"That was most of what I had."
The Fire Spirit shrugged his shoulders.
'Then...'
For a short moment, it seemed like Mark's side had taken back some control over the battlefield.
A nervous smile.
'We're fucked.'
The Fire Spirit stared at Mark for a bit before looking away.
"Not necessarily. They saw me attack that Berserker. They saw what I'm capable of."
'Yeah. I could see that explosion all the way from where I was launched. It's obvious that they know. So what?'
"The show I just put on is a bluff. I might be low on energy now but..."
'Oh. Yeah. That's why they're not approaching. They don't know that, huh?'
"Correct. They can still attack though, since they can-"
The Fire Spirit's words were interrupted as an arrow passed through his body.
But that didn't bother him in the least, as the timing was quite opportune.
"See? They can still shoot. And they'll probably aim at me for a bit."
Mark remained silent.
He stared at the enemies that had, slowly, started walking closer.
"But they'll figure it out soon. That I'm low on energy, that is."
'Mm.' Mark nodded. ' By devouring the remaining Demons and that one guy I managed to regain Mana but... I don't have much either.'
The Fire Spirit turned towards the approaching Corrupted Dark Elves.
"I guess you could try something but..." He muttered.
An arrow went through the Spirit's body as he rubbed his chin with his hand.
If one were to think about it, it was a strange scene.
A hand made of flames somehow scratched a chin that was, too made of flames.
Yet, those flames could be turned solid or, at least, be given the appearance of being solid.
'If you've thought of something, then better tell quickly. They can't defeat you, but still.'
"I guess..."
It was unclear how the Spirit was even able to produce sounds, but Mark didn't dwell on it much.
After all, even an Undead Lich made solely of bones could, somehow, talk.
Therefore, questioning or even wondering about it seemed meaningless.
Much was yet to be discovered about the "Higher World" Mark had been reborn in.
The Fire Spirit clicked his tongue.
"Yeah. The Core in which I reside holds my power. If I go back in there then... You could draw power from it. If I let you."
'Mm. Good point. There was something like that...'
Mark proceeded to call out his Inventory and grabbed hold of the empty "Fire Spirit Core".
'If I remember right, I can manipulate fire using it. Not what I need, since they can dodge even your fire attacks but...'
The Fire Spirit remained silent, which was not expected of him.
'It's good too. Anything I can get right now is-'
The Corrupted Dark Elves, armed with their Timeworn Elven Daggers, upped their pace a bit.
"They might have figured it out."
Mark turned towards the Fire Spirit.
'I can only use it if you let me, huh? Then...'
He looked into the Spirit's flaming eyes with a gaze no less fiery.
'Will you?'
The Spirit clicked his tongue.
A second later, the burning flames that made up his body faded.
Immediately, the Corrupted Dark Elves halted their approach.
[The Fire Spirit falls back into a slumber.]
Mark tightened his grip over the gem that had gotten its brightness back.
The Fire Spirit, although reluctantly, had chosen to aid Mark.
In a way, it had no reason to do so.
After all, Mark's death didn't mean the Spirit's.
There is no inherent reason for a Spirit to be on the side of its Core's holder.
Sure, the Spirit cannot hurt the Core's owner, but it doesn't have any obligation to obey that owner's orders.
Which is why Spirits tend to test the new owner's worthiness before offering their power.
Spirits are often considered tricksters and deceivers.
In most cases, that is absolutely true.
But even when it comes to Spirits, Fire Spirits are the most ambiguous.
They are mischievous, proud, and fickle in nature.
And this Fire Spirit was no exception.
Still, Mark's death didn't seem to lead to a great future for it.
If Mark were to die, the Fire Spirit would be called back into the Core, where it would wait for a new owner to pick it up.
In that eventuality, a worthy owner appearing inside the Dungeon seemed unlikely.
Above all, Spirits adore freedom.
'They're confused, huh?'
The Corrupted Dark Elves looked around them.
Repeatedly, from right to left.
Anxious that something could reappear out of thin air.
'I'll wait it out then. The archers are probably scared too. Scared of him appearing behind their backs...'
Unfortunately, it only took a minute for the Corrupted Dark Elves to resume their approach.
Seconds later, they stood, once more around Mark.
'They're closer than earlier...'
Step-
'Oh.'
Step-
'If they're this close, the probability of crossfire using the arrows shoots up, huh? Well, this is...'
While the enemies opted to make circles of about twenty meters in diameter earlier, they now stood a lot closer.
After all, the target was heavily wounded.
And the powerful being made of ferocious flames, that arrows couldn't hurt, was still roaming.
They couldn't waste more time.
'Just perfect.'
Mark's tail, which he hadn't used for a bit, twitched.
The Corrupted Dark Elf that stood behind him stared at that limb. It knew that the limb was a powerful one.
'You guys made circles to trap me, huh? Then...'
The next instant, three Corrupted Dark Elves launched their bodies forward.
'Time for me to do the same.' Mark thought.
The tip of his tail touched the ground.
Immediately, the enemy behind him growled to warn its brethren, but it was too late.
A second was all it took.
The Corrupted Dark Elves looked around, confused.
One of them breathed out, and a thick fog of cold air exited its mouth.
Around them, a large dome of ice had been cast.
'Let's do this.'
The Corrupted Dark Elves looked down.
They tried raising their feet, but,
BAM-
A deadly punch crushed a Corrupted Dark Elf's skull and launched its body against the dome's walls.
The rest became agitated.
Fear started, slowly, creeping in.
BAM-
Two had already been defeated.
The Corrupted Dark Elves growled and roared, as if to strengthen their resolve, before pulling their bare feet out of the ice's deadly embrace.
Before Mark could touch another one, the Corrupted Dark Elves stepped away from the target.
They walked back until their backs were against the dome's walls.
Without taking their attention off the targte, they hit the walls to ascertain the situation in which they were.
The walls of ice were thick.
Too thick to be broken through with light weapons.
Of the twelve, two had been defeated.
Additionally, another two had lost an arm because of the Fire Spirit's previous attack.
The Corrupted Dark Elves growled without moving away from the dome's walls.
'They're not coming...'
Mark looked at the enemies he had trapped, unsure how to attack.
'They still have the advantage in numbers, but-'
A Corrupted Dark Elf roared and ran forward.
Mark turned towards it.
The ones facing his back started approaching too.
'They're slow...' Mark noted.
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ And delight was written all over his face.
The Corrupted Dark Elves relied on their mastery of weapons and Agility more than anything.
But now, their feet were bleeding, missing the skin beneath.
Additionally, the ice was easy to slip on, which made moving efficiently more difficult, especially for those lacking in weight or strength.
A Corrupted Dark Elf's neck was cracked by a powerful tail flick.
By then, only five Corrupted Dark Elves were still standing.
And their bodies shivered intensely.
Despite the "advantage in numbers" still being on their side.
A devilish smile was on the Monster's face.
'Let's turn you all...'
The thick black lines going down its eyes, horns, and fangs only made it seem even more diabolic.
'Into the fuel that'll allow me to defeat the rest.'
Using his tail, fangs, claws, raw strength, and the Fire Spirit's flames he could call out, Mark took care of the attackers.
What had started as an execution, was turned into a massacre.
Of course, he did sustain injuries defeating multiple enemies at once, but nothing that devouring the dead couldn't heal.
Mark looked around him.
Once again, he had been left alone.
Once again, he was hidden and protected by thick walls.
Once again, his enemies were standing outside, waiting for him.
Waiting to pierce his heart.
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