Yi Qiang's instincts took over as a large disk of translucent force headed straight at him at speeds even faster than his maximum. More quickly than he could think, the marksman rolled out of the way, not daring to spare a glance at the disk, which had tunneled into the ground like it didn't exist until the spell dissipated.

Shortly after Yi Qiang found himself on his feet, a barrage of spells found their way to him, ranging from a white shining arrow to a large boulder of earth.

Unlike the far slower-paced battle of before, Ilien's spells were completed and launched instantly. This change took his opponent off balance for the first time since the beginning of the fight. Yi Qiang was fast and skilled, but his agility was nowhere near enough to cope with the sheer amount of powerful spells flying at him.

Inevitably, the marksman found himself in a disadvantageous position, and, having no other recourse, Yi Qiang poured 100 Qi into a handheld shield in a flash of insight.

If he couldn't avoid them, he could block them.

After all, Yi Qiang's defense was mediocre. In essence, a single capable blow would crumple him like paper no matter how much he spent on his protection, but the current situation was manageable.

Instead of a single, concentrated strike, this time, Yi Qiang found himself having to block a flurry of blows that weren't necessarily above his maximum tolerance.

Spending another few hundred points of Qi to expand his shield, Yi Qiang dug himself into the ground and braced himself, holding the Qi guard up and preparing himself to withstand a considerable amount of damage.

The moment the first spell hit him, a dense bolt of ice, Yi Qiang slammed into the tree behind him, crashing through it.

The rest of the bombardment followed soon after, the wounded archer trying to roll to minimize the damage but still taking a severe amount of damage.

A glance at his health confirmed he was at about half of its maximum capacity.

Enduring isn't an option, then.

Ignoring the pain wracking through his body from cuts and bruises, Yi Qiang scrambled up and exercised his muscles to their maximum to leap onto the nearest tree trunk.

Making short and sporadic jumps from tree to tree, Yi Qiang did his best to obscure Ilien's aim while avoiding the attacks sent at him.

However, the mage's mystical detection spell seemed to have ballooned along with his spellcasting abilities, Ilien sending every attack precisely where it would best corner Yi Qiang.

The marksman spared a glance at his assailant. Luckily, Ilien's condition barely seemed better than his, with a sweaty sheen on his forehead, trembling muscles, and a slight hint of blood dripping out of the mage's nose.

He's pushing himself to the limits. That staff he's using is far above his power class, and that's putting a toll on him.

I only need to hang on for long enough, and I can win this.

Yi Qiang, having learned his defense was several levels lower than mediocre compared to the attack powers of the Four, placed all of his hopes upon pure agility and skill. Against this opponent, many of Yi Qiang's advantages became useless - his stealth, ranged attacks, and speed was neutralized against the Ilien boosted by his strangely overwhelming staff.

So, as it was, the only thing he could do was hang on until Ilien surrendered or passed out. If he couldn't stall long enough, a loss was possible.

Yi Qiang looked at his health bar again after a few dozen seconds of avoiding further damage. It had regenerated a surprising amount, especially considering that most of the time, regeneration of any resource was too slow to see any real effect in combat.

As he stole that quick look, luck's curse struck.

While Yi Qiang was stranded in the air, too far away from his target to push off of anything, a particularly fast wind spear traveled on the perfect course to intercept the marksman in his flight.

Yi Qiang was suddenly taken over by the human mind's survival instinct, which was to grasp onto any chance of survival regardless of how feeble it was.

A few dozen Qi points were consumed in Yi Qiang's escape, golden glowing stilts sprouted from Yi Qiang's feet. As they shot outwards, slamming into the tree nearest to him and sending the marksman flying backward.

Moments after, the wind spear sliced through the space Yi Qiang had just occupied.

Having gained an epiphany, the archer used Empyrean Dragon's Armaments to its maximum. Instantly-conjured hooks driven into the ground, large airborne platforms he could bounce off of, and limb extensions increasing his unpredictability in the air all made it impossible for Ilien to catch him.

The only downside to this empowerment was the Qi consumption - in a mere minute, Yi Qiang's reserves were at half their previous number. This level of use was inevitable with the number and size of miscellaneous objects the marksman formed to help him, but the fact remained that he couldn't sustain it for long. And it seemed Yi Qiang's new maneuverability had incensed the mage he faced, as Ilien had only been filled with more reckless abandon as the battle progressed.

This rash behavior was despite the visible backlash the mage was suffering; a glance at Ilien confirmed the trail of blood flowing from his nose, pale complexion, and unnaturally bulging veins.

So, it'll be a battle of attrition. Never thought I'd find myself in one of those with the type of combat in which I specialize. At this rate, though, I'm not quite sure who'll hold out longer. My Qi expenditure vastly outstrips my regeneration, but the damage is showing on Ilien's face. And, the more he exerts himself, the faster he will fall. Of course, he won't push himself to death - I'm not entirely sure that's possible - but I can assume he'll keep fighting at his maximum capacity until he falls unconscious.

I just need to hold on until then.

Yi Qiang flew around the forest, dodging balls of fire and shards of ice flying at incredible speeds. On multiple occasions, he had to split his attention for an instant, directing it at a newcomer he sensed. However, it seemed Ilien's senses were just as widespread as his own, as a single simple spell usually scared the odd spectator off. What Yi Qiang was truly worried about was the possibility of another of the Four being attracted by the spectacle, or any contestant he couldn't handle easily. But as it was, the marksman had his hands full with staying in the battle.

Thankfully, it appeared the mage couldn't hold on much longer. Ilien's knees were visibly close to buckling, and his clothes had long been stained with the blood that had started to stream down from both nostrils.

The battle ended with a flourish; Ilien, in a final display of his will to win, managed to fire off a last powerful blast of pure force. The all-but-invisible parting blow caught Yi Qiang in the shoulder, sending him through a nearby tree and bringing his recently-regenerated health to the halfway point again.

But the battle was won.