As the Frantian soldiers advanced, their powers combined to form a terrifyingly effective attack. Erik's group went on the defensive, with each member fighting against one of the attackers, but Erik provided support. Their tranquil journey through the winter landscape had been shattered, and the harsh reality of battle had replaced the serenity.
Marcus and the woman with the sword circled each other on the snow-covered field, their weapons gleaming in the weak winter sun. Marcus gripped his massive axe tightly.
The brown-haired swordsman, Lieutenant Emily, based on what her nameplate said, gripped her longsword. Both of them assessed each other, their weapons drawn and their bodies tense with anticipation.
Marcus was the first to charge, his axe raised, toward Emily. She easily dodged his attack, as it appeared that her brain crystal power allowed her enhanced senses allowing her to anticipate his next move. She aimed a blow at his side with her longsword. On the other hand, Marcus was quick to respond, using his mana shield to deflect her strike.
Emily leaped forward, her longsword slicing through the air in a quick arc toward Marcus. He avoided her attack with a quick weight shift, the cold air whipping past his face as her sword narrowly missed him. Marcus seized the opportunity and swung his axe at her, but she deflected his blow with her sword, their weapons clashing loudly.
Their battle became more intense with each attack and counterattack. Emily used her keen senses to find a weakness in Marcus' defense or in his mana shield. On the other hand, Marcus resisted her relentless assault with brute force and the protection of his brain crystal power.
Emily aimed a low swipe at Marcus's legs, but his shield protected him from the attack. His axe then fell in a vertical arc towards his opponent, but she raised her sword to meet his, their weapons locked together.
Marcus pushed her away with a burst of strength, breaking their deadlock for the moment. Emily, on the other hand, quickly regained her stance. She charged at Marcus, her longsword whipping through the air in a series of lightning-fast strikes. Marcus retaliated by attacking her with his axe, parrying each blow and then unleashing a mighty swing.
Their fight raged on, their weapons clashing repeatedly and sparks flying from the brutal collisions.
***
Another battle occurred at a distance from Marcus and Emily's close-quarters combat. Alexia, the red-haired archer, and Corporal Pierce, the agile Frantian soldier, were engaged in their own high-stakes dance. Armed with their preferred weapons, they took aim, released, and moved in a rhythm based on keen focus and survival instincts.
Alexia, bow drawn, fixed her piercing gaze on the Frantian soldier. She created a glowing mana arrow in her hands, the energy humming and vibrating on the arrow shaft. She aimed and let it fly. Lucas locked his compact crossbow on her with an equally sharp gaze. He fired a mana bolt, its trail glowing blue in the harsh winter light.
Their projectiles flew across the space between them at speeds too fast for the human eye to follow. But Alexia and Lucas were out of the ordinary. They both ducked as soon as they saw the projectiles arrive, their instincts leading them behind the cover of nearby trees, the bolts and arrows they had launched only moments before thudding into the trees where they had been standing.
After retrieving a new mana bolt from his crossbow, Lucas positioned himself behind the tree in order to take aim at Alexia. After she had already started moving, the archer drew another mana arrow and notched it onto her bowstring. At the exact same time that Lucas let his bolt go, she let it go as well. They continued to perform their dance around the projectiles, using the trees as shields.
Their movements were so swift that it was difficult to follow them in the stillness of the winter forest. When they fired a bolt or an arrow, they would immediately duck for cover, as their awareness of their surroundings was heightened, and every instinct was tuned to survival.
Their ranged battle was a tricky ballet of aim, release, dodging, and covering up. Each assault and counterattack was carried out with precision and intent, and the projectiles of both sides sliced through the icy winter air like butter. The only things that could be heard breaking the intense silence of their lethal dance were the clanging sounds of mana bolts and arrows striking the trees or whistling through the air.
***
Meanwhile, Erik was solely reliant on his Plant Master power. He used his brain crystal power to command the vegetation beneath the snow to spring to life and attack the opponents. He avoided using his Flyssa to prevent getting recognized by the Frantian soldiers. Vines snaked from the frozen ground towards the Frantian soldiers, while tree branches manipulated by Erik's will served as shields and impromptu weapons for his comrades. He was assisting Garrett and Ava, who had difficulty fighting the skilled Frantian soldiers.
The once pristine and tranquil snow-covered plain was now ruined by the intense combat that took place. Footprints could be seen pressed deeply into the snow, their erratic patterns bearing witness to the intense struggle that was taking place. The continuous back and forth between the two camps had left the once pristine white blanket smeared with evidence of the conflict, trampled, and churned.
On the skeleton trees, which had been silent observers until now, the wounds of the ongoing conflict were clearly visible. The bark was chipped and scarred by errant mana bolts and arrows, and some of the trees were set ablaze by the intensity of the mana, with smoke rising into the bleak winter sky from those that burned. As Erik used his Plant Master brain crystal power, the leaves began to rustle violently, and the vegetation that was buried beneath the snow began to come to life in order to assist him in defending himself and his comrades.
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