The first wave of attack came like lightning.
Azul, the warrior mercenary that Evals Redart often employed at his side, was incredibly strong.
However, his true ability lay in his speed.
And so…
~WHOOSH!~
… He had closed the distance between himself and his target before the latter could even notice.
He pulled out a sword from its scabbard, and the thing glowed blue, revealing the Mana that was locked within.
Azul's sword was enchanted—and that pretty much applied to the rest of his armor.
He had enhanced strength, durability, focus, resistance, and most important of all… speed!
~ZZTZZ!~
His blade cackled with electricity as his entire armor began sparking with the entire thing.
Using his [Lightning Field] Skill early on, in order to stun the enemy, was not necessary, since he was simply meant to distract and lure the enemy in while his partner—Fey—did the rest.
However, Azul found such a complicated maneuver to be a chore.
Especially considering their enemy.
"Haaa!" His blade descended in a perfect vertical slash, sending ripples of shock—literal shock—flying all around.
It took a few seconds for the dust to die down, and for Azul to realize what just went down.
'W-what?!'
He didn't hit his target?!
"[Transmute]." He suddenly heard behind him.
~VWUUUUSHH!~
A wave of energy went through his armor, causing the entire thing to break apart that very instant.
"A-ahhh!"
Azul found himself naked, save for his underwear. His only layer of clothing had been broken down, leaving him powerless and defenseless.
'H-how fast… is he…?!'
Azul didn't have time to dwell on such thoughts, though. He could feel the enemy's hand drawing closer to his bare back.
His bulging eyes turned bloodshot in shock… and fear.
Azul was impulsive, yes, but he wasn't stupid.
Based on his experience with the armor, he knew what would happen if the same power was sent coursing through his flesh.
Due to many years of training and practice, Azul had tempered his body to its limits.
His muscles were rock-solid, and he took pride in his immense durability—as well as his superior speed—that made him invincible as a warrior.
But…
'If he could so easily get rid of that rough armor, what the hell is my body in comparison?!'
The fear of death assailed Azul, forcing the extremely prideful man to yell out the words he didn't want to.
"F-FEYYYY!!"
Like a baby, he cried out the name of his ally.
And then, a bolt of electricity surged forth from her location—almost as if she was waiting for him to scream her name.
~BZZZTTTTZZZ!~
Compared to Azul's [Lightning Field], the burst of lightning this time was unreal.
It charged in a straight, horizontal line, with its power ripping through the very air that filled the air.
Everything vibrated as it lunged at the man who stood behind Azul.
However…
"Arghhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Azul felt a sharp bolt of lightning course through him, sending him to a whole new realm of pain.
He screamed as his entire body tingled with the overflowing currents that the Spell sent to his body.
He could feel his blood boiling and his bones jittering. His eyeballs danced in their sockets as his flailing lips wouldn't stop moving.
And then, after a few seconds of this agony, Azul collapsed to the ground.
"Urghh…"
Fortunately, since the Lightning Spell was meant to make the target unconscious, Azul wasn't dead.
His world just faded into black as frustration coursed through him.
Fey was younger than him in both age and experience in the organization, yet her talent and incredible skill made her stand on the same level as him.
Many even claimed that she was stronger than Azul, just because she was the one always ending up finishing off all their adversaries.
'She's not! It's because I take the vanguard and deal the first couple of strikes to the enemy so that she can finish them off!'
Their teamwork was a surefire way to win, but Azul had grown sick of it.
Unfortunately, he was now paying the price.
'Boss… I'm so sorry…'
Right until he lost consciousness, he didn't know where his opponent was… or what he would do next.
He simply closed his eyes and lost himself to the darkness.
*******
Fey's eyes were wide open on shock as her Spell missed its mark.
No, that wasn't it.
Her Spell had gone straight for the target, but it ended up passing through it… almost as if he was an afterimage.
'What in the world is happening?!' As she thought this, she took a step back.
She had always had a weak constitution, so frontline battle was never her thing.
That was why, despite not liking the man, she had to rely on Azul to deal the first strike and distract the enemy before she took her time and overwhelmed them with her Magic.
'Why… why didn't that idiot follow the plan?!'
If he had, they wouldn't be in this situation right now! It was all his fault.
Fey quickly proceeded to use another Spell, this time something quick that could guarantee her protection.
Her affinity was in Wind and Lightning Magic, combined with her Quick-Casting Skill, made her a formidable Mage.
She wasn't talented or anything. She just dedicated herself to the craft of Magic.
… All of herself.
And the reward for that was her immense skill and power in Magic.
"Wind Barrier!" After chanting rapidly, Fey was able to quickly generate a defensive dome around her while preparing to use a new attack.
However—
~WHOOSH!~
Fey suddenly felt herself being pulled forward.
'E-eh…?'
She had no idea why. Only a blank space existed in front of her, yet she could feel an irresistible attraction to it.
'N-no! No stop!'
Her body uncontrollably left her barrier, and she was thrust out into the open by something she could not understand.
'No!'
Fey began moving her lips, chanting another Spell. Right as she got in the middle of it, though.
"Keuk!"
A sharp sensation spread to her throat as she felt something strong grabbing her neck.
Her chanting abruptly ended, and she found herself being thrust to the ground beneath her.
'No… no stop!'
~BOOOOM!~
Fey's frail body powerlessly crashed to her ground, sending sensations of shock and pain spreading across it.
"Gurgh!"
She passed out almost instantly, her blurry vision seeing a silhouette that stood above her.
It was the masked man!
'No… no please don't kill me…!'
She couldn't move her body, though.
Fey could only plead with her thoughts as she lost all feeling within her body and sank into an abyss.
… Not knowing what would come next.
******
'This guy…'
Evals Redart watched the whole battle on his seat from beginning to end.
He saw how the masked man had supposedly vanished, moving up and about, to deceive his enemies while striking their blind spots.
A broad smile coursed through his face.
'I've figured out your trick.' Evals slowly rose to his feet as he stared at the now apparent being before him
'He's using an Illusionary Skill.'
Unfortunately for this masked fellow, such things weren't going to work on someone like Evals.
'I see everything!'
