Both sides immediately charged at each other with all their speed.
Leon raised his massive axe and brought it crashing down upon his opponent with terrifying force and velocity.
In response, Nyxar simply crossed his twin blades and held the axe firmly in place.
Though the ground beneath his feet cracked apart, his grip on the weapons did not falter in the slightest.
Then, using his blades like a pair of pincers, Nyxar clamped down on the axe and twisted it off to his right. With his right-hand blade still locking the weapon, his left-hand blade swung straight toward Leon's neck.
Caught in the counterattack, Leon quickly lowered his body to one side, narrowly evading the deadly strike.
At the same time, he shifted his grip and swung the axe upward from a low angle, aiming for Nyxar's flank.
Yet the strike met only empty air, as Nyxar had already leapt back with swift precision.
Nyxar then began circling Leon with short, lightning-fast steps, his twin blades continuing to lash out from every angle.
Each strike carried venomous intent, often targeting vital points that could end the fight instantly. He mixed in feints and deceptive movements, making Leon's defense all the more difficult.
Forced into a defensive stance, Leon struggled to block the relentless storm of attacks. Though none had yet landed a fatal blow, his body was quickly covered in shallow cuts.
Ordinary wounds would not have troubled him. Leon could staunch the bleeding and rely on his abundant vitality to keep fighting. But the reality was far more dangerous.
Nyxar's blades burned with a strange fire, glowing gold intertwined with green. And it was clear these flames were far more than mere decoration.
Every wound on Leon's flesh now seemed eager to rot and fester, resisting closure even when he tried to rely on spiritual energy as he usually did.
If given enough time, Leon might still have been able to slowly deal with those troubling injuries himself. But clearly, his enemy would never allow him such leisure. Instead, more and more wounds were being added to his body.
In just a brief clash, Leon could already feel the stark difference in level between the two sides.
If forced to fight alone, he would quickly become nothing more than a corpse lying there. Fortunately, Leon still had comrades by his side, ready to lend him aid.
From behind, Amy unleashed her magic.
What appeared was a cluster of tiny flames, resembling a swarm of fireflies.
They flew toward the battlefield ahead, skillfully weaving past Leon and darting straight for Nyxar's face, more precisely, aiming at his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, places difficult to defend.
Yet against Amy's magic, Nyxar continued attacking Leon as before, seemingly ignoring defense altogether.
But as soon as the fiery fireflies reached his face, they were instantly incinerated by his special flame.
Seeing her magic neutralized, Amy did not hesitate and immediately cast another one.
This time, a flock of firebirds appeared. Each was small, resembling sparrows.
They flew swiftly and nimbly, circling and striking at Nyxar from multiple angles. At the same time, Leon launched his counterattack, coordinating with the birds' assault.
To respond, Nyxar immediately summoned his flames again. But this time, the fire took on a strange form, spreading outward like a dense mist.
That mist immediately heated the surrounding environment, turning a vast area into a zone of peril.
If an ordinary person were to step into it by accident, their skin would instantly burn. Worse still, breathing the air here could mean a swift, agonizing death as their lungs were scorched from within.
Fortunately, thanks to the earlier warning and the battle erupting among them, the nearby townsfolk had already fled far from the area.
Faced with Nyxar's dangerously wide‑ranged attack, both Amy and Leon carefully controlled their spiritual energy to keep the mist from reaching their bodies.
Yet simply staying on the defensive was not the right approach. The longer they fought this way, the more disadvantaged they would become, as vast amounts of spiritual energy were being drained just to resist the hostile environment itself.
Understanding this, the two of them focused even more on the need to bring down their opponent quickly.
However, Amy's firebirds, the longer they flew within this environment, the more they were eroded and weakened. By the time they reached Nyxar, each bird was effortlessly extinguished, just like the fireflies before them.
Amy muttered to herself:
'What an infuriating skill.'
She lamented inwardly, realizing she had yet to cause any real trouble for the enemy since the battle began.
Meanwhile, Leon's condition was worsening by the moment, as he continued to be pressed by Nyxar's relentless attacks.
Seeing this, Amy knew she had to act immediately to change the course of the fight. Otherwise, the likelihood was high that both of them would perish here.
Bearing that pressure, she swiftly shifted and invoked another magic.
'Twin Snakes.'
The instant Amy whispered the name in her mind, two long fire snakes appeared.
They slithered rapidly forward, coiling around the battlefield where Nyxar and Leon were locked in combat.
The two snakes slithered in circles, seemingly waiting to strike the moment Nyxar revealed even the slightest opening.
Seeing this, Nyxar remained calm in battle, though inwardly he stayed wary, preparing countermeasures in advance.
"Clang!"
A piercing sound rang out as Leon's weapon clashed violently against Nyxar's once again. Using the force of the impact, Leon skillfully leapt out of the area encircled by the two snakes.
At that very instant, within the circle formed by the snakes, a blazing red magic array appeared on the ground. A massive pillar of fire erupted skyward, consuming everything within its range, including Nyxar, who was still inside.
Leon gasped between heavy breaths:
"Did… we take him down?"
Though the fight had lasted only a short while, the tension and pressure left him exhausted, as if he had sprinted a long distance at full speed.
Both he and Amy stared tensely at the towering flames. There, they seemed to glimpse a massive, shadowy figure flickering within the crimson blaze.
For reasons unknown, a chill ran down their spines at the sight.
Moments later, the flames gradually died out. Standing there, Nyxar remained unchanged, his exterior untouched, as though he had suffered no harm at all.
Amy exclaimed:
"Impossible!?"
She felt a wave of helplessness, realizing that even such powerful magic had failed to inflict any damage.
Nyxar sneered:
"Quite dangerous, woman. But unfortunately for you, your opponent is me."
He spoke while brandishing his twin blades, charging forward to retaliate against the attack he had just endured.
"Then what if you add me to the fight?"
A sudden voice rang out.
Immediately afterward, a stream of cool water surged into the battlefield, washing over the scorching mist.