Leon’s boots barely made a sound as he moved through the dense foliage, his eyes scanning every flicker of mana around him. Ahead, he could see Iris Lunehart, weaving through the trees with uncanny precision. Her earth-and-wind magic left faint traces in the air — a breadcrumb trail she seemed to deliberately leave.

Leon’s jaw tightened as realization struck him. She’s leading me somewhere… she’s kiting me.

With a burst of speed, he pushed forward, leaping from tree to tree, closing the distance. As he rounded a bend, the clearing opened, revealing Rufus — standing silently, observing, his presence calm yet unnervingly alert.

Rufus’s sharp eyes flicked to the two newcomers. A flicker of surprise crossed his mind, though his expression remained neutral. Unexpected… two opponents converging here.

Leon slowed slightly, assessing the situation. Iris had done exactly what he suspected — drawn him directly to Rufus’s location. The battlefield now held three participants: Leon, the pursuer; Iris, the bait; and Rufus, the silent predator waiting in the shadows.

Rufus said nothing, made no movement, yet his mind was already calculating. Leon Milford… General Mage, unpredictable. Skilled enough to pursue without falling into traps. Iris… skilled in combined earth and wind sniping. Both capable of high damage. I need to control the flow of this engagement.

Inside, Rufus mapped out the arena, considering terrain, distance, and mana expenditure. I can’t rush. I have to wait, observe… and strike at the perfect moment. Both of them are strong, but their styles are predictable once patterns emerge.

Leon narrowed his eyes at Rufus, reading the silent tension. The silent type, no doubt, but he could sense the pressure of an experienced strategist. He adjusted his stance, keeping his dagger at the ready, while silently calculating his next move.

Iris glanced back briefly at Leon, her smirk just visible, as if to say: Got you…

The three now faced each other in the clearing, the forest around them holding its breath. A tense pause stretched, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves.

Rufus’s eyes narrowed, calculating the exact moment to strike. Without a word, he raised his hand, and several jagged stones levitated from the forest floor, swirling around him like a deadly orbit.

With a subtle flick, the stones shot forward, cutting through the air toward Leon with precision.

Leon’s senses flared. He pivoted on a tree branch, dodging the first few stones with ease. The others came faster, the trajectory changing subtly mid-flight — Rufus was adjusting in real-time.

For the stone he could not evade, Leon’s hand shot out, dagger gleaming. He parried with a sharp clang, the impact sending a shard skidding harmlessly across the mossy ground. His eyes never left Rufus, reading the faint mana trails left behind by each stone.

He’s not just throwing them… he’s weaving wind magic into the stones, Leon thought. Acceleration, trajectory… that’s why they move so fast.

As Leon kept dodging and parrying, a faint shimmer caught his attention — Iris had vanished. She had already used her magic to disappear from sight, leaving behind no trace.

Leon’s jaw tightened. “Typical… she’s playing her game, leading me here, just as I suspected.”

Rufus pressed the attack, the stones accelerating again, targeting not just Leon’s current position but predicting his movement. Each one whistled through the air, forcing Leon to move constantly, relying on his instincts and expert mana detection.

With a flick of his dagger, he sent another stone skidding off course, and leapt to a higher branch to gain better vantage. The forest around them became a blur of motion — stones, leaves, and flashes of mana dancing in the air.

Iris’s disappearance left Leon alone to face Rufus’s assault, but his mind raced ahead, calculating every possible escape and counter. The trap had been set; now, he had to survive and turn it to his advantage.

Leon’s body moved fluidly, dodging and parrying the barrage of flying stones, but he was careful not to expend more mana than necessary. Every flick of his dagger deflected stones he couldn’t evade, and a few small, precise spells — a brief gust of wind here, a thin shield there — redirected or slowed the projectiles.

No flashy attacks… just enough to survive, he thought, keeping his mana reserves in mind. He had already learned the hard way that even small bursts of magic could add up, especially in prolonged encounters.

Rufus’s stones came faster, sharper, each one carrying the subtle imprint of earth magic combined with slight wind acceleration. Leon tilted his body, ducked, and slid along tree trunks, letting the dagger handle the attacks that came too close. He wasn’t relying on raw power or overextending himself; every move was calculated, conserving energy while still remaining effective.

A shard whistled past his shoulder. Leon grabbed it midair with his dagger, spinning it harmlessly to the side, his eyes narrowing. Predict, intercept, conserve…

Meanwhile, the clearing was empty of Iris. She had vanished completely, leaving no trace of her presence, and Leon knew she was likely watching, waiting for the right moment to strike again or continue manipulating the fight from the shadows.

Rufus’s movements became more aggressive, a subtle shift in strategy — he was trying to force Leon to overcommit, to spend more mana than he should. But Leon was ready for that. He slid behind a large tree, dagger raised, letting Rufus’s momentum carry some stones past him harmlessly.

He wants me to panic… to use more magic than I should, Leon thought, adjusting his stance. Not happening.

With a carefully timed leap from the tree, Leon closed the distance on the next wave of stones. Using his dagger and a small wind deflection, he parried and redirected several projectiles at angles that barely changed their course, keeping himself safe while conserving mana.

Even without flashy magic or overwhelming power, Leon’s control and precision allowed him to hold his ground. Every move, every parry, was about survival and observation, buying time to analyze Rufus’s style, anticipate his next moves, and wait for the right opportunity.

The forest around them hummed with tension — a silent battlefield where power wasn’t measuredjust in destructive spells, but in control, endurance, and patience.

Leon moved with deliberate precision, letting Rufus continue his stone barrage while subtly guiding his movements. Every dodge, every parry, was designed to exhaust his opponent — not physically, but mentally. Rufus’s pattern, once imperceptible, became increasingly obvious with each volley.

Leaning slightly to the left, Leon parried the last cluster of stones with his dagger, redirecting them into a tree, and then closed the distance. Rufus reacted, attempting to summon more stones, but Leon was already within striking range.

With a swift, controlled thrust, Leon jabbed his dagger toward the ground at Rufus’s feet, sending a minor shockwave of compressed wind to destabilize the earth beneath him. Rufus stumbled slightly, his concentration broken.

Leon followed immediately, his movements a blur — a combination of precise dagger strikes and small bursts of wind magic, each requiring minimal mana. Rufus tried to counter, but his attacks were now predictable, telegraphed by the patterns Leon had carefully read.

Finally, with a deft strike, Leon disarmed the final stones from Rufus’s control. The last one shattered harmlessly against a tree trunk, and Leon pressed forward, dagger gleaming.

Without hesitation, he drove the blade into Rufus’s chest. Rufus’s virtual body shuddered, then shimmered as it dissolved into countless particles of light, scattering into the air. Only then did a floating window appear in front of Leon:

[Rufus: DEFEATED]

Leon exhaled, adjusting his grip on the dagger. Even without overusing magic, the battle had tested his perception, reflexes, and strategy.

Before he could move on, a series of explosions echoed from not too far away, shaking the nearby trees and sending birds scattering into the sky. Leon’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the forest.

Another fight… someone else is engaged, he thought, already calculating the mana traces and movement patterns in the distance. The Battle Royale was far from over, and the next encounter was already underway.

With a calm breath, Leon adjusted his dagger in his hand and silently began moving toward the source of the explosions, ready for whatever awaited him next.