The spear/staff was aimed at me again but this time I didn't have the time to hold up my spear. Hell I didn't even have time to even properly get up. Luckily for me he seemed to be complacent with how easily the fight had gone.
A second to gloat, and another to give me this cocky look. It was enough for me to reorient myself and take my spear back into my hand.
With a push to the ground it exploded from under me, pieces of debris flying around and obscuring me from his vision.
I used that moment to retreat further, barriers of aether slowly forming in my hand. They were small but they were what I needed. Something that I could actually use. Compared to how my aether felt when I tried to use it in my body, it was practically free use outside. It was like walking through water compared to actual air. A weird analogy but it worked for me.
The freedom to use aether outside of my body gave me several ideas but I had no time to realize them. A small shield was placed on my vitals and minimized so that the draw in my power was minimal.
It was just in time as an unblockable attack was aimed at my neck.
CRACK
The barrier cracked, green light flashing in my and his own eyes and blinding both of us. Although my sight was obscured by light that didn't mean I couldn't see, no, it only gave me an advantage.
With the shared sight of Aoif I could see his soul despite the distinction of my own. It was at that moment of vulnerability that I struck, Memoria in hand I stabbed upwards.
"Tch" I clicked my tongue, the attack had not connected, the only thing that I hit, a barrier that seemed to suffice his entire being.
Though I did see a sort of crack that appeared, and with insightful eyes I was able to see numerous runes that made up the barrier.
However even if my attack was blocked the force behind it was as a blast of wind carried him towards the back of a wall.
Cracks formed in the wall and I could feel my aether start to flow freely again. It seemed like the only way for me to use my aether was to break his concentration.
Whatever sort of spell he used needed constant focus, something that he seemed to lack. The way that a simple wound like this could break it.
I had only a couple seconds of free use of aether and I wasn't going to waste them. With as much focus as I could put into the process I reinforced everything that I could, starting with the most important things.
My leg muscles came first, as even if I could see him I wouldn't be able to react without sufficient power in my muscles though that wasn't the only problem. My brain wasn't able to react fast enough to send signals towards my legs to signal them to move. That was why my nerves were my next target.
I had never done it before but in the heat of the moment I had never doubted that I could do it, and the faith in myself was rewarded when with a burst of power I felt my reaction speed accelerate.
That was all I was able to do before the mastermind recovered, whatever sort of spell that he had used returning as any more attempts to reinforce myself were foiled.
The reinforcement that I had been able to get off while he was recovering on the other hand stayed.
I smiled at him, smug. Even as pillars of flames shot from the ground again I still smiled smugly at him.
The fireballs that I could not dodge earlier were easily cut through and dispersed with my new reaction speed.
Though what surprised me the most was how Memoria had reacted to it, the echoes of the fireball were stored and I felt I could unleash them at any moment.
It was the first time that she had done that but I wasn't complaining. A seemingly normal slash to the throat of the mastermind was taken as I closed the distance; however when I had reached my goal I unleashed the spells into the mastermind.
Twin bursts of flame exploded in the face of the mastermind and burnt the hood off of his face.
I was finally able to get a good look at his face and I was sort of surprised at how plain it looked. It was like if you put every average male together and picked the most average of every feature and put it into one.
It was uncanny how plain he was enough that it even looked unnatural.
CLANG
While I was taking a glance at him the mage was not idle the spear tip swinging from the side to decapitate me however it wasn't able to reach me as I blocked it with Memoria.
A sneer and a back step was his response but it seems as though he forgot where he was as he slammed into the wall knocking the breath out of his lungs.
I was suspicious but I wasn't going to East this chance as with another tensing of my muscles I was before him, my spear poised at his heart.
PIERCE
I felt as my spear pierced through thick skin and a heart. Blood vomited into me as his eyes widened in fear. As if his own death flashed through his eyes.
'Dodge' a voice echoed in my mind. I didn't have time to question it or why Aoif wanted me to dodge but I did it nonetheless m. Despite my assuredness that I had won.
A spear of flames passed through the spot that I was in and went through the floor. The mastermind disappears into the darkness covered cavern.
That was not the end of them though as more and more appeared from the ceiling and shot their way towards me.
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