The black sphere kept expanding, its writhing tendrils of dark energy devouring the sky above the battlefield. For a long moment there was no sign of Eccar.
Veyna smirked as she hovered in the air with her arms crossed. The neon lines of her black coat pulsed with an eerie purple glow, matching the energy crackling around her fingertips.
That blast should have done the job, or at the very least, it should have weakened the Dragonborn enough for her to finish him off with ease.
But then a sudden crack split through the air like the sound of shattering glass. The massive sphere of darkness trembled before it fractured, splitting apart in jagged cracks of light.
With a sound like a broken crystal orb, the black sphere shattered completely. Its remnants scattered as glowing particles, drifting toward the ground before fading into nothingness.
And in the very center of it all, Eccar still stood unbothered. He effortlessly destroying the sphere.
His wings beat steadily, keeping him suspended in the air, his body untouched by the destruction that had just consumed him moments ago.
Wisps of black energy still lingered around his form before dispersing like smoke.
Eccar exhaled through his nose, snorting as he glanced at the fading remnants of the attack. Not bad. If that blast had hit anything else or anyone else, they'd be dead, or at least crippled beyond recovery.
But he wasn't just anyone else.
He lifted his gaze, locking onto the figure floating above.
Black coat, lined with pulsing purple lights. A presence that oozed confidence and a hint of something more arrogance.
Eccar's lips curled slightly. "Ah, so it's you," he muttered to himself, barely loud enough for his own ears. He hadn't expected her to hear it.
She must be one of Laston's elite. A Cyber-Mage who had fused high technology with dark sorcery, making her an opponent unlike any of the others Eccar had seen on his history of countless battles.
But as much as he wanted to test her strength, now wasn't the time.
"Unfortunately," Eccar sighed, stretching his shoulders. "I can't fight you right now."
Then, without another word, he turned and shot off through the sky, his wings propelling him away in a sharp, effortless motion.
Veyna's smirk faltered slightly as she narrowed her eyes, watching him retreat. She hadn't expected him to run after seeing that he is completely unscathed like that.
She clenched her fists, arcs of dark energy sparking between her fingers. She wasn't going to let him go so easily.
Veyna shot forward, moving through the air with her coat billowing behind her. Her eyes narrowed and fixed on Eccar's retreating form.
Why was he running? He had shrugged off her strongest attack like it was nothing. It didn't make sense.
Her lips twisted in frustration. Whatever the reason it don't matter. She wouldn't let him run away.
A circular hole opened in the palm of her hand, glowing with a pulsating purple light. Within an instant, energy coalesced and gathering into a dense sphere before launching forward in a violent piercing dark light.
A piercing, high-pitched screech cut through the battlefield as the blast hurtled toward Eccar like a lance.
But Eccar didn't need to look back. He felt the distortion of energy behind him, the shift in the air, the way reality itself seemed to bend slightly around the attack.
He twisted in midair, veering sharply to the side with incredible speed. The black and purple blast tore past him and missing, before slamming into the ground below.
The impact erupted into another swirling mass of dark energy, expanding rapidly upon contact.
Ogres and Daemons caught in the blast didn't even have time to scream before they were swallowed whole. Their forms were consumed, their bodies dissolving into nothing as the sphere pulsed and roiled, feeding on everything within its grasp.
Eccar's gaze flicked downward. "Damn. So she doesn't care about them at all."
Ogres, Daemons—it didn't matter. To them, they were nothing more than disposable tools. A means to an end.
He exhaled sharply, a flicker of irritation crossing his features. He wasn't surprised. He had met many like her before—people who saw power as the only thing that mattered.
People who would sacrifice anything, anyone, just to achieve their goals.
But it still disgusted him.
Flapping his wings once, he propelled himself higher, his mind already shifting gears. He could fight her and wanted to fight her. But right now, he don't think he can.
But if she insisted on chasing him that means that she won't be focused on the Palace.
Eccar's wings beat steadily as he soared, his sharp eyes watching the chaos around him.
The Elven King had given them no permission to intervene in this battle yet.
But this wasn't interfering, not really. If he wasn't attacking and just distracting her, then he wasn't technically disobeying orders.
A slow smirk crept onto Eccar's face. "Yeah, this could work."
He twisted through the air, keeping his movements unpredictable, his wings shifting effortlessly to adjust his trajectory. Behind him, Veyna scowled, her frustration evident in the growing intensity of her attacks.
"Stop running and fight me!" she snapped, her voice laced with irritation.
Another blast erupted from her hand, a searing beam of dark energy streaking toward him.
Eccar dipped his shoulder and rolled to the side, letting the attack tear past him and strike the battlefield below.
The impact expanded into another writhing black sphere, engulfing another section of the Ogres and Daemons without hesitation.
He chuckled. Then saying loudly through the wind, "You sure you want to keep shooting like that? At this rate, you'll wipe out your own forces before I even have to lift a claw."
Veyna clicked her tongue, her glare darkening. "You think I care?"
She moved her hand and another cannon-like hole opened in her palm, charging up another shot.
Eccar's smirk widened. "Yeah, I figured as much."
He twisted into a sudden dive, baiting her into following.
She took it and fly at him. Another barrage of piercing blasts hurtling toward him.
But each time, Eccar veered just out of reach, letting her attacks rain down upon her own troops.
Ogres howled in confusion before being erased from existence. Daemons shrieked as they were swallowed by the ever-growing voids her Magic created.
She was too focused on him to realize what she was doing.
As long as he kept her occupied, she wouldn't have the chance to organize a proper assault on the Palace.
But then, Laston's voice ringing in Veyna's head.
"What are you doing? Don't kill the Ogres and Daemons yet!"