Chapter 359: Battle Continues

In an instant, he crossed the distance between himself and Aelyssa, his blood blade reforming in his hand as he swung it toward her neck.

CLANG!!

A golden barrier appeared before Aelyssa just in time to intercept the strike.

The collision sent a shock wave through the sky.

Vorthane’s eyes gleamed. "You’re getting faster, too."

Aelyssa’s expression remained cold.

"You’re still as talkative as ever."

She twisted her wand.

The wind around them suddenly changed direction.

A powerful vortex formed around Vorthane, trapping him in a spiraling current of air while golden chains of light emerged from the magic circles overhead.

They shot toward him from every direction.

Vorthane’s smile widened.

"Now, that’s more like it!"

His blood-red wings beat violently.

A torrent of blood mana erupted from his body, tearing through the surrounding vortex. The golden chains shattered one after another as he spun his blade, releasing a crescent-shaped wave of blood energy.

The attack ripped through the air toward Aelyssa.

She raised her wand.

A brilliant sphere of light appeared before her, surrounded by spiraling currents of wind.

BOOOOM!!

The blood crescent collided with the sphere, unleashing an explosion that illuminated the entire horizon.

The shock wave swept across the landscape, flattening trees and carving deep scars into the earth below.

Far away, the burning World Tree continued to illuminate the night.

Neither combatant had time to look back.

Aelyssa’s expression was grim as she stared at Vorthane through the dissipating smoke.

She could feel it.

The battle was becoming increasingly dangerous.

And despite unleashing enough power to devastate an entire region, neither of them had gained a decisive advantage.

Vorthane floated before her, his blood-red wings spread wide and his crimson eyes shining with excitement.

"Come on, Aelyssa. Is that all you’ve got?"

The queen tightened her grip on her wand.

Golden light surged around her once more.

"If you want to see my full strength so badly..."

Her emerald eyes blazed.

"Then don’t complain when you regret it."

The hundreds of magic circles above them began to rotate.

At the same time, Vorthane’s wings expanded, and the blood mana surrounding him grew denser and more oppressive.

For a brief moment, the entire sky seemed to fall silent.

Then both of them moved.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The heavens shook as two beings standing at the pinnacle of their strength clashed once more, unleashing a battle whose consequences would soon reach far beyond the distant wilderness.

---

Slash!

A streak of red blood scattered through the air.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the blood of the Blood Elf woman.

It was Noah’s.

Several blood spears had narrowly missed him, but their sharp edges had still managed to tear through the skin of his upper arms and forearms.

"Crazy bitch!"

Noah cursed as he maneuvered his ice sword through the sky, trying to evade the relentless barrage.

His wounds burned with every movement. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain as he focused on escaping the terrifying woman chasing him.

"Hahahaha!"

Her laughter echoed through the night sky.

Rather than continuing to flee, Noah suddenly changed direction.

His ice sword tilted sharply as he turned around and flew straight toward her.

’This crazy bitch! Let’s see how you like this!’

The woman’s crimson eyes gleamed with amusement as she watched him approach.

"Oh my! Coming straight at me now? You’re quite brave, young man."

She licked her lips, her husky voice dripping with seductive amusement.

"Come here. I want to sink my teeth into that smooth, fair neck of yours."

A chill ran down Noah’s spine. ’Why does every word out of her mouth have to sound so damn creepy?’

Nevertheless, he didn’t slow down.

Instead, he shifted his grip on the sword and assumed a stance for a horizontal slash. A thin layer of ice had already spread across the blade, its surface shimmering faintly beneath the moonlight.

The moment he entered striking range, Noah swung.

[Second Petal — Still Surface Cut]

A thin, transparent wave of freezing pressure burst from the blade.

It swept wide and horizontally through the sky, its nearly invisible edge cutting through the air toward the Blood Elf.

Her expression changed slightly as she recognized the incoming attack.

Without hesitation, she swung her arm.

A crimson slash erupted from her fingertips and shot toward Noah’s attack.

CLAAAAANG!!

The two strikes collided in midair.

A violent shock wave spread across the sky, scattering the surrounding mana and sending ripples through the clouds.

But Noah didn’t stop there.

Before the shock wave had even dissipated, he swung his sword again, sending another slash toward his opponent.

The Blood Elf raised an eyebrow.

"You’re actually attacking me? What a foolish little—"

She suddenly shot forward, her figure transforming into a crimson blur as she closed the distance between them.

Yet Noah didn’t flinch.

He continued guiding his sword through the air, watching her approach with a determined expression.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though he intended to fight her head-on.

WHOOSH!

His ice sword suddenly tilted downward.

Instead of meeting her charge, Noah abruptly changed his trajectory and accelerated toward the distant World Tree.

The Blood Elf’s smile froze for an instant.

"...Huh?"

By the time she realized what he was doing, Noah had already gained considerable distance.

"You little rat!"

Her expression twisted into a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Hahaha! You dare to trick me?"

She raised her hand, and countless crimson spears materialized around her.

With a flick of her wrist, they shot after Noah like a swarm of blood-red arrows.

At the same time, her enormous magical wings spread behind her, and she pursued him at terrifying speed.

Noah glanced over his shoulder.

Dozens of blood spears were closing in on him, their sharp tips gleaming beneath the moonlight.

And the woman herself wasn’t far behind them.

"Tsk! Why can’t you just leave me alone?!"

He leaned forward, pouring more mana into his ice sword.

The enormous blade accelerated, carrying him through the night sky toward the burning World Tree.

The flames were now clearly visible in the distance. They engulfed the tree’s upper branches, casting a sinister glow across the surrounding landscape.

’I need to get close to Tree and get down... Elf mages might be there.’