Chương 90: Xia vs Gunnar

Xia and Gunnar stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Both of them possessed unshakable determination. Then Gunnar slowly raised his hand toward the sky. Dozens upon dozens of absorption stakes began raining down from above like an unnatural storm. Xia swiftly drew her thin-bladed sword, deflecting several with precise strikes while dodging the rest through rapid, unbelievably fluid movements despite the stakes already embedded in her body.

Despite her imposing stature, she moved with superhuman reflexes. She seemed as light as a feather. Every movement was elegant and measured. Since the absorption stakes were draining enormous amounts of her energy, every action was carefully calculated. She used only the minimum effort necessary to deflect or evade them, unwilling to waste even a single drop of the strength she had left. Gunnar raised his index finger, which began to glow with a blinding yellow light.

A moment later, a laser-like beam of energy shot toward Xia. She dodged it by a hair's breadth. The beam struck a tree behind her, blasting a massive hole straight through it. It continued forward, piercing several more trees before crashing into a distant boulder, which exploded into countless fragments. Gunnar gave a faint smile and raised both hands. Devastating yellow beams erupted from his index fingers in rapid succession.

Xia deflected some of them with her sword, knocking the beams aside, while dodging the others with precise dashes and spins. Her breathing, however, was beginning to grow ragged. The absorption stakes were draining an enormous amount of her magical energy. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Gunnar watched her with genuine fascination.

"You're still moving this fast despite those stakes embedded in your body… incredible. Truly incredible". Xia clenched her teeth. She sheathed her sword, then raised both hands in front of her, tracing intricate symbols through the air before placing them against the ground. The earth trembled. From a glowing purple sigil emerged a demonic creature—a towering black colossus with curved horns, nearly five meters tall. Its skin resembled solid armor. Its eyes were utterly devoid of humanity or emotion.

Its very breathing was enough to reveal how terrifying it was. Its mere presence distorted the air around it.

"Kill him", Xia ordered in a hoarse voice. Gunnar let out a brief laugh as violent flames burst from his hands.

"Do you really think a giant brute like that can stop me?"

"It's not just a brute", Xia replied between heavy breaths.

"It's a demon. Extremely difficult to kill". Gunnar hurled the flames at the creature. The fire completely engulfed it, but when the blaze faded, the demon was still standing there, unmoving and completely unharmed. Gunnar changed tactics. He generated invisible slashes, blades of compressed air that struck the demon's body. Its skin split only slightly, leaving nothing more than superficial wounds.

"Damn it…" he muttered. The demon charged with a deep roar and unleashed a colossal punch. Gunnar erected a transparent barrier just in time. The impact made it tremble violently, driving him back several meters. The creature opened its mouth, where a pulsating sphere of violet energy began to form before launching it at Gunnar. He teleported aside by the narrowest margin. The sphere slammed into the ground and exploded, hurling debris into the air and unleashing a devastating shockwave.

Gunnar tried to form symbols with his hands, but the demon gave him no opportunity. It attacked relentlessly, forcing him to defend himself with barrier after barrier. One of them shattered. The demon seized Gunnar by the throat with its enormous hand and brought its mouth close once more, charging another violet sphere. Gunnar struggled desperately, trying to break free.

"Why can't I teleport?! Damn it!" Then, just as victory seemed finally within Xia's grasp…the demon vanished into thin air. Xia collapsed to her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her breathing came in broken gasps, and her vision was beginning to blur. Gunnar placed a hand on his aching neck before smiling.

"What a truly monstrous creature", he said, catching his breath.

"But I suppose keeping something like that alive must consume an enormous amount of energy". He slowly walked toward her.

"It's over. Surrender". Xia looked up at him. The world around her was beginning to spin. Every muscle burned, and every spell felt impossibly distant. Yet despite everything, there was still no surrender in her eyes.