Chapter 92: Clearing Out-3.

The wind stirred as Kevin stood before the red crystal pillar. It towered high, humming with intense magical energy, its glow pulsing in rhythms with the seal around it.

The mana in the air was thick—almost suffocating—and the earth beneath his boots vibrated slightly, reacting to the unnatural pressure the pillar exuded.

"So this is the source..." Kevin muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The crimson beam of light surged from the crystal, reaching high into the sky like a warning flare.

The moment his gaze locked onto the crystal, a pull tugged at his mana core, like it was trying to draw something from within him.

It was an eerie sensation.

Crack.

Kevin’s eyes shifted as the sound echoed across the clearing.

From the shadows just behind the pillar, a figure stepped out—tall, slim, and wrapped head-to-toe in a dark cloak.

Only, two thin space for black eyes, could be seen.

The hood covered the face, as a faint green shimmer danced at their fingertips.

Kevin’s body reacted before his mind could catch up.

Instinct took over.

He dropped low.

Slash!

A silver wind blade cut through the air where his head had just been, slicing a clean line across a boulder behind him.

The impact cracked the stone in two.

Kevin rolled to the side, planting his hand on the ground as his earth element surged. Stones jutted from the soil, forming a half-wall of defense between him and the attacker.

"Well, dang i almost died..." he said under his breath, eyes steady on the cloaked figure.

He didn’t need to ask questions, anymore. He’d seen enough.

A mysterious figure guarding a red pillar at the heart of this chaos?

They had to be the one behind it all.

"So, you’re the one who started this, huh?" Kevin asked, rising slowly. His voice was calm, but inside, he was already calculating.

The cloaked figure didn’t respond. Instead, a sharp hiss of wind answered.

The figure flicked their wrist again—another arc of compressed air, shot towards him again.

Kevin stomped the ground. A wall of stone rose just in time, shielding him.

The wind blade collided and shattered it, pelting him with shards of rock. He gritted his teeth, ducking again as another slash followed.

He didn’t have time to talk. This guy was fast.

"Okay then..."

Kevin charged.

He sprinted forward, forming an earthen spear in his hand. It hardened mid-run, sharpened like a drill.

The figure remained still, waiting. Then, just at the last moment, the man moved—sidestepping with a strange, almost gliding motion.

A knife of wind carved the side of Kevin’s rib, grazing his shirt.

He flinched but didn’t stop.

Instead, he dropped to the ground, swept his leg around to trip the figure.

But the attacker leapt clean over the attempt, twisting mid-air and throwing down a condensed wind orb.

Kevin instantly raised a stone shield above him like an umbrella.

Boom!

The orb struck and burst, flinging dust and debris in all directions. Kevin’s body was thrown back, tumbling across the dirt.

He slammed into a tree, the impact shaking the leaves loose. Blood trickled from his lips.

"This guy... definitely no pushover," he muttered.

He coughed, shaking off the ringing in his ears.

With a flick of his wrist, the ground beneath him rippled—rocks surged upward and began floating around him like satellites.

"I guess I have to get serious too," Kevin said, wiping the blood from his lip.

The cloaked figure remained silent, stepping forward again. The ground, now didn’t even crunch beneath his boots—it was like he wasn’t even touching the ground at all.

Kevin stepped forward.

He extended his hand, and the stones spun faster, creating a ring of jagged rocks that circled around him.

Thus, he moved.

In a blur, he shot forward like a bullet, slamming his foot into the ground. From beneath, a spike of rock erupted, trying to impale the figure from below.

The figure simply leaned back, letting the spike miss by inches, then twisted and sent a wave of wind to knock Kevin aside again.

But Kevin had expected it.

He ducked under the wind and emerged from the side, hurling a stone shard with full force.

The figure raised a hand—deflecting it with a gust—but Kevin was already beneath them, his fist rising from below.

Boom!

His earth-coated fist collided with the figure’s chest, sending them flying back into a tree.

Crack!

The tree snapped in half, toppling over.

"Got you!" Kevin smirked.

But as the dust cleared—and the figure stood up. Kevin could take a look at the man. His cloak was ripped at the chest, as it revealed a metal armor beneath, it.

"Common, dude that’s practically unfair." Kevin smirked vanished as he groaned.

The figure lifted their hand—and this time, the air distorted around him.

The pressure grew heavier.

