Chapter 71: Stage Five
Chapter 71: Stage Five
Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Stage Five
Elara faced the man.
Her wind howled around her. Green energy mixed with blue mana. Her body was light. Fast. Strong. She was at stage three. The peak of stage three.
The man watched her. His purple eyes glowed. His copied wind swirled around him. It was stronger than hers. Faster. More refined. He had enhanced it. Improved it.
"You’re strong," the man said. "For your level."
Elara didn’t answer. She just stared at him. Her eyes were cold. Determined.
"But you’re not strong enough," the man continued. "You can’t beat me. Not at stage three."
Elara’s lips curled into a smile. A cold, dangerous smile.
"Who said I was staying at stage three?"
She closed her eyes.
She focused.
She reached deep within herself. Past her mana. Past her limits. Past everything she had ever known.
She found it.
The core of her power. The source of her wind. The heart of her talent.
She grabbed it. She squeezed it. She pulled it open.
Her aura exploded.
Wind erupted from her body. A massive gust tore through the guild grounds. The ground cracked. The walls shattered. Debris flew in every direction.
Elara’s eyes opened.
They were white. Pure white. Glowing with power.
Her hair floated around her. Her clothes billowed. Her body was covered in swirling wind. She was no longer just a wind user. She was the wind.
The man stared at her. His eyes widened. His mouth fell open.
Then he laughed.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..." His laugh was slow. Drawn out. Creepy. "So... You... Are... One... Of... Those... Rare... Fellows... That... Can... Reach... Stage... Five..."
He tilted his head. His glowing eyes studied her.
"If... I... Remember..."
Elara cut him off. "You’re too slow. I’ll say it myself."
The man’s mouth closed. He waited.
Elara stepped forward. Her wind swirled faster. The air around her distorted.
"Stage five," she said. "The peak of mortal cultivation. The boundary between human and monster."
She raised her hand. Wind gathered in her palm. It spun. It compressed. It became a small, glowing orb.
"At stage five, I am immune to physical attacks. A sword stabs me? It passes through. I become wind. I scatter. I reform."
She closed her hand. The orb exploded. Wind shot in every direction.
"Only mana-infused attacks can harm me. And even then, only if they’re strong enough."
She stepped closer. The man didn’t move.
"At stage four, I gained the ability to control the wind around me. I can suck the air from your lungs. I can create vacuums. I can suffocate you where you stand."
She smiled. A cold, sharp smile.
"But you have the wind element. You can create your own air. So that won’t work on you."
She stopped. She was inches from him. Her white eyes stared into his purple ones.
"You might have my talent. You might have enhanced it. But I am at stage five. The peak. The top. The strongest I can be."
She leaned in. Her breath was cold. Her voice was a whisper.
"So I have the upper hand."
The man stared at her. His glowing eyes didn’t blink. His thin lips didn’t move.
Then his aura exploded.
Wind erupted from his body. Purple energy mixed with green. The ground shattered beneath him. The walls crumbled. The air screamed.
His eyes turned white.
He smiled.
"Stage... Five..." he said. "Hehehehe..."
Elara’s eyes widened. Her wind faltered.
"You... you reached stage five?"
The man nodded slowly. "Yes... I... Copied... It... From... You..."
Elara’s heart dropped. She had just shown him. She had explained everything. She had given him the key.
The man raised his hand. Wind gathered in his palm. It spun. It compressed. It glowed purple.
"You... Have... Ten... Minutes..." he said. "To... Give... Me... What... I... Want... Or... Else... They... All... Die..."
Elara’s jaw tightened. Her fists clenched. Her wind roared.
"Go to hell," she said.
She attacked.
---
The wind screamed.
Elara shot forward. Her body dissolved into air. She reformed behind the man. Her fist was already swinging.
The man didn’t turn. He just dissolved. Her fist passed through nothing. He reformed a few feet away.
"Too... Slow..." he said.
Elara didn’t stop. She spun. She kicked. Her leg dissolved. It reformed as a blade of wind. It slashed at his head.
He ducked. He dissolved. He reformed above her. He stomped down.
She dissolved. She reformed to the side. She thrust her hand forward. A spear of wind shot from her palm.
He raised his hand. A wall of wind blocked it. The spear shattered. The wall exploded outward.
They clashed.
Wind against wind. Stage five against stage five. Two beings of pure air. Two forces of nature.
Elara was fast. She was precise. She had trained for years. She had fought countless battles. She knew her power.
But the man was faster. He was stronger. His wind was enhanced. Copied. Improved. He had her talent but better.
Elara threw a punch. He caught it. He squeezed. Her arm dissolved. She reformed behind him. She kicked. He blocked. He countered. She dissolved. She reformed.
They fought across the guild grounds. Buildings collapsed. Walls shattered. The ground cracked and crumbled.
Elara created a vacuum. A sphere of absolute nothing. She threw it at him. He created his own vacuum. They collided. The impact shook the earth.
Elara summoned a tornado. It tore through the air. It ripped up everything in its path. He summoned his own. Larger. Stronger. The two tornadoes clashed. They merged. They exploded.
Elara flew backward. She crashed through a wall. She dissolved before impact. She reformed. She was breathing hard.
