Aizel's attention was solely on the fight as he faced the four-element snakes trying to trap him.
He kept his cool in the face of overwhelming odds.
Suddenly, he noticed the blue snake unleashing a powerful stream of water towards him while the red one breathed fire at the same time.
Aizel's focus sharpened as he observed the coordinated assault of the blue and red snakes.
In a flash, he redirected the water current to hit the red snake, while the fire went after the blue snake, attacking each at its elemental weakness.
He then summoned four huge rocks and launched them at the brown snake while making his way toward the green one.
As Aizel charged the green snake, the serpent struck back, unleashing sharp wind slashes from its tail.
However, Aizel's agility allowed him to dodge the attack effortlessly by moving in a zig-zag pattern, leaving lightning trails behind him.
He continued to close in on the green snake, but a sudden bolt of lightning came his way, attempting to divert his path.
Aizel showed quick thinking by redirecting the lightning bolt toward the green snake.
Simultaneously, he clapped his hands together, creating a loud thunderclap that sent shockwaves of lightning in the direction of the green snake.
Aizel's lightning shockwaves had a devastating effect on the green snake, stunning it for a moment before the lightning bolt hit it, causing it to writhe in agony.
The snake was still trying to recover when a sudden gust of wind knocked it off its feet, sending it flying through the air.
Aizel and Sekki were humming with lightning as they zipped through the air. The energy crackled and left a dazzling trail in the sky as they went.
From his drawing position, he effortlessly slashed upward, splitting the Grade II green snake in two and leaving a lightning-crescent moon in the sky.
The remains of the monster, along with its blood, fell from the sky as Aizel remained floating in the air, his eyes locking onto his next target.
Aizel nimbly switched places with the boulder, stunning the brown snake as he moved in for the kill.
With a quick slash, Sekki quickly split the snake in half.
Aizel had learned this technique after observing Alexander and had adapted it to his own fighting style.
Even though he wasn't able to switch places over extremely long distances just yet, he was getting better at using space power and was looking forward to a core upgrade that would make it much easier and harness more space power.
Aizel's eyes flickered with determination as he observed the three remaining snakes rapidly closing in on him.
In a split second, Sekki began to pulsate and transform into a web of thin, razor-sharp metal wires that glimmered menacingly.
Aizel's fists were clenched around the wires as he infused himself with the crackling bolts of lightning.
In a flash, Aizel burst forward with blinding speed, leaving the bewildered snakes trailing behind him. As the snakes tried to catch up, they suddenly found themselves entangled in a web of metallic threads that crackled with electricity.
He pulled his hands back, and the wires sliced through the snakes like butter, reducing them to tiny, lifeless pieces scattered to the ground.
*phew*
"That was easy,"
"Look at you, Sekki, growing stronger and stronger."
Sekki hummed a little.
Aizel looked around and saw no more monsters coming toward him. Now that he knew the combat was done, he resumed his ascent to the mountain peak, his guard still raised in preparation for whatever was ahead.
*****
In Tidalheim,
The seaside town was abuzz with activity, its streets packed with people from all walks of life.
The geographical region's beautiful views and wonderful cuisine had long been draws, but the town had recently become popular for something else as well.
Numerous noble families, as well as the prince of the kingdom, Raphael Felgura, had descended upon the town, all for the same purpose: "The Common Man."
"Prince, everyone is here," one of the royal mages said.
"Bring them in."
The royal mage exited the room and returned shortly with a group of people in tow.
They all made their way to a private room within the restaurant, which had been reserved for the prince's use. Once they were all seated, they waited expectantly for the prince to begin the meeting.
"Now that we are all here, present your report. Make sure to leave nothing out"
"Yes, prince. We all arrived here 2–3 days ago, but we still haven't found anything about the common man,
"The town is swarming with a lot of normal people and hunters, but we can't say who is innocent or otherwise.
"Everything is quiet right now, and no one is making a move," the headmaster of the institute reported.
As the report was delivered, the prince's eyes scanned the faces of each major noble family head. However, when his gaze landed on the Rosewell family, he stopped and fixed his attention on them.
"Where are Yelena and Leah?" He asked.
"Prince, they will be arriving tomorrow, they are still handling some work and looking for information about our grandfather," Leah's uncle reported.
"So Alexander still hasn't come back. What are the chances someone abducted or killed him?"
"50-50 prince." Raigun Redmont replied.
"He was already exhausted after the fight, so there is a chance some high-grade mage snuck up on him."
"This must be the Theodora Kingdom's doing; I am telling you we should declare war on them," Yongiri said, slamming his fist on the table.
"We can't assume it is done by them; the beast kingdom might also be behind this.
They will be the happiest if Felgura and Theodora waged war with each other." Madam Evergreen spoke, sipping her tea quietly.
"But what if this is all the common man doing?" Xavier Valtor said.
"Bullshit…"
"What the hell are you saying…"
The nobles in the room began to express their disagreement with Xavier's opinion, one after another. Meanwhile, the headmaster of the institute sat deep in thought, considering the possibility more carefully.
