With two attacks coming at him from both front and back, Liam did not falter and remained calm. [Sword Dance] He only used the basic move to block both the attacks, but he also added a little something to it.
This move was seeped with the Ice elemental dao power. Each and every attack was executed to perfection with the utmost precision, demonstrating his mastery over the skill. When the blade touched the blood-red chopping beam, the beam started freezing up, unable to hold up against the dao-imbued attack, its power instantly halving. While the original attack was powerful enough to make anyone shudder, this attack was nothing much.
Meanwhile, Liam had already moved, meeting the other attack from Eldrin also in perfect rhythm. But he abruptly shifted his trajectory as he noticed that there were two swords behind his back, more specifically one sword and one axe.
When Rindos had attacked him earlier, it turned out that he had sneaked in another chopping beam behind his back, trying to catch him off guard.
Eldrin was not attacking him but was trying to block the chopping beam in his stead, only to miserably fail. Liam faced attack once again head-on and sent the second chopping beam scattering as well. Blood around him froze as nothing dared to touch even his armor.
It did not matter that the second one was a stealth attack aimed at the rear. Liam casually dealt with both attacks. Eldrin gaped in shock as he was not that lucky. Just being in the vicinity of the attack made him grind his teeth in pain as the aura of the beam tossed him off balance. Not to mention, the elf had voluntarily entered the blood storm. He was thrown out like a ragged doll the very next instant, suffering multiple injuries, only alive because of his items. "Liam! Watch out for his blood manipulation. He can control the blood in your body and make you sluggish. He can make your thoughts and reaction speed sluggish!"
Even at the last moment, Eldrin screamed as he was pushed out of the battle zone. Liam watched the guy with curiosity. It was not that his intervention had helped him because without him he would have noticed the other chop more clearly. As for the warning, his current defense wouldn't be so difficult to break.
However, the elf still tried his best to help him by unnecessarily injecting himself into a deadly situation. Liam acknowledged that. Seeing that the elf was just fine, he shifted his attention back to the blood elf.
To Liam's surprise, Eldrin's presence seemed to have helped him in a very unexpected way. The blood elf's reddened eyes were locked onto Eldrin. The guy scathingly growled at him even though he was currently on the floor, almost incapacitated and unconscious.
"How are you still alive?" Rindos growled like a maniac, rushing towards Eldrin. Rage was evident in his every step, his eyes blazing with a fury that seemed to burn even brighter at the sight of Eldrin's battered form.
It was more than anger or vengeance. He looked rabid, almost as if he had lost his mind. Was his technique something that consumed his sanity while making him powerful?
Liam, seizing the opportunity, reacted swiftly. If that was truly the case then he needed to finish this fight as soon as possible. There was no longer a reason to wait. In the current condition even if the blood elf possessed some life-saving treasures he doubted if he would be able to use it. He might not even remember what all he had. His current condition was that bad.
Using the opportunity that Eldrin had provided him, Liam started attacking aggressively. He did not need it but Eldrin had given the opportunity to him anyway. Liam did not plan on wasting it.
He channeled more of his ice elemental dao into each strike, causing the air to chill palpably with every swing of his blade.
The blood elf, sensing the imminent threat, whipped around, redirecting his blood-red axe to intercept Liam's icy onslaught. The clash between ice and blood sent shockwaves across the field. The ground beneath them cracked, and the air sizzled with the collision of their powers.
Rindos was still not an easy opponent. He continued to parry Liam's attacks. Liam also pressed on without relenting. He was sure that the blood elf was also using some sort of dao power because their attacks evened out.
However, Liam hadn't yet brought his full power. As he pushed his ice elemental dao seed further and further, mana around him swirled turbulently. Rindos also did not yield. The crazed beast pushed more and more, now having lost all semblance of sanity. He was wild and unrestrained and he seemed to be a lot more dangerous in his current condition.
Liam did not like it but after a few seconds, he relented and went all in. Using every bit of energy stored in the ice elemental dao seed, he sent out an arcane frost slash that almost completely emptied out his mana.
The Arcane Frost Slash cleaved through the air, a brilliant and terrifying spectacle of icy power. Liam also felt that there was something different this time. His shard of ice was much more solidified this time around, making the attack a lot more powerful than his previous tries. Rindos roared in defiance, swinging his blood axe with boundless fury. The axe also seemed to resonate with his sentiments.
The axe collided with the frost slash, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still, the clash of their powers creating a vortex of conflicting energies.
Then, with a thunderous explosion, the ice and blood energies erupted, sending shockwaves in all directions. The ground cracked open, trees were uprooted, and the very air seemed to scream under the strain of their battle.
However, quickly the ice storm overtook the blood storm and there was more white than red. In the eye of this storm stood Liam.