The enemy stood up again within seconds, a grin on his face.
“Hahaha! This is great! It’s been a while since I felt this excitement! ”He shouted, looking directly at Carl.
At that moment, Carl stared back at the enemy, his hand covering his nose. It was the first time I had seen Carl show no fear in the face of an opponent; his eyes burned with determination to defeat him.
“Carl! I’ll give you some support. My mana is almost draining, and I’ve already taken a lot of damage from him. This is all I can do to help! ”I called out.
“You’ve done enough, Azrael. Leave the rest to me until Kyle finishes off his opponents,” Carl replied.
“Double Edge Gale Wind! ”
A powerful gust of wind swirled between Carl’s palms and hurled toward the enemy, destroying everything in its path. The enemy caught it head-on, activating a barrier.
'Level two barrier, tsk! 'Carl thought to himself.
The wind attack vanished after a few seconds. The two guardians charged forward, and the enemy rushed to meet them. They exchanged fierce blows, each punch breaking the ground beneath them.
The enemy, from the beginning, had only been using his fists, coating his arms with mana to harden them enough to withstand swords and enhance the damage of his punches with eternal energy.
He attacked both guardians simultaneously while defending himself from their strikes. This was my time to step in. I started casting wind magic spells to aid the two guardians, and Carl did the same.
We both supported them as they traded blows with the enemy until one of the guardians was hit with a powerful punch, sending him flying. This gave the enemy an advantage in defeating the remaining guardian. Before that could happen, I cast another wind magic spell.
“Beast Wind Cyclone! ”
The enemy dodged it, and while he was off balance, the guardian seized the opportunity to attack. The guardian struck the enemy directly in the stomach, sending him crashing into the ground, causing it to crumble.
But our attack didn’t end there. Carl flew up using wind magic and unleashed another spell.
“Gale Storm! ”
A dark wind slammed directly into the enemy, destroying the surrounding area.
“Nice one, Carl! ”I shouted in excitement.
“Yeah! We did it! ”Carl exclaimed, catching his breath.
But just when we thought we had won, the smoke from the explosion cleared, and we saw the enemy standing again, emerging from a massive crater in the ground.
“Hah... Hah! Not bad,” the enemy muttered, breathing heavily.
“Tsk! This one’s too persistent! ”Carl cursed.
I could feel myself losing consciousness; I had just enough energy left for one final spell that could finish him off.
“Carl… Cough! Cough! ... Help me get closer to him,” I said.
“Are you sure you’re okay? If you can’t make it, I’ll handle this,” Carl replied.
“One more strike, just one more, and he’ll be done—I’m sure of it,” I insisted.
“But can your body handle it? ”Carl asked.
“Yes... I can manage,” I replied.
“All right. Let’s do it.” Carl called on his two guardians to charge at the enemy.
The enemy smirked and disappeared in a blink of an eye. The guardians were caught off-guard as the enemy reappeared right in front of them, kicking both of them in the face and sending them crashing into the ground.
Within seconds, Carl had already cast another wind spell. The enemy activated his barrier again, but this time he was thrown back by Carl’s attack.
It was my chance to strike. Pouring all my strength into this final blow, I rushed to his side while he was distracted, aimed my palm at his abdomen, and unleashed a powerful attack.
“Zephyr!! ”
A black wind hit the enemy, and its force and magnitude were so immense that his entire body seemed to vanish, consumed by the dark wind. All that remained was the one who had cast the spell.
The power of my attack sent me flying, and I felt my arm break, but I was sure it was worth it.
But after the explosion’s smoke cleared, I could see the silhouette of a man standing through the thick haze. His arms hung low, and his body bent backward.
My eyes widened in shock as the smoke disappeared, revealing the enemy still standing; his barrier is broken.
“How is this possible? ”I muttered before losing consciousness.
“This can’t be happening. Azrae—"
Before Carl could finish his sentence, he saw me unconscious far from him. He wasted no time rushing to my side, instead focusing on the enemy before him.
'Tsk! This can’t be. How did he survive that? He must have manipulated the mana flow in his body to create a level two barrier that covered his entire body. He’s smarter than I thought,' Carl thought.
“Whew! Cough! That was close,” the enemy said.
At this point, Jarred and Mika were also unconscious, and so was Azrael. Fear spread into Carl’s heart as he realized his situation; both his guardians were down, and he was the only one left standing.
The enemy looked directly at him and started running, slow at first, then faster and faster. As the enemy approached, Carl’s anxiety grew.
“A-ah! Stay back! ”Carl screamed in fear.
He launched several wind magic attacks, but the enemy dodged them all. Then suddenly one attack hit the enemy’s thigh, causing him to lose balance and fall.
“Are you okay, Carl? ”Kyle asked.
“K-Kyle! I’m so glad you’re here! ”Carl answered, relief taking over him at the sight of Kyle.
"Another insect has arrived," the enemy grinned.
He stood up as if nothing had happened and began sprinting toward Kyle and Carl's position, moving even faster than before.
Unexpectedly, the enemy's Angel Ring, which had been white, suddenly turned green. Both Kyle and Carl were shocked and panicked.
"Green?!" Carl and Kyle thought simultaneously.
As he charged, a long, jagged sword appeared in his palm. Carl unleashed a series of wind magic to distract the enemy, but he was now quicker than before, dodging Carl's attacks effortlessly.
