'He's finally on the back foot.' Aidy observed, noticing the change in Gareth's demeanor. Earlier, he had been confident and in control, but now there was a hint of irritation in his eyes.
Aidy's previous mindless and instinctual actions were all a ruse to buy time for Harthela's armor to fill up with absorbed energy. And when the time was right, Aidy would take an attack from Gareth to take distance and create an opportunity for Harthela to use Energy Transfer on Aidy.
Although the plan didn't go as planned as it was originally conceived, it was Harthela instead of Aidy who ended up taking the attack from Gareth. At least, they were able to take advantage of Gareth's misunderstanding when he saw Harthela's battered and seemingly vulnerable state.
This allowed Aidy to safely receive energy from Harthela and use it to exhaust Gareth of his own energy, leaving him weakened and vulnerable. But it seems that, as a member of the Tindalos Unit, Gareth was not one to be easily defeated.
"Be careful, Harthela; that bastard would surely target you now that he knew that you're the crux of our strategy," Aidy warned, her voice filled with concern, when she saw as though he had finally come upon a plan to counterattack.
Harthela nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Don't worry, with this armor the mistresses gave me, I'll be able to withstand any attack he throws at me!"
'That's why I'm worried,' Aidy made sure not to mention her doubts, not regarding the effectiveness of the armor but about Harthela's lack of intelligence.
Boom! The ground shook, sending tremors through the air. Looking at the source of the disturbance, they saw Gareth had stomped on the earth using his legs, empowered by aether. The force of his stomp created a shockwave that rippled through the surrounding area, causing the buildings to shake and the windows to shatter.
"What is he doing?" Aidy muttered, not understanding why Gareth would display such destructive behavior. Is he irritated that nothing he did seemed to work? Or is he simply unleashing his frustration in a destructive manner?
But the answer remained unclear as Gareth continued to stomp, his expression a mix of impatience and determination. Aidy couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, wondering what could have possibly triggered such a violent reaction from him.
It wouldn't take long for Aidy to understand that there is more to Gareth's actions than meets the eye. "Holy Fire Arts, Hollowed Fire Sphere!" As Gareth shouted the incantation, a blazing ball of fire materialized in front of him.
He manipulated the fire sphere with precision and control, directing it to scoop up earth from the ground he had been stomping on. The ground didn't melt; it seems to be suspended within the fiery sphere. Once it finished collecting the earth, the sphere of fire closed, encasing the earth within its fiery core.
"Shit!" Aidy's instincts screamed at her, warning her of the danger that the encased earth within the fiery sphere posed. "Harthela! That thing's dangerous!" She shouted, trying to get Harthela's attention and make her aware of the potential threat.
But Harthela just tilted her head confusedly, her eyes fixed on the mesmerizing spectacle. Aidy's heart raced as she realized that convincing Harthela to take action might be more challenging than she had anticipated.
Her greaves still burning in silver fire, Aidy made a split-second decision and lunged forward, grabbing Harthela's arm and pulling her away from the fiery sphere.
And that was the correct move. From the fire sphere emerged turrets made of fire, each one aimed directly at where Aidy and Harthela had been standing moments before.
"Don't think you can run from my Holy Fire Art, Scorching Cannon!" Gareth shouted as the barrels of the floating fire sphere unleashed a barrage of earthen projectiles, hurtling towards Aidy and Harthela.
"Fire Wall!" Aidy quickly chanted, summoning a protective barrier of flames. The earthen projectiles collided with the fiery barrier, easily penetrating it without much difficulty.
Seeing the ineffectiveness of the Fire Wall, Harthela used her two shields to intercept the remaining projectiles, bearing the brunt of the impact.
Despite managing to stand her ground, her shields were left cracked and weakened. It returned to normal as her armor automatically repaired the damage, but it consumed energy that she had absorbed.
"There's more where they came from!" Mocking their efforts, more projectiles were launched towards Harthela.
Clang-Clang-Clang! Without pause, from the floating fire sphere, a continuous barrage of projectiles rained down on Harthela, rooting her to the spot.
The cycle of being hit, the shields' destruction, and repair continued relentlessly, draining her energy reserves even further.