The man stood in the center of the destruction. He was barely winded.
"You... Are... Strong..." he said. "But... Not... Strong... Enough..."
Elara wiped blood from her mouth. She didn’t know when she had started bleeding. She didn’t care.
"I’m not done yet," she said.
She raised both hands. Her wind swirled around her. Faster. Hotter. Denser.
The man tilted his head. "Oh?"
Elara closed her eyes. She focused. She reached deeper. Past her limits. Past her pain. Past everything.
She found it.
A new reserve of power. Hidden. Locked. Waiting.
She pulled it open.
Her wind exploded. It turned from green to gold. It burned. It blazed. It howled.
The man’s eyes widened. "What... Is... This..."
Elara opened her eyes. They were gold now. Pure gold. Burning with power.
"This," she said, "is what happens when a stage five stops holding back."
She attacked.
---
The fight continued.
Wind clashed against wind. Gold against purple. Power against power.
Elara was faster now. Stronger. Her attacks were sharper. Her movements were quicker. She was pushing the man back.
The man was surprised. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected her to have more. He had copied her talent. He had enhanced it. He should have been stronger.
But she was fighting like a demon. Like a monster. Like someone who had nothing left to lose.
He blocked her punch. He countered. She dissolved. She reformed. She kicked. He dodged. She spun. She slashed.
They fought across the sky. They fought through the buildings. They fought everywhere.
Elara created a storm. A massive storm. Clouds gathered. Lightning flashed. Rain poured.
The man created his own. Darker. Angrier. The two storms clashed. Thunder rolled. Lightning struck.
Elara summoned a hurricane. It spun. It grew. It became a monster of wind and rain.
The man summoned his own. Larger. Fiercer. The two hurricanes collided. The impact shook the city. The barrier flickered.
Elara was tiring. Her gold aura was fading. Her movements were slowing.
The man saw it. He smiled.
"You... Are... Almost... Done..." he said. "Give... Up... And... I... Will... Spare... You..."
Elara laughed. A tired, broken laugh.
"Go to hell," she said again.
She attacked.
---
The fight raged on.
Neither of them gave ground. Neither of them backed down. They were equals. Matched. Deadlocked.
The guild grounds were destroyed. The buildings were rubble. The walls were gone.
The barrier flickered. It was weakening. The fight was too intense. Too powerful.
Elara threw a punch. The man blocked. She kicked. He dodged. She dissolved. She reformed. She attacked again.
The man was slowing too. His purple aura was dimming. His movements were heavy.
They were both exhausted. Both broken. Both refusing to quit.
Elara created one last attack. A spear of pure gold wind. It was her strongest. Her final. Her everything.
She threw it.
The man saw it coming. He raised his hand. He gathered his own power. A spear of purple wind. His strongest. His final. His everything.
He threw it.
The two spears met in the middle.
The impact was catastrophic.
A shockwave tore through the city. Buildings collapsed. Streets cracked. People screamed.
The barrier shattered.
And then everything went white.
---
Daniel felt the shockwave before he saw it.
He was fighting the handsome man. Their swords clashed. Their fists flew. They were equal. Matched.
Then the wave hit.
Daniel flew backward. He crashed into a wall. He slumped to the ground.
The handsome man flew too. He crashed into a fountain. Water sprayed everywhere.
Daniel looked up. The sky was white. The barrier was gone. The guild grounds were destroyed.
"What..." he whispered. "What happened..."
The handsome man stood up. He was bleeding. His clothes were torn. But he was smiling.
"My master," he said. "He’s done it."
Daniel’s eyes widened. "Done what?"
The man pointed at the guild. At the destruction. At the white light.
"He’s won," he said.
---
Brutus felt it too.
He was running through the forest. He was almost at the city. He was almost home.
Then the shockwave hit.
He stumbled. He caught himself. He looked up.
The barrier was gone. The city was visible. The guild was destroyed.
His eyes widened. His muscles tensed.
"Elara," he whispered.
He ran faster.
---
The white light faded.
Elara stood in the center of the destruction. Her body was broken. Her aura was gone. Her eyes were normal again.
She was bleeding. Everywhere. Her clothes were torn. Her hair was matted.
She looked at the man.
He was standing too. His body was broken. His aura was gone. His eyes were normal.
He was bleeding. Everywhere. His robes were destroyed. His hood was gone.
They stared at each other. Two warriors. Two monsters. Two equals.
The man smiled. A thin, tired smile.
"You... Are... Strong..." he said. "But... I... Am... Stronger..."
Elara shook her head. "You’re not stronger. You’re just... more stubborn."
The man laughed. A slow, painful laugh.
"Maybe," he said. "But... I... Still... Need... The... Core..."
Elara raised her fist. Her wind flickered. It was weak. Barely there.
"You’ll have to kill me," she said.
The man tilted his head. "If... That... Is... What... It... Takes..."
He raised his hand. His wind flickered. It was weak. Barely there.
They faced each other.
Both broken. Both exhausted. Both refusing to quit.
The fight wasn’t over.
Not yet.
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Author’s Note:
[I made this Chapter extra long, hope you enjoyed it]