As if firing a super-powered cannon, the sphere of power approached Colin at a speed that was almost imperceptible to his eyes.
Just as the power was about to sweep him from existence, his right arm began to emit aggressive runes, the same runes he saw when he made the contract with the elder.
The marks felt like hot iron being branded into his skin, and the stone necklace the elder had given him also began to glow, cracking and self-destructing in the process.
As if he knew what had to be done, Colin raised his hand towards the energy sphere, touched it, and it disappeared completely, sucked up by the tattoos.
That took even Bakurak by surprise.
"What the hell was that?" asked the creature. "That was Wanderer magic, wasn't it? Its eyes are also yellow, like those of an Aurilith… is it a member of the Bëoranar clan? I have to kill him here and now!"
The Bakurak advanced with a roar that made the ground shake, moving with surprising speed for a creature of its size.
"Mr. Colin, what…"
"This is no time to think about what just happened, we still have time, we have to hold him off until Brighid puts an end to this!"
Colin and Safira split up to flank him.
Colin was the first to attack, his blade slicing through the air with an arc of electricity that struck Bakurak's flank, but the creature dodged at the last second, receiving only a superficial scratch.
Tzzzzzz!
Safira took advantage of the distraction and ran to the opposite side, her sword shimmering with the energy of her mana. She struck a precise blow, aiming for Bakurak's hind legs.
Swin!
The blade cut deep, causing the creature to let out a roar of pain, but not enough to incapacitate its rapid movements.
The Bakurak spun around, its razor-sharp claws slicing through the air towards Colin.
Shit!
One of its paws hit his shoulder, throwing him violently to the ground.Baaam!
"Mr. Colin!"
"I'm fine! Concentrate on the fight!"
Colin stood up quickly.
That blow… I thought it would kill me... if I hadn't had Brighid's magic...
Colin bent his knees and attacked again, this time with more force, trying to hit the monster's neck.
The blade flashed, sparking, but the monster dodged once more, its claws slicing the air dangerously close to the false Elf.
Safira kept moving, circling Bakurak and making quick slashes. Her mana-bathed sword was her greatest advantage, slicing through the creature's tough skin as if it were paper.
However, the Bakurak was cunning and stronger than any creature he had ever faced. One of its paws struck Safira, knocking her backwards, but she got up quickly, her eyes full of determination.
The bones in my body… are they still whole?
Time was running out, and they both knew it.
Colin glanced at Safira, and she nodded, understanding the plan without words needing to be spoken. They would attack together, coordinating their movements for a final blow.
"Now!" shouted Colin, advancing on one side, while Safira did the same on the other.
"Persistent little rats!"
The Bakurak tried to attack, but Colin dodged with surprising agility, delivering a blow that cut deep into one of the creature's forelegs. The monster roared in pain, knocking itself unbalanced.
Safira seized the opportunity. She concentrated all her mana on her sword, which glowed like hot coals.
With a battle cry, she launched a devastating blow—a slash—aimed at the neck of the Bakurak, which managed to dodge.
Swish!
The creature let out a roar of fury that emanated from its throat as its hind legs hit the ground hard, destroying everything around it.
Bruum!
Chunks of stone and earth flew, and the whole clearing seemed to shake with the impact.
Colin and Safira barely had time to react. They moved instinctively, advancing on the debris still hanging in the air, moving like blurs of speed and precision.
Every stone was a foothold, every piece of debris an opportunity for an attack.
It's not over yet, keep pressing!
Colin felt a power he had never experienced before. His star blade, drenched in lightning, felt like an extension of his body.
He dodged Bakurak's attacks with the agility of a shadow, his body moving in perfect harmony with the sword.
Each blow he struck cut through the monster's flesh, generating arcs of electricity that lit up the darkness of the clearing.
Safira, beside him, was agreeing with her energy.
Her sword, bathed in mana, cut through the air with lethal precision. She attacked relentlessly, her blades tracing patterns of reddish light as they slashed at the creature.
The flow of the battle enveloped her completely, and she moved like a dancer.
The Bakurak, enraged, tried to crush them with its massive paws, but they were both too fast. They moved as if time had slowed down, dodging attacks with impressive agility.
Schtick! Schtick! Schtick!
Each time the monster attacked, they were no longer there, their swords finding new targets in the creature's flesh.
