Intending to finish the Vice-Leader off with the surprise attack, Felix never would have imagined that despite already being in motion and having his full attention focused on him, the Vice-Leader would still notice something that had appeared behind him and react in time to avoid the assault.
Even after throwing him off with a mist decoy, he had still managed to dodge the main attack.
Yet all Felix had gained in return was an arm.
‘This makes things a lot more complicated.’
Though, even that alone was a feat unheard of for a mere F-Rank. They were incapable of scratching, much less severing the limb of someone with such a vast difference in strength.
However, Felix was on a timer.
He couldn’t afford to settle for just the Vice-Leader’s arm.
The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it was for him.
His Mana reserves were far lower than the Vice-Leader’s, meaning he would run out first.
Not to mention, the constant use of multiple Attributes was rapidly draining his reserves, especially Golden Touch.
Had it not been for ‘Nectar Drain’ slowly siphoning tiny amounts of Mana from the surrounding plant life, and the abundance of moss covering the floor, he would’ve run dry long ago.
Though the Mana gained was meagre, it ensured he never completely ran out, while still limiting how often he could use Golden Touch, which at the moment was one of his greatest lifelines alongside Mirage Mist and Flora Echo.
Glancing at the Vice-Leader’s enraged figure that was practically radiating killing intent, Felix quickly closed his eyes and activated an Attribute at the last second.
[Flora Echo has been activated]
The moment the Attribute came online, he narrowly avoided an attack aimed directly at his head.
The Vice-Leader had suddenly appeared behind him, his blades already descending with a speed that far surpassed his earlier assaults.
Not given enough time to leap away and activate Hollow Wings, Felix instinctively pulled a seed from his pocket and activated another Attribute upon cancelling Flora Echo.
[Golden Touch has been activated]
A massive tree erupted from the ground at an astonishing speed as Felix flicked the seed toward the Vice-Leader.
The rapidly growing trunk blocked the path of the attack.
Using the brief opening, Felix quickly jumped backwards and widened the distance between them.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Leader effortlessly split the newly formed tree in half before continuing his pursuit.
Activating Hollow Wings mid-jump, Felix widened the gap even further.
Sweat trickled down his face as he took several sharp breaths.
‘That was too close.’
Having seemingly abandoned all concern for his own safety, the Vice-Leader appeared focused solely on killing him.
The composed demeanour he had maintained earlier was gone.
In its place was a relentless barrage of increasingly vicious attacks.
Not giving Felix a moment to breathe, the Vice-Leader repeatedly emerged from the shadows before he could even close his eyes again.
The constant pressure forced Felix to use Golden Touch far more often than he was comfortable with, rapidly consuming both Mana and the emergency seeds in his pocket he had gathered throughout their journey to the Grand Labyrinth.
Trying to lure him back toward the Azure Vine Reaper, Felix carefully positioned his retreat.
Now trapped between the plant-type Monster that instinctively attacked anything approaching it and the enraged Vice-Leader intent on splitting him in half.
Since Golden Touch was still at a relatively low level, Felix could only accelerate the plant’s growth, but couldn’t control it.
As a result, he designed the battle in a way that made the plant act exactly as he wanted without ever commanding it.
Activating Hollow Wings mid-jump, Felix swiftly glided away from the path of the incoming assault.
The Vice-Leader’s attack missed him entirely, forcing him to deal with the Vine Reaper’s strike instead.
Scoffing at the attempt, the Vice-Leader easily parried the attack before splitting the plant apart.
The only reason he had been injured by it earlier was because he had been caught off guard and hesitated for a brief moment. Now that he was familiar with its attack pattern, disposing of it was effortless.
Dissolving into the shadows once more, he resumed his relentless pursuit.
Cursing under his breath at how easily his plan had failed, Felix felt his breathing become increasingly strained.
After surviving more near-death encounters than he had while facing the Alpha, exhaustion was finally beginning to catch up with him. Both mentally and physically.
His Mana was running dangerously low, resulting in his complection turning pale as a result.
His body was drenched in sweat.
His chest burned from both exhaustion and the wound the Vice-Leader had inflicted earlier.
His legs screamed in protest from repeatedly throwing himself out of harm’s way.
And his thoughts had begun to slow from overexertion as he desperately searched for ways to stay alive while ensuring his next dodge wouldn’t be his last.
Yet he couldn’t allow himself to rest, as a single mistake meant death.
Running out of tricks, he focused solely on avoiding the Vice-Leader’s attacks.
Surprisingly, the man no longer attempted to get close using the same Attribute as before. Either because he was wary of Felix setting another trap that he likely wouldn’t escape from this time, or there was some limitation preventing him from using it repeatedly within a short period.
Either way, Felix wasn’t sure.
But as long as it worked in his favour, he didn’t care. His Mana had already fallen too low to grow another Azure Vine Reaper, as the cost was far more than when used on regular seeds.
So he focused on closing his eyes and dodging.
Until...
The world around him suddenly went dark.
It took Felix a moment to realize why.
[Flora Echo has been Deactivated]
‘Oh no!’
Having been completely focused on the Vice-Leader, he failed to notice that the Vice-Leader had been deliberately planning every attack, ensuring Felix landed on the bare patches of floor devoid of moss. Forcing the Attribute to automatically deactivate, due to not being in contact with plant life, Felix became temporarily blind and unable to determine where the Vice-Leader would emerge from next.
Reacting immediately, Felix attempted to leap away and return to the moss-covered portions of the room.
However, his legs finally gave out, as his Stamina was now completely depleted.
Stumbling as a result, a cold chill raced down his spine.
Instinctively looking up as he fell, he saw a blade rapidly approaching his face.
And he couldn’t react in time.
Not intending to waste the opportunity, the Vice-Leader immediately emerged behind him.
A dark, vindictive glee plastered across his face as he finally cornered the roach that had frustrated him for so long.
Yet, just before the blade could split him apart, Felix felt a powerful force suddenly yank at his collar.
Violently, his body was thrown clear of the attack.
Still airborne, Felix stared in shock at the figure who had dragged him away from death’s door.
Likewise, the Vice-Leader was momentarily stunned by the sudden interruption.
That brief hesitation was all it took.
A flaming sword shot forward and pierced straight through his chest.
Narrowly avoiding a direct hit to the heart, the Vice-Leader immediately dissolved into the shadows and retreated.
Slithering across the floor, his figure suddenly burst out moments later as he crashed heavily against a distant wall.
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, his bloodshot eyes locked onto the one responsible.
Standing some distance between him and Felix, Hans calmly stared back.
The usual carefree attitude was gone, replaced by a cold expression as he muttered.
“It’s over, Vorden!”
Hearing this, contrary to the relief he’d expected to feel from narrowly escaping death, another disturbing thought surfaced in Felix’s mind.
Staring at Hans’ broad back as he stood imposingly before him, towering over his already exhausted figure, Felix couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened.
‘He didn’t even hesitate.’