Chapter 40: Strangled
Mitch felt the subtle shift in earth mana beneath his feet, a telltale sign he’d learned to recognize through countless battles.
A sharp earth spike, thick as his arm and wickedly pointed, erupted from directly below him with enough force to punch through steel plate.
But the spell’s formation time, however brief, was enough warning for someone of Mitch’s caliber.
His enhanced reflexes carried him clear of the initial attack in a graceful leap. However, his tactical assessment proved incomplete, his landing zone had already been compromised.
A thick, gnarled root burst from the solid ground, its bark-covered surface harder than oak and sharpened to a deadly point, aimed directly at his unprotected torso.
Mitch’s emergency mana shield manifested just in time, a shimmering barrier of pure magical force that caught the root strike.
The impact shattered his hastily constructed defense, magical energy dissipating in blue sparks, but the protection held long enough to deflect the potentially fatal blow.
His mana reserves, depleted by the shield and his previous space aura technique, couldn’t support another space aura blade attack.
Instead, he drew upon his second most destructive sword skill.
Wind mana flowed into his blade, transforming it into a conduit for compressed air currents.
The wind aura blade whistled as he moved, invisible currents of sharp air following in the weapon’s wake.
Mitch drove forward toward the remaining bear’s skull, aiming for the quickest possible kill.