Only one of the Greens had the bloodline. Not that it mattered much as neither Eine nor Gawain had an easy time approaching their enemies. A long trail of fmes swam through the air, resembling an earthworm, burning holes through the trees’ trunks wherever it passed. It chased the two of them without pause, forcing them to keep evading. Whenever it got too close, Eine chopped it to pieces with her whips, but the fire mage kept pouring mana into the spell. It also didn’t help they had the stagmites to worry about.

  “Careful!” Gawain warned, Eine sidestepping the emerging construct at the st second.

  Earth magic was generally slower than other types, but it had its own perks. Beside the fact that the spells were heavier and thus harder to block, it allowed its users to perform deadly sneak attacks by sending their mana through the ground. It travelled a little faster like that too. Eine’s elders had long drilled into her that she was supposed to keep a safe distance from an earth mage, constantly having her Mana Sense glued to the ground while fighting one.

  ‘We’ll never get close like this…’ she smiled bitterly.

  Both her and Gawain’s spells worked better at medium range, their whips currently unable to reach their opponents. Between the stagmites and the fire worms, they struggled to catch their breath too. As for the st guy, he hadn’t broken a sweat. He was also an earth mage, but he had only created a single stone golem so far. It was twice as tall as a person, towering over them as it stood guard by their side, ready to block the occasional spsh of water that made it there.

  ‘They’re more skilled than me too.’ she realized.

  Their opponents were probably Orange-borns over sixty years old – much like her father – as evident by their slightly older appearance and the finesse of their Refined spells. At least, that was the case for the fire worm dude and the golem guy. The st one was probably a Yellow-born about her age, his stagmites hardly beyond the threshold of a Crude spell.

  Strictly speaking, this was acceptable. Gahad had merely tasked them with keeping the three Greens busy. They didn’t have to win. However, Eine just couldn’t shake her worry.

  “Will he and Mordred really manage to win their own fights?”

  If they failed, none of them would survive today. Not to mention, her current situation wasn’t exactly sustainable. Her mana was running out faster than their opponents’. Realizing what she was thinking, her dad spoke.

  “Chop a tree down for me, will you?” he whispered as soon as they were out of sight. “I’m going to try something.”

  Nodding, she sent a crescent ssh of azure at the nearest trunk, slicing through the wood like a hot knife through butter. The two leapt back as the tree nded with a heavy thud, sending some dirt in every direction. Ignoring the mud on his clothes, Gahad then summoned a whip of his own, causing it to wrap around the trunk many times, covering it from tip to tip like a yarn stick, shaving it clean of branches and twigs in the process.

  “Protect me for a couple seconds.” he instructed.

  More hostile spells rained at them, forcing Eine to spend even more mana to block them. She dismantled the incoming worms, while also digging through the ground to get to the nascent stagmites before they formed. Of course, this move cost her a lot more than merely dodging. Her reserves had already dropped below the halfway mark by now…

  At least, her father didn’t dey, unching his own attack a moment ter.

  Pulling the tree up, he threw it the opposite way from his enemies, as the aquamarine band stretched and tensed, looking like it was about to snap. But it held. Next, he tugged it with all his might, his brow creasing as the trunk began to spin, gaining momentum. The coil of water unravelled rapidly, chunks of bark flying in all directions as the colossal spear of wood drilled through the air.

  Gawain was the one who’d taught Eine the Whip spell in the first pce, though his own version had developed in a slightly different route. Unlike the sharp, slicing constructs his daughter used, Gawain’s version focused on precise control and leveraging mechanical strength. Usually, he used it to entangle and trap his opponents, but that wasn’t all it could do….

  Soon, the attack reached their opponents, the golem guy moving his construct in its path. The stone giant csped the incoming tree with both hands, as a second golem began to take shape right behind it. Splinters of wood and chips of rock flew in every direction, as the spinning trunk dug into the golem’s chest, pushing it back. Its feet carved two muddy trails on the ground, before the second golem finally formed, supporting its broken brother, bringing him to a halt.

