Dalam sekejap, ia melintasi jarak antara dirinya dan Aelyssa, bilah darahnya terbentuk kembali di tangannya saat ia mengayunkannya ke arah leher wanita itu.
TRAANG!!
Tawanya menggema di langit malam.
Ia terus mengarahkan pedangnya menembus udara, mengamati kedatangannya dengan ekspresi penuh tekad.
---
"...Hah?"
Untuk sesaat, seluruh langit tampak terdiam.
Ia condong ke depan, mengalirkan lebih banyak mana ke dalam pedang esnya.
Langit bergetar saat dua makhluk yang berdiri di puncak kekuatan mereka berbenturan sekali lagi, melepaskan pertempuran yang akibatnya akan segera menjangkau jauh melampaui belantara di kejauhan.
Dan meskipun melepaskan kekuatan yang cukup untuk meluluhlantakkan seluruh wilayah, tak seorang pun dari mereka yang berhasil mendapatkan keunggulan mutlak.
Slash!
Derasnya mana darah meletus dari tubuhnya, merobek pusaran di sekitarnya. Rantai-rantai keemasan hancur satu demi satu saat ia memutar pedangnya, melepaskan gelombang energi darah berbentuk bulan sabit.
"Kau benar-benar menyerangku? Sungguh bocah bodoh yang—"
Lusinan tombak darah mendekatinya, ujung-ujungnya yang tajam berkilau di bawah cahaya bulan.
Beberapa tombak darah nyaris meleset darinya, tetapi sisi tajamnya masih berhasil merobek kulit di lengan atas dan bawahnya.
Ekspresinya berubah menjadi campuran antara kesal dan geli.
"Tikus kecil sialan!"
Sabetan merah darah meletus dari ujung jarinya dan melesat ke arah serangan Noah.
"Kalau begitu, jangan mengeluh saat kau menyesalinya.
Luka-lukanya terasa perih di setiap gerakan. Ia mengatupkan giginya, menahan rasa sakit saat ia fokus untuk melarikan diri dari wanita mengerikan yang mengejarnya.
Tapi Noah tidak berhenti sampai di situ.
Noah mengumpat saat ia mengendalikan pedang esnya melintasi langit, mencoba menghindari serangan gencar yang tak kenal ampun itu.
Wanita itu mengangkat tangannya, dan tak terhitung banyaknya tombak merah yang terwujud di sekelilingnya.
Bulan sabit darah berbenturan dengan bola tersebut, melepaskan ledakan yang menerangi seluruh cakrawala.
Pusaran yang kuat terbentuk di sekitar Vorthane, menjebaknya dalam arus udara yang berputar sementara rantai cahaya keemasan muncul dari lingkaran-lingkaran sihir di atas.
[Kelopak Kedua — Sabetan Permukaan Tenang]
Dan wanita itu sendiri tidak tertinggal jauh di belakang mereka.
"Kemarilah. Aku ingin menancapkan gigiku ke lehermu yang mulus dan putih itu.
Pertempuran itu menjadi semakin berbahaya.
Namun Noah tidak bergeming.
Bahkan sebelum gelombang kejut itu mereda, ia mengayunkan pedangnya lagi, mengirimkan sabetan lain ke arah lawannya.
Sebaliknya, ia mengubah pegangannya pada pedang dan mengambil posisi untuk sabetan horizontal. Lapisan tipis es telah menyebar di atas bilahnya, permukaannya berkilau samar di bawah cahaya bulan.
"Jika kau sangat ingin melihat kekuatan penuhku..."
Sayangnya, itu bukanlah darah dari wanita Blood Elf tersebut.
JENGGERRR!!
"Kau masih saja banyak bicara seperti biasa."
Senyuman Vorthane semakin lebar.
Pada saat yang sama, sayap sihirnya yang besar membentang di belakangnya, dan ia mengejarnya dengan kecepatan yang mengerikan.
Sang ratu mempererat genggamannya pada tongkat sihirnya.
Ekspresinya sedikit berubah saat ia mengenali serangan yang datang.
Daripada menyambut serangannya, Noah tiba-tiba mengubah lintasannya dan mempercepat lajunya menuju World Tree di kejauhan.
Noah melirik ke belakang bahunya.
'Betina gila ini! Mari kita lihat bagaimana kau menyukai ini!'
Ia memutar tongkat sihirnya.
Api kini sudah terlihat jelas di kejauhan. Api itu melahap cabang-cabang atas pohon tersebut, memancarkan cahaya suram di lanskap sekitarnya.
Bola cahaya yang cemerlang muncul di hadapannya, dikelilingi oleh arus angin yang berputar.
Sayap merah darahnya mengepak dengan ganas.
"Cih! Kenapa kau tidak mau membiarkanku sendiri saja?!"
Ia mengangkat tongkat sihirnya.
Saat ia memasuki jangkauan serang, Noah mengayunkan senjatanya.
"Hahaha! Kau berani mempermainkanku?"
Mata merah darah wanita itu berkilat geli saat ia melihatnya mendekat.
Bilah raksasa itu berakselerasi, membawanya melintasi langit malam menuju World Tree yang sedang terbakar.
Daripada terus melarikan diri, Noah tiba-tiba mengubah arah.
Gelombang kejut menyapu lanskap, meratakan pepohonan dan menggoreskan luka yang dalam ke tanah di bawahnya.
"Hahahaha!"
Untuk sesaat, tampaknya ia berniat untuk bertarung secara langsung dengan wanita itu.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
WUSSH!
Aelyssa memasang ekspresi muram saat menatap Vorthane melalui asap yang mulai menipis.
Denganjentikan pergelangan tangannya, mereka melesat mengejar Noah bagaikan sekawanan anak panah berwarna merah darah.
