Elena leaped backward several meters, facing Enatur. Her dark purple eyes glowed with an eerie light, staring straight at Enatur who now stood firm with red daggers gleaming in his hands.
For a moment, the world around them seemed to hold its breath.
A dark purplish aura began to seep from Elena's body, dripping like thick smoke that wrapped around her form. From the other side, Enatur responded with a blazing crimson aura.
The two forces collided, the air trembling as the ground cracked slightly, a faint quake rippling beneath the feet of those watching.
Both of them vanished from sight. Their bodies flashed across the battlefield, and in an instant, Enatur's twin red daggers clashed against Elena's twin black-purple swords.
The friction between their weapons sparked light, and the pressure of the impact sent leaves swirling through the air as their hair whipped in the violent wind.
The clash hurled them several meters back. Elena braced her landing with her foot, then shot forward like a black shadow. Enatur's eyes could not keep up with her movement, she appeared right in front of him.
"Dark Blade!" Elena's swing slashed across Enatur's chest.
His skin remained intact, not a trace of a wound. But the pain from the strike still lingered. Something felt strange inside his body. The core of water and ice within him trembled weakly; its blue glow dimmed.
His brows furrowed, his eyes trembled, his movements slowed.
"Tch!"
A glint flashed at the edge of Elena's pupil. "I'll make you suffer for two minutes!"
Her swords lifted again and swung with lightning speed. Long-range slashes flew out like shockwaves. In three seconds, twenty arcs of energy were sent toward Enatur.
Enatur ran to maintain distance while evading each attack. He stepped backward several times.
The slashes struck the ground around him, carving out small craters.
Enatur's eyes widened as he caught sight of the dark purple flashes of energy colliding hundreds of times within a single breath.
The waves of energy spun like a shell thirty meters wide, the earth eroding quickly, dissolving within the chaotic current.
Shadow let out a low growl, his brows knitting. "Enatur!"
The energy created a deep crater, swallowed by a thick cloud of dust. Elena stood at its edge, her eyes locked on the center where Enatur had been.
The smoke slowly thinned. They were stunned to see an igloo made of ice. Elena jumped into the crater, closing in on the Icy Igloo. With a glint of her swords, she sliced it into fragments of ice.
Her eyes widened, Enatur wasn't inside. Only a spherical bomb with a short burning fuse.
"Damn it!" Elena jumped back, crossing her arms to shield her face.
The bomb exploded instantly, a storm of wind erupting from the massive blast, throwing Elena out of the crater, sending her airborne.
"This guy really uses dirty tricks!" Elena shouted.
A dimensional portal opened behind her. "Surprise, madafaka!" Enatur stepped out of the portal.
The Icy Axe was gripped tightly in his hands.
He swung the Icy Axe toward Elena's back.
Elena clenched her teeth, spun around, and blocked the Icy Axe with both of her swords. Although she managed to stop the swing, the impact sent her flying, her back crashing into a tree.
They both landed on the ground. Their breaths grew heavy, sweat beginning to trickle down their foreheads.
"Not bad, your skills have improved, Enatur."
"You too, Elena. I'm impressed with your progress."
Those watching exchanged glances with one another.
Enatur and Elena locked eyes. Enatur opened his storage space and retrieved his twin daggers.
The atmosphere fell silent, the sound of wind clearly heard through their ears.
Their gazes tracked each other's movements, both of them frowning in concentration.
The ground beneath their feet cracked as they advanced toward one another, closing the distance.
Time seemed to move in slow motion.
Elena crossed her twin swords, while Enatur swung his daggers upward. The friction of their blades sparked flashes of fire.
An opening appeared between them, and both bent their bodies, launching follow-up attacks.
Their eyes met. Elena's reflection shimmered in Enatur's pupils, and his in hers.
Their hearts spoke to one another without words.
"I'm really happy to finally meet you, Enatur!"
"Yeah, I'm glad too—it's great to finally meet you!"
"There were so many things we talked about back then... it was really fun."
"You're right, Elena. I'm lucky to have had those conversations with you."
"Back then, we only spoke through telepathy..."
"Yeah, but lately, I could almost see your face."
"Haha... you're right, me too."
Time resumed its normal flow.
