The audience outside saw the orc team stop every time they encountered the sandstorms or sand whirlpools, but they didn't know that whenever this team stopped, Disco Rain closed her eyes and focused her senses.
All the members of the orc team were not only expert martial artists, they could also sense mana. The most advanced amongst them in this regard was Disco Rain. In this game world, she had continued to train her mana sense and achieved the incorporeal state like Jack.
Every time they stopped and waited, Disco Rain would send her consciousness to scout the area around them.
"Find one!" She said as she opened her eyes.
"One? This means they are still the stupid disjointed team they were before," Four Winds said.
"How can such a team reach the final? It is truly a disgrace!" Violent Blizzard said.
"They were relying solely on that multi-level Blade Dancer, the rest of the team is nothing special," Water Lily said.
"Still, that one Blade Dancer can turn the tide around. We will need to give it our all if we meet him," Purple Mist said.
"The one that I find is that blade dancer…," Disco Rain said.
"… Should we take a detour and search for the other human team member?" Water Lily asked.
"Don't be absurd! That will make it looks as if we are afraid of him!" Violent Blizzard uttered.
"That native warlord, Abasi, did ask us to copy what the dwarf team did and took out the other humans first," Water Lily said.
"He also asked us to avoid that Blade Dancer after taking out the other humans, that is even more disgraceful. I will never abide by such cowardice!" Violent Blizzard exclaimed.
"We will not do such a thing," Four Winds uttered. "Whoever our opponent is, we will always give it our all and we won't back down. I'm heading to meet this blade dancer in battle, are you with me?"
"There is no need to ask!" Violent Blizzard exclaimed.
"I am behind you," Disco Rain uttered.
"You know I will have your back," Water Lily added.
"You can count on me," Purple Mist said.
Four Winds gave each of the women a look before nodding. "Let's go meet our opponent then!"
*
Jack was still running randomly when another sandstorm hit. He proceeded but took care not to step into a sand whirlpool inside the sandstorm. He didn't find any whirlpools. Instead, he sensed something coming at him at high speed from his back.
He immediately made a roll to dodge. But at the end of his roll, he felt mana buildup on the ground. He jumped away added with Flash Step before Arcane Turbulence appeared. It was the arcane turbulence with the chain fence, Prison Turbulence. During the dodging process, Jack cast Magic Weapon, turning his magic staff into a longsword.
After escaping the spell, he turned around with two arms spread, just as attacks came from two sides. His two swords clanged with something hard.
The sandstorm receded at this time, revealing the two attacks he had blocked were from Four Winds and Violent Blizzard.
"So, it was true that you can sense mana as well," Four Winds said.
"It seemed the same with you people," Jack replied.
Jack sensed an attack coming on his leg, he hurriedly retreated as Magic Bind appeared to lock the place where his leg used to be.
"Don't you think you can flee!" Disco Rain had slipped behind Jack for a backstab.
Jack used Shooting Dash to escape Disco Rain's attack and came to Violent Blizzard's side. He then used Flame Strike, Violent Blizzard countered with her Power Strike. She lost the clash and was pushed away.
Jack then used his second dash to go back to where Disco Rain was and used Swift Stab. Disco Rain was fast and reactive enough to dodge the stab.
Jack then used his last dash to approach Water Lily, who was in the middle of casting her spell. Her spell was completed before Jack arrived, flame erupted around her. She had started casting Flame Shield when Jack started using his Shooting Dash. With how fast Jack was, sooner or later she would be a target.
Water Lily put on Magic Shield once her Flame Shield was completed, right when Jack came and used Devouring Cross. Her magic shield was of a different variant. It was larger and appeared as a solid ice shield. She had used an ice seed to modify her Magic Shield spell.
Even so, her ice magic shield was unable to withstand Jack's Devouring Cross' dark energy. It was shattered upon contact and she suffered huge damage. Her HP bar was down to below half from the impact. She would have been instantly killed if not for her ice magic shield.
Healing light covered her as she reeled backward from the impact. Purple Mist had kept watchful eyes and immediately took action when she saw Water Lily in trouble.
