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“Hey,” Sheryl said from the red runes engraved inside the bejeweled skeleton’s chest. “Erin, they’re flying right at us. What do we do?”
“I think she’s still dazed from Ashley’s attack,” Mistle said. Blue runes flashed beside the red runes, hidden from outside view. “This is why she should’ve hidden in the skeleton’s chest and not its head.”
“Quit your yapping! Everyone knows the commander has to be at the head,” Erin said as she clutched her horns and took in a deep breath. She peeked out of the bejeweled skeleton’s eye sockets and frowned. “I didn’t expect them to deal with your combined attack so easily. Are you sure the two of you are trying your hardest?”
“I’m doing my best,” Zilphy said from the green runes engraved across from Sheryl’s and Mistle’s runes. “Look at the coverage of Sheryl’s flames; I’m spreading them everywhere.”
“Sheryl?” Erin asked and furrowed her brow. “This skeleton has so many different spell-boosting accessories. If your flames are this useless even after being amplified, why does Vur keep you around?”
“That’s very rude,” Sheryl said, her runes flashing twice. “But … I did hold back a little. I was afraid of hurting them too badly.”
“You dumb elemental, we want them to hurt!” Erin said. “Didn’t you hear what Lindyss said? If we don’t thoroughly beat these people right here and right now, they’ll think they can walk all over us! People from the tower will go to Erde, and they’ll force every kind of elemental into unfair contracts. They’ll harvest fairy birthflowers and use them to brew tea! We have to fill these lords’ minds with so much fear that they’ll abandon all thoughts of even sneaking into Erde. Do you want random strangers diving into your volcano, forcing your friends into contracts?”
Sheryl sighed, her runes flickering. “Alright,” she said. “I won’t hold back anymore.”
***
Ouyang Feng used the sole of his foot to construct a small, translucent barrier. He kicked off of it, shattering instantly with the motion, but the action was enough to send him higher into the air. Barrier after barrier appeared and shattered as the Martial Lord leapt through the flames and lightning, heading towards the bejeweled skeleton in the sky. His brow furrowed as the flames crackled and roared, turning from orange to blue.
Ouyang Feng’s skin turned red despite the barrier enveloping his body, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The closer to the source, the hotter the flames, the Martial Lord understood that, but was the temperature really supposed to increase by this much? Not only that, but it was harder to leap through the air. If the previous orange flames were as dense as air, then the blue flames made it seem like he was swimming against a current of water.
Ouyang Feng snorted, and his root bracelet flashed amber. A set of hide armor appeared on his body, giving him a reptilian appearance. “Is that all you got?” he shouted, his speed increasing as he kicked at the air faster and harder. The Martial Lord’s right fist drew back and glowed white, the light barely visible beneath the blue flames. “Zoose, now!”
The Lightning Lord, who was still on the ground, transformed into a bolt of lightning. The lightning bolt surged upwards, and Zoose appeared behind the bejeweled skeleton with his halberd raised, ready to split the undead creature in half. He swung his halberd down, but the skeleton zipped towards the right side, blown by a sudden gust of wind.
Ouyang Feng seemed to have known which way the skeleton was going to dodge. The bejeweled skeleton’s gust of wind pushed it right into the path of the Martial Lord’s fist. With a grunt, Ouyang Feng punched downwards, sending the bejeweled skeleton tumbling into the pit. As it flew down, the blue flames and raging winds came to a halt, and with a bang, the skeleton collided with the ground.
Zoose narrowed his eyes as he rested the shaft of his halberd on his shoulder, the weapon’s blade pointed towards the sky. “I thought the elf would take advantage of the openings we showed her. Did we overestimate her combat sense?”
“No,” Ouyang Feng said and grimaced. “I think we overestimated Darkie’s ability to hide.”
Zoose’s eyes widened as the air within the pit cleared up. At some point, the sea of lightning had cleared up, perhaps when he had been attacking the skeleton, and at the bottom of the pit, Lindyss was holding the Shadow Lord off the ground by his neck with a single arm. The cursed elf glanced up at the two lords who were controlling their descent down from the sky, and the corner of her lips curled up into a smile.
A bitter expression appeared on the Martial Lord’s face. There was a tacit cooperation between the three lords built upon their past experiences together. Zoose and Ouyang Feng fought on the frontlines while Darkie hid and waited for the perfect chance to execute their enemies with his sniper rifle. The Martial Lord had exposed his back while fighting the skeleton, giving Lindyss the opportunity to strike him, which in turn would give the Shadow Lord a clear shot at the elf. Unfortunately, she had went straight for Darkie and caught him, a feat no one in the tower had ever accomplished.
Lindyss turned her gaze back onto the Shadow Lord, the smile still on her lips. “You manipulate shadows too, huh?” she asked. “Let me show you an interesting technique of mine. If you’re still alive after it’s over, you can tell me what you think about it.”
The Shadow Lord’s eyes widened as the elf’s shadow climbed up her body like black ink traveling through water. Her shadow went up her torso and into her shoulder before rising up towards her hand where she was holding the Shadow Lord’s neck.
“W-wait,” Darkie said, but it was too late. The shadow crawled over Lindyss’ hand and onto the Shadow Lord’s face. He screamed, but those were choked away as the darkness completely covered his head and flowed down his body, hiding his features from view.
“Hey!” Ouyang Feng shouted as he angled his body downwards and kicked off the air, sending himself towards the ground like a bullet. “Let go of him!”
Lindyss released the Shadow Lord and looked up at the approaching lord with a smile on her face. Beside her, the Shadow Lord picked up his black rifle and climbed back up to his feet. Then, he took aim at Ouyang Feng and pulled the trigger.