Chapter 18: Chunni Ghost

Two days later, in a makeshift arena just outside the dirt hut.

The ground surrounding the hut had been endlessly marred by earth-based attacks, to the point that hand-to-hand combat had become impossible, lest one end up with a spike through their foot.

Between fights with the bloodthirsty spider monster, Edol and the demonic armor-clad Ghost had cleared out a small arena of flat earth to duel in.

"Ready to die again, Ghosty boy?"

Edol's eyes scanned over his enemy's armor, despite him already having memorized every last gap in the steel plates.

Speaking of steel plates, Edol hadn't forgotten to ask the demon why he wore such ridiculous armor.

"Don't I look awesome?! All the ladies back home drooled over my dreamy face and amazing armor- ah, and don't forget how much kids look up to me! As soon as I start shouting out some cool moves, the little ones begin worshiping me!"

Edol scrunched his nose as his opponent began moving erratically.

"The Black Dragon in my right arm trembles…"

A hollow crimson flame covered the outside of Ghost's armor, and the imposing figure advanced toward Edol.

"My powers are awakening… Rise, Crimso- AHHH! IT BURNS!!! HELP!"

Edol facepalmed as he watched his nemesis jump around in pain.

"Oi, have you never heard of 'Stop, drop, and roll?' And didn't you mention earlier that you can use water magic? Just make some water, idiot!"

"You honestly think I didn't try that? 'Learn water magic' they said, 'It'll be useful!'"

After rolling around on the ground for a few seconds, the fire went out, and Ghost let out a sigh of relief.

"Ever since the Water Goddess Danu made the cleansing spell, it's been the least useful element. You can only use it to manipulate water, not make it, so no one bothers with it anymore."

"Danu… why does that name sound familiar? Eh, never mind. Let's fight!"

A knob rose from the ground in front of Edol, then was promptly kicked towards the incoming demon. The small ball of dirt burst apart mid-air, sending sand-like particles catapulting towards the demon's eyes.

Ghost swept his hand through the dust cloud, congealing it back into a ball and swiping it aside before lunging at his foe. Earthen spears shot forth from the ground at the same time as Ghost's lunge, denying Edol from dodging backward.

Edol jumped vertically, barring his twin earthen daggers to block his charging enemy while simultaneously pumping his mana into the earth 2 meters behind himself, making a small pillar. Thanks to his heavy armor and steel sword, Ghost's build which was originally similar to Edol's gained a lot of mass- his charge wasn't something Edol could stop forcefully.

The weapons collided, and a burst of flame erupted from Ghost's sword, prompting Edol to shift his hands away as he avoided the steaming blade.

The earth beneath Ghost surged, giving him the extra foothold he needed to pressure Edol even further.

Weakened by his loosened grip, the blonde's guard gave out, sending the searing blade towards Edol's chest.

"Shit- AAH!"

In a last-ditch effort to save the fight, Edol shifted his forearm to block the sword, and a hissing noise arose as he pushed against the sword's guard.

Edol flew backward from the impact, barely managing to keep his balance as he landed on the pillar he had created for his retreat.

He glanced down at his arm- it was still there. He had gotten lucky- instead of taking on the blade with his bare flesh, his arm had impacted right on the guard of the sword.

In this manner, he had avoided losing a limb, but the burning hot sword had seared the emblem engraved on the sword into Edol's skin.

'A maple leaf? Why does that demonic-looking sword have that engraved on it?'

Three more earth spikes shot up from the ground, but Edol's elevated perch gave him plenty of time to avoid the attack.

'He should be just about out of mana now… it's an even fight!'

Edol quickly slipped out of his heavy boots, opting to give up the fearsome weapons in favor of higher mobility.

It was a necessary sacrifice- Edol was limited to using short earthen daggers, and his only way of inflicting serious damage was through hitting the small gaps in the joints of Ghost's armor.

A dangerous dance of death began.

Any misstep on Edol's part would mean instant death.

However, Edol had found a solution to this.

Just don't mess up.

Each time Edol took a step, the earth beneath his bare feet move subtly, propelling him forward just slightly faster than he could have managed without the boost.

Edol's newest advancement in earth magic fighting techniques- a movement-focused technique that not only propelled him forward but also ensured maximum grip on the ground with each step.

Ghost's next swing bore down toward Edol, but was quickly dodged with a sidestep.

'An opening!'

Edol lunged forward, preparing to trip his foe and take him down to the ground. Just as he approached the off-balance demon, his instincts screamed that there was danger.

Aborting the attack, Edol rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the short spike that had jutted up right where he at been attacking.

'He was holding back some mana to land a sneak attack on me! Sneaky bastard!'

Seemingly forgetting his actions when he took down the demon for the first time, Edol cursed his enemy.

'But that's definitely the last of his mana. This is my fight now!'

Edol went on the assault, alternating between his newly developed movement buff and trying to trip up his enemy by manipulating the ground beneath Ghost's feet.

If any warrior from Suvia was to witness the battle and hear that Edol had only been practicing with his legacy for only a short time, they would surely faint from shock!

The level of magic control to not only control the ground beneath one's own feet to buff their movement but also to trip up the enemy at the same time, all while in combat should take decades to perfect to this level!

The issue mainly stemmed from the slow rate of mana recovery- even on Suvia, an entire day's worth of rest would only let Ghost regen enough mana to make a large earth spike or two.

It was only thanks to Edol's swirling core and the mana regen with deaths that both Edol and Ghost had improved so much over the past few months.

Seeing a second opportunity, Edol dashed forward, tackling his enemy to the ground. Ghost's sword was flung away, and the two furiously grappled for control over Edol's daggers when a change occurred.

The red summoning circle that had appeared shortly after Ghost's first 'experiment' glowed to life beneath the wrestling duo, and the next instant, both of them disappeared.