A different kind of chaos immediately broke through the battlefield. Cloud's guards paused for a second, unsure how to protect him while the enemy went into retreat, the mages moving back with the most fear.
Cloud had broken into their ranks, selected one of their own as his fourth target, and the man, before he could even cast a spell, found a blade slashing his face in half.
[You have killed a level 6 mage, you have earned 55 kill points.]
[You have levelled up]
A strange but welcomed energy flowed into Cloud, strengthening him. He wanted to bask in the feeling, but a strong voice from the opposing force sounded.
"Stand your ground. Mages, ready your attacks."
The words came from one of the opponents wearing a dog mask. He didn't stay idle as he spoke. He carried a staff and swung it at Cloud, generating a wall of wind that blasted out and slammed into him.
With no way to escape, Cloud could only cross his arms as he was thrown into the air, falling and digging into the ground.
The attack had Cloud's entire frame shaken, his chest and arms aching, and as he stood, he jumped and dove behind a tree, barely avoiding another wall of wind.
"I told you guys to cover me!" Cloud shouted from his position, his voice drowned out as a fireball came sailing from the opponent and slammed into the tree he was taking cover behind.
"Fuck."
Not wanting to get burnt, Cloud had no option but to leave his hiding position, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the mages from his side sent over a storm of attacks. It stopped the brutal bombardment the enemy mages had been preparing for him.
Explosions rang throughout the battlefield, the mages for several seconds taking control of it. Having been forced to the side, away from the carriage and the thick of the battle, rather than go into the fray, Cloud decided to disappear into the forest.
He could see Gillian ending one of his opponents and frantically looking for him, but he had something else in mind.
The mages on both sides kept exchanging attacks, fire, wind, and water being the most common elements that sailed through the air. On another side, Gillian and several soldiers clashed with their fellow warriors.
Small patches of steam appeared in different areas of the battlefield, visibility dropping. Then the stalemate that had been going on for nearly a minute was broken as the soldiers from Dakurt village found the mages from the other side no longer retaliating.
The attacks from the guards landed, causing screams, but the enemy did not refocus. Instead, they once again began fleeing, this time moving more desperately, scattering into the forest.
[You have killed a level 6 mage, you have earned 40 kill points.]
[You have levelled up]
[You have killed a level 6 mage, you have earned 32 kill points]
[You have killed a level 8 mage, you have earned 45 kill points.]
[You have killed a level 10 mage, you have earned 70 kill points.]
[You have levelled up]
Rather than attack head-on once more, Cloud had slipped into the forest. The enemy might still have been on the lookout for him, but his guards were keeping them busy.
The enemy could never imagine that not only would he be able to sneak and approach them from the back, but that he would dare to launch an assault all alone.
If it were warriors and berserkers in a group, Cloud would have been hesitant to pull off such a daring move, but it was the mages.
Just like earlier, all he needed to do was burst into their midst, and with their advantage of range taken away, pick them off one by one.
Cloud had taken particular pleasure in ending the mage with the dog mask, not too surprised that he had been a level 10.
Pulling his blade out of the man's neck, he thought he had nipped his biggest problem on the battlefield, but almost immediately another wind wall came flaying toward him.
Having remained vigilant despite the pathetic sight of the mages fleeing, Cloud was able to scamper behind a tree and avoid the attack. When the powerful wind died off, he rushed from behind the tree and, sighting his opponent, readied another speed. He threw his katana at him.
Cloud missed his mark, which had been the opponent's head, but he was satisfied to see his blade sink into the man's shoulder.
Pursuing the injured mage who had decided to flee, Cloud caught up to him in no time. Grabbing him by the neck, he brutally slammed his head into a tree, having to repeat it twice.
[You have killed a level 10 mage, you have earned 65 kill points]
[You have levelled up]
"Oh, another one," Cloud muttered, watching as the dead body sporting a cracked hawk mask dropped to the ground.
Still hearing sounds of fighting, Cloud retrieved his katana and began heading back toward the battle.
He rolled his shoulders as he moved, his body strengthening further from his most recent level up, but he had only taken a few steps when six men arrived in front of him and formed a tight circle.
"My prince, are you okay?"
"Seems my fun for today is over," Cloud muttered in his head.