[Air Ward], [Heat Ward], [Air Weapon], and [Heat Weapon]. If I remember correctly, these were the combination of spells the priestess of the Holy Beast, Stella used. I cast the four spells onto myself, but not before placing [Stone Ward] upon the others with me.

As they are opposing elements, the [Heat Ward] erased the [Frost Ward] applied onto me upon casting. A minor inconvenience at the moment, as there aren't any fires around other than the holy fire, which only burns those with the [Demon] and [Corrupted] attribute.

"Aurelius, what are you doing?"

All of a sudden, a clump of rocks starts talking to me. Oh wait, that's just Toto covered in stone.

"Just a little something I saw a while back. If I remember correctly, it goes like this."

I slam my fists into one another, triggering the effects of [Heat Weapon] and [Air Weapon]. It appears that my fists are considered weapons. Fire and razor sharp winds ignite from my knuckles, cutting and burning into my own flesh.

I clench my teeth, I did not expect it to hurt this much. How the hell did Stella pull this off while having a shit-eating grin on her face?

However, the dominoes are not done falling just yet, as the damages done to my own arms trigger the effects of [Wards]. Now form my own body, fire and razor sharp winds burst forth from my body, dealing damage to the attacker, who is none other than myself. The damages done by the [Wards] in turn trigger themselves, dealing yet more damage to the source of the attack, which is again, me. By doing so, I create a perpetual whirlwind of fire around me. With the winds cutting up the surrounding foliage to shreds and the flames reducing their tiny pieces into ash near instantaneously, the grasses and weeds could not reach us, no matter how rapidly they grow.

This is strong, too strong, this perpetual, self triggering, area-of-effect damage around me. If self-damage is possible in Elysium Online at some point, I'm sure it would be patched out immediately for how utterly broken this trick is. Or, well, I suppose they could just make it so that the [Wards] do not trigger upon self-damage. Personally though, I think the game would be made more interesting if they keep it in, but that's neither here nor there in this current situation.

Strong it may be, there is one down side to it all, and that is it freaking hurts! Being cut and burned at the same time, I didn't think it would hurt this much. But then, just as I am thinking about how much it hurts, a finger of mine flies off, and it is only now do I realize how much trouble I've just put myself in. To think that even with [Greater Protection Boost], I can still sustain this kind of damage.

"[Greater Heal]!'

As I am in shock at losing a finger, a soft light surrounds my body and my finger is instantaneously restored. It's the spell, [Greater Heal], but I thought only Michaela has this spell, and I had her stationed high up in the sky so that enemies attack would not reach her while she cast her ultra wide ranged [Greater Area Heal]. Did she disobey me and came down?

Lifting my head, I quickly realize that it was not Michaela, but the princess. While maintaining the [Mana Wall], she somehow managed to cast a second spell.

"Two at the same time!?"

Hearing my surprise, the princess chuckles.

"I too was once a priestess of the Holy Beast. Handling two spells at once is a piece of cake."

Even while her face is hidden beneath the rocky armor created from [Stone Ward], I can hear her grinning widely underneath from her voice, as if saying that I've underestimated her all these time and only now am I seeing her true capabilities.

"And the new spell?"

"I've requested it from the Holy Beast, and thought I am no longer her priestess nor am I a Champion, she was kind enough to grant me the request."

Looks like the princess has done her share of preparing while I wasn't watching. I suppose I might have been a little unfair to her before, perhaps it's about time I stop treating her like a child.

***

From afar, fires can be seen burning. Some are the azure holy flames while others are crimson red. I surmise the azure flames of the from those that either Merida has freed or has figured a way to free themselves, and the crimson flames to be those from the Sorcerers that have ran out of patience and decided to make use of their limited Mp to break themselves out. Either way, once more, from all directions, our forces begins their attack anew with fire balls and arrows flying towards the [Demonic Tree].

With the renewed assault, the guardians' attention is split once more. Somehow, the princess managed to hold off the guardians' barrage of arrows and spells long enough for our second wind.

Briefly, I turn to check our rear. The flames behind us, the fires we started in order to deny the [Demonic Tree] reinforcements from the surrounding forest, have grown dim. Soon, the bestial [Demons] from the forest will be able to cross the fire and when that happen, it's over for us. With this in mind, I arrive at my decision.

"It's time."

I reach over to my grimoire, the grimore of which has its cover made from the hide of a high level dragon, and pull out a [contract], of which is thankfully immune to damage somehow. It was fortunate, that both items somehow managed to not be damaged by the whirlwind of fire, because of all things, I have forgotten to apply any protection to them. Indeed, it was fortunate.