Colin launched himself forward, his star blade emitting a blinding glow. He struck a vertical blow, cutting deep into the Bakurak's flank.
Swin!
The creature roared in pain, but before it could react, Safira was upon it, her sword slicing through one of its hind legs with an arc of reddish light.
The Bakurak staggered, but didn't fall.
They continued attacking, completely entering into the flow of battle. It was as if the world around them had disappeared, leaving only them and the monster.
Every move they made was automatic, every blow of divine precision. Colin dodged a paw that tried to crush him, spinning in the air and launching a horizontal slash that opened a gash in Bakurak's chest.
Schtick!
Safira leapt into the air, her mana-bathed blade slashing the creature's tail with a brutal blow.
Schlik!
The battle became a frantic dance of life and death.
Colin and Safira moved as one, their swords drawing patterns of light and electricity as they cut through the Bakurak's body.
The monster was weakening, but it was still fighting, furious and desperate. One of the Bakurak's forelegs struck Colin, throwing him hard to the ground.
Boooom!
He felt the pain course through his body, but he got up again, as quickly as he had fallen.
"Is that all you've got?" he shouted, challenging the creature.
He rolled over and held his sword in loot form, imbuing it with his aggressive mana.
I've only tested it on wolves and trees, but it should work on someone big like that!
TROMMMM!!
A slash made of lightning went in Bakurak's direction, forcing him to dodge, jumping to the side, the point where Colin wanted him to be.
"Now, Safira!"
The girl drove her sword into the ground, raised her hands towards the creature, and concentrated. Three magic circles formed in front of her fireball, which grew larger by the second.
Bakurak was experienced enough in battle to know that this meant trouble, and big trouble at that.
That dragon cub... the shape of that sis, so she's a Fallen? A Fallen and a Wanderer hanging out with a Fairy? Not only that, the shape of the Fairy's mana… she's also…
[Flaming chaos.]
The fireball rose just as it was about to hit the monster, and Colin appeared at its side, holding his sword in the form of a booty.
Those little mice tricked me!
Hot steam turned Colin's lips into a smile.
"Gotcha!"
Schtick! Schtick!
Two point-blank cuts were made on the creature's hind legs, and then mana enveloped Colin's body, making him disappear like a spark.
Shit! I won't be able to dodge in time!
Safira's sphere reached a good height and then descended from the sky like a comet, hitting Bakurak with such destructive power that it buried him a few meters into the ground, raising dust into the clouds.
BOOM!
Bright and warm, Brighid looked like a distant star, shining brightly in the firmament.
A magical circle sprouted from the sky, enveloping the entire destroyed mountain and a little beyond it. It was something beautiful and destructive, something no one had ever witnessed before.
The level of the little Fairy's magic was far beyond the comprehension of Colin or anyone else who witnessed the greatness of that power.
Silver chains emerged from the ground and descended from the sky, trapping Bakurak in a gigantic cross. It squeezed him so abruptly that he could barely breathe.
The being from the abyss known as Bakurak was powerless, full of wounds and bleeding like a pig about to be slaughtered.
Colin approached him and raised his head to look into his yellow eyes.
"You should have accepted our agreement and freed the village from the contract you imposed on them," said Colin, holding up his star steel.
Safira arrived shortly behind.
The monster, completely defeated, didn't seem so intimidating now.
Colin ran his eyes over the creature's wounds.
"If I had broken the contract," said the Bakurak. "Would you have left me alone?"
"Probably not," replied Colin, wrapping his sword in electric mana. The mana elongated the blade of star steel, giving it the appearance of a two-handed sword.
"Any last wishes, beast?"
Bakurak just smiled.
"You don't even know what you are, do you?" Bakurak stared at Safira and then Brighid. "It's good to know that even if they kill me, beings worse than me are still out there, isn't it, kid?"
Colin frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The monster grinned from ear to ear, showing off that imposing set of teeth.
"Get on with it, little mouse."
Schtick!
In one leap, Colin cut off the monster's head, which came crashing to the ground in an agonizing thud.
BAM!
Brighid's gigantic magic circle that covered the mountain disappeared in small fragments along with the cross and the chains, causing Bakurak's heavy body to collapse with everything on the fragmented ground.
NOTIFICATION:
[STATUS TEMPORARY]
[TIME REMAINING: 0 SECONDS]
[MANA: 0]