Jack was about to follow up with a killing strike but he sensed an attack coming. He turned back and parried a Jump Assault from Four Winds. Four Winds' body was also covered by crimson tattoos.
After the jump assault, Four Winds' twin axes swung rapidly one after another. Jack met each swing with his two swords. Jack noticed Disco Rain's appeared on his side while her body turned into a shadow. It was her Deadly Flash Strikes. Jack's body similarly turned into a flash as he used Blitz Slash. The light flash and the shadow flash crossed one another as white and black sword lights crisscrossed in the air filled with sparks. The two skills seemingly negated each other.
When their exchange ended, FourWinds came again accompanied by Violent Blizzard. Disco Rain used Combat Clone, turning into two people. The four circled Jack using Interdependent Poles Formation, Jack's sword art danced around meeting the four's attacks.
The Cipher Flight's team was amazed, this was the first time they had difficulty dealing with a single opponent. Jack was similarly astonished, each of these three was a better martial artist than he expected, their attacks were also very coordinated. It was no wonder this guild was hailed as the number one rookie guild in the past.
To make it worse, Purple Mist cast Words of Prayer where they were fighting, buffing the three, and healing any wounds they suffered in the process. Jack had to activate Life Burning Art to keep up.
Purple Mist also cast Bless on Violent Blizzard who had the slowest movement among the three, increasing all her attributes. Water Lily, in the meantime, was casting a big spell while Jack was pinned down. She completed her spell and a large block of ice materialized above Jack.
Jack had also been casting amid his tussle with the trio. Four Winds and the others sensed the danger once Jack's spell was completed. They hurriedly retreated. Ice Ring radiated out. Four Winds and Disco Rain was fast enough to escape the spell. Violent Blizzard was hit but only slowed, not Frozen.
Jack then moved away as the ice block fell on top of him. He used another Flash Step just as the ice was about to hit, narrowly escaping. The ice hit the sand ground causing an explosion of sand.
After escaping, Jack had finished gauging his opponents and was just about to unleash everything, his Gold Scale Armor, Overlimit, Beast Form, Therras, and Wolf pack to finish this battle. But then he felt the ground under his feet shift. The ice block from Water Lily's spell caused the sand to sink and at the same time, the sand around the point of impact started to swirl.
'What the…! That Ice Fall spell caused a sand whirlpool?' Jack thought in astonishment.
Water Lily was similarly surprised. She thought these sand whirlpools were a random feature of the landscape. She didn't think her spell could trigger this feature.
Jack tried to jump but it was like his feet were firmly glued to the sand. He was slowly getting dragged to the center of the whirlpool. The ice block at this time had mostly sunk. Only a small part of its top was still visible. Jack continued trying to fight the current and forced his feet to move away from the center, but the force was too great.
"Send him range attacks!" Four Winds commanded. They were not going to miss this heaven-sent chance.
Water Lily and Purple Mist sent Mana Bullet and Energy Bolts while Disco Rain threw her dagger. Jack's arms were still free, his left sword created a Magic Shield while his right sword danced around and deflected everything they threw. All the while, he continued getting sucked by the whirlpool.
As the orc team was about to send another torrent of range attacks, they felt something from their back, especially Purple Mist.
Purple Mist whirled back and found a red-haired woman was about to stab her. She parried using Magic Shield. A gunshot was heard and she felt a sharp pain in her thigh.
Water Lily was the closest to Purple Mist, she started casting a spell but a towering figure appeared in front of her. She canceled her spell and erected Magic Shield instead just as Giant Steve's hammer came hammering. She was pushed back several steps, that blow just now had been executed using Power Strike.
The other three melees from Cipher Flight hurriedly returned to aid their healer but Giant Steve stood in their way. He activated Protection Field and Shield Stance. Yellow Death had taken position further away. He used Shooting Stance and shot at the three orc melees and Water Lily to help Giant Steve hinder them.
Jack was still helplessly struggling in the sand whirlpool while the two teams clashed. 'Crap! I have been forgotten by everyone,' he said in his mind.
