Chapter 67: Group (Part 1)

Shirone and Canis kept track of each other’s movements, even in the dense, difficult terrain of the forest. Their approach was cautious rather than aggressive, and the battle had turned into a psychological game rather than a direct confrontation. The contrast between light and darkness created a fragile balance, and one wrong move could tip the scales instantly. The question now was: who would strike first?

Canis, feeling the pressure more, knew that dark magic worked best when responding with counterattacks. But Shirone never left an opening, maintaining tension with calculated, tactical moves. Through a mental connection, Harvest’s voice came through.

– “It’s fine. There’s no way anyone can stay this calm in battle.” – “Should we pretend to fall for it and close in? We need to create some unpredictability. I can’t keep up like this.” – “Hmm, it’s like a mirrored chess match.” The strategy was simple: mirror the opponent’s moves to keep the power gap close. In the middle of the fight, the difference in strength wouldn’t be noticeable, but one mistake could easily create an opening. However, if the fight continued without mistakes, the one who struck first would likely suffer in the end.

’He’s not even showing the slightest sign of weakness. If we keep this up, we could be in serious trouble.’

Canis believed it was better to make the first move. He communicated his decision through the mental link.

– “Harvest, what do you think?” – “Hmm? Oh, right. If this drags on, we’ll be at a disadvantage. Let’s take the initiative.” Canis sensed that the thoughts from Harvest were slower than usual, so he widened the distance with the Dark Fort and asked.

– “What’s going on?” – “I felt seismic waves a little while ago. They’re coming from about two kilometers away.” Harvest, with his highly developed sense of vibration, could perceive and interpret the waves of energy in great detail.

– “Seismic waves?” – “They’re still coming. Only Arcane’s power could cause a disturbance like this. He must have used Dark Fellowship.” – “Master? But the Dark Fellowship is a secret weapon. What does this mean?” – “It could mean either one of two things. The good news is that it could be a sign of Arcane being in a highly energized state. The bad news is, we’re probably up against someone strong enough to trigger the Dark Fellowship.” – “If it’s a strong opponent… Could it be Alpheas?” – “For now, that seems the most likely. Either way, we have to move quickly. If Arcane found Alpheas, we need to finish up here too.” – “Got it. Let’s go.”

Canis closed the gap and moved in. To his surprise, Shirone met him head-on, maintaining the initiative through instinctive feedback and swift adjustments.

Canis cast a dark magic attack, shaping a shadow into a double-edged saw blade designed for offense. Shirone responded by firing Photon Cannons continuously, cutting through the darkness like a rock being battered by wind and waves. Despite light being the natural counter to darkness, Canis was fully committed to dark magic. Though capable of using all basic spells from his series, his magic was not suited for small, quick attacks.

’Stay steady. I can’t keep up this level of magic forever. If I can just hold on, the tide will turn.’