Bam. Bam. Bam.
Ereg's fists covered in crimson energy rained down on Gael as he tried to defend himself. He only had to wait a few moments before Ereg's aura dissipated as well as his superior strength with which he easily defeated.
Obviously, doing this with only his abilities and sword was impossible for Gael. He needed something else that would give him a small break, even if only for a few seconds, or else soon his hands would go numb, and he would suffer terrible damage.
The only thing Gael had was the ash from the six trees destroyed by Ereg. This ash had already been summoned, so Gael didn't need to control his actions, he just needed to think about what he wanted to happen with this ash.
Very quickly, in just a few seconds, in what amounted to a dozen of Ereg's blows, the ash turned into one huge tree. That one was taller than the Colosseum and big enough to be special even in Plant World.
However, this tree could not be labeled as a plant, as it would burn everything around it, any living thing, or drain even the largest lake of ancient water.
"Agh...?" Ereg's eyes went wide as he felt an intense heat suddenly appear behind him, something he hadn't expected at all. It wasn't enough for him to stop attacking as he was very close to his target.
'Come on! Just a little more! A few dozen more strikes and his defense will fall! In that case, I'll definitely make him admit defeat in this round! Gael, don't be so stubborn!" Ereg inwardly exclaimed, trying to speed up, but he hardly succeeded, as he had been punching at full force before.
Ereg was completely serious, right from the start he was using his physical capabilities to the maximum, all for the sake of defeating Gael - that was his main goal.
Only if he completely defeated Gael, forcing him to use everything he had, only then Ereg's goal be fulfilled.
"Well... He's running out of time." Liang said calmly as he watched the ash tree, whose crown and branches were burning brightly with white flames.
"Yeah, looks like it." Alucard nodded with a calm expression.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Shit!" Nila exclaimed irritably. What she had feared most had happened - Gael had found something to respond to Ereg's aggressive attack.
At the same moment, the flames in front of the tree began to congeal like a vortex, the center of which was so hot it could rival a real star.
Then, the vortex exploded, releasing its full power in the form of a ray, unleashing it directly at Ereg.
Crackle.
Ereg struck one last blow, almost breaking through Gael's defenses as his hands were already shaking and it only took a few more blows before Gael couldn't hold the sword anymore.
'Fuck! I hit with all my might and still missed!" Ereg inwardly barked out before jumping aside.
Gael did the same, as the flame ray, could hurt even him.
Fire had no allies or enemies, it destroyed everything in its path as it was its nature.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
Space shook as the flame ray reached the ground, causing a massive explosion. Streams of fire spread around, covering the ground in embers like the aftermath of a great fire and destroying hundreds of threads that held the stones of the colosseum from collapsing.
"Damn... Do we really have to create them again. I didn't expect this at all." Liang muttered, slightly surprised as he raised an eyebrow.
Alucard shrugged, "It's no big deal. We can do it as many times as necessary. You're right, we should do everything we can to save this place for future battles. The Colosseum is too important to lose it."
Alucard touched the colosseum as scarlet threads appeared near the damaged stones.
Liang, silently did the same, almost imperceptibly summoning wind threads so that the stones with brightly shining purple runes could once again withstand the power of the two Transcendence Creatures.
Gael and Ereg were too focused on their battle, so they didn't even notice that it had happened.
"Two more minutes... no, not even a little less, right?" Gael said with a calm expression, looking at Ereg.
Ereg frowned, he was unhappy that he couldn't suppress Gael, especially the flame tree annoyed him.
"Gael, my friend, aren't you a swordsman? That tree has given me far more trouble than your sword." Ereg snorted, before stepping forward.
"Well, those are only medium-sized scars. What's more, you forced me to do something like that. I'm just showing the best I can do as promised, nothing more." Gael shrugged, tapping the blunt side of his sword against his shoulder.
Ereg said nothing, though it was obvious to everyone that he was annoyed by Gael's carelessness. Power was on his side now, and it was wrong that Gael felt so free - at least that's what Ereg thought.
"Fine, in that case, I just need to destroy your tree. Look, I'll do it in twenty seconds, no... in ten seconds!" Ereg exclaimed before turning into a bloody flash and sweeping through the flaming tree.
Unlike the six trees covering the arena earlier, this one was much larger and stronger, so one attack was clearly not enough to destroy something so significant.
Gael didn't attack Ereg, not because he was afraid or anything, no, he had a plan since it was a great opportunity to prepare for the attack.
'Hmm, he acts really fast. He won't be able to do it in ten seconds, but in twenty for sure. In that case, he'll have a little over a minute before his aura dissipates... Well, I can only do this, it's the only thing I have right now.'' Gael pondered for a moment before lowering his sword and placing his palm on the blade.
Crackle. Crack. Crack.
Ereg, as a bloody warrior who had been through dozens of battles and killed hundreds of opponents, was tearing the wood apart with his massive fists. He was fast as lightning, actually unstoppable.
The tree tried to defend itself and counterattack, sending spheres of fire and streams of flame directly at Ereg.
However, not concentrated flames could not harm him. His skin was strong enough to withstand it, and the crimson aura absorbed most of the damage, so it was just a matter of time before there was nothing left of the tree.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWain nodded slightly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "After Ereg deals with the tree, then comes the most important moment of this round... I wonder what Gael has in store for Ereg?"
Osvald sighed, "I hope he's not going to summon anything again. I want to see them clash, their pure power. Ash trees are nice too, but because of the situation, Gael is using them as a distraction rather than a weapon."
"Yeah... I guess I'll agree." Sven nodded, "However, it looks like we have nothing to worry about. Gael realizes it himself, he has to hurt Ereg somehow to make the final minute pass as quickly as possible."
Whoooooooooooooooooooosh.
Banging his fists against each other, Ereg summoned a powerful shockwave with crimson streams of energy that like a wild wind tore the badly damaged tree apart.
Ereg landed on the ground, staring warily at Gael, who stood at the farthest point of the colosseum.
"Eighteen seconds... I'll be honest, I thought it would take you a little longer." Gael sincerely said, showing his sword that was now covered in a dense layer of white pure energy.
Ripples emanated from his sword, making the air shake due to the vibrations that spread around relentlessly.
"I see you've prepared yourself. But, I will warn you. You won't be able to use this to gain a full minute for yourself, because I won't waste another second!" Ereg exclaimed before rushing forward. ɴo(v)elFɪre.net
The ground beneath him cracked as his powerful stride lifted up the stone slabs of earth, separated due to the large amount of damage received during their fight.
Gael's pupils narrowed, since a moment later, Ereg's massive silhouette was already right in front of him. The single fist that had been brought in to attack was already bearing down on him, parting the dense wind in its path.
'One attack... Considering I've revealed medium-sized scars, that's the best I can show in this round.' Gael internally muttered before taking a step back like a short jump.
However, Gael didn't retreat, he made to then thrust his sword forward, aiming the sharp tip straight at Ereg's chest.
Then, all the energy covering his long sword, in a heartbeat, surged outward, aiming for a single point.
Whoooooooooooooosh.
The snow-white energy ray, pierced Ereg, leaving a wide wound in his chest and rushing towards the blue sky that despite its freedom could not escape the destructive power of the ray.
The sky shattered into splinters like cracks, since at this point, the spatial barrier protecting the entire Beastfolk World was shattered, opening another passageway into open space.