Conqueror

"Argh damn it. Listening to each and everyone of you as followers of Ouroboros will make my head explode." These cult followers of Ouroboros are insanely powerful. But we have yet to meet nor see anything about this person. Or monster.

"Your. Friend. Zieglind. Is. Unconscious. Isn't. He? Bring. Him. Here. And. Get. The. Book. From. His. Inventory."

"No can do." If I bring him here, this manticore will just kill him.

"Then... are you sure you want to face me?" His killing intent spread throughout the entire area. It was a hot fuming rage. The winds it generated were nearly knocking me away but I stood my ground.

Acting like I'm not bothered by it. If I show fear, he'll just kill me with ease. "Supress Aura." His killing intent disappeared. This skill is a buff that supresses one's aura so that they can stay hidden. But to think that I'll use this on an enemy so that I won't have to feel that nasty aura again... How did you fight this monster... Zieglind!?

"LEAVE! Get. Out. Of. My. Way. I. Don't. Want. Unnecessary. Deaths. I. Only. Need. That. Book."

I need to take advantage of this situation while he doesn't want to fight. The Scorching Flames, Ray of Chaos. This is the same spell that I used to battle the person that killed my master two years ago, Grytua. I just need to distract him more. "What do you want to do with that book anyway?"

"Resurrect. Myself."

"What-?"

"I. Absolutely. Hate. This. Manticore. Form. You. May. Not. See. It. Since. You're. Not. A. Player. But. I. Am. One."

"Aren't players brought here as humans?"

"You're. Right. But. There. Are. Those. Who. Seek. Strength. That's. Why. They. Change. Races. But. For. Me. I. Was. Simply. Cursed. I. Thought. I. Was. About. To. Gain. Absolute. Strength. But. Those. Damned. Cultists. They. Used. Me. As. A. Lab. Rat. To. Find. The. Ideal. And. The. Most. Perfect. Being. That's. Why. I. Became. This. A. Manticore. I. Once. Had. My. Face. The. Only. Thing. Reminding. Me. Of. My. Humanity. But. As. Hundreds. Of. Years. Pass. It. Completely. Disappeared. The. Remaining. Bit. Of. My Humanity. That's. Why. I'll. Be. Killing. Myself. And. Resurrecting. As. A. Human. That's. The. Only. Way. I. Can. Find. Peace. That's. Why. I'm. Ordering. You. LEAVE. I'll. Get. My. Book. And. I'll. Leave. All. Of. You."

"I have to decline about that."

"Is. That. So. Then. That. Means. You. Won't. Be. Needing. That. Skill. Then?"

"What?"

"Casting Cancel."

The giant rift that I created in the sky broke like mirrors and the eye disappeared with it. The whole sky returned back to normal. "You cancelled my skill?"

"How. Laughable. Using. A. Fire. Skill. Against. Me."

"Tsk." I just have to fight him. "Dragon Lightning!"

"Flame. Phoenix!" Two of our summoned beasts clashed and cancelled out each other in a big explosion.

"Meteor Shower!" I summoned twenty rocks at the sky and began to fall down.

"BEAST'S. ROAR!!!" The manticore roared loudly and destroye all of my meteors by that single attack.

"Summon, Lightning Lamp!" I then threw the lamp at the manticore. "Combination Magic, Flame and Wind!" These two elements were then imbued in my staff forming a flaming but windy staff. I pointed the staff at the lightning lamp and the fire and wind that I imbued my staff with came flying and destroyed the lightning lamp.

"Hmm..." The lamp exploded and surrounded his whole body with a flaming lightning net while the wind is pressuring him from standing up. He can't move with this range.

I raised my wand. "HOLY SMITE!" The clouds parted for my skill. A giant white light appeared from above and illuminated everything. I slammed my staff on the ground and the giant light followed through by falling down like a beacon of light shooting at the manticore. I need to be cautious so I'll pretend that the fight still isn't over. "Paladin's Hammer of Light!" Two gigantic hammers summoned behind me. I launched the both of it at the manticore and smashed it at him.

"Is. That. All. You've. Got?"

"So you're still alive. After all that?"

"You're. Slightly. Weaker. Than. Your. Friend. But. You're. Still. Dangerous. I'll. End. This. Now. Hellfire's. Mantra!"

