Mark let out a low grunt as he realized that the attack couldn't be strengthened any further without risking it exploding in his face.
Not only that, but he couldn't even keep it controlled for much longer.
Mark directed his extended arms towards the center of the toad-like Monster's head.
It couldn't be controlled.
It was time to release-
His focus on the point he wanted to hit suddenly broke.
Mark's eyes widened and his shaking grew more intense as the point he was aiming for was suddenly hidden.
What took its place was,
"MOVE-"
He could only afford to shout that one word.
Anything more than that, and his focus would have been hindered to a point where the violent and unstable energy between his palms would go wild, aimed right at Elisa's back.
'Wha...?' Stunned, Mark's mind went blank for a fraction of a second.
The two had been fighting side by side for a while.
Both had gotten used to the style of fighting they had developed.
It worked. So why change it, right?
They had even managed to defeat a Commander. A Commander which they, individually, couldn't have defeated.
Mark taking the front.
Krista attacking from a wider distance.
Elisa stealthily and nimbly hiding from the opponent in its own blind spots while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Why change now?
Why?
Change was something that Mark hated.
No. It was something he loved.
In truth, it was, perhaps, a bit more complex than that.
'Can I redirect it...? Can I Manipulate the same way I can manipulate my Fire Balls or could manipulate the Fire Spirit's attacks?'
Mark knew he couldn't do so.
While he had grown more accustomed to using Fire Magic, such a feat wasn't feasible at his level.
Or perhaps, it was because he had reached this level that he couldn't do it.
Because the attack had been pumped full of Mana.
Because it had been so efficiently and extremely Condensed.
'Should I... Try to-'
At the thought, a mild headache surfaced.
Absorbing the flames the same way he had absorbed the flames that were taking over the Forest Of Yarnha wasn't feasible either.
The attack had to be let go of. There was no other choice.
The flames he had conjured up refused for there to be any other outcome possible.
'I should...'
Why change it?
I take the front, while she...
I take the front, while she...
Why change it?
Why now, at the worst possible moment?
What is this supposed to accomplish?
No matter how Mark tried to wrap his mind around it, he couldn't find a logical reason. He couldn't find a reason why doing it this way would give them any sort of edge or advantage.
Why change it?
'Aim at the sky? Or to the side? But then...?'
Mark's mind raced.
His thought process accelerated further.
Partly thanks to the High Elven Pupil, no doubt.
Why change it?
The table had reversed. The balance, broken.
Am I supposed to assist her?
How do I do that?
With Magic Skills?
Then why did she position herself in front of me?
Not with Magic Skills?
Then how?
The same way she has?
The same way she has been assisting me?
How do I do that?
I can't do that.
I can't move the same way she can.
I can't hide the same way she can.
'Grrr...!'
Mark gritted his teeth. He did his best to hold fire.
And suddenly, her back which was getting further and further didn't seem like a liability.
Her positioning wasn't a mistake, a blunder, or an oversight.
No.
It was a challenge.
The way Levi and Light understood him perfectly when fighting.
The way she understood him perfectly.
The way she was always in tune with his next move.
A challenge to guess her next move.
No. To find her next move.
Her next move.
Her next move.
What is Elisa's next move?
She was running straight ahead.
Top speed? Approximately, yes.
The toad-like Monster's tentacles were approaching her.
Mark's own attack was about to go wild, in a straight line towards her.
How can I tell what she's about to do?
The tentacles. I can see them.
I can aim for them. The angle is narrow enough that I can move my palms towards them.
That's where I should aim. Away from her.
'Ha...' Elisa smiled nervously as she ran forward. 'He still hasn't fired it.' Her heart was beating faster and faster. A drop of sweat went down her cheek. 'I trust you, Mark. With my life, I trust you. The same way you've trusted me every time we fought side by side. Now it's my turn...' The toad-like Monster's thick tentacles scratched the ground as they approached, and the ground shattered as if it were as thin and fragile as a piece of glass. 'To put my life in your hands!'
Mark's breathing grew heavier as he stared at the Princess who was unsheathing her Timeowrn Elven Daggers.
[Your Title "Evolving Monster" processes the situation!]
[Your "High Elven Pupil[S]" spits out part of the "Combative Eyes[D]" Passive Skill!]
[Your Title "Evolving Monster" works harder!]
[Your Passive Skill "Combative Eyes[D]" is embedded inside your Left Eye!]
[Your Passive Skill "Combative Eyes[D]" becomes "Combat-Focused Pupil[C]"!]
The next second, the world seemed to slow down further.
It was truly a strange phenomenon.
Mark had no time to think about it, but, of course, he could tell.
His field of vision seemed to have been split.
One Eye, capable of detecting Mana and Links, showcased a bright and colorful world.
The other, a world devoid of colors, as if that Eye rejected anything that didn't have to do with movement, with combat.
On the right, a colorful World. On the left, a slowed-down World.
This did mean that there was a huge difference between how each Eye perceived the World.
But that huge difference didn't phase Mark one bit.
Even though two versions of the World were being shown to him at once.
Why?
Because only one thing mattered to him at the present.
The focal point.
The sweet spot.
The place where both Worlds met and overlapped.
'I'll take this challenge head-on!'
Mark's headache grew more intense.
'What...'
But even that, he couldn't notice.
'Would Elisa do? What...'
A nervous smile appeared on his face.
'WILL Elisa do?'
