Zeke shot forward like an arrow. He could not afford to let go of the slightest advantage if he wanted to last even a moment longer. Therefore, he tried to catch his opponents off guard with his sudden attack.
It worked — somewhat.
The three mages were surprised, but that could only take him so far. As veterans of the Rings, they were used to fighting opponents physically superior to them. After their initial shock wore off, they immediately snapped into action, and he could already feel the Mana gathering around them.
With his depleted Core, Zeke had no delusions of being able to rely on his Magic in this fight. Even Akasha was silent. She was likely aware that using anything more than the minimum amount of Mana would do more harm than good. The only thing he could do right now was use his engraved spells — to a limited degree. However, that was better than nothing.
His [Perfect Spatial Awareness] gave him a good idea of what he could expect from his opponents. Jaihar was a Fire Mage, and from the looks of it, he was casting an offensive spell. His two guards were Lightning and Water Mages, respectively. It was a deadly combination if used correctly. Fortunately for him, that didn't seem to be something he had to worry about.
The arena culture of Korrovan focused on individual combat instead of group fights, and it showed. Instead of using any coordination, each of the three seemed to prepare their own, independent attack.
The best strategy would have been for two Mages to restrict his movement while the third one attacked. However, all of them ended up casting purely offensive spells. The Lightning Mage was preparing a bolt, and the Water Mage a torrent. Instead of creating synergy, they got in each other's way.
Nonetheless, three spells of that level weren't something Zeke could survive with his body alone. A direct hit from any of them might even be enough to take him out of the fight. Fortunately, he had never intended to take the hits.
Pivoting on his foot, Zeke changed course the very moment he felt the spells form. He dove headfirst behind a boulder. This had been his plan from the start.
SHHHHH!
The angry sizzling and splashing from somewhere behind him let him know that the three spells had impacted the wall. However, the noise was quickly drowned out by the sounds of explosions from nearby. Zeke risked a short glance.
At the end of the hall, Vulcano's eyes were blazing like suns as he shot streams of lava toward his opponent. He was going all out from the get-go — holding nothing back. His opponent could do nothing but scramble for safety in the face of this overwhelming offensive. The big guy was determined not to go down without a fight.
Gravitas was even more extreme. She was surrounded by what could only be described as a tornado of gravel. The rocky terrain gave her more than enough ammunition. She was peppering the entire landscape with a hailstorm of earthen projectiles while screaming like a banshee. It was such a brutal onslaught that the fight might have ended instantly if her opponent didn't have the ability to turn incorporeal.
Taking in the entire battlefield, Zeke understood what she had meant. The fighters Jaihar had brought were perfect counters to their abilities. Her opponent, in particular, seemed to have qualities similar to the shadow Elementals. It was clear that he could not rely on either of the two in the short term.
However, staying behind cover wasn't an option either. If Zeke decided to hide, his opponents would quickly join one of the other battles — and that was something he could not allow. After all, his only real path to victory was to endure until either Gravitas or Vulcanos won their fight.
Without wasting any more time, Zeke emerged from his cover. He had chosen the very moment his three opponents were momentarily distracted. However, their reflexes weren't those of ordinary humans either. The moment he emerged, a trio of spells shot out in his direction.
Zeke dipped back behind the boulder. After the spells passed overhead, he quickly dashed to the next cover. This kind of feint would probably not work for a second time, but he had managed to pressure them by closing the gap. They would not dare take their attention away from him.
"Where is your smile now, coward?" Jaihar taunted.
Zeke didn't reply. He had no breath to spare, and even if he did, there was nothing to be gained by trading insults.
Jaihar clearly wasn't content to remain passive. Even before he had spoken, he had signaled his guards to flank Zeke's position on either side. At this very moment, he could sense their presence circling his cover. He was moments away from being in their line of sight. He would have to move soon. The question was, where should he go?
Out of time, Zeke decided to go with his gut. Running away was no longer an option, so he would attack. He remained low to the ground as he kicked off. He saw the surprise in his opponent's eyes as he closed in. He had chosen to go for the Lightning Mage. The surprise quickly turned to mockery as the guard pointed his index finger at Zeke.
[Lightning Bolt]
Lightning was second only to Light Magic when it came to speed. There was no chance to dodge. Nonetheless, Zeke's eyes were calm. He gritted his teeth and stayed his course. In the next moment, the spell impacted against his chest. It felt like his insides were burning as the current passed through his body.
However, the worst thing about lightning wasn't the pain or even the damage it did. No, the worst thing was the fact that it robbed you of any control. Thankfully, Zeke had learned how to deal with this kind of Magic when fighting the Thunderclaw.
The very moment his muscles started to contract, Zeke overwrote that command using his [Perfect Body Control]. He had been so well prepared that he didn't even break stride. One more step saw him enter the Lightning Mage's melee range. The man's face displayed fear for the first time.
