CHAPTER 326: BATTLEFIELD

The enemy general effortlessly raised his spear imbued with his own Spear aura, intercepting Sylvia’s strike with remarkable ease. His deep, unsettling voice echoed beneath the hood, dripping with arrogant mockery. "Speed alone won’t save you, mortal."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Are you an immortal that you keep referring to me as mortal?" She twisted her body while spearing, swiftly deflecting his spear’s counter-strike with her blade.

The sound of clashing weapons resonated crisply, sparks igniting briefly in midair. He smiled creepily, "You wouldn’t be wrong to call us immortals."

She frowned, but each of her movements remained smooth, swift, and precise, enhanced by her Wind affinity.

However, despite her impeccable form, the enemy general matched her pace with indifference, shadows wrapping around his weapon, multiplying his speed and power.

The general abruptly stepped back, spinning his spear gracefully before thrusting it forward. A spiraling torrent of dark energy erupted, surging toward Sylvia at frightening speed before hitting her sword.

"Not so fast," came Nyss’s calm, almost chilling voice. She materialized abruptly beside Sylvia, spinning her scythe skillfully as shadows intertwined with the scythe.

Nyss slashed horizontally, releasing a devastating crescent wave of shadow that collided violently against the general’s dark attack and saved Sylvia from the devastating damage.

Sylvia felt the harsh recoil shudder through her arms as she swiftly withdrew from the collision. Nyss stood steady beside her, eyes narrowed, the faintest sheen of perspiration forming on her forehead.

Their opponent looked at them quietly from beneath his hood, shadows dancing eerily around him.

"Such delicate teamwork," the enemy general mocked, his voice carrying a subtle note of disdain. "But shadows and wind alone will not be enough against me."

Sylvia’s eyes sharpened. She instantly understood their precarious situation. The enemy was effortlessly matching their pace, parrying their strikes without breaking a sweat.

Her wind-enhanced swordplay, while precise and fluid, could barely breach his guard, and Nyss’s shadow-infused scythe strikes met a similar fate.

"Let’s switch!" Sylvia called sharply, her voice determined as she suddenly surged forward once more, her longsword igniting with crackling bolts of lightning.

She had rapidly switched from wind to thunder, seeking an advantage in sheer speed and raw explosive power. The blade hummed violently, arcs of electricity leaping toward the enemy general in vicious lashes.

Simultaneously, Nyss seamlessly shifted her aura, withdrawing shadows and invoking thunder to cloak her scythe.

Her movements became sharper, her aura now surging intensely with electric energy. Thunder was among their strongest offensive elements, and both hoped this sudden, synchronized shift would catch the bastard off guard.

Sylvia reached the general first, her thunder-infused blade descending swiftly in rapid, merciless arcs. Each strike was more aggressive than before, the lightning aura enhancing the destructive force behind every swing.

The general twisted his dual-bladed spear calmly, parrying her assault with ease, yet his footing subtly shifted, betraying slight strain.

Nyss seized that faint opportunity, leaping forward, her scythe blazing with dazzling electricity.

"[Thunder Reaper’s Judgement]!" she whispered coldly, releasing a surge of devastating electric energy with a decisive, horizontal sweep aimed directly at their foe’s exposed flank.

Yet, impossibly, the general pivoted instantly, shadows rippling around him, absorbing the crackling bolts of thunder effortlessly.

Nyss’s eyes widened momentarily in shock before she immediately retreated, narrowly evading the counterstrike that grazed her shoulder.

"Predictable," the general sneered, his voice cold and taunting. "Merely cycling through elements without mastery will only bring your end faster."

Nyss bit her lip, frustration flashing through her icy gaze. Sylvia felt an anxious flutter deep in her chest, knowing their desperate gambit had failed miserably.

Despite their powerful elemental techniques and precise coordination, they remained unable to penetrate his impeccable defense. The disparity in combat experience was clear.

"Let’s try again!" Sylvia called urgently, shifting back to wind. A powerful gust enveloped her, increasing her agility drastically.

At the same instant, Nyss shifted back into shadows, her form becoming blurred and elusive, cloaked in dark mist.

They rushed forward simultaneously, interchanging their elemental energies in a gambit—Wind and Shadow, then Thunder and Shadow again, each shift an attempt to overwhelm the general’s senses and create openings.

But each attempt was met by the enemy’s unshakable calmness and skillful maneuvers. Their repeated strikes continued to shatter uselessly against his defense, leaving him entirely unharmed.

After a particularly fierce exchange, both Sylvia and Nyss stepped back, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling slightly from fatigue. The general, utterly calm, tilted his head slightly, voice dripping with mockery, "I have gone on to fight for hundreds of years under His Majesty, you mere children are nothing. Is that all you had?"

Nyss exchanged a glance with Sylvia, an unspoken agreement passing between them: their current tactics were useless. They needed another plan, quickly, or they would inevitably fall.

***

Not far from them, Elias, Felira, and Kale found themselves locked in their own intense struggle against a towering, armored general.

Unlike his slender companion, this general was built like a mountain, encased entirely in heavy black armor crackling with dark energy. Each heavy step he took shook the earth beneath their feet, forcing the trio into continuous motion.

At the forefront, Kale held his longsword firmly, eyes sharp and unwavering.

The wind stirred lightly around his blade, heightening his agility as he maneuvered swiftly around the massive enemy, striking decisively and then retreating instantly, wary of the devastating force behind every blow of his enemy’s enormous warhammer.

"Kale, move!" Elias commanded sharply from behind. Kale instantly dodged to the side, feeling a strange distortion ripple through the space he had just occupied.

Elias stood calmly, staff raised, deep concentration etched onto his face. The air around him seemed to warp subtly, revealing the intangible threads of gravity manipulation. "[Gravity Well: Compression]!" he called powerfully.

The armored general faltered slightly, a sudden invisible force crushing down upon him, armor creaking under immense pressure.

However, with a furious roar, he flexed his powerful muscles, violently shattering Elias’s gravity field with brute strength alone.

"Tch," Elias hissed quietly, frustration evident in his narrowed eyes. His opponent’s raw physical might alone was negating his gravity spells.

The general turned towards him, bellowing deeply as he charged forward, warhammer raised high.

"[Verdant Barrier]!" Felira’s calm voice rang out clearly, just as Elias braced himself.

A vivid, emerald-green barrier materialized instantly in front of Elias, intercepting the mighty blow of the general’s warhammer. The earth trembled beneath the forceful impact, yet Felira’s protective spell held firm.

"Thank you, Felira," Elias murmured breathlessly, quickly recomposing himself.

"No time to thank me," Felira replied urgently, her serene eyes sharply focused. She raised her staff gracefully, invoking her Wood affinity once again.

"[Forest’s Blessing]," she whispered gently. Soft emerald light wrapped around Kale, Elias, and herself, refreshing their stamina and reinforcing their physical resilience.

Renewed, Kale surged forward, his blade swiftly cutting through the air with deadly precision. "[Wind Slicer]," he called calmly, sending razor-sharp gusts hurtling towards the general’s vulnerable joints, carefully targeting gaps in the thick armor.

Simultaneously, Elias channeled his mana with extreme focus. "[Gravity Field: Heavy Burden]!" he invoked, surrounding the general in a thick gravitational distortion. Though the enemy resisted, his movements slowed perceptibly, each step becoming visibly labored.