Chapter 548: Talent Harvest [Part 3]
A sudden gust of wind swept through the underground, subtle but chilling.
Northern's instincts flared as something belatedly registered.
The elf was manipulating the air itself, using invisible currents to obscure his movements.
Without hesitation, Northern flung himself to the right, his body reacting instinctively before his mind even caught up.
Stainless slashed outward in a wide arc, black flames erupting from the blade, trailing yellow sparks.
CLANG!
His blade met resistance, a force pushing against him that hadn't been there a second ago. Sparks flew as the cult leader's figure materialized from the swirling wind, wielding a curved blade that shimmered with compressed air.
Northern gritted his teeth, pushing back against the weight, but the elf's strength, enhanced by the wind, was immense.
The elf's lips curled into a twisted smile, eyes gleaming with malice. "Cretin, you won't survive this. Whispering Gale is the wind itself. I am everywhere and nowhere."
Northern felt the pressure mounting, but he smirked back, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "You talk too much."
With a sudden burst of strength, Northern shoved Stainless forward, forcing the elf to jump back.
As he did, the winds around them shifted, carrying faint echoes-whispers of movement that Northern couldn't fully track.
It was as if the elf was everywhere at once, his movements leaving behind afterimages in the wind.
The air grew still for a moment, and then-
FWIP!
Something sliced through the air behind him, silent but deadly.
Northern twisted, but too late-sharp pain ripped through his side as an invisible blade made
of pure wind essence grazed his ribs, the impact knocking him off balance.
Blood sprayed into the air as he stumbled, gasping from the force of the blow.
The cult leader appeared once more, a few feet away, his blade of swirling wind still held in a tight grip.
His eyes glowed with satisfaction, the twisted grin etched even deeper on his face.
"You can't stop it, boy. You'll never know where the next strike will come from. Whispering Gale keeps me hidden. You can't escape what you can't sense."
'What? How?... Void force was not activated?' Northern's eyes widened. He still couldn't make perfect sense of what was happening.
Even though he knew the elf was using wind to play some tricks, there was still nothing he could do about it.
Of course, he had a handful of talents that would instantly neutralize the situation or turn the tables with a single move, but where was the fun in that?
Northern subtly grinned.
'Alright, I'm enjoying this...'
Pain radiated through his body like fire, but still he stood tall, meeting the elf's gaze.
His mind worked quickly, processing every attack, every movement. There had to be a way to counter it.
He began to observe every disposition of the elf and replay all his past actions with his eyes. Then it clicked.
'It's not just wind... he's creating pockets of air pressure, displacing the flow so I can't sense him until it's too late.'
Northern wiped the blood from his grinning mouth, straightening as much as his battered body would allow.
"Clever," he muttered under his breath. He winced as he tightened his grip on Stainless. "But I've dealt with worse."
Without warning, he slammed Stainless into the ground, sending a shockwave of black fire across the floor. The flames surged in every direction, consuming the air and leaving no room for the elf to hide.
The cult leader's eyes flickered with uncertainty for a split second as the flames roared toward him, but he didn't falter.
The winds howled around him, carrying his form up and away, vanishing into the air like a breeze.
Northern's eyes narrowed. 'So he's using the wind not just to hide, but to phase out of reach...'
The elf's voice echoed through the underground, carried on the wind.
"Do you understand now? The wind obeys me, and you'll never be able to catch me."
Suddenly, Northern felt it—a shift in the air pressure directly behind him.
His eyes widened as a gust of wind materialized into the elf's blade, inches from his neck.
But this time, Northern was ready.
At the last second, he twisted, wrenching his body with all his might.
Blood sprayed from his shoulder as he dislocated his arm in the process, but it was enough— he narrowly dodged the lethal strike.
The elf's blade missed by mere inches, biting into the ground with a thunderous crack.
'Too close...' Northern thought, gritting his teeth against the pain. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to keep moving, to stay one step ahead.
The elf rose slowly, his expression twisted with frustration. His wind-blade shimmered with barely contained power, but his eyes were fixed on Northern's injured form.
"You should have died by now," the elf hissed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "But it doesn't matter. I'll finish this."
Northern took a deep breath, forcing his body to straighten despite the agony. His mind was racing. It was racing with adrenaline, it was racing with excitement.
This was it. This was what he had been looking for, a fight that was technical, a fight that humans should be able to give, something he had to think and be creative about.
The elf paused mid-movement. "Why are you smiling? What is so funny, you cretin?" His face was starkly dark with malice.
Northern understood perfectly well the kind of viciousness that had grown in the heart of the cult leader elf. In fact, seeing his reaction intrigued him.
Despite the elf's anger, his movements and actions were still pretty decent and calculated,
unlike the guy on the airship.
'That one has a nasty personality. I'm sure about that.'
"You still have time to think..." the elf sneered, his voice dripping with contempt as he saw Northern's smirk. "You'll have plenty of time to regret it once I'm done with you."
The wind surged violently, swirling around the elf's form like a living entity, sharpening into invisible blades, ready to tear Northern apart.
He was preparing for another lethal strike-this time, Northern knew the elf wouldn't hold
back.
Northern's grin widened, his mind fully focused, calculating every possible outcome.
He still couldn't sense the elf's movements perfectly, but that didn't matter anymore. Something was happening to his body with each successful attack of the wind. His body was understanding the rhythm of the wind, the pressure changes, and the flow of the elf's attacks.