From the [contract] I call forth Fredericka in all her fluffy eight-legged glory and jump atop her large body.

"Princess, get on!"

"Hold on, this is heavy."

Being covered in stone, the princess required the help of the Knight to help her aboard, but heavy as she is, Fredericka can handle it as amongst my creatures, her strength is unmatched aside from those of the most legendary rarity, and her top tier defenses more than ensure that the storm of fire and razor sharp winds are incapable of even scratching her.

"Now, forward!"

On my command, Fredericka sets forth at full speed, weaving through the grass field with the grace rivaling even the most agile of land creatures, and even while the foliage reaches out to entangle her many legs, they were quickly cut apart and burned by my double-edged whirlwind.

From the direction of the [Demonic Tree], and arrows cuts across the air to reach us, aiming for one of Fredericka's leg, or more specifically, the joints of her legs, the parts of her that are the most vulnerable. However, the arrow would never reach, as it is quickly deflected by my scorching winds. Truly, this is the ultimate defense as well as offense, that being said, the price is too steep. For all its usefulness, it does not change the fact that it hurts like hell, in fact, I'm pretty sure this is what hell feels like, the winds constantly cutting into me feels like I'm being lashed at by the devil himself and the fires feels nothing less like the everlasting inferno. Not to mention that if it hasn't been for the combined healing from the princess and Michaela, I don't think I would last. My mind as well, has already distanced itself from the body, entering an out-of-body-like state, looking down on Aurelius the avatar from the third person. This is the third time it has happened, and I am thankful for it. It is a useful ability, if I can even consider it an ability at all.

Soon, we arrive near the base of the [Demonic Tree]. Naturally, the guardians are there to meet us, with their focus solely upon us and leaving the Tree's defenses to the [Frost Ward]. Clearly to them, we are the biggest threat, and if the fire balls flying at the Tree aren't the ones coming from Toto, the [Frost Ward] would be sufficient and what damage is done can easily be healed by the [Demonic Tree]'s powerful healing magic. On our end, in order for our offensive to be effective, we must first disable the [Frost Ward] with the princess' [Dispel], and to do so, we will have to break past the guardians.

It should be fine, there's nothing to worry about. It's not as if they're Champions. Even I should be able to do something about them if it's one of one, or perhaps even two on one. I am much more powerful than they are. So long as I remain on my toes, I shouldn't lose. It's time to show the fruits of my training with Merida.

With our rapid approach, one guardian steps forward, one of the elves with grayish skin and blood red eyes. When I saw him from afar, he had a bow in his hands, but right now, he's wielding a pair of daggers and running up towards us.

Without giving it much though, as there was no need to, I turn towards my back, and a moment later, there he is, the same elf, his daggers ready to strike. To start off with [Assassination] is a common tactic of those with the Assassin class as it allows the user to instantaneously get close to his or her target and deal a high amount of damage from the get go. However, an experienced player would rarely do such a thing. Why? Because the skill is so convenient and effective that it is the go to for anyone who just picked up the class, and it remains the most effective method to deal damage when battling NPCs. However, in a PVP environment, against another human being, it's a different story.

When we fought within the forests, in our expeditions to reach and destroy the [Demonic Flowers] that feeds the forest the energy it needs to spread, not a single elf was seen actively battling. Any that were seen were fused with the [Demonic Flower], serving as some sort of fuel for the generator that is the Flower. This is why I expected the elves to be inexperienced combatants, at least when it comes to fighting up close.

Lo and behold, my expectations turn out to be true and the elf seems to be extremely surprised that I was able to predict his movements. Still, he did not falter in his swing even as the fire and wind surrounding me is tearing him apart. His daggers come straight for my neck, determined to finish me off even if he himself will be torn asunder, only to be blocked by the princess' stone covered arm.

With his attempt to put an end to me failed, there was nothing he could do but to be burned and cut by my whirlwind of fire. Quickly, he tries to retreat, but he ends up being caught by one of Fredericka's claws which promptly snipped him in twain. One down, four more to go.

From atop Fredericka, I leap towards the guardians, not to engulf them in my whirlwind, though that would be fine in itself, but to have them step out of the way. Seeing my approach, the two elves step aside while the two fairies ascend higher up into the air. With their focus upon avoiding the walking area-of-effect damage that is I, the path towards the [Demonic Tree] opens, and Fredericka, with the princess atop her, swiftly breaks through and climbs along a thick root up toward the trunk, gaining both distance and elevation. Seeing this, the fairies quickly give chase while the elves attempt to deal with my presence.

