Chapter 228 The Four Elementals
Asher didn't have any Active Skills—Magic or otherwise.
That was because he simply didn't need one.
As someone who had extensive knowledge of Magic, as well as a very fast growth in terms of Levels—and by extension, Stats—there was no need for them.
He knew the Spells, and so his offensive and defensive abilities were high anyway.
With [Quick Casting], he could cast a Spell in a second, and with [Basic Elemental Affinity], he could utilize any of the basic elements.
His [Magic Knowledge] Skill allowed him to analyze his opponent's Magic Spells or Skills to a particular extent.
It also boosted the abilities of his own Spells.
With all these factors combined, Asher had always been confident in any fight he wound up in.
He had enough power and intelligence to emerge victorious. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Well… none of that confidence could be seen here.
Breathing raggedly, he clenched both of his fists and concentrated his Mana, his eyes turning a bright green.
"With this Sacred Word, I summon…" He muttered, causing more Mana to gather around him like a whirlwind.
Utilizing all the cards on his side, and also thinking of how best to survive longer when fighting his opponent, this was the best Asher could come up with.
"… Elemental Guardians!"
That very instant, four entities emerged from the excess Mana that swirled around Asher's body.
There was one who was bright red and orange, with traces of yellow. It was made completely out of flames, and it looked like a warrior with a flaming sword and burning armor.
This sentinel took a battle stance, and the others also took their positions.
There was one who resembled a gladiator—made completely of earth. It had green moss covering its body, but most importantly, it was gigantic and sturdy.
It had a massive shield, and if anything, it appeared designed for defense.
The third one appeared to be a ghost of wind, with a swirling breeze forming a man—an archer. This archer distorted the area around him with intense winds, and it stood proud.
Finally, there was one who appeared to be a priestess—or perhaps a Mage—made out of water. It had a hood covering its face, as well as a staff.
Everything was water, regardless.
The flaming warrior took the vanguard position, with the earth tank right behind it and in front of Asher.
The Wind Archer took the right flank, and the Water Mage took the left flank.
This was the current formation that Asher chose to employ, given that his opponent was right in front of him and was a straightforward opponent.
'I would have liked to summon a superior water elemental, since his main element is fire, but I can't summon any that's better than this one.
He could also only summon one kind of elemental at a time.
'At the very least, the other ones will deal some damage while she offers defensive measures against his flames.'
The Earth Tank was meant to absorb the damage done by his enemy's slashes, and the archer was meant to deal ranged damage while the flame warrior would directly fight.
'Currently, this is the best measure to take…'
It consumed a lot of Mana, sure, but Asher was confident that he could recoup enough for another Elemental Summon if they bought him enough time.
'I'll just maintain a safe distance and attack him with all of them. In case they need support, I might also need to pitch in.'
He could act as a second Water Mage, hence making it a battle of five against one.
'The odds seem to be in my favor, but that's ignoring who this man is.'
A head of sweat fell from Asher's forehead as he watched the man—Anukus, The Destroyer—remove his cloak.
His bare, well toned body embraced the darkness of the night, and the sparks of flames all around him served to highlight his immaculate form.
'He looks like an expert combatant, so I can't let him get too close!' Asher narrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"Come!" Anukus yelled, stretching out his hands as if being a careless man driven into insanity.
'As you wish!'
~WHOOOSH!~
In one swift move, the Flame Warrior rushed forward, sweeping past the barrier of distance that separated it from the enemy.
Its flaming body danced as it raised its blade and prepared a heavy frontal assault.
As it did this, the Wind Archer slid a little further down the flank where it guarded, already aiming at the adversary.
The Water Mage already had a blast of water prepared in case of a Flame Spell from the enemy, and the giant orb of water only kept growing bigger.
As for the Earth Tank, it protected Asher with its bulky form and sturdy shield.
All of this happened within a moment, and by the time most of the new formation had been settled, the flaming warrior was already in front of the enemy.
~SWOOOSH!~
The first strike of both sharpness and intense heat radiated forth.
It would have burned the foe before finally cutting through their body like a hot knife through butter.
However, this strike did not connect.
The man named Anukus easily evaded the strike and appeared behind the Flame Warrior.
Asher—like one playing an intricate game of chess—controlled his puppets to strike from the distance.
~FSHOOO!~
Wind arrows whistled through the arrow, but Anukus easily evaded every one as well, twisting his body in a wild dance of expert combativeness.
As he did this, though, the Flame Warrior that he earlier evaded was right behind him with a heavier strike.
~BOOOOM!~
The earth split, and fire erupted from it as the Warrior's sword missed its target.
Anukus was right beside the blade, wearing a bright grin on his face.
As the Flame Warrior made to raise its blade to strike the enemy, combining its combat ability with the wind arrows that were on their way, Anukus cackled silently.
His brightly glowing crimson eyes showed something malevolent within.
"Alright…" A wicked tone erupted from his whisper.
"… Let's get a bit more serious!"
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Chapter 229 The Power Of Anukus
~WHUUSH!~
The flaming blade resonated with the arrows of wind, causing a roaring tempest to be born.