  Eine grimaced as Gawain clicked his tongue. This manoeuvre had cost them both way too much, for way too little. But they didn’t get the chance to worry about that for long, as the others continued pelting their location with spells.

  ‘There’s no other way.’ Eine made her mind up as she took a deep breath, and then another.

  Ever since she mastered Circution, she had actually never used it in a fight. Not even once. Her fear of bringing trouble to her family aside, this was Percy’s secret. She’d been conscious not to resort to it unless she was backed to a corner. Sadly, the day for that seemed to have finally arrived…

  Oblivious to her thoughts, both their opponents and Gawain continued to duke it out, as a river of mana flooded her channels. It was an odd sensation, the intensity of the flow causing her pathways to swell and burn, while the refreshing coolness of the water mana soothed them at the same time. Honestly, she was a little rusty, as it had been months since the st time she’d practiced it. Still, she vividly remembered the pattern she had so painstakingly devised. Aquamarine lines soon lit up all over her skin, drawing shapes akin to waves in their passing. Her muscles tensed too, her spells growing a touch more potent.

  “Eine? What is this?!” Gawain asked, taken aback by the sight.

  Naturally, she hadn’t even told her parents about the technique. While she loved them and trusted them more than anyone else in the world, this wasn’t her secret to spill.

  ‘I’m sorry Percy.’ a pang of guilt gripped her chest, but she quickly shook those thoughts away.

  In any case, she knew he wouldn’t bme her. After all, this was a matter of life and death. Besides, Gawain wouldn’t leak the news. The only thing she had to worry about was making sure nobody else would.

  The enemy spells intensified as they also realized something was wrong, but it was too te. Having left any lingering concerns over her dwindling reserves long behind her, she summoned five whips in each hand, ripping the bzing worm to shreds. At the same time, she carved deep grooves through the dirt, uprooting the earth mana before it had the chance to do much.

  Step by step, she accelerated as she dashed toward her opponents, unwilling to let any of them escape. Her father advanced right alongside her, struggling a little to keep up with her speed. Their enemies seemed to hesitate at st, finally realizing just how fucked they were.

  Suddenly, the stagmite boy bolted off, abandoning his elders!

  “Dad, stop him! We can’t let him live!” she yelled in panic.

  Though she didn’t have to. Gawain was already one step ahead, having rushed after the kid before she’d even uttered a word.

  The remaining two mages gnced at each other, probably contempting their options. Though they stayed in the end. They must’ve determined their best chance was to work together to take her down. The first one repaired both golems, using what little mana he had left to summon a third. At the same time, the fire mage formed about a dozen worms, all of them diving towards Eine from various directions, closing in like a devil’s cws.

  But she didn’t care.

  Pivoting on her feet, she spun as she neared her enemies. Her whips grew longer and sharper, making shrill sounds as they sliced and diced everything in their path. Whether it was trees, rocks or spells, it didn’t matter, as the Kraken’s Gambit shredded everything indiscriminately. Mundane specks of brown and grey fell on the ground, as glowing motes of orange faded into nothing.

  ‘I’m sorry…’ she closed her eyes upon reaching her targets, two bitter streams rolling down her cheeks.

  She knew it was ill-advised to look away during a fight, but she just couldn’t help it. This wasn’t the first time she’d killed somebody – this disgusting war had already forced her to take many lives over the past couple of years – but it never got any easier for her.

  Leaving only her Mana Sense active, she first watched the remaining constructs get chopped to pieces, before seeing the two Green cores fall on the ground. A moment ter, they had already begun to dim. Only then did she deactivate her boosting art, turning away, unable to look at the mangled corpses.

  Her father returned a minute ter. His core was nearly empty, but she could tell through the calmness in his expression that he’d managed to eliminate the st guy. The frightened kid had probably been a poor match for the more experienced mage.

  Of course, she didn’t miss the questions lingering in Gawain’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything. They both knew this wasn’t the time for that. The two of them embraced each other in silence, as they caught their breath, preparing to aid their retives.

  ‘I hope they’re ok…’