Kevin’s hair stood on end. The wind had changed—it wasn’t slicing anymore, rather it was crushing.

He stomped again. The earth bulged behind him, forming a massive wall of stone. The figure raised both hands now—bringing the wind to life in a spiral.

The spiral howled like a storm, as it moved towards Kevin.

Bang.

The swirling vortex smashed into Kevin’s barrier. And it didn’t just break it—it shredded it.

Stone chunks flew everywhere. Kevin rolled towards the right, and pressed his palms to the ground.

A stone spike came up from the ground, grazing the figure as it just dodged it barely.

The wind weakened for a moment. That was all Kevin needed, he leapt out of the dust and tackled straight towards the figure.

This time, his punch connected. The armored figure reeled back, staggered—and Kevin grabbed their wrist, trying to pin them.

But wind slashed his legs from below.

"Gah!"

He cried out and jumped back before another wave of blades could cut deeper.

He landed on one knee, panting. His body was covered in shallow cuts. Blood seeped into his pants.

"This guy’s tough... way too tough to be just a guard." Kevin said through clenched teeth.

The figure stood calmly again, completely silent.

Kevin’s eyes narrowed.

Was this person truly behind it all?

Or... were they just a guard?

The thought crept into his head—but he shook it away.

"No. It doesn’t esn’t matter. If you’re guarding this thing, then you are my enemy."

Kevin raised both hands. Earth surged around him—this time from deeper underground. Massive stone arms rose like golems, mimicking his movements.

He moved forward, directing the golems with sharp gestures.

The cloaked figure flung more wind blades, but this time Kevin had cover. The stone giants blocked the blows and moved in.

One slammed a fist down, causing a crater. The figure vanished in a blur—appearing atop a tree.

But Kevin was ready. Just as the figure landed on a the branch, he sent a small razor sharp arrow of stone, cutting the figure’s ankle.

"Got you again!" Kevin shouted, as he hurled a stone boulder, again this time but it was the of size of a carriage.

Boom!

The tree exploded, sending splinters everywhere.

Kevin winced. His mana was running low.

When the smoke cleared... the figure was still there. Armor cracked, cloak torn, bleeding from the arm.

They were wounded—but still standing.

Kevin raised another spear, but his body trembled. The exhaustion was setting in.

The figure stepped forward.

’No... I can’t fall now...’

Kevin grit his teeth, forcing his legs to move. "You... can’t stop me, fucker." he shouted.

Charging one last time.

The cloaked figure did the same.

Their attacks met in a sharp clash. Earth against wind.

Dust and magic flared out.

As, the vicinity cleared out. Both Kevin and the robed man, looked on their last straws. However they both carried a mission, one from which they can’t walk out.

With a roar, Kevin pushed his magic one last time.

His mana, nearly gone, gathered and pulsed from his body, forming a long, sharp spike of earth in the air. The spike glowed faintly, solidifying into a weapon strong enough to pierce steel.

Across from him, the cloaked man did the same—drawing all his remaining energy, condensing wind into a sleek, deadly blade.

The air around it twisted sharply, howling from the sheer force.

But just as the wind blade formed—

Cough!

The man stumbled.

A spurt of thick, black blood splashed from his mouth.

"Keeik—!" he choked.

His body shook, knees buckling slightly. The internal damage he’d suffered earlier finally caught up with him. Using all his power for one final move had only made it worse.

Kevin didn’t give him the chance to recover.

With gritted teeth and fierce eyes, he thrust his hand forward.

The spike shot like a bolt of lightning.

Pierce!

The sound echoed across the field as the spike pierced clean through the man’s stomach. His body jerked as he was lifted off the ground, carried by the sheer force of the attack.

The spike didn’t stop.

It continued its deadly path, straight into the glowing red pillar behind him.

Crack!

The crystal split open from the impact. A spiderweb of fractures spread through its surface, and then—

Boom!

The red light vanished.

The energy that had been warping the very air disappeared in an instant. The mana around the pillar calmed, becoming normal again.

Kevin stood there for a moment, panting heavily. His legs shook, then finally gave out as he collapsed onto the ground with a heavy sigh.

"Fuck..." he muttered, laying back on the dirt, staring up at the sky. "That was seriously tough."

The wind around him was quiet now.

He’d done it. One pillar down.

And the fight... was over.