Wilas's shout of "INTRUDERS!" echoed down the long second-floor corridor. Almost instantly, the shrill sound of a magical alarm began to emanate from the stone walls. Its vibration could be felt faintly beneath their boots. The air grew tense, thick with anticipation.

Below, on the first floor, the distinct sound of heavy, running footsteps grew louder. Boots slammed against marble, ascending the stairs.

Wilas drew his sword in a single, fluid motion. The steel blade was immediately enveloped in wildly crackling blue-white lightning energy. Small sparks jumped along its length, illuminating Wilas's furious face. The sharp smell of ozone filled the dim corridor. With an angry shout, he lunged forward, his sword aimed straight at Zaefal.

"Fyar, your back!" Zaefal yelled. He stepped forward, drawing his own sword. Its blade was instantly coated in a thin layer of pulsing, pitch-black energy. The energy seemed to absorb the torchlight around it, creating a small area of darkness around the blade.

Wilas's lightning sword clashed with Zaefal's Void sword in the middle of the corridor.

CLANG! ZZZZZT!

An explosion of energy occurred at the point of impact. Wild blue lightning tried to penetrate the darkness enveloping Zaefal's sword. Most of the electrical energy seemed absorbed or deflected by the Void energy, but Wilas's physical strength and magic were clearly superior to Zaefal's. The impact pushed Zaefal back several steps. His arm vibrated violently from the shock and the residual electricity crawling up his blade. The Void energy on his sword flickered.

"Lowly Void User. I knew there was something wrong with you, scum," Wilas hissed coldly. His eyes glared at Zaefal with disgust. He pressed his attack, his blade grinding hard against Zaefal's, forcing Zaefal back again, step by step.

After that, Wilas took a slight step back, closing his eyes for a moment, gathering energy. He then shot forward again towards Zaefal. This time, the electrical energy on his sword looked larger and wilder, forming arcs of lightning that leaped about.

CLANG! ZZZT!

Again, their swords met. Zaefal was forced to focus entirely on parrying Wilas's relentless attacks, the sound of clanging metal echoing in the corridor.

On the other side, at the same moment, the two Elite Guards in front of the study door moved in unison. Ignoring the duel between Zaefal and Wilas, they attacked Fyar directly from different sides. One man shouted, "Fire!" His sword instantly burst into roaring red flames, the heat radiating outwards. The second, a short-haired woman, muttered, "Ice!" Her hand became coated in sharp, pale blue ice, chilling the air around her.

Two Hunters, ice and fire. Fyar thought quickly. He drew his katana. Its blade glinted coldly under the torchlight. "Neutralize." A faint purple aura enveloped the blade.

The Fire Hunter slashed horizontally. The fire from his sword left a trail of heat in the air. Fyar ducked low, letting the fiery slash pass right over his head. He stepped forward, moving inside the man's reach. His katana moved upwards. The tip of his purple blade touched the flaming sword. The fire on the man's sword extinguished instantly, leaving only a plain steel blade.

The Fire Hunter's eyes widened in shock. Taking advantage of that surprise, Fyar thrust his katana straight into the man's chest. The man coughed up blood and died instantly, his body slumping silently to the floor.

One down.

The Ice Hunter thrust her icy hand towards Fyar's chest. Fyar leaped back several steps, feeling the piercing cold from the near-miss attack. The woman was now preparing to shoot ice projectiles from her other hand. Her fingertips began to frost over.

"Neutralize," Fyar muttered again. He channeled the purple energy towards his left hand. He moved forward quickly as the woman launched sharp ice shards. Fyar slapped the woman's ice-covered arm away with his glowing purple left hand.

KRAK!

The layer of ice on the woman's hand cracked and shattered into pieces. Fyar spun, using his momentum. The hilt of his katana struck the woman hard on the temple. A dull thud echoed. After that, he quickly stabbed his katana into the woman's chest. She died instantly as well.

Two down.

Fyar turned quickly. He saw Zaefal being heavily pressed. Wilas attacked relentlessly. His lightning sword flashed like a viper, each strike fast and powerful, forcing Zaefal constantly on the defensive.

Zaefal desperately parried, occasionally trying to use a small Void Grasp with his left hand to absorb some of Wilas's wild electrical energy, but he was clearly overwhelmed. Black scorch marks began to appear on his armor. The stone floor around them was scorched and cracked. The study door remained tightly shut, protected by a faintly pulsing blue magic ward. The sound of reinforcements' footsteps grew louder from the stairs. They were almost there.

Damn it. Out of time, Fyar thought. He had to help Zaefal and open that door. Now.

Fyar dashed forward, his purple katana held low. He moved to Zaefal's side, trying to split Wilas's attention.

Wilas, seeing Fyar approach after finishing off his two subordinates, snorted angrily. "son of a bitch! son of a bitch!"

He momentarily released the pressure on Zaefal. His lightning sword spun in a wide arc that forced Fyar to jump back to avoid the electrical slash.

"Two shameless insects. You must be Veyra's lackeys, right?" Wilas hissed. The lightning energy on his sword crackled louder. He moved with blurring speed, attacking Fyar and Zaefal alternately. Fast slashes, straight thrusts, blue-white flashes filled the narrow corridor.

Zaefal's Void sword moved to parry. Its black coating occasionally absorbed stray sparks of wild lightning. He focused on defending, trying to create an opening for Fyar.

Fyar moved agilely around Wilas's attacks. He was faster than Zaefal, but Wilas's power was far superior. Each parry Fyar made felt like blocking a sledgehammer blow. He tried using Neutralize to extinguish the electricity on Wilas's sword when they clashed, but Wilas was too fast. He pulled his sword back before the effect could fully take hold.

So fast. What level is he? I have to hurry! Fyar thought, his breath starting to come in short gasps. The sound of footsteps on the stairs was growing closer. They probably had less than a minute.

"Fyar! The door!" Zaefal shouted. He launched a larger Void attack, the blackness on his sword thickening, trying to bind Wilas's sword momentarily.

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