"And your face pisses me off!" they both shouted at once.
They clashed again, exchanging slashes with equal speed. Each swing generated bursts of energy that exploded with a thunderous roar.
Enatur's hands swung both daggers toward Elena's abdomen, then he leaped, spinning backward several times.
Elena jumped high, hovering in the air, her body wrapped in thick black aura. She unsheathed both swords, unleashing a series of long-range slashes.
In a blink, she launched twenty strikes in just three seconds.
"Icy Wall!" Enatur formed a wall of ice to shield himself from the rain of Elena's attacks.
Elena bombarded him relentlessly, her slashes hammering the ice wall without pause.Her arms trembled violently; every shadow strike grew heavier.
The Icy Wall began to crack. Aura of frost surrounded Enatur's body as he formed layers upon layers of new walls.
Enatur leaped backward, trying to steady his ragged breath. But Elena's barrage continued, wave after wave cutting through the air.
Enatur kept moving, dashing in all directions, dodging as best he could.
Elena refused to stop. The slashes he dodged tore into the ground, creating thick clouds of dust.
She finally stopped and landed on the ground. The dust from her long-range strikes blanketed the area where Enatur stood, and Elena stepped back fifteen meters to maintain distance.
She wiped sweat from her cheek, her breathing rough, her shoulders rising and falling rapidly.
A brief silence made their hearts pound harder.
Slowly, the heavy dust began to fade. She saw a large shadow, like a sword five meters tall and one meter wide. Elena immediately readied herself, her gaze fixed on Enatur.
Her eyes sharpened. "What is that...?"
"An incredible power! I didn't expect to be cornered like this!" said Enatur.
The massive block-like sword emitted smoke as it absorbed Elena's attack.
Gabriel was stunned. "Sword of Aegis? He can use Mom's sword too?"
"Too bad for you, granny hair!" Enatur said with a sarcastic tone.
"Hee~... I'm surprised. So, you still have a hidden weapon," said Elena.
"Even though this sword is only Level 1, it can still withstand any powerful attack!"
"All right, all right! I can't wait to fight you at full power!"
"Hoo~... Are you sure you want to fight me at full strength?" said Enatur with firm confidence.
"As long as you're serious, then I won't hold back either!" she said sharply. They both smiled.
They took their stances, ready to attack. The air grew silent. The wind stopped, as if the world itself awaited their clash.
Enatur and Elena's eyes locked, two young souls unwilling to back down. Their gazes were sharp, unmoving. Neither of them budged even an inch.
The air seemed to freeze as Enatur opened twenty dimensional spaces at once, appearing all around Elena from every direction. From each spaces came the sound of clanging metal, and then, chains tipped with blades, Dagger Chains, shot out.
Elena exhaled sharply, her purple eyes glowing intensely. She jumped high, spinning gracefully in the air.
But Enatur had already anticipated her movement, a new dimensional space opened right above her, and from it, another barrage of chain daggers shot down.
"HIIYAAAH!" Elena shouted.
Her twin swords flashed, cutting down the incoming dagger chains that attacked her from all sides, yet more kept coming. The chain daggers surged faster and faster.
Sparks of energy scattered through the air, each collision ringing loudly like thunder. Despite her speed, a few shallow cuts appeared on her arms.
"So that's it, bloody hair. You can fight at long range too?"
Enatur smirked faintly. He thrust his hand to the ground, and another dimensional space opened beneath Elena. From it, more dagger chains emerged, shooting upward with destructive force.
His tongue slid across his lips. "Got you, granny hair!"
Another dimensional space opened beneath Elena, sending more dagger chains flying upward.
Elena swiftly flipped her body, blocking the attack with the broad side of her sword. But Enatur didn't stop. Another dimensional space opened right in front of her face, launching another wave of dagger chains straight at her.
"Damn it! He's cornering me!"
Acting on instinct, Elena used the sword blocking the attack from below as a foothold, then deflected the incoming front dagger chains with the broad side of her other sword.
Her body was caught between both points of attack, both swords straining under the wild tension of the dagger chains.
"He managed to lock her movements," Gabriel said.
Enatur spread his arms wide and bent his body slightly forward.
