Kael ducked under another volley of blazing mana arrows, his training cloak fluttering as each shot exploded on contact with the ground around him. The force of the blasts sent small shockwaves through the air, throwing up dust and light.
Tch… she's keeping me at range on purpose.
Elsa stood confidently at the far end of the arena, her newly trimmed hair swept back by the force of her magic. Every movement was precise. Every arrow she summoned danced with deadly elegance.
Kael lunged forward, only for another flurry of arrows to cut off his path. He had to pivot, narrowly avoiding a mana arrow that detonated beside him, the light flashing across his blade.
"Don't think you're the only one with magic," Kael muttered.
He activated his Shadow Step, blurring for a moment before reappearing behind a pillar closer to her position. Elsa didn't seem fazed her perception was sharp.
Mana shimmered again. Another volley tore through the air. Kael grit his teeth, narrowly deflecting one with a spinning slash and letting the rest fly past.
"Come on, Kael!" Elsa called, her tone half-playful, half-serious. "You'll never win standing still!"
"I figured," he growled under his breath.
He made a run for it zigzagging, deflecting shots, rolling, dashing between crumbled stone formations. And finally finally he closed the distance.
With a burst of speed, Kael slashed upward in a crescent arc.
CLANG!
Elsa had used her bow to block the blade sparks flying as metal met enchanted wood. Her knees buckled slightly under the force.
But she didn't stop.
Kael went in again, striking from the side. She backpedaled and summoned a wave of stone thick slabs erupting from the ground between them. The first wall shot up and Kael kicked off it, flipping over as another appeared. He landed on one, and with a burst of strength, cleaved it in two.
But behind the third and largest wall.
"Tch of course."
He barely had time to curse.
Countless shimmering arrows hovered behind the barrier like a curtain of death. Each one pulsed with dense mana. The moment he broke through.
Shiiiiing!
They all launched.
Kael raised his blade instinctively, a thin aura of energy coating him as he swung wildly left, right, again deflecting what he could. One arrow struck his shoulder, spinning him. Another grazed his leg. He rolled through the last few and came up coughing, sweat streaking down his face.
His shirt was scorched in places, but his eyes were still sharp.
"That all you've got?" he shouted.
Elsa smirked, already charging her next shot. "Not even close."