Using the elemental essence, Alia shaved off most of the rock slab, since Hadrian realized it was more than he needed and would be a hindrance.

Next, Alia shaped the remaining rock into a thin wing-like shape. Not only did she hold the thin rock together so that it did not break, she used her rock manipulation ability, applying an opposing force to her fall on the rock wing.

Of course, at his current elemental path level, he could not achieve flight in such a manner. Together with the air resistance, though, it slowed Alia's descent.

By this point, the buzz and disorientation on Alia that had subsided began to grow strong once more.

While the box's intent had not spread vertically up, either because of its targeted malice, or Bagdona's and the Baron's suppression, Since Hadrian was being affected, the Alia vessel was being affected as well.

Beneath Alia, Hadrian could see the mages, who were mostly rank one mages, retreating in chaos.

The remaining piece of the rock slab that Hadrian had shaved off formed into sharp cone like shapes, and shot towards the witch.

Even though the witch had decided to not attack Alia yet, she had always been turned so that her eyes were always on Alia.

Seeing the sharp rocks forming, she dug out two scrolls from her robes, and spun around such that the paper unrolled and spun around her entire body.

The first rock cone hit the scrolls, but they were like shields, and it slid off.

The second and third one, affected by the disorientation, completely missed.

After this attempt, Hadrian focused on his own maneuvers. By this point, his fall speed had been greatly reduced.

When Alia hit the ground, she rolled, then the ground molded around her bringing her to a stop.

Hadrian felt Alia's ribs break, left shoulder and ankles twist with the sudden stop. With her teeth gritted and face twisted in a painful grimace, Alia let out a groan.

The witch, who'd also come to a stop some distance away, didn't hesitate.

Already making chaotic movements, her restless scrolls that snapped and moved like vipers, shot towards Alia.

The ground rose from below Alia and formed a shield wall. The paper scrolls wrapped around this rock shield, and at her end, the sorcerer lady twisted the scrolls around her wrists tighter and pulled, dismantling the rock shield.

Faster than Alia could react, the paper scrolls wrapped around her neck and body.

Her aching bones' pain only intensified. Hadrian could switch to mechanical control to lessen the pain, but then the Alia vessel would probably instantly be killed, as he could not leave such a fight to mechanical control.

Making Alia's body hot as iron, Hadrian let out that hot stinging mist to cover the area.

She could have shot out fire, but that would have consumed a lot of essence this early on in the fight.

He wasn't sure he could face the witch since he'd already lost to her once, but it could be said that he lost only because of the box, which she managed to trap him in before their fight had truly escalated.

With her iron hot hands, Alia grabbed the paper around her neck and pulled. Little damage was done to them, but they still loosened.

From her heat vision sense, Hadrian could tell it was the witch.

Muttering her terra sorcery she spun once more on her heels, and the paper scrolls spun with her, dispersing the hot stinging mist.

Alia, who was finding it hard to move due to her injuries, couldn't take advantage of the situation and after two more exchanges, she found herself once more wrapped by the paper scrolls.

However, instead of panic, the witch saw a smile form on the girl's face.

…

On the dais, the new Baron frowned. Initially he'd been surprised at how much weaker the mystical box was at its current state, such that he and Bagdona at rank four and three, could suppress it.

When Hadrian overwhelmed it with the dull white space, it had consumed a lot of its essence, even using up all of the essence fragments.

The Baron felt they had been making progress to suppress it until it completely drained itself when suddenly, its agitation spiked, but he could tell it wasn't targeted at him.

Bagdona, standing on the opposite side of the box from the Baron, moved to the side with a quick step.

A long sword dug into the ground where he had been a second ago.

When the box ejected Hadrian out of itself, it had deemed the Hadrian vessels to be the problem, and had ignored the sword.

With Bagdona's support gone for a second, the Box overcame the "grounding" suppression, becoming faint and disappearing out of existence.

…

Haldon wiped his top lip with his right index finger, and when he looked at it, there was blood.

He chuckled. The mystical artifact that was of the same path of him, but of a higher rank, was completely suppressing him in all aspects.

His right hand grip tightened on the blade and his eyes left his finger, narrowing on the strange boy he'd once met at the metal workshop.

Back then, he'd regarded him as a mere regular human.

To think….

His lips stretched thin.

The boy was evidently fairing worse than him. His eyes were struggling to stay focused on one spot, and blood didn't just come out of his nose, but also eyes and ears.

In the disorientation field of the box, Haldon saw that the boy who was on his knees had "grounded" himself with rock clasping his ankles and wrists.

Slow and steady, he took steps heading for the boy. In the field, if he tried to force himself through or rush quickly, he knew he would find himself in a different location than he intended.

That could explain why a rank two as himself, failed to finish off the boy who couldn't be of a higher rank, in his first and second attempt.

As he got closer, Haldon's brows slightly pinched. In front of him, the boy smiled a familiar smile, as he slowly got fainter like being rubbed out of existence and disappeared.

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