Elemental Cats

Toz had personally felt the might of Dristel's last attack, so he knew how much effort Dristel had put into unleashing it. Combined with how much he had expended blocking Taienra's and Toz's attacks, Dristel shouldn't have too much left. Dristel used the Dragon's Tail Sweep as a finisher to knock Toz off his feet, but it came at a cost. Dristel's body was fatigued from expending such a large amount of energy at once and shaping it into such a complex technique.

Dristel's slow walk wasn't only because he was confident in his victory. It was also a precaution in case Toz would make a last stand. Or in case someone else interfered, despite Nester's chains.

Dristel knew that Toz had saved the three pirate leaders. And since there wasn't anyone in the rest of his fleet that could stand up against those three, it was highly possible they could come and help Toz. Nester would be able to hold off one of the pirate leaders. Maybe two for a few minutes. However, if the three of them worked together, it would be impossible for Nester to stop them.

Dristel's pace allowed Toz to gouge Dristel's condition and prepare a counterattack.

Toz slumped together on the ground, barely conscious until Dristel was close enough. Toz had a difficult time restraining himself in order to recover as much as possible before lashing out. He also had to make sure Dristel wouldn't be able to react to the attack until it was too late.

Dristel might have walked slowly, but he was still a ninth level fighter and didn't have to walk very far. It didn't take long for him to get close to Toz. Dristel lifted his spear as if he was going to poke Toz after taking a few more steps to get within range.

However, before he could do that, his surroundings disappeared. An infinite darkness covered his vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste before veiling his perception of time and weight and the sensation of his own limbs.

After casting his Void's Embrace on Dristel, Toz didn't just sit around and wait. A combination of lightning and space magic brought Toz right in front of Dristel with his sword ready to sever Dristel's head.

Toz knew that Dristel had already broken out of his spell once, and it probably wouldn't take much time for him to do it again. But he hoped that the element of surprise and his speed would be enough to secure victory over Dristel. He had intentionally avoided using the combination magic that gave him the greatest speed for the single purpose of grabbing an opening that could end the fight in one strike.

However, Toz had overestimated Dristel's fatigue and underestimated his reflexes.

Dristel hadn't forgotten the spell Toz used before grabbing Stris for even a second since it was so impactful. He was prepared during their entire fight since he knew how devastating it could be to lose contact with one's senses and the surroundings, even for a split second during battle.

Dristel hadn't become the admiral of the Starsling Kingdom's Navy by sitting around and playing with ducks. He had enough experience to know he should never let down his guard until he could confirm his opponent's death or absolute incapacitation. The only thing that surprised Dristel was how marvelous the spell was. However, that was it. Dristel broke out of Toz's spell during the moment Toz blinked across the distance between them.

Toz saw Dristel's eyes clear up and the muscles on his hand and forearm tense as Dristel gripped his spear tight. Time slowed down in Toz's perception as he tried to find a way out of the predicament he had put himself in.

He was moving too fast to stop or retreat, but he wasn't fast enough to sever Dristel's head or block his spear until it was too late. The best he could do was go for mutual destruction. Toz was confident in enduring and recovering from pretty severe injuries, but he didn't feel like he would survive a spear of wind aura blowing him up from inside.

Toz twisted his body to avoid the spear pointed at his midsection. His mana raced like crazy and poured out of every part of his body, enveloping him in a suit of soft, dull grey metal. The void and metal combination magic helped Toz offset some of the aura, but he couldn't block the entire strike, even with his twisting. Dristel's spear pushed Toz's side, slightly adding to his spin.

But Toz couldn't be thankful for the help in turning around a full circle since the spear also tore into his side, leaving a large gaping wound, not much unlike the injury Stris suffered at the hands of the Representative.

Toz pushed past the pain and continued forward. He didn't stop in his path, and he flashed forward, past Dristel, leaving only a streak of orange light where he had drawn his sword. The orange light lingered long enough for Dristel to see it overlap with his shoulder.

As soon as his mind processed the near-instantaneous collision and what the light passing through his arm meant, Dristel felt a burning pain sprout, and at the same time, his arm fell down. After his arm hit the ground, the only thing left of it was the bone.

The singed stump fared a little better thanks to Dristel's martial energy keeping the fire in check.

The fire mana filling Toz's sword hadn't only cauterized to wound to prevent Dristel from being able to reattach the arm, but it had also set whatever it could on fire.

The pain of both having his arm cut off and fire invading his body, burning his skin, muscles, and nerves, made Dristel unconsciously scream out in pain as he dropped his spear and clutched the stump.

Dristel sank to his knees while barely putting out the fire. Controlling his martial energy while enduring pain like nothing he had felt before was extremely challenging. Since it took longer for him to put out the fire, his stump only got even more destroyed by the embers attached to his shoulder.

Toz only had enough time to see the success of his attack before crashing to the ground. He closed his eyes as he tried to purge the wind aura blowing through his body. If he didn't do it before passing out, he didn't know if he would ever wake up. However, the rustling of chains forced him to open his eyes.