Chapter 307 – Spatial

The way fights worked from rank 3 and above was relatively straightforward, at least in theory. The goal was to break through the enemy’s defenses to kill or inflict a fatal wound while keeping one’s defense up for as long as possible. For example, my defenses consisted of a perfect spatial shield and an imperfect spatial armor. On her side, she only had a single fire shield up as far as I could tell.

The problem was the difference in rank. She could destroy all my defenses in two or three good attacks, but I would need to strike many more times that number to hope to break her shield. In other words, her advantage was enormous, and this was the very reason why fighting someone a rank higher was usually suicide. My chances of winning in a straight fight were very low.

However, low doesn’t mean zero. It was possible to bridge the gap a little if one possessed great skill. I also had many elements in my favor. She didn’t know my affinity, and she didn’t know my rank. In fact, with my position in the sky, the darkness, and her focus on the house, she hadn’t even noticed my presence above her. She was now running toward her goal, and I couldn’t waste any more time.

First, I had to stop her in her tracks. I teleported behind her and dropped a fan from my storage. Before it fell to the ground, I teleported far away and immediately calculated where she would stop. The fan hadn’t hit the ground yet when I released my first two space cutters, one after the other. I then teleported closer, in front of my space cutters, and released two more, right when the first two were at my level.

At that exact moment, the fan crashed to the ground, and the woman turned back toward the sound, startled, exactly where I wanted her to be. I teleported closer again and released two more attacks, and again, and again. By the end, I was less than ten meters away from her, and she finally noticed my presence.

Unfortunately, her focus on me also meant she didn’t see the silent and almost invisible blades hurling toward her. In a split second, they all converged almost perfectly together and struck a single point on the level of her chest.

The sound of collision from my two separated waves of space cutters and her fire shield resounded in the village. The first wave didn’t manage to break it, but the second one, also focused on the same spot, finally created a small opening in her shield. Even with all that, I hadn’t managed to inflict any injury on her. Her defense allowed her to survive unscathed, proof of how unfair a fight between people of different ranks was.

Yet, the small cut in her fire shield was all I needed. While she was busy receiving my attacks, not understanding what was happening, I teleported right in front of her and pushed my hand through the opening I had created, ignoring the burning sensation. She tried to avoid my hand but was so surprised by my teleportation that it was too late. I managed to touch her unprotected body. Because the hole in her shield was so small, I couldn’t use my space cutter on her. That didn’t matter.

Without taking any chances, I teleported the two of us high in the sky. The thing is, even if I dropped her from kilometers above ground, she might still manage to survive the fall somehow. As such, I used the most universally feared move from spatial mages. I went high, very high. Right into space.

For a moment, we floated without gravity while I looked at the planet below me, indulging in the magnificent view. Then, I quickly retrieved my hand and teleported back to the ground, alone, leaving the dumbfounded and nauseated woman behind.

I won, and she was soon dead. It was no problem for a person to survive in space for an instant, as I did, but more than that was fatal. Within a few tens of seconds, she would faint from the lack of oxygen. A few more minutes, and her organs would fail her, causing her death.

I turned back toward the house, only to see it in flames.

It was my turn to be stunned this time. It seemed the fire mage had somehow thrown an attack when I focused on what I was doing. The flames of a rank 5 mage were nothing to scoff at. It had only been a short amount of time, and the house was burning beautifully.

I watched it stupidly for some time.

‘Kuini and the kids!’

I finally remembered they were still inside. I teleported into Kuini’s room, not bothering to hide my affinity in my urgency. The fire hadn’t reached that far yet, but it was only a matter of time. The four of them were stuck together, looking stunned by my sudden arrival.

“Get out, quickly! The house is on fire!”

They didn’t immediately react, too shocked to do so.

“Hurry! Do you want to burn alive?”

My second shout took them out of their stupor, and they stood up, ready to flee.

“Follow me! Run!”

I ran toward the first floor, checking that they were following behind. The fire was on both sides of us now, and they trembled at the sight. I rushed to the door and opened it, staying inside to urge them once again.

“Quick!”

Erin was first, carrying Orun, who didn’t seem to understand well what was happening. Aren was second, and Kuini was last. When they were all out, I left too, closing the door after me. Frankly, I don’t know why I closed it. It might have been a reflex based on what I always did.

The five of us were now in front of the burning house, the fire propagating at high speed. Was it because it was made of high-quality materials? It burned well, way too nicely for my taste.

The house that I had spent so much time on was getting destroyed right in front of my eyes.

“My house…”

Was it my imagination that I felt my eyes sweating a little?

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