I felt the stale air of the chamber rush past me as I moved in to strike. Meliss stood perfectly still until I got close enough, but the moment I did, a tendril of Leech mana lashed out of her back and formed a spear-like point to counter my blade.
There was no change in her expression from before, no soft-spoken words or even any sign of her having some semblance of control over what she was doing. The only thing I knew for sure was that this would not be an easily won battle.
Ysevel and Irun moved in as well, each aiming their strikes at different parts of her body, but like with my attack, more tendrils spawned to counter them. Ysevel spun low, aiming an attack at her legs while Irun and I struck from above.
"These fucking tendrils have a mind of their own," Irun grunted as he landed just a few meters away. "Thoma, we need to find a way around them," he said with a firm nod before we both dashed in for another set of attacks. We were hoping that Ysevel could provide enough of a distraction, but even that proved futile as she was sent flying past us and into the wall.
Ysevel! Are you alright? I asked, ducking beneath a tendril and launching an uppercut that nearly met its mark. I'm fine, but this is a much worse situation than we had with Nexis, she grunted briefly. I don't know how we're going to get past this without using Wraith mana, she said, but I could feel the hesitation in her words.
I know, and I definitely agree with your hesitation, but we might not have a choice soon, I replied, deflecting a triple strike aimed at my head, neck, and chest, then dashing to the side to find an opening. Irun was preparing another attack with an ample amount of Vexing mana infused into his blade. The overhead strike slammed into a pair of daggers, sending a rippling shockwave that prompted Meliss to steady herself.
Her now-sickly green eyes looked at him, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent him barreling into the pillar behind him. However, during her moment of distraction, Ysevel managed to slide beneath the tendrils and slice at Meliss's ankle. She staggered momentarily, losing only a split second of her iron-clad focus, but a split second was all we needed.
I knew Mideia's focus was, at that time, heavily placed on me, as was evident by the fact that Meliss had hardly even bothered to look away any time she needed to deflect a strike. Still, I could tell there was much more to this fight than just taking over hers and Balgrim's bodies, but what exactly was still a bit of a mystery to me.
I'll follow your lead, I sent Ysevel, closing the gap between us, as she and I fell into a dance of strikes, dodging and parrying each blow that was aimed at the other. A sharp tendril tried to slash us both, but I caught it on my blade just long enough for Ysevel to land a perfectly placed slash across Meliss' chest.
With a grunt of pain, she staggered backward for a moment, putting a hand to her chest and pouring Leech mana into the wound to seal it.
That's an absurdly quick healing technique. Think we can keep up? I asked Ysevel, who dodged an overhead blow that cracked the stones beneath us. I'm learning her attack patterns. It looks like while Mideia is offering her power, he's not doing much in the way of focusing on our fight, but instead on you alone, she replied, deflecting another tendril that aimed a strike at her shoulder.
What she said began to make sense to me. There was only so much one person, no matter how powerful, could focus on, which likely meant that there was some way to overload them with information.
Mom and Kalia are definitely giving him a run for his money, then, I sent, risking a glance over to where their battle was taking place. While I didn't focus on it for long, I could see the two of them using the openings the other left behind to try to strike him. Balgrim, rather Mideia, had a wicked smile plastered across his face the entire time, as if he were taking pleasure in our struggle.
As I watched their combined and successive attacks wreaking havoc on his defenses and the structural soundness of the chamber, it gave me an idea. Mom, Kalia, lure him over here. I think I figured out how to beat them, I sent briefly, dashing in for another attack. What do you mean? Mom asked, her sword cracking through the air.
His focus is too split between Meliss and Balgrim's bodies, so neither body is at full strength. We can use that to our advantage, I sent, deflecting a rapid succession of strikes that were a bit slower than the ones when we'd first begun our battle. I know what you're doing, Thoma, but it's risky. You can't hope to bring him down that easily without Wraith mana, Kalia sent, having recognized the plan that was forming in my mind.
Risky or not, we'll need to attack as quickly as possible, and who better to do that than two of the quickest people I know? I asked wryly. I felt a slight tug on my core from Mom, who impressively read my memories mid strike. I like the way you think. We'll follow your lead, son, she sent back with a sense of pride seeping through her words.
With a nod from Ysevel, she and I distracted Meliss, forcing her to keep the entirety of her attention on the two of us. I saw Irun's eyes widen out of the corner of my eye momentarily, since another set of tendrils aimed to keep him in place.
Thoma, I'm pinned down over here. What can I do to help? Irun asked through a grunt of exertion. "Nothing," Mideia's voice spat from Meliss' mouth, whipping the cluster of tendrils as one to send him careening into the far wall.
Even from where I stood, I could hear his ribs being crushed against the stone, and the sound of the air in his lungs releasing in a burst, while his eyes rolled backward. "Irun!" I shouted, but was immediately halted from going to help him as those tendrils rapidly turned on me.
This is about to hurt, isn't it? I thought, bringing my blade up and infusing my body with more mana to withstand the attack's crushing power.
Just before the attack landed, I saw Mom's blurry figure appear before me to block them. The shockwave ripped through my torso along with the wave of agony she was feeling through our cores' connection. I heard her grunt, but that was all, as she pushed through the pain and gave me an opening to strike. Fuck, that hurt, but let's make it count, she sent plainly, but I could tell she reallywas injured from the tone she used.
I noticed Kalia and Ysevel were both on the offensive, but I realized that this was the opportunity I was looking for. Now! I sent urgently, pushing mana into my legs and arms to get enough power that would allow me to dash around Mom and leap into the air. Ysevel and Kalia feinted their attacks and used their momentum to carry them upward toward Balgrim's possessed form.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me leap toward him, but that was the point of Kalia and Ysevel's feint. I'd assumed that he would account for Meliss's downfall and prioritized trying to take me out instead. In my head, it would be like him sacrificing a limb to land a killing blow, though it was clear he hadn't accounted for losing more than one.
I made a show of charging up an attack, coating my blade in an ample amount of Ethereal mana, and allowing some of it within my body to leak out like an aura. "Mideiaaaaa!" I shouted, doing everything I could to keep his attention on me.
I can honestly say I was relieved to see how well that worked.
His nauseating grin widened, and I watched as tendrils of Tyrant mana overcame the pale green in his eyes. I paid it no mind, as again, I needed him to fully believe I would attack. I raised my blade high above my head, using all of my momentum to bring it down onto him. It clashed with the tendrils he brought up in his defense, sending a large shockwave out from the point of origin.
I gritted my teeth, using all my might to drive him downward as best I could, but he simply wouldn't budge. I pressed down harder, pouring mana into my already struggling arms, and feeling my muscles and tendons begin to strain to their absolute limits.
"Not bad, Thoma. To think you can do all of this with the sea-..." his voice cut out as we struggled against each other.