Fifty more dimensional space opened at once. From each circle, dozens of chain daggers shot out simultaneously, all aimed at Elena, now completely trapped and unable to move.
The chains whistled violently, creating a storm of steel in the air.
"Go, my partner!" shouted Shadow, his red aura trembling as if ready to join the battle.
"Do your best, Master!" Rein yelled.
"Damn it!! I can't dodge this!!" Elena's face paled, cold sweat dripping down her temples.
The chains were only inches from her skin when she clenched her jaw and screamed, her voice shaking the air itself:
"UNHOLY EXTINCTION!!!"
"Everyone, move back a hundred meters!" Blard shouted. They all obeyed immediately, leaping far backward.
Enatur's brows tightened. "This is bad, if I get caught in that, I'll die!"
He grabbed the Sword of Aegis he had placed beside his foot. His hand gripped it firmly as red light flared, forming a protective shield around him.
Her body erupted in a dense, overwhelming aura of darkness.
The world held its breath.
There was no sound, only the heartbeat of raw energy pulsing through the ground.
Then, a massive energy explosion of black-purple energy burst from her body. The thunderous impact shook the ground, erasing everything within a seventy-meter radius.
Trees were torn apart, stones were hurled into the air, the very atmosphere trembling under the force.
Enatur's chain daggers shattered one by one, breaking like fragile glass, while the dimensional spaces collapsed into cracks of energy before disappearing. Enatur swung his hand, forcibly closing them.
Everyone was thrown back, their bodies jolted by the shockwave that felt like it could tear their souls apart.
Dust and smoke covered everything, the world drowned in pitch-black light.
From within that darkness, a figure slowly emerged, Enatur, standing tall. The Sword of Aegis in his grasp glowed red, shielding him from the deadly blast. His breathing was ragged, but his body remained unscathed.
Elena landed lightly in front of him, her breathing unsteady, her face pale, sweat dripping down her chin. Both of their auras had faded, their stamina nearly exhausted.
Enatur wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his thumb, then clenched his fist. His eyes sharpened, filled with determination.
"Amazing skill, Elena. That energy... it felt like it was trying to rip my soul out," he said calmly, though his body trembled from fatigue.
Her energy gradually faded. She landed softly before him. Both of them looked drained, their stamina clearly undertrained.
The corner of Elena's lips curved into a faint grin, even as her knees trembled.
"Remember this well, Enatur Vermillion..." Her words broke off as Enatur suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Her slender body fell into his embrace. Their bodies jolted upon contact. Blard felt a surge of jealousy, his dark aura flaring, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
Elena didn't resist. Instead, she returned his embrace. Their hold tightened, both of them sinking into the warmth of long-buried longing.
"I'll take you away from this rotten world that rejected your existence," Enatur whispered softly into her ear, "and bring you to a better place... a world where you can see the blue sky every day."
"It's strange, isn't it? For nine years we shared pain, sorrow, and feelings... and now, we finally meet for the first time."
Enatur released her gently, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You won't be lonely anymore. I'll be your friend... no, not just me. Shadow, Rein, and my childhood friends, Carl and Marissa. I'll introduce you to them all."
Elena nodded. "Hm. Someday, take me to see that blue sky."
"I promise you, Elena."
Their lips curved into a smile. But slowly, that smile turned into a mischievous grin.
"You should get plastic surgery, your face is annoying!" Elena snapped.
"That's my line, damn it!" Enatur barked back.
They started bickering like children again, pinching and pulling each other.
"That's why I hate you so much, bloody hair!"
"And I hate you too, granny hair!"
Lucifer and Blard rushed in to separate them.
"Stop it, Enatur! You're grown up now, still fighting like a kid," Lucifer scolded, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm certain this is their first meeting," Lucifer muttered.
"That's enough, Elena," Blard stepped forward and took her hand.
"My apologies for the trouble our little brother caused, Lord Blard," Lucifer bowed.
"It's fine. I should apologize too, for the trouble caused by my daughter."
Lucifer and the others bowed respectfully. They bid farewell to Blard.
Enatur and Elena stuck their tongues out at each other, still teasing as Blard opened a portal and stepped into his Realm.
Lucifer and the rest decided to take a break. Their next destination was to return to the Orc Kingdom, to attend the auction once more.