Chapter 153 Being Followed
Eren was inside the fiery realm he had created by himself.
Therefore, the fire-element spells were easiest to cast inside the domain. Their casting time had been already cut short by a lot due to Eren casting them like Hex spells. However, they received a significant boost in their output due to the fire-element mana present all around them.
While approaching the monster, Eren started spamming spells at it. The fire-element chains sprouted from nearly everywhere and bound the blue monster once again. This time, he couldn\'t get away from them even with his enhanced physique.
"Daryaaav!"
The monster was hurting at this point. His mana defense layer had been breached by flames at multiple points. The breached zones exposed his skin to the flames, which cooked it like it was monster meat barbeque day.
Eren retrieved his axes from his storage and charged them up with his fire-element mana. He gripped them hard before using another spell on them.
Igni Chains
The fire-element chains came into existence from the thin air and latched onto the handles of his axes. The chains then merged, turning the two weapons into a chained weapon set.
Eren threw his weapons into the air before gripping the chain with both his hands. He tugged at the chains and made the two axes move on his whims based on the principles of Jeet Kune Do.
Eren was handling his two axes as if he was practicing the nunchaku. They moved around him with breakneck speed, turning into a blur when the mana-based martial arts were added into the mix.
The reach of the two axes could be adjusted as per Eren\'s will, thanks to the control he had over his Hex spells. As a result, he was able to launch his attack on the blue monster while still keeping his distance from him.
Eren wasn\'t afraid of the blue monster after he was trapped inside his fire domain. However, OCD-him didn\'t like taking risks. Plus, he didn\'t want to open himself to more injuries even if he knew he could take care of the blue monster all the same. That\'s because he and Mia hadn\'t scoped the entire area. There might be another bunch of Slaadi waiting for them.
The Blue monster was already chained with the fire-element spells and receiving flesh damage due to being attacked by so many fire-element attacks. His part wrathful and part fearful expressions suddenly changed to a grim look because of the incoming weapon attacks Eren had launched on him.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
The two axes cut through the sea of fire and attacked the Slaad from almost all angles at once. The monster\'s already stretched thin mana defense layer was breached for good when these weapon attacks landed on him.
"Daryaaav!"
The monster\'s limbs were first to get chopped off in various ways before his torso started getting butchered. The two axes cleaved and cut the monster\'s flesh like a hot knife cutting through the slab of butter.
The monster\'s dark blue blood was sprayed everywhere before it started to evaporate due to the presence of mana fire all around. It wasn\'t long before the monster took his last breath.
Eren tucked his weapons into his storage and dispersed the fire domain before falling to his knees. Almost all by himself, he had killed two Slaadi.
Eren could have dealt with the blue monster using a slow and steady approach with Mia\'s help. That way he wouldn\'t feel so burned out despite using the infinite mana core.
However, he had decided to field test a lot of his spells including his first domain spell. He knew that it carried a lot of potential usages when paired with his infinite mana core. Thus, he needed to get familiarized with the spell as soon as he could.
The Igni Lotus spell was way more expensive than normal spells not just because of its potency. One of the reasons it was this Mana Quartz demanding was because it was supposed to be cast by multiple fire-element rankers using an array layout.
Eren had basically redefined the standards set for Meta rankers by casting the spell all by himself in a real battle. There would be very few rankers who could pull off the stunt Eren had performed at this point.
"Are… are you alright, Eren"
Mia appeared near Eren after making sure that no monsters were approaching them. They needed to move from this place since there were signs of battle and residual mana signatures in the surroundings. They needed to avoid being surrounded by Slaadi hordes who might come here after sensing these signs.
Ere was breathing loudly when he heard Mia\'s voice. Since he was on his knees, when he looked in front, all he could see were her legs.
Eren\'s vision turned blurry in the next moment. A sudden weakness washed over Eren as he arched forward and grabbed hold of Mia\'s legs. He rested his head between her thighs as he took long breaths.
"I… I am alright. I need a few moments to recover."
Eren replied, still out of breath. The elf ranger didn\'t know how to respond when she was caught in this predicament. At first, her body\'s first response was to get away from Eren and allow him the space and respite he needed to get back on his feet. After all, it was her fault for standing too close to him.
However, her body started reacting differently as she felt Eren\'s warm breath on her thighs. She was wearing cargo pants at the time. But the ranker\'s enhanced senses allowed her to experience these sensations as if there was no fabric present between Eren\'s face and her thighs.
Eren wasn\'t aware of what he was doing at first. He only wanted to make his agitated mana circuits get back to normal. The sudden fatigue he felt was also a form of backlash he had received because of fighting with two opponents consecutively and trying all his experimental spells on them.
Nobody would have dared to try so many experimental spells on the field at the same time. Only Eren could think of such moves, counting on his infinite mana core. However, he couldn\'t anticipate the consequences of using spells this way.
His pale white skin had gotten red all over. His eyes were red too. He felt parched for some reason. His forehead had beads of sweat. And his heartbeats were erratic. They were beating loudly and he could hear them loud and clear as if his ears were glued to the heart.
Eren\'s blank state of mind and his hazy vision soon started to return to normalcy. He felt like his head had been placed on the most comfort-delivering plush pillow that was warm and smelled really pleasant.
Eren adjusted himself with his hands. In doing so, he grouped onto something even plushier.
"Hmm? The Slaadi… are they…"
Eren started looking around him after lifting his head from his previous position. With a clear and almost clear vision and his mana sense, he concluded that there was no further danger approaching him or anywhere in the vicinity. Only then did he focus on his current situation.
"Hm! That felt GOOD. But what in the…"
Eren was stunned for a moment when he realized his face was resting on Mia\'s lap while she was standing so close in front of him. The next thing he noticed was the position of his hands. They had been kneading the elf\'s butt cheeks.
Eren looked up to see an angry-looking Mia looking back at him. Her eyes glared at him and her lips were pursed.
There was a red tinge on her cheeks because of his actions. What surprised her, even more, was the fact that he did not want to stop these actions even after recovering from his previously delirious state.
"Will you cut it out, Eren?"
Mia said in a part angry and part something-else voice. The vibrations in her voice reflected the precarious state she was in. The latter chuckled and kneaded her buns some more before giving them firm pats.
Eren retrieved his hands and got up from his position. He looked at his palm before looking at the scornful elf in front of her eyes.
"Muscle memory, Mia. I can\'t help it. Hehehe."
Eren laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He then took a long breath to fill his lungs with fresh air and added.
"We should move away from this place. Staying here is dangerous."
Mia knew Eren had used the obvious choice as a way to divert her attention from his recent actions. But she couldn\'t help following him without uttering a word.
After all, she knew the dangers of staying at the same place after a huge battle. Especially when they were tired. Eren more so than her.
Soon the two Stardust guild members vanished from their positions. They were unaware that a bunch of rankers was following them from a distance.