Chapter 97: A Desperate Struggle

Neo spat out a mouthful of blood and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the pain running through his body. His legs trembled beneath him, but he forced himself to stand straight and steady his footing as Varkos approached. The dark elf walked toward him without a hint of urgency, his twin blades hanging loosely at his sides. From the look on his face, the fight so far had barely been worth his attention.

"Back on your feet already? Most humans I’ve thrown through walls tend to stay down a little longer than that."

"Guess I’m just stubborn," Neo muttered, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

His body still ached from the earlier blow, but he couldn’t afford to focus on the pain. His eyes remained fixed on Varkos as he quickly ran through his options, searching for even the slightest opening.

Neo knew he couldn’t beat Varkos in a head-on fight. The gap between their ranks was simply too great. The dark elf was faster, stronger, and his presence alone was enough to keep Neo on edge.

’Getting close is too dangerous. I need to keep him away and look for an opening to strike.’

Varkos lunged without warning, his twin blades flashing as he launched another relentless assault. Neo barely managed to dodge the first strike, but the second caught his forearm, slicing through skin and muscle. A sharp burst of pain shot through his arm, forcing him to stumble backward.

He clutched the wound, and frost quickly spread across the torn flesh, sealing it in a thin layer of ice to slow the bleeding.

"That’s one," Varkos remarked casually, already moving in for another attack.

Neo gritted his teeth and dropped low, narrowly slipping beneath a sweeping slash aimed at his neck. Before Varkos could recover, Neo thrust his hand forward and sent a sharp burst of frost into the dark elf’s exposed knee.

Ice spread across the joint, but Varkos didn’t even slow down. He brought his foot down with a single stomp, shattering the frozen layer before pressing forward as if the attack had barely bothered him.

’His defense is insane. My attacks can barely slow him down.’

Neo leaped backward, putting several meters between himself and Varkos. His chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath, his mind racing for a way out of this mess.

The Second Ascension had already consumed a large portion of his mana during the earlier fight at the gate. He couldn’t afford to keep it going for much longer, not against an opponent like Varkos.

’I need an attack that hits hard and fast without draining what’s left of my mana.’

Neo raised both of his hands, and mana surged through his body as dozens of sharpened ice spears began forming in the air above him. One after another, they took shape, their sharp tips pointed directly at Varkos. The icy weapons glimmered in the flickering firelight, filling the air above the ruined settlement.

For the first time, Varkos’s amused expression faded. His eyes shifted toward the countless spears hovering overhead, and a hint of caution crept into his gaze.

[Celestial Radiance Art: Frost Type: Ice Spear Barriage!}

"Let’s see how much of that defense can hold up against this." Neo thrust both of his hands forward.

The ice spears rained down all at once, their sharp tips cutting through the air as they closed in on Varkos from every direction. The sudden barrage filled the night with a sharp whistling sound, leaving the dark elf barely a moment to react.

But Varkos was already moving. His twin blades flashed through the air, deflecting one spear after another with frightening speed. Ice shattered against steel, sending fragments flying across the ruined settlement. Despite the relentless assault, he managed to block most of the projectiles, his movements so fast that his blades were little more than blurs.

Still, a few spears slipped through his guard. One pierced his shoulder, while another struck his side, drawing continuous trails of dark blood. Wisps of steam rose where the freezing ice met his unnaturally warm skin.

Yet even after taking the hits, Varkos remained standing, as if nothing could break him.

"Impressive, considering your age and rank. But impressive isn’t the same as sufficient."

He pulled a small shard of ice from his shoulder and tossed it aside as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Before Neo could react, Varkos disappeared.

Neo barely had time to register the movement before the dark elf reappeared right in front of him. A brutal punch slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward. His boots scraped across the ground, tearing a deep furrow through the earth before he finally managed to dig his heels in and stop himself.

He clutched his chest, struggling to catch his breath as pain spread through his body.

Neo doubled over, coughing violently as another mouthful of blood splattered across the earth. The force of the blow had left his chest aching, and his vision blurred at the edges as he struggled to stay conscious.

’He’s not even taking me seriously. I’ve used everything I have, and he still hasn’t shown his true strength.’

Varkos approached without a hint of urgency, his twin blades trailing faint wisps of shadow as he raised them for what looked like a finishing strike.

Neo gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. Blood dripped from his nose and the corner of his mouth, while his legs trembled beneath him. He tightened his grip on his sword and raised it in a shaky guard, knowing full well that he had little chance of blocking the next attack.

Still, he refused to go down without a fight.

"Still standing? Let’s see how much longer you can keep that up," Varkos remarked, a hint of genuine respect finally creeping into his voice.

He lunged forward again, and Neo barely managed to raise his sword in time. Their blades collided with a sharp clang that echoed through the night.

The fight was far from over, but Neo’s strength was running out. Every movement grew heavier, every breath more painful, while Varkos continued to fight without showing even a glimpse of his true abilities.