Bro, I'm not an Undead!

(A/N: Bonus Chapter)

Tulnas resurfaced from the sea of sand with his heavy armour, his focus being on what was happening behind the invisible barrier.

He narrowed his eyes as he saw what the people in the barrier wanted to do to his woman.

However, someone took the chance to attack as he was bouncing above the waves of sand without making a move.

A familiar magic formation appeared under his feet before shining in a harsh orange light that produced a firey explosion in the next moment, flames roaring as they pushed away much of the sand on ignition!

Gwendelina squinted as she looked at the aftermath of her attack. Bradd had ceased his attacks at the moment when Tulnas had surfaced from the sand as per the man's silent orders.

His figure then sank into the sand sea, disappearing within.

Aroused dust and smoke covered Gwendelina's view of what had become of Tulnas after her attack and when she tried to discern Tulnas position with her senses, she found it to be extraordinarily difficult.

'What's going on?' she thought.

As the visibility improved, Gwendelina saw something she didn't expect!

A massive hazy elephant was positioned where Tulnas should have been, its mass of starry lights floating above the sand as its tusks and eyes sparkled with flashing light!

It blew on its trunk like a trumpet making a sharp call, its cheeks suddenly ballooning up with the sound of bubbling liquid echoing within them!

In the next instance, it blew out with its trunk, a continuous stream of condensed water like a plasma beam jutting towards Gwendelina!

The beam of condensed water struck against Gwendelina's wind barrier, the colourless liquid splattering against it with a sound akin to spinning rubber against spinning rubber as it was restricted from entering.

The female Mage raised her hands and directed the nodes above her to shoot their charges of lightning against the creature!

The air flashed as dozens of bolts of lightning assaulted Alphat, the giant elephant remaining in place as it actually let the attacks reach it and surprisingly...

The bolts of lightning entered its hazy starry body, and instead of doing damage, they arched up with their bright and destructive power, speeding up and out of its body as they then went on to smash against the cavern ceiling that crumpled and dropped debris all over!

'What kind of creature is this?!' the Mage furrowed her brows.

She was about to try another strategy when...

Her eyes shot open!

She sensed it!

Tulnas' presence!

Her eyes darted to the left as she ignored Alphat, but by the time she turned, the presence she had sensed vanished!

'What?!' she thought as then sent a bolt of lightning towards the spot she had sensed Tulnas' presence from, thinking that perhaps Tulnas was setting up some kind of trap.

The fulgurous bolt smashed against the sand with intensity, but unfortunately it hit nothing but the sea!

Gwendelina started to grow anxious.

This was impossible.

How could a mere Tamer be able to confuse a Mage's senses?!

No way!

Once more, she felt a flicker of Tulnas' energy signature wiggle in and out of her senses and she was left turning her head to nothing but the sand that sloped and dived without rest!

'Something like this....' Gwendelina scowled as she thought.

She had only ever experienced something like this when she had faced an Assassin with a advanced class!

The bastard had enjoyed toying with her senses until she had found some backup and finally put him down.

Now, the same thing was happening but with someone who shouldn't even be adept at close combat.

What was with this man?!

He had battle prowess geared towards Form Using, like he was a warrior.

Now he was exhibiting the ability to dampen his presence, like an Assassin!

A bloody Tamer?!

"You won't get the best of me," she called as she raised her hands and swung them down, prompting for the dozens of nodes that were floating in the air to brighten up as they hissed with lightning until they spat out bright and quick bolts all over!

The terrifying streaks of expelled lightning rained down on the sand with extremely destructive power that burnt up the sand into patches of glass or simply into burnt versions of it!

The reverberations echoed throughout the cavern as the power released was simply too powerful!

The sand darkened and glowed from the extreme heat, portions of it turning molten with loud explosions that roused the sand into the air, leaving plumes of smoke rising with incredible thickness into the air.

Gwendelina remained vigilant even after launching this all out strike, her eyes darting around with anxiety.

'I doubt that killed him but...' she thought, lamenting at the fact that she hadn't received a blessing yet as she was also fairly new to the Evenfall.

The fact that the evaluation didn't take her initial power and class into account was something she was extremely dissatisfied with but she could only swallow it up and move on.

It was unfortunate that she had only managed to gain enough coin for the Elemental Patch, the most basic form of Magecraft at an Academy in a large city, the rest of her advanced courses deferred as result of lack of coin to advance further.

The Evenfall had promised to sponsor her continued studies and her formations were the newest addition to her arsenal.

With this much, she could ignore the fact that she hadn't yet qualified to attain a blessing, but this situation made her yearn to earn something so significant.

As Gwendelina's thoughts spiralled, something darted in her direction as she was encased in the wind barrier!

It was a short sword that darted through the smoking air, aimed at her head!

Surprisingly, the sword crackled with lightning over its blade as it approached and when it struck the wind barrier, slim bolts of the white energy sparkled on impact!

The metallic noise that resounded as the sword was deflected made Gwendelina turn her head as she hadn't even seen the weapon!

The Mage's confidence waned as she saw that attacks she couldn't even see were beginning to come!

She fiddled with her hands, streaks of lightning dashing from the nodes to wrap around her like a ringed cage above the wind she already had to protect her!

"Where the hell is he?!" Gwendelina said with fits of sweat trickling down her brow.

Right then...

Gwendelina felt a sword press at her neck, the cold steel licking her skin!

She turned her head and found to her shock, a figure donning heavy sand armour standing in an offensive stance right beside her with both her lightning ring cage and wind barrier opening up welcomingly for him to pass through without consequence!

...!

He held both his short swords the other of which had sand dripping from it as Tulnas held it at the ready.

From behind the helm that Tamer wore, a chilling voice came out.

"Now that your life rests in my hands, would you do a little something for me? It would make my life a whole lot easier if you did."

Gwendelina felt the sword at her neck dig deep into her skin, blood leaking out as the blade had easily bullied her defences!

From this, she inferred that these blades weren't simple weapons!

As the weren't.

They probably had attributes that made Tulnas a terrible opponent for her!

The Mage was torn as she already knew what Tulnas wanted as she could see it from the corner of her eye, bound to the formation that was surrounded by six figures.

To act against her fellow cultists was a serious offence in the Evenfall even when put in a tough position. Furthermore, she had been supported by this group in a way that was different from the rest of the world that would only lust for her class.

She had no reason to betray it.

She raised her chin with pride and resolute eyes as she faced Tulnas with the same apathetic eyes she had shown him at the beginning of their fight.

"You bested me. You might as well kill me," she said.

Tulnas' eyes flashed as the air around him turned murderous.

"As you wish."

His hand surged with strength as he moved the sword on the Mage's throat to kill her when...

"Unfortunately, I can't let our Mage die such an unextravagant death by the hands of a heathen..." the man with black and purple hair suddenly appeared between Tulnas and Gwendelina with an overbearing energy that drove Bradd's sand away and, his hand holding the Tamer's firmly.

"Kindly back off."

Tulnas immediately felt a palm strike to his chest that he didn't see coming, shatter not only the heavy sand armour he wore, but the black and green armour underneath before it bashed against his body, causing him to fly away as he streaked through the billows of sand...!

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