Elvira gritted her teeth, her vision blurring at the edges. 'Damn it—I'm running out of mana!'
She needed more White Gemstones. Now.
Her body burned from overuse, her reserves nearly depleted. If she kept this up any longer, she'd collapse before Ben even got here. But she didn't have the luxury to stop.
With a flick of her wrist, magic circles burst into existence around her, intricate glyphs glowing in rapid succession. Her voice rang out. "Accel Tempest!"
A surge of mana flooded her body, the spell amplifying her speed, reflexes, and agility to a whole new level. It was an absurdly expensive spell when cast on others, but when used on herself— the cost was negligible.
In an instant, she propelled herself upward, soaring through the battlefield like a blur of light. Lightning cracked behind her, Inferno's flames chased her.
Her gaze locked onto a single point in the distance—her portable lab. The entire thing was made of white gemstone. 'If I can just tap into that mana reserve…'
Inferno growled, crackling sound filled with pure frustration. He had no plan to let her slip away. His flames erupted but not toward Elvira.
A massive explosion burst beneath him, shooting him forward like a living missile. The air twisted, warping from the heat as his entire form became a streak of fire cutting through the night sky.
Elvira's eyes widened. He was fast. 'Tch! Persistent bastard!'
The half-crumbled wall behind her detonated, the sheer heat reducing it to molten rubble. Stray flames shot past her, searing the air. But she wasn't stupid enough to take a fight.
Elvira twisted midair, barely dodging another blast. Inferno was gaining. Fast. "Fine then, chase me—let's see how well you dodge!"
She dove downward, blasting toward the inner wall. Unlike the outer fortifications, this place still filled with traps. Elvira knew every inch of it as Ben have told her.
SHHH! Spikes launched from the ground. Inferno barely twisted in time, his body spinning through the air as blades of mana shot past him. The first trap failed—but she wasn't done.
She kicked off the next tower's edge, redirecting her momentum. Her fingers traced the air—runes flared to life.
"Shifting Mirage!" A pulse of magic spread across the battlefield. Illusions flickered, her figure splitting into five identical copies.
Inferno let out a furious screech, his burning form twisting mid-flight. His eyes flicked between them, hesitating for half a second.
Elvira used that moment. She dived lower—skimming just above another traps.
The moment Inferno followed, the ground beneath him collapsed. Spike shot up from below, piercing onto his limbs.
But barely leave a dent on his skin. He opened his jaw.
A pillar of flame exploded downward, igniting the chains, melting them instantly. The pit turned into a sea of molten rock. Then— Inferno rose. Like a phoenix from hell, his burning form launched straight toward her.
Elvira cursed, twisting midair, barely avoiding a flaming claw aimed at her spine. She spun, arms sweeping out as she conjured another set of Barriers— but each one melted the moment his flames touched them.
It's as she expected, after all she barely use any mana on the barrier, she only hope it for it to buy more time for her to make another maneuver.
She twisted, the air crackling with mana as she shot toward another trap But these weren't ordinary spikes. Their tips were made with explosive talismans.
Inferno, barreled forward. He didn't care. Didn't even slow down.
Elvira smirked. 'That's right. Keep coming.'
The moment she passed the trigger line, the trap activated.
The spikes launched forward at blinding speed, spearing straight into Inferno's burning form— then detonated. The ground shook. Fire met fire, an explosion tearing through the battlefield in a violent storm of searing heat.
Elvira was already moving, her hands flashing through another set of runes, ordering her illusion to make their moves.
Inferno emerged from the wreckage, unscathed, but annoyed to the bones. His burning eyes scanned the battlefield, flickering between her copies.
Elvira didn't wait for him to figure it out. She attacked.
One illusion charged from the left, another from above, each casting bright, dazzling bursts of magic. Cataclysm Requiem! But none of them were real.
Inferno roared, swiping his flaming claws through them only for his attacks to pass through empty air.
The base was in sight. Just a little more. Elvira's fingers moved swiftly, tracing glowing runes in the air—preparing a magic circle to pull mana directly from the lab. She was almost there.
But A spear of lightning ripped through the air.
It struck her dead-on.
Pain exploded through her body as the force ripped her out of the air, sending her hurtling downward—straight into one of the spike traps.
Another detonation shook the battlefield. The smoke cleared, and a shadow descended.
Storm landed just beside the wreckage, his six burning eyes locked onto her, his entire body crackling with raw, pent-up energy. He had been waiting. Storing power. Letting Inferno take the lead while he calculated the perfect moment to strike.
Among the four Elemental Ravagers, Venom was the most cunning. Earth had the best defense. Inferno had the strongest attack.
Storm was speed incarnate.
The air crackled around him, sparks moving along his spine, his body thrumming with pure energy.
Another lightning bolt ripped forward, slamming into Elvira before she could react.
Then another. And another.
He didn't stop. Bolt after bolt rained down, relentless, merciless, tearing through the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Elvira burned through her reserves, forcing every last drop of mana into her barriers. The force of the first spike trap had already left her battered, her defenses weakened.
Now she was barely holding on.
Her entire body screamed in pain. She had blocked the worst of it—but that first strike had caught her completely off guard.
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself back to her feet. Her mana flickered, unstable, barely holding together. "I CAN'T DIE HERE!"
The thought roared through Elvira's mind, drowning out the pain. Her body trembled, her mana reserves almost empty, but she refused to fall. She couldn't.