The enemy closed in, preparing to slash Carl, but a sharp rock shot up from the ground, intercepting the strike—Kyle's doing.
Carl leapt back, and Kyle stepped in to face the enemy head-on. The enemy tried to slash at Kyle, but he skillfully parried each attack using his earth magic.
"Thorn Gravel!"
Sharp rocks erupted from the ground, deflecting the enemy's blows. Kyle matched the enemy's speed, but he knew he couldn’t keep up forever; the enemy was only getting faster with every second.
Drool dripped from the enemy’s mouth, his eyes wild with madness. He glanced at Carl, and in an instant, he disappeared from Kyle's sight.
The enemy reappeared near Carl, stabbing him not once but five times. Carl collapsed, and the enemy bit savagely into his arm and neck, tearing away chunks of flesh.
Before the enemy could bite again, a sharp rock pierced his right eye from the ground. Kyle quickly pulled Carl away, who was clutching his neck and trying to use healing magic, his body covered in blood.
"Carl, just hang on!" Kyle shouted, panic in his voice.
Carl held his neck, staring blankly into the distance, his eyes empty, almost lifeless. Breathing heavily, Kyle placed Carl against a tree a short distance from the battle. Even now, Carl's gaze remained fixed in the distance, and he did not speak.
"I’ll come back and save all of you," Kyle promised.
With that, he turned back to face their enemy. When he returned, he saw the enemy preparing to devour Jarred. Kyle quickly cast another spell.
"Thorn Gravel!"
Within seconds, countless rocks pierced the enemy’s body, immobilizing him. Kyle cautiously approached, but the enemy suddenly released a thick smoke from his body, and Kyle quickly covered his nose.
The smoke enveloped the entire area, and Kyle lost sight of the enemy.
'Damn it! He’s completely vanished from sight. Did he eat Jarred? Is he behind me? Did he run away?! 'Kyle thought desperately.
His mind began to spiral as his thoughts raced uncontrollably, clouded by fear and uncertainty. As the smoke thickened, his anxiety deepened.
He tried to run toward where Jarred had been, but he could no longer tell where he was due to the dense smoke. Then he felt two swords pierce through his chest.
Shocked, he coughed up blood. As the blades pinned him in place, the enemy bit down on Kyle’s shoulder.
“Waaaa!! ”Kyle screamed in agony.
"This is the end for you, boy. If you had just given me what I wanted earlier, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation," the enemy said.
“Ahhh! Ha-ha! Ha! ... You’re... the only one left... of your kind... You’ve already taken too much damage... You’re going to die... and I'll take you with me,” Kyle muttered through labored breaths.
Suddenly, a sharp rock shot out from behind the enemy, piercing through his chest. In desperation, the enemy tried to remove the swords from Kyle’s body by slicing them while they were still embedded in him.
“Aahhh!! It hurts!! ”Kyle screamed.
To stop the enemy's moves, sharp stones from the ground pinned his arms, preventing the enemy from moving. Kyle attempted to escape himself from his horrible situation by pulling his body out.
Kyle was able to remove himself from the sword embedded in his body, holding his chest while using healing magic.
“Ugh! Damn it! I can't die here! ”Kyle muttered as he coughed up blood.
While gasping for breath, Kyle saw that the enemy had escaped from the rocks that had pinned him down. Kyle tried to cast another magic spell, but a sharp stone suddenly struck him.
That’s when Kyle realized the enemy had copied one of his spells. The cannibal leader was actually an earth magic expert. This was the first time the enemy had used his magic in the fight, so Kyle had no idea which element the enemy controlled.
Kyle grasped the rock embedded in his side, and his eyes showed he was on the verge of giving up. The enemy slowly walked toward Kyle, a wicked grin on his face.
“Hahaha! I never thought I’d be pushed this far. You really tested my limits. But in a way, I’m grateful because this fight awakened my Angel Ring to green," the enemy said.
“Hah... Hah... Is that so? Well... This will be the last time you’ll use that Angel Ring... So, make the most of it," Kyle muttered, his strength fading.
Suddenly, they both heard a shout from a distance.
“Gale... Storm!! ”
A powerful black wind magic slammed directly into the enemy with incredible force. The impact sent him flying, tearing apart everything in his path until his body landed weakly at the edge of the bridge.
“Ugh! Cough! Is... Is this it? Is this the end for me? ”The enemy whispered to himself.
As he questioned his fate, his eyes slowly closed, sensing his time was running out. Within seconds, he lost consciousness.
While he lay there near the edge of the bridge, someone slowly walked toward him. It was Carl, standing with one hand on his waist, gazing down at the enemy's lifeless body.
“Sorry, but I’m persistent. I guess it’s not my time yet,” Carl said.
After uttering these words, Carl slowly kicked the enemy’s body, sending it tumbling over the edge of the cliff. The body fell into the rocks below, disappearing from sight.
Carl then approached Kyle, who was unconscious. He dragged Kyle back to the carriage they had used earlier. The carriage was quite far from their current location since it had fled with the horses to a distant spot during the battle.
Carl painstakingly went around, retrieving the bodies of his comrades one by one and pulling them back to the carriage. Though it was hard, heavy, and exhausting, he did everything he could to get his companions back to safety.
He did this while still weak and taking care of the wounds he had suffered in the fight. After pulling everyone back to the carriage, Carl began to drive it across the bridge, determined to get them to safety.