The entire place we were standing on suddenly lit up in flames then disappeared. Was it a weak illusion that I managed to overpower unknowingly? Or is it a trap? I honestly don't know. I just need to focus on the fight. "Hail of Icicl-" Pillars of flame suddenly enveloped my body. "ARGHHHHH!!!" This unbearable pain is unimaginable. I flew higher and higher until I reach the sky. "ARGHH!!!" This is way too painful for a simple flame. "Freeze!" I encased myself in ice and I forgot that this was the worst option I could go. I already burnt parts of my body so this will cost me a frostbite. "ARGHHHH!!!" This just made the pain worse. "Dispel!"

"A. Little. Flicker. Of. Flame. Yet. Here. You. Are. Screaming. In. Pain. Your. Friend. Didn't. Even. Flinch. As. He. Was. Being. Burned. Though. The. Other. One. Screamed. Like. You."

"Haa... haa... haa..." I was panting as I tried to bear with this indescribable pain. So that Hellfire's Mantle that he casted earlier. So if I took a move it will automatically activate? I didn't even think of that.

"Flame. Wall!" The entire location around us was barricaded in a flaming wall that shot up to the sky.

"Frozen Field!" I casted but it all melted pretty quickly. 

"Useless."

"Frozen Breath! Wind Dispersion!" Two spells I simultaneously casted so the area around us will feel more cold. And less damaging to me.

"Well. Then. It's. Time. To. End. This." The manticore flew up to the sky to meet me at face level. "Flaming. Tornado."

"ARGH- URK-" He summoned two tornado of flames that are swirling around the whole place. But the flames are too intense to the point that he's burning off the remaining oxygen in the atmosphere which makes it harder for me to breathe normally. "In.. ventory." I pulled out a Marestone and ate it. This can only last for so long. But I can breathe with this. "Message, Feran. Are you there yet?"

"Not yet! Neco is still unconscious and the healing is taking way too long. Helga is running out of mana too, we might not be able to heal Neco!" I heard Feran over the line.

"Just heal Neco like a first aid or something. Then heal Zieglind with the remaining mana! I'll hold this manticore back. Dispel!" I disconnected the message on both sides.

"I'll. Find. Him. And. I'll. Obtain. What's. Mine. You. Enter. My. Abode. And. Steal. What. Is. Precious. To. Me." The manticore menacingly talked.

"I told you we don't have it. Just give up and let us go. You won't be getting anything out of this."

"You. Expect. Me. Not. To. Fight. Back? How. Laughable. Then. Prepare. I'll. Just. Kill. You. All."

"Hail of Icicles!" A sky formed in the sky and hundreds of icicles came falling down but they all melted before they could even reach the manticore.

"Meteorite. Shower!" The manticore casted and the amount of meteor he dropped were far greater in numbers than mine.

"Barrier!" I shielded and braced myself as the meteor came falling down. But their firepower was enough to form a crack and melt my barrier. "Phase Shift!" I got out of my barrier by phasing through it.

"HELLFIRE. BLAST!" The manticore suddenly fired up a laser of flame.

That skill was far too concentrated in mana. I felt like I'd die if I get hit by that. I felt like time slowed down at that time. Is this what people see when they're about to die? I can't dodge this since it's coming at me incredibly fast.

"My, my." Someone suddenly spoke. "It seems that you're in a pinch. Maybe. I'll help."

"...Yurid?" She came out of my soul of her own volition.

"Mana Compression." The ray that the manticore casted suddenly got smaller and smaller. Cracks appeared on Yurid's hands but it seems that she can't feel anything. She continued to compress it until it was just a pebble then into nothingness. 

"You. Compressed. My. Hellfire. Blast? Who... are. you?" The manticore was amazed but not fazed. He still has a calm aura around him.

"You needn't to know."

"How. Arrogant. Homing Flame Wisps!" The manticore summoned hundreds of fire wisps and they all launched at Yurid like a bullet.

"Annoying. Core Freeze." All the fire wisps suddenly stopped on their tracks and ice slowly crept up their whole body killing them all in one shot.

"You're. Powerful."

"Hmph. Zeta. Let's go."

"You won't get away!"

"Barrier. Now!" Yurid casted a powerful barrier that managed to stop all of the manticore's attacks.

"Y- yeah." Yurid got back into my soul and I could barely feel her mana inside of me. It seems that she exhausted herself a lot there. "Teleport!"

"I. WILL. FIND. YOU. ALL! AND. TAKE. BACK. WHAT. IS. MI-"

And as I opened my eyes, I'm back at Izgoy.