After the collision and hearing that voice, Alex instantly realized there was someone else present.
In one swift motion, he leaped to the right, putting some distance between himself and the new arrival. As he looked at the newcomer, he noticed it wasn't a girl this time, but there was something else he picked up on.
"The same group…" Alex muttered, seeing that the person was also dressed in a black cloak and mask, only his eyes visible.
A smirk formed on Alex's face as he stared at Arin. "Are you the last one, or are there more?"
Despite his casual tone, Alex felt a hint of unease.
'I didn't even sense him...' Alex thought. If not for the faint rustle of Arin's cloak, he would've had no idea someone was behind him.
'How is that even possible?'
Alex took pride in his keen senses, but somehow, this newcomer had slipped past them. And there was more.
'And he's not a Vampire. There's no trace of Vampiric traits or even that red energy.' He gripped his sword, analyzing the situation. But beyond that, there was something else, something even more troubling.
'Was he the one who stopped my attacks from hitting that Vampire?'
He was certain it hadn't been Seraphine who blocked his spikes—she hadn't even moved. The only logical explanation was this new guy. But how? The question gnawed at Alex, though he knew one thing for certain.
"He's more dangerous than the others…" he muttered, his gaze fixed on Arin.
By now, Arin stood between Seraphine and Tessa, hands clasped behind his back. Seraphine moved closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Master, thank you. I've memorized his attack patterns, so you won't need to use 'that' again. Just conserve your mana."
Arin nodded, his eyes on Alex. "Your time is almost up. Use it well."
"Understood," Seraphine replied, stepping forward, ready to launch herself at Alex once more.
Alex frowned. "She's still the only one attacking? What are they planning?"
An uneasy feeling crept over him. With the three of them there, why was only the Vampire charging? He couldn't shake the unsettling vibe of the newcomer's silent stare. But there was no time to ponder because—
Seraphine charged forward, a gust of wind sweeping past as she closed the distance with startling speed. Blood energy swirled around her claws and legs as she swung at Alex with brutal force.
Unfazed, Alex activated an Earth Element spell, encasing his sword blade in a rock-like layer to strengthen and reinforce it. As Seraphine's claws came close, he held his ground.
The sound rang out louder than any other clash so far, sparks scattering from the impact. Without missing a beat, Alex used a Sound Element spell, absorbing the clanging noise and channeling it into a burst of speed. In the blink of an eye, he swung his sword with far more agility than before.
Seraphine swiftly raised her left claw to block, but Alex kept absorbing each sound, boosting his speed more and more.
"So fast….." Tessa murmured, struggling to follow their movements with her eyes.
Seraphine and Alex became blurs as they weaved through the trees, clashing at blinding speeds.
Sparks flew, trees cracked under the force of their strikes, and the very air around them seemed to vibrate. Tessa could only catch glimpses of their clashes through the sparks that were flying around, flashes of light and sound.
Arin watched with an unreadable expression, his hands still behind his back.
Seraphine slid back, regaining her footing almost immediately. But Alex was already in front of her, his sword descending once again.
Seraphine met the strike with her left claw, but without hesitation, she swung her right claw upward, aiming for his chin.
With his sword still locked against her left claw, Alex was left wide open. His eyes widened in surprise, but he acted quickly.
A gust of wind surged, forcing Seraphine's claw away from his face, but he didn't expect what happened next.
As soon as her claw was pushed away, Seraphine instantly raised her knee, and then...
"Ugh..." Alex groaned in pain as Seraphine delivered a knee to his groin.
But before Alex could react further, Seraphine switched tactics. Since her claws had dulled and weakened from deflecting Alex's sword too much, she relied on pure force.
Blood energy shifted from her legs to her right fist, which began to glow an intense red as she channeled her Energy into it.
In a flash, her fist shot forward.
The glowing fist smashed into Alex's unguarded face, the edges of her claws adding even more force to the blow.
Alex's body rocketed backward, crashing through multiple trees in his path.
He hit the ground hard, groaning in pain, but forced himself to stand up. His body was intact, but his face was bloodied, scratches lining his cheek, and it looked like a couple of his teeth might be missing.
But something was off…
Tessa's eyes widened as she stared at Alex. "Why is he… smiling?"
Arin sighed, his gaze fixed on Alex. "It's surprising, isn't it? Doesn't it seem odd that he took that much damage?"
Tessa thought about it, realizing Chaos was right. Seraphine was strong, but considering how strong Alex was, it was strange that he'd been brought to this state.
Arin turned to Tessa. "I'll tell you one thing… there's a reason Alex killed your parents. A reason that would shock anyone to the core."
A shiver ran through Tessa as she absorbed his words. "What… What the hell is going on?"