Zai as to flaunt her victory.
But shock soon filled her face as she saw a figure wearing a strange purple suit standing in Zai's place. She quickly realised what had happened and looked at her hand but it was too late.
Zai had already won.
Zai touched Elysa and used his [Seal] ability to minimise her movements.
Even though earlier it wouldn't work on her, but now due to Verkoth's mana and energy his [Seal] abilities had also leveled up. He could now atleast sealed thier movements for a few seconds, which was, exactly rehe conditions to win this bout.
As they were both falling to the ground, Luke quickly flew and grabbed them both. Elysa, still in shocked and sealed state couldn't speak anything for a few seconds.
"Congratulations Zai, you won." Luke said while smiling.
"You really are useless ha! You lost to a runt who didn't even started using magic like 2 weeks ago."
Deeno said mockingly to frozen Elysa.
Finally the fight was over. Elysa pretended to be sealed as to not face anybody and Zai immediately went asleep due to fatigue. Luke and Deeno cleaned up the message both of them had created and went to their carriage afterwards.
***
I woke up in a strange yet unfamiliar room. The walls were pale yellow with a signs of scratch marks and there was a strange presence nearby.
"Show yourself, Verkoth."
Suddenly, the space started warping and a figure emerged from within
"As expected of Master, you truly are amazing at reading others."
Verkoth said in a pleasing manner.
"Your flattery would not work on me, you know that right."
"It's not flattery but appreciation, Master."
"Whatever it is, I don't need it. So tell me why I am here again and where are others?"
"Well..."
Verkoth summoned a table and chair out of thin air and sat on it
"If I say it then, your body is asleep and thus your soul is transported here and I am sure you know, why you can't fall asleep, right Master."
Verkoth's face had an ominous smile.
"Wait. How do you know about that? It's a secret i haven't told anyon-"
"It's not a question about how I know Master but what you should be doing now."
"What do you mean by that."
"I cannot speak of that further Master, as [Eyes of the world] are upon us."
Suddenly, the room violently shook as a great pressure suddenly broke everything around us and storms ravaged. Verkoth used his own mana to protect me. As the storm subsided, i again questioned-
"Well, i don't think I am going to wake up anytime soon, and if it's because of that then I am pretty sure I won't be leaving this place as well."
I rose up and sat on a chair besides Verkoth.
"At the very least, tell me about you. Verkoth."
Verkoth made a troubled expression for a second before suddenly making a wide smile.
He rose up from the chair, and stood by what looked like a window.
Wait it was never there before as long as I remember.
While looking outside he said-
"Well, it's going to be a long story, Master."
***