Zeke smiled ferociously. This would likely be his only chance to get close to any of his three opponents, so he had to make it count. His attacks weren't those of a human but of a wild beast. He didn't care if he bit, scratched, or tore; all he cared about was inflicting as much damage as possible.
But he did not have more than a moment before a spell impacted his side. Zeke blanked out. When he came to his senses, he was airborne, and his clothes were drenched. He had been lucky that the Water Mage had not dared to use his full power this close to an ally.
Even so, his right arm was broken, sticking out at a weird angle. And that wasn't even the worst of it. From the corner of his eye, Zeke saw a glowing sphere closing in rapidly. Without any leverage, he had no chance even to attempt a dodge. He powerlessly shifted his broken limb to take the brunt of the attack, but he knew that it wouldn't make a difference.
BOOOOM!
The impact was so violent that his body changed course midair, but Zeke didn't even notice. Neither did he feel how he bounced off the stone floor multiple times and came to a halt only after hitting a distant wall.
No, Zeke didn't feel any of that. After all, his body had long since gone into shock. All he felt was the darkness closing in, and his head was growing light. His back was against a wall, allowing him to stay upright. He glanced down at his body to confirm what he already knew to be true.
His right arm was gone, and only a burnt stump remained beneath his shoulder. His ribs weren't much better off, with many of them broken. Zeke knew that the only reason he had not suffered even more burns was because his clothes had still been drenched. Even so, his mind remained clear, and his heart still beat vigorously. Much good that would do him now.
Zeke looked up when he heard the sound of footfalls nearby. His three opponents had stopped a good distance away from him. Clearly, they were wary. Well, two of them were; the last one looked furious instead.
The Lightning Mage had not come out unscathed. One of his arms was broken, and he had scratches all over his body. However, the worst of his injury was the piece of flesh that was missing from beneath his right eye. It looked like a wild animal had attacked his face.
Zeke made deliberate eye contact with the man before spitting out the missing piece of flesh. He could still taste the metallic sharpness on his tongue. It was disgusting. Nevertheless, Zeke curled his lips upward, showing a blood-smeared grin. This small act of rebellion was all he could do at this point.
"Let me do it, young master," the Lightning Mage pleaded through gritted teeth.
Jaihar glanced to the side, taking in the state of the battlefield. Zeke couldn't see what was happening, but from how the young man slightly paled, he could infer that the others were doing much better than him.
"Be quick about it," he said. "My father is going to kill me if I lose one of them."
The Lightning Mage grinned. "Don't worry, young master. This is only going to take a moment." He then approached Zeke and whispered. "…A very long, painful moment."
Zeke could see the sparks of blueish-white light gathering at the man's fingertips, and his heartbeat sped up. Now, all thoughts of survival were gone, and his mind began to wander.
Would he be able to survive long enough to give either Gravitas or Vulcanos the satisfaction of victory?
How would his family react when they learned of his death? Would Maya be able to get over it with time? What would the empire do? Would they let them off? Zeke doubted it, but it was a comforting thought.
The finger kept closing in, and Zeke saw the first lightning sparks reaching his chest. However, he felt no pain. Neither did his body spasm. Should he try to fight back? Could he? Earlier, he had understood how durable the body of a Grand Mage was. He had thought that he could surely do some damage with his strength. However, he had been naive to think so.
Zeke felt nothing, even when the finger was pressed against his chest. Strange. Had his body been in such a poor state? He could only hear the deafening noise of a nearby drum.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
He should have eaten something. He was ravenous. Now, he regretted spitting out that piece of flesh earlier. That would have made for a nice snack. Maybe, just maybe, he should take another bite.
Zeke glanced at the still-bleeding face of the Lightning Mage, who was touching his chest with a single finger. He didn't know why, but wasn't the expression on the man's face even more horrified than earlier? For some reason, Zeke enjoyed that immensely. Wasn't that how all those lowly fleshbags were supposed to look at him?
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
Seriously, where did this noise come from?
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
Zeke saw the Lightning Mage try to retract his hand, his face stricken with panic. Where did this worthless fleshbag think he was going? Did he think he could run away?
Before the man could create any distance, Zeke's one remaining arm shot out. He caught the man's wrist and effortlessly held him. Zeke slowly got up while holding on to the terrified Mage. A moment later, they stood face to face.
Zeke's bloody grin was still in place, but it was far more terrifying now. His teeth seemed to have grown sharper, and his pupils had elongated. It was fair to say that this was not the smile of a human. Without a word, Zeke raised one of his legs to kick…
Jaihar and the remaining guard were alerted by something sailing past. It only took them a moment to recognize it as the broken body of their former companion. Both spun, only to find Zeke standing upright. The color drained from their faces when they noticed what he was holding. He was chewing away at a severed arm, biting cleanly through flesh and bone.
"Delicious."