"At this rate, we'll run out of mana." Ross pointed out as he managed to regain control over his body. "And this creature seems fed up with the fight."
"Can you blame the creature?" Alex chuckled. "Your armour and weapons are a cheat. Its attacks aren't doing any damage. Of course, it would be frustrating."
Once Julia recovered from her own blow, she swiftly approached the group, turning to face the creature that was now just glaring at them from a distance.
"This is getting nowhere." The Knight princess said, turning to look at Alex. "It's clear we can only match it in speed, but not in attack power. The level difference is not helping at all."
Had their abilities been stronger, they could have inflicted greater degrees of damage that would take longer to heal, and not just small scratches and brushes that regenerated almost instantly.
Even after taking on their manastorm state, utilizing 100% of their mana, it was still not enough of a threat for the void creature.
"I already gave you all the clues you need." Alex shrugged. "It's up to you to find out what that means and how they can be used to your advantage. Look within."
"..."
Ross and Julia looked at Alex with serious expressions, mulling over his words. They agreed with his take and also desired to do this on their own.
The redhead raised his weapon and stared at it quietly, the words still echoing in his ears.
'Look within…' He mused silently. 'The clue was the spiral and how it devours the surrounding energy. The question is: how do I devour the surrounding mana in a similar way?'
Alex smiled as he looked at his friend. He was always fast to catch on to hints when the experience was not enough. Julia was the same but her motivation was a little different.
'The ice mana is yours to control.' Alex sent directly into Julia's head. 'Inside your body, you are the master. Make it bend to your will and I will show you something good…'
Julia smiled foolishly hearing Alex's words. Fortuantely for the two, Ross was lost in though. A few seconds later, Ross and Julia turned their focus on the void creature.
The creature noticed the shift around the two annoying prey and knew they'd be attacking once more. If it wasn't for the fact that it couldn't do any damage to them, it would have continued attacking until they were shredded and devoured.
"You ready?"
Ross asked Julia, his eyes spitting blue flames like will-o'wisps. Mana flared around his body in a continuous fiery stream that subtly caused the surrounding space to quiver.
"Yep."
Julia nodded, her figure just as impressive. The fire in her eyes gleamed for an entirely different reason — still, she was fired up for the next round.
The two hunters disappeared in a flash, leaving a fiery and icy trail wherever they passed. Within seconds, they closed in on the void creature. The creature let out a menacing snarl and replied in kind.
BOOM…!
Swords and claws clashed in a mana explosion that blew everyone backwards, Ross and Julia more so than the creature.
However, the two hunters didn't let up and dived back into the fight without hesitation. Ross took first point as he clashed with the creature and would be followed by Julia a split second later.
Their teamwork was almost flawless, seamlessly connecting flaming strikes with ice in an ever-changing exchange of attacks.
With every collision of swords and claws, energy was dispelled for millions of kilometres, leaving the resulting space chaotic. The three combatants soon fell into a rhythm where the hunters attacked and the creature beat them back.
During the intense and space-trembling collisions among the three combatants, Julia noticed something in a rare moment of clarity that felt like time had slowed down.
'Look within…' She heard Alex's voice once more. 'You are the master of your energies, direct it how you see fit…'
The Knight princess noticed how one of Ross' lunges began with the weapon being spun around to generate momentum for the lunge. It was a move she had seen countless times.
However, at this moment, she noticed the way the surrounding energy moved with the flow of the weapon's manoeuvre. This was the remnant energy on the sword moving the surrounding energy.
'Look within…' The words repeated.
'If a physical weapon can do this to the surrounding energy, why not an awakened?' Julia asked herself while she closed in for another strike. 'We take in mana and this is stored in our manitoria. We can draw mana from this storage cell and direct it where we want.
'However, these storage organelles are at their limit and can't store more energy.' Her lunge was swatted by the creature while she was blown back once more. 'But vortexes don't have the same issue… I need to look within the manitoria!'
The answer hit her like lightning, the glint in her eyes flickering for the briesfest of moments. That shift was not missed by Ross nor the void creature.
'So she found a way, huh?' Ross smiled slightly as he continued to unleash one strike after the other. His gaze would shift towards Julia and observe the behaviour of the energy around her figure. 'She's influencing her surrounding energy with her movements.'
'Look within…'
Ross heard Alex's voice resound in his head.
'I see…' The redhead found the answer. 'I have absolute control over the mana within my body. I can draw on it and use it however I see fit.'
For so long, they had relied on the manitoria to store and regulate their mana without intervention. All they had to do was draw on its energy and direct it where needed.
'Instead of leaving everything to the manitoria, what if I control it myself…?' Ross grinned as the realization struck. 'Let's see how this goes…'
With a sliver of their consciousness, Ross and Julia delved into their manitoria, exerting their intent to condense the rapidly burning magical energy.
Meanwhile, the battle against the void creature raged on, pushing both Ross and Julia back. Yet, their relentless attacks and close coordination forced the creature to rely solely on physical strikes—none of which were making a real impact.
Then, without warning, the energy fueling their manastorm state plummeted. Their fighting power dipped sharply, and the void creature seized the opening.
In a blur, it appeared before Julia and struck her armoured head with crushing force, snapping it backwards. Before she could recover, the creature grabbed her left leg, swung her around, and hurled her straight into Ross.
Without hesitation, it condensed another beaming strike and launched it at the two hunters.
BOOM…!