Chapter 69: Elemental Body
With Lan’ka gone and now tasked with protecting Tong’a, Tud’or could finally give his full attention to the enemy standing before him.
The distance between them was only several meters, yet neither seemed willing to be the first to cross it. The surrounding battlefield continued to rage, with the distant screams of wounded kobolds mixing with the clash of weapons and the crackling of magic, but the space between the two warriors felt strangely isolated.
Tud’or and Grash simply stared at each other, neither showing the slightest trace of fear. They were the strongest warriors their respective clans had produced, and neither had reached that position through luck. Both had survived countless battles, ventured into dangerous regions where weaker warriors would have perished, and personally contributed to the survival and growth of their people.
Their methods were different, their bloodlines were different, and even their relationship with magic was different, but the weight carried by their names was remarkably similar.
"You speak about the flaws when you know so little about magic," Tud’or finally said as he slowly lowered his center of gravity and assumed a fighting stance.
Grash’s eyes narrowed. Something about Tud’or had changed.
At first, it was subtle. Then steam began escaping from the kobold’s body. It started around his shoulders and chest, thin wisps slipping between his scales before rapidly becoming thicker.
Tud’or’s breathing deepened, each breath sounding heavier than the last as his veins began bulging beneath his scales. An amber light appeared beneath his skin, faint at first, but growing brighter with every passing second. It moved through his body like liquid fire flowing through a network of channels, spreading from his chest into his shoulders, down his arms and across his legs.