Slashes of fire rose to form a torrent of whirlwind as the arrows burst in a wind vortex.
The result was a surrounding flame-wind combination that engulfed the enemy,
The whirlwind of flames ascended high, completely shrouding Anukus within its heated embrace.
Slashes of winds would continuously tear through the target as fire turned them into hot crisps.
Surely, no one could survive that.
~FSHUUUU!~
The flaming torrent was dispersed instantly, turning into mere sparkling embers within a second.
And standing within it all was Anukus, with a hand raised up and an insane expression on his face.
Asher could see it, and he didn't like the sense of foreboding that coursed through his mind.
His brain quickly worked up a solution, but before he could think of one, something bright was glowing from Anukus' hand.
It resembled.. flames!
~BOOOOOOMMMM!!~
The intense fire wave was sent towards the Flame Warrior, consuming it in fire far more intense than what it was composed of.
"Hehehe… hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Anukus gave the flaming warrior all of its attention, as more flames roared from his second hand, all rushing past the Warrior's body.
One would think that a Flame Elemental wouldn't be affected by Fire Attacks, but that wasn't true at all.
A lesser Flame Elemental would definitely be affected by the Flame Attacks of higher intensity.
It was almost like being involved in a fist fight.
Flesh hitting flesh… only the superior kind of flesh—with better muscles and sturdiness—would emerge the winner.
So also was the case here.
The Fire Warrior was already slowly vanishing as a result of the raging fires that bathed its body.
It couldn't even move. a
"Guh! Attack!" Asher grew so desperate that he yelled despite not needing to.
He was talking to his Water Mage, who had managed to generate a large ball of water for situations like this.
~WHOOSH!~
She launched her 'WaterBall' at the enemy, and it moved quickly for its size.
In no time at all, it would traverse the distance and reach the enemy.
But—
~VWUUUUMMM!~
A wall of fire suddenly rose from the ground to stop the giant ball of water.
And… believe it or not… the flames and water were evenly matched in strength!
'N-no way! I've been preparing that WaterBall for some time now!'
Despite all that, it couldn't get a single barrier that had just been formed.
It was absurd to Asher.
~SHUUUUUUUU~
In the end, both clashes ended in steam rushing from their point of impact, filling the area with its white cloud.
The steam's influence did not last very long, though, as the explosion from the distance cleared everything up in a flash.
The area's steam parted as the pressure of heat and wind sent everything dissipating, paving the way for an image of destruction itself.
"A-ah…!" Asher's eyes nearly bulged as he looked before him.
The Flame Warrior that he had spent so much Mana to create was in shambles, its dying embers fading away.
That was one out of four.
Anukus, whose back was facing Asher, slowly turned his head and looked behind him.
He had a cold, completely imposing expression on his face as his eyes glowed brighter crimson.
"Next." He said.
Shivers covered Asher's body, and he began to slowly panic.
He commanded the Water Mage to prepare another round of its WaterBall, but right before it could do so, a bright pillar of flames rushed from beneath it.
The swirling flames consumed the Water Mage in no time, not even leaving a single moisture left in the immediate atmosphere.
The Wind Archer that was now targeting Anukus from a blind spot shot a very intense wind arrow at him—one that was strong enough to shatter the earth itself.
However—
"Weak."
—The wind itself tore to pieces, slashed by an invisible blade that none could see.
Before the Wind Archer could flee from its compromised position, or even react to the shocking defeat of its strongest arrow…
"Sever."
… It too was ripped into shreds.
The very personification of wind, sliced into pieces beyond recovery, soon died out as it faded away into obscurity.
In the end, Anukus stood alone in a field of devastation, watched only by Asher and the Earth Tank that was meant to defend him.
"Now then… shall we continue?"
Anukus began to move from his position, every step of his seemingly causing a quake in the ground.
His maniacal grin returned as he watched Asher tremble from where he stood.
The man was absolutely terrified; and for good reason.
Before Asher could even think of a next plan of action, Anukus was already standing in front of the Earth Tank.
The massive Elemental made to charge at Anukus using its sturdy shield, but before it could make any meaningful movements, Anukus was right behind it.
And then—
—The Earth Tank crumbled on the ground, turned into nothing but blocks of rock.
Its sturdy shield had been broken to pieces before it even realized it, and its body followed not long after; yet another effortless display of power by the one known as Anukus.
"It's just you now. Got any other way to entertain me?"
Asher was speechless.
'I… I haven't recovered enough Mana yet!'
He had thought his Elementals would be able to buy him enough time. He had even been generous about the time by placing his estimation to the lowest possible time possible.
Still… this was unexpected!
'I barely have enough to summon one Elemental, and even then… what good would that do?!'
His enemy was strong. Overwhelmingly strong.
Too strong!
The reason he chose the Elemental Strategy was to create a variation of attack patterns in order to see which would be more effective.
This would allow him to learn more about his opponent while also keeping his distance and preserving his life.
But, it turned out all of that was pointless.
There was no 'weakness' to exploit here.
There was no 'attack pattern' to be studied either.
There was only Anukus… and the chaos that he wrought with his power.
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