Ia bisa merasakannya.
"Ya ampun! Langsung mendatangi
In an instant, he crossed the distance between himself and Aelyssa, his blood blade reforming in his hand as he swung it toward her neck.
CLANG!!
Her laughter echoed through the night sky.
He continued guiding his sword through the air, watching her approach with a determined expression.
---
"...Huh?"
For a brief moment, the entire sky seemed to fall silent.
He leaned forward, pouring more mana into his ice sword.
The heavens shook as two beings standing at the pinnacle of their strength clashed once more, unleashing a battle whose consequences would soon reach far beyond the distant wilderness.
And despite unleashing enough power to devastate an entire region, neither of them had gained a decisive advantage.
Slash!
A torrent of blood mana erupted from his body, tearing through the surrounding vortex. The golden chains shattered one after another as he spun his blade, releasing a crescent-shaped wave of blood energy.
"You’re actually attacking me? What a foolish little—"
Dozens of blood spears were closing in on him, their sharp tips gleaming beneath the moonlight.
Several blood spears had narrowly missed him, but their sharp edges had still managed to tear through the skin of his upper arms and forearms.
Her expression twisted into a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
"You little rat!"
A crimson slash erupted from her fingertips and shot toward Noah’s attack.
"Then don’t complain when you regret it."
His wounds burned with every movement. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain as he focused on escaping the terrifying woman chasing him.
But Noah didn’t stop there.
Noah cursed as he maneuvered his ice sword through the sky, trying to evade the relentless barrage.
She raised her hand, and countless crimson spears materialized around her.
The blood crescent collided with the sphere, unleashing an explosion that illuminated the entire horizon.
A powerful vortex formed around Vorthane, trapping him in a spiraling current of air while golden chains of light emerged from the magic circles overhead.
[Second Petal — Still Surface Cut]
And the woman herself wasn’t far behind them.
"Come here. I want to sink my teeth into that smooth, fair neck of yours."
The battle was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Yet Noah didn’t flinch.
Before the shock wave had even dissipated, he swung his sword again, sending another slash toward his opponent.
Instead, he shifted his grip on the sword and assumed a stance for a horizontal slash. A thin layer of ice had already spread across the blade, its surface shimmering faintly beneath the moonlight.
"If you want to see my full strength so badly..."
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the blood of the Blood Elf woman.
BOOOOM!!
"You’re still as talkative as ever."
Vorthane’s smile widened.
At the same time, her enormous magical wings spread behind her, and she pursued him at terrifying speed.
The queen tightened her grip on her wand.
Her expression changed slightly as she recognized the incoming attack.
Instead of meeting her charge, Noah abruptly changed his trajectory and accelerated toward the distant World Tree.
Noah glanced over his shoulder.
’This crazy bitch! Let’s see how you like this!’
She twisted her wand.
The flames were now clearly visible in the distance. They engulfed the tree’s upper branches, casting a sinister glow across the surrounding landscape.
A brilliant sphere of light appeared before her, surrounded by spiraling currents of wind.
His blood-red wings beat violently.
"Tsk! Why can’t you just leave me alone?!"
She raised her wand.
The moment he entered striking range, Noah swung.
"Hahaha! You dare to trick me?"
The woman’s crimson eyes gleamed with amusement as she watched him approach.
The enormous blade accelerated, carrying him through the night sky toward the burning World Tree.
Rather than continuing to flee, Noah suddenly changed direction.
The shock wave swept across the landscape, flattening trees and carving deep scars into the earth below.
"Hahahaha!"
For a brief moment, it seemed as though he intended to fight her head-on.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
WHOOSH!
Aelyssa’s expression was grim as she stared at Vorthane through the dissipating smoke.
With a flick of her wrist, they shot after Noah like a swarm of blood-red arrows.
She could feel it.
"Oh my! Coming straight at me now? You’re quite brave, young man."
The two strikes collided in midair.
His ice sword suddenly tilted downward.
The attack ripped through the air toward Aelyssa.
She licked her lips, her husky voice dripping with seductive amusement.
CLAAAAANG!!
The wind around them suddenly changed direction.
Without hesitation, she swung her arm.
"Now, that’s more like it!"
The hundreds of magic circles above them began to rotate.
"Crazy bitch!"
It was Noah’s.
Far away, the burning World Tree continued to illuminate the night.
They shot toward him from every direction.
It swept wide and horizontally through the sky, its nearly invisible edge cutting through the air toward the Blood Elf.
A thin, transparent wave of freezing pressure burst from the blade.
A violent shock wave spread across the sky, scattering the surrounding mana and sending ripples through the clouds.
Golden light surged around her once more.
The collision sent a shock wave through the sky.
A chill ran down Noah’s spine. ’Why does every word out of her mouth have to sound so damn creepy?’
A streak of red blood scattered through the air.
His ice sword tilted sharply as he turned around and flew straight toward her.
A golden barrier appeared before Aelyssa just in time to intercept the strike.
"Come on, Aelyssa. Is that all you’ve got?"
Nevertheless, he didn’t slow down.
Then both of them moved.
Her emerald eyes blazed.
Vorthane floated before her, his blood-red wings spread wide and his crimson eyes shining with excitement.
Aelyssa’s expression remained cold.
She suddenly shot forward, her figure transforming into a crimson blur as she closed the distance between them.
Neither combatant had time to look back.
The Blood Elf raised an eyebrow.
The Blood Elf’s smile froze for an instant.
Vorthane’s eyes gleamed. "You’re getting faster, too."
By the time she realized what he was doing, Noah had already gained considerable distance.
At the same time, Vorthane’s wings expanded, and the blood mana surrounding him grew denser and more oppressive.
’I need to get close to Tree and get down... Elf mages might be there.’
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