Aidy grimaced, acknowledging how it only took one move for Gareth to turn the tide of the battle in his favor. 'Is he aiming to drain Harthela of all her energy!?' Aidy became alarmed as she realized the true intention behind the relentless barrage of projectiles.
She considered how to counter Gareth's strategy. 'A diversion? It seems unlikely.' She pondered the possibility of using a counterattack to disrupt Gareth's relentless barrage. But she quickly dropped the idea as she realized that he had already anticipated any moves that she could make.
Aidy's mind raced, searching for a solution that would allow her to regain control of the battle. As she weighed her options, a daring plan began to form in her mind—if it could even be called a plan was a question, however.
Aidy knew that they had to take a risk, even if it seemed reckless. If this continued, Harthela would lose all the energy she had absorbed, and that would render their efforts futile.
She decided to trust her instincts and execute the daring plan, hoping that it would catch Gareth off guard and turn the tide of the battle in their favor.
"Harthela, advance!" Aidy commanded from behind Harthela.
"Huh!?" Harthela turned back in surprise, her eyes widening at the unexpected order. She was already being bombarded by projectiles, and Aidy wants to push her even further into danger?
"Are you insane!?" Harthela exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.
Aidy retorted, her voice laced with sarcasm. "What!? If you have any brighter ideas, then I'm all ears!" That shut Harthela up momentarily, as she realized that in the brain department, well, there's no good word to describe herself.
"Okay! I'll do it!" Harthela finally conceded, her voice tinged with a mix of fear and determination. She took a deep breath and stepped forward while enduring a hail of earthen projectiles from Gareth's Scorching Cannon.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Harthela's heart pounded in her chest as she endured the relentless barrage of attacks with her shields. The clanging of her shields echoed in her ears, in tune with the pounding of her heart.
And then suddenly, "Holy Fire Arts, Exploding Steps!" Aidy shouted with her hands behind Harthela's back. The next moment, with Aidy pushing her forward, they both ran forward with explosive speed, crashing with the earthen projectiles that Gareth's Scorching Cannon unleashed.
"Kyaaa!" Harthela's battle cry—it's a cry of terror, isn't it?—filled the air as they charged towards Gareth.
Moments before they reached him, Aidy chanted another art, "Holy Fire Arts, Heat Mirage," and she disappeared, with one of Harthela's shields, in a flicker of flames. Without Aidy to push her, Harthela suddenly stopped.
As a result of her sudden halt, Harthela was launched into a collision course with Gareth's Scorching Cannon. Due to her armor's energy absorption capabilities, the aether fueling the art within the Scorching Cannon was drained, rendering it useless.
The fire surrounding it vanished, and the earth serving as its bullets crumbled into dust.
"So that's your aim!" Gareth exclaimed with a grimace, realizing Aidy's strategy. He wasn't able to use any art to hinder their mad rush since the armor would just absorb the energy.
"And that's not the end of it!" Aidy unexpectedly appeared in front of Gareth, her silver-covered gauntlet's claws swinging towards his face. Gareth barely had time to react, narrowly dodging the attack.
Aidy continued her relentless assault, left to right, right to left, upwards and downwards, vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Her burning white gauntlets and his flame-overlain wands created a dazzling display of contrasting colors as they resumed their fierce battle.
But Harthela's presence should not be forgotten. Like earlier, she threw her shield at Gareth, aiming to drain him of his energy reserves. Harthela's shield whizzed through the air, her strength augmented by the armor.
Gareth, however, was not one to fall for tricks done to him twice. He anticipated her move and swiftly dodged the shield, making sure to put as much distance as possible between them.
"I'm not stupid like you are!" Gareth taunted, his voice dripping with confidence.
Then, a bonk resounded. "Eh?" A stupid sound escaped Gareth's lips, his consciousness and energy fading as he crumpled to the ground. In his final moments of consciousness, Gareth realized that Aidy held one of Harthela's energy-draining shields and had managed to strike him with it. She pressed him on the ground with it, making sure to drain him of every last ounce of energy.
"I know," Aidy replied calmly, her voice devoid of any trace of arrogance. "That's why I added another step to my plan."
