Bab 27: City of Ravens (13)

I pushed my legs to the limit as I accelerated, the soul image was already enveloping me increasing my speed even further. There were around fifty meters between me and Novakovic half of which covered in less than two seconds.

Watching his movements, fast muttering, and hand gesture told me that a spell was about to come at me!

"WALL OF WAVES!" he shouted as water gathered around him and formed a wall of water in front of him. A wall of water twice my size moved towards me, but with my speed, I wasn't planning to dodge it, instead, I pushed through!

The pressure from the water was enormous, if not for the protection of my soul image it would break a few of my bones. When I landed on the other side, I was prepared to attack, but Novakovic was nowhere in sight.

I turned around while bending my body.

'SHUU!'

A water jet went straight through where my chest was a second ago! If not for the training with Master I would've been hit! Tricks like these are the favorite of my Master, I would make a fool of myself if I got hit by them!

"You dodged it?" Novakovic said with a confused expression. He couldn't understand how I did it. But I knew how he did it. Moving together with the wave to get behind me was a brilliant idea. He had to prepare at least two spells, the wave and something that will protect him while he is in it!

He was good!

With water dripping off my soul image, I took a step forward. Step by step approaching him. At the start of the fight I wanted to catch him with my speed, but now I had to readjust my strategy. First, I need to get closer to him. In this fight, I don't want to use the black fathers as they would reveal the symbols on my arm.

As I walked Novakovic was mumbling his spell, and water slowly rose and dispersed into a fine mist. "Mist of Solitude." He said as the mist became thicker hiding his figure from my sight.

The arena became silent, and with my vision reaching only a few meters, there was no point in walking. I stopped and waited.

'SHUU!'

I heard another water jet approaching me, with minimal movement I dodged it and rushed to the direction it came from. In the mist, I saw a figure of Novakovic and with not much though I attacked. My fist with tremendous speed nerd him and went through his chest.

The slightly thicker mist around him dispersed and a figure made of water collapsed.

'SHUU!'

From a different direction another water jet came at me, but this time I didn't rush towards it. Novakovic had a way to determine my location in the mist, I don't believe that he can see in the mist, so I need to confirm it.

Mist, Water clone, and a water jet. This seemed like a variation of a tactic that is very popular with the water element arcane artists.

I broke a piece of the floor and threw the rock in the direction that the water jet came from. The sound of water splashing and a water jet traveling soon resound from that direction. Now I was sure. It was Thousand Clones Hidden in the Mist!

A very effective tactic that will exhaust the opponent while it lets you to constantly attacking from a distance! Unlike the real thing, the one created by Novakovic had very few clones, and the mist wasn't thick everywhere but only around the clones.

If I were a monster, I would continue chasing after the water jets, and soon I would exhaust myself under the barrage of constant attacks. But none is that stupid. By now Novakovic should also realize that I knew what he is doing. I gathered more stones from the broken floor and started walking in circles. I stopped my soul image to hide more in the mist and walked silently to prevent him from hearing my location.

I looked for spots where the mist was thicker and for each that is spotted I threw a stone. Most of them I missed but some, some hit the water clones, and the sound of the water jet could be heard.

We were in a deadlock neither of knew the opponent's location and neither…

The mist suddenly thinned out, and a shout sounded out. "OCEAN WHIRLWIND!"

A big one! With my soul image manifested I prepared myself for the hit. Ocean Whirlwind is an omnidirectional attack with high power and huge elemental essence consumption.

I waited, but there was no sign of an attack coming.

"There you are!"

From the right, Novakovic's figure emerged with water blades surrounding him. With a wave of his hand, the blades were sent towards me.

I started dodging, the first one went by me, but the rest was not that easy. The blades slashed at my soul image, and with every time cracks appeared. I pumped more soul essence outside to repair the cracking soul image while trying to get away from the water blades.

The high-pressure blades he was now shooting at me were ten times more dangerous than the water jets. If not for my soul image I would've been but to pieces!

Just when my soul image was about to break, I found a gap and got out of the stream of water blades. I run while the water blades kept trying to hit me, Novakovic was still summoning more so now I had to stop him from doing so.

With a step, I broke the floor, pulled up the large tile and used it like a shield. Water blades immediately started their assault, and cracks appeared on the stone! I gathered a few rocks and dashed out while throwing them at Novakovic!

"YOU! CAN YOU STOP?!" Novakovic shouted when he got hit in the head. The water blades stopped and collapsed, and I rushed in the direction of Novakovic! "As if I let you get close to me! WALL OF WAVES!"

With the emergence of the wave I ran through it like before, but this time took a quick turn and run behind the wave, waiting for it to dissipate. Inside of it, I saw Novakovic looking at me with an angry expression. Blood from his forehead was dripping into the water and staining the surrounding red.

The wave disappeared, and Novakovic was left defenseless. I punched towards him while adjusting my strength to knock him down.

"Blood Shield!"

Before my Punch connected, Novakovic used another spell, the blood from his forehead rushed out and formed a small screen in front of him. My fist connected with the blood screen, and like a piece of fabric it wrapped around my fist, not letting it move an inch closer.

Before I could punch with the other hand, Novakovic withdrew while panting heavily. The spell he just used was still holding my fist in place, but he was not much better. He lost a bunch of blood to create the shield and most likely even more Elemental essence to use something that wasn't pure water.

"You really are determined… are orders from Nate McDade that important?" I asked, the blood was slowly dripping from my fist while its binding force was slowly subduing.

"A little bit of blood is not a big sacrifice." His face was ghastly and breathing heavy. The spell he just cast took a toll on him, and now he was recovering. "I don't know how you got in his sights, but Nate is like a kid with a gun and a briefcase full of money."

"How much? Or does he have something on you?"

"Like I said, a briefcase full of money." He said while he unbuckled his belt. Entirely made from metal with sections that looked like small razors, he threw it on the ground, and it fell apart. Each section turned into five thin razors, it looked like there was at least 200 of them on the ground.

"I see."

"We shouldn't make it any longer. With the power of the ocean and rage of storms, I summon the torrents of rivers, whirlwinds of the lakes and floods of the seas! With my power, I order you to take form and listen to my command as the ruler of Seven Seas! Come forth, Undine!"