In truth, Cain even felt confident and amused since this clone had 90% of his real body's stats and if he were to be serious, he was sure that he would be able to kill them.
He had toyed with Zyren enough to understand the old man's combat style, and from what he sensed, Elder Ma was no less formidable. Still, Cain believed neither of them posed a hard challenge for him.
"Are you both certain about this?" Cain asked, letting a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He stood calmly, crimson red foxfire flickering over his forearms. "I'm giving you one last chance to walk away."
Zyren scoffed, ignoring the fresh bead of blood rolling down his face. "You've humiliated enough. You'll pay for that."
Cain shrugged, the flickering flas intensifying around his hands. "Alright then. It's not like I'm at a loss anyway."
Without another word, Elder Ma rushed in as he enveloped his fists in a swirling aura of crimson energy. He darted left, right, then lunged forward in a sudden burst of speed.
A whistling gust accompanied each blow, as if his fists could tear the air itself. Simultaneously, Elder Zyren leapt from the side as he raised his hamr overhead, channeling swirling streams of fire energy into a single downward strike.
Elder Ma aid a series of rapid punches at Cain's chest and abdon, forcing him to raise his guard.
The mont Cain prepared to counter, Zyren's war hamr crashed in from above, unleashing arcs of fla that peppered the ground. Earth and sparks flew, and an explosive tremor rippled across the battlefield.
Cain dodge to the side, using his [Advanced Foxfire] ability into a curved blade that parried Zyren's hamr. The impact sent a wash of heat blasting outward, scorching what remained of the grass.
anwhile, Ma's fists hamred against Cain's flank. Though Cain's clone had 90% of his true body's stats, it was still paled in comparison with Ma's strength as his strength was even stronger than Zyren since Elder Zyren had just broken through the King rank. Even a grazing blow carried crushing force.
Sliding back, Cain felt a sting in his ribs. A faint echo of pain reminded him that underestimating King Rank experts was unwise. He inhaled sharply, letting the pain sharpen his focus.
In a swirl of red fla, he materialized a Demonic Barrier, repelling a second volley of hamr strikes. The barrier shimred, thickened by Cain's enormous energy, distorting the air around it.
Zyren and Ma pressed on, moving in tandem as one attacking high while the other going for the middle, intending to never allow Cain a mont's break.
Their combined onslaught forced him to test the limits of his speed and reflexes. Sparks flew where fists struck foxfire, the collision of fiery hamr arcs and swirling fla turning the battlefield into a brutal light show.
From a distance, Prince Valen watched with a glimr of hope. The scene now looked far more balanced as Cain found himself outmaneuvered occasionally, forced to rely on quick bursts of movent and cunning fla construction to avoid direct hits.
'This must be Cain's limit,' Valen reassured himself.
Yet Cain's eyes burned with interest rather than desperation. 'They're good,' he thought to himself, employing precise footwork to evade a particularly savage series of hamr swings.
He summoned the Foxfire Explosion in his hand and threw it forward. The resulting detonation separated Zyren and Ma montarily, creating a swirl of dust and hot wind. But as soon as the cloud cleared, they were on him again.
It was Elder Ma who noticed sothing amiss. After several minutes of relentless attacks, Cain still breathed evenly, and the swirling foxfire around him showed no sign of waning. A bead of sweat slid down Ma's temple.
'How does he still have so much energy?' Elder Ma thought to himself as he realized that with each exchange, Cain's aura only seed to stabilize further, as if he thrived on the battle itself.
Zyren also felt a shiver of unease. His arms ached from swinging the hamr repeatedly, even if he tried to pace himself. Yet Cain's fluid motion never faltered.
Sotis, Cain chose to block and send parrying flas to dissipate Zyren's offensive. Other tis, he dodged gracefully, letting the hamr's fiery arcs smash into the earth or sizzle in midair. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire
"Just how long can you last?" Zyren spat, sweat mixing with the streak of blood on his face.
Cain's lips curled into a half-grin. "Longer than you'd think."
Zyren, driven by pride, was triggered when he heard the answer. He raised the war hamr overhead as runes blazed in swirling spirals, then slamd it onto the ground.
Magma-like lines streaked across the ground in radiating patterns as Molten Shockwave aid to trap Cain's footing in a sudden quagmire of molten rock.
Simultaneously, Elder Ma dashed behind Cain. With fists brimming in red mana, he unleashed a flurry of Iron Tempest jabs, each one strong enough to pulverize stone. The synergy created a pincer by the fact that if Cain jumped to avoid the liquid earth, Ma's fists would greet him midair.
"Let's see how you handle this!" Zyren roared.
But Cain's barrier shimred once again, this ti forming beneath his feet. A thick swirl of foxfire spread over the molten ground like an insulating platform.
In a fluid motion, Cain spinned on that platform, letting Ma's fists graze past him. The old man's eyes widened as Cain's open palm thrust forward, creating a swift burst of Foxfire Explosion at point-blank range.
Boom!
Ma was forced back, blasted from the foxfire's blast. Another wave of fla shot out to intercept Zyren's next hamr blow. Though both Elders escaped lethal damage, they realized they were being forced onto the defensive more often.
A hush enveloped the clearing after that intense exchange. Ma and Zyren retreated a few paces as they were regrouping. Their chests heaved with labored breaths, scorched robes sticking to sweaty skin.
anwhile, Cain allowed the swirling foxfire around him to dissipate slightly as if only to keep them guessing whether he had shown his full power.
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