Chapter 202 Aetherial-Class II
Dimitri exhaled slowly, irritated as he watched yet another fireball blaze toward him. He sidestepped it with ease, the flames scorching past his face. What once surprised him had now become repetitive.
"I gave you a chance," he muttered under his breath. "Now you’re just being a pain in the ass."
The chains on his back reacted instantly, slithering and extending. Two more emerged with a sharp, wet noise—thick, steel tendrils that twisted upward and anchored themselves into the ground like legs. Slowly, Dimitri rose higher, now standing well above Lana. The chains held him like a grotesque spider, elevating him several feet off the ground.
Lana narrowed her eyes, fire whirling around her clenched fists. She didn’t stop attacking. She couldn’t. Flames burst from her hands in relentless barrages, one after another, her mind screaming through the grief. But none of them hit.
Dimitri was faster now, more agile with his height advantage. He shifted his weight on the chain legs, letting them swing his body from side to side like a pendulum. Each fireball either missed or was absorbed by the thick metal limbs. He looked calm, bored even.
"You’re not experienced," Dimitri said coolly. "You’re just throwing everything and hoping something sticks."
Lana didn’t respond. Her chest heaved as fire erupted violently from her arms. Her grief turned to rage, and rage gave her power—wild, uncontrolled power.
Dimitri seemed to grow tired of the game.
Two chains suddenly slithered down from his side. They moved fast, heading toward Lana, slashing the air like whips.
Lana braced herself, but the chains weren’t long enough to reach her.
Then she realized something was wrong.