The fairies hover above the princess and Fredericka, and with a wave of their floral wands, they bombard the two with frost magic, not with icicles or frozen spikes, but simply frost. They are trying the freeze the two, draining heat from their bodies even through their thick armor. Frost was Fredericka's one weakness. Heat she could take, but like because of that, frost is her worst enemy. The princess as well, due to having [Frost Ward] upon her, a protective field that is literally made of frost, she suffers a similar disadvantage with the cold.

Of course, something like elemental disadvantages are easily adjustable, and the princess quickly casts [Heat Ward] upon both Fredericka and herself, swiftly restoring the heat they've lost. What makes it even better is that, from our observation, the fairies would never use fire spells. From what I knew from Elysium Online, the fairies were born to be protectors of the forest, and therefore it is ingrained into them to do nothing that would cause great damage to it, and that of course includes fire. Which is why in Elysium Online, while they are capable of any element, they are incapable of wielding fire. Or at least, they should be.

A ball of fire crashes onto the root Fredericka is travelling upon, creating a great wall of inferno, stopping Fredericka and the princess in their tracks. Seeing the fires from afar, my heart falls sharply. I was hoping that it would not be the case, I was betting on the fact that fairies could not use fire, but in truth, the though came to me more than once, that rather than incapable of wielding fire, they merely chose not to, simple as that. I was hoping that it would not be the case, that fire would be impossible for them, but I suppose that's what happens when you make so many gambles at once, you're bound to get unlucky.

With the abilities to wield all four elements, no matter which [Ward] the princess puts us, the fairies will simply counter it with another spell, and with the risk of mana burns, that is to say, the need of cooldowns, the princess is unable to switch between [Wards] without waiting a good period of time.

Quickly, I try to get to her, with both of us together, we may have a better chance, but at the moment I start moving, a blade of scorching wind cuts into the tendon of one of my legs, causing me to fall over. Meanwhile, the elves are watching me with their bows drawn, waiting for the moment I let down my raging [Wards] before putting an arrow right in between my eyes. At this rate, I'll either die by my own [Wards] or by the arrows of the elves. Either way, death is my only outcome if nothing changes. But of course, if there's anything I've learned, if there's one thing that never remains constant, it's the battlefield. A minute, a second, sometimes that's the time it takes for the tides to shift.

A blade slices through the air, spinning at great speed and flying at a deadly velocity. It's an Assassin's skill, the upgraded version of [Blade Toss], [Sword Suriken]. With a curved flight path, the flying blade cuts the butterfly wings of one of the unsuspecting fairies clean off before cleaving the small frame of the other into two. Both fairies plummet towards the ground, with the one still alive releasing a sharp unintelligible screech.

The fairy's cry called the attention of the elves, and within that split second of negligence, a figure appears suddenly behind one of them while remaining in the blind spot of the other. With a single swift moment, the figure's blade cuts into the throat of the elf before her, flooding his windpipe with his own blood and making it so that he could barely make a bloody gurgle before he falls to the ground.

The sound of his ally hitting the ground alerted the remaining elf, but he is too late as the figure had already circled around him. In the same manner as the one before, the figure dispatches the elf before letting his lifeless body hit the earth.

With the elves gone, I cast [Stone Ward] and [Frost Ward] on myself. As opposing elements cancel each other out, I am able to dispel the raging [Wards] I applied onto myself without the need for [Dispel]. Once the [Wards] are gone, only then, does my Hp bar starts to rise.

"The battle isn't over yet. It's no time to rest, Aurelius."

The figure, Merida, lends me her hand.

"You took your time."

I smile at her, glad that she's here.

"For the record, I think I'm right on time."

She pulls my arm around her shoulder, supporting me since I can't quite stand on my own just yet, not until Michaela's healing mends my cut tendons.

From the base of the [Demonic Tree], I watch Fredericka climbing up the root of the Tree with the princess atop of her. With no one standing in their way, they now travel swiftly towards the trunk of the Tree. Then, I look towards the forests surrounding the clearing. The fires we have set had been doused. Soon, the reinforcements would be here. If we don't hurry, then-

Before I can finish my thought, another pulse of magic bursts forth from the Tree, and just as I wonder what it could be this time, I see the guardians we have just defeated starting to rise up, their bodies mending themselves.

I know this skill. This is the skill exclusive to the Cleric class and the [Guardian Angel], the highest tier healing magic, [Resurrection].

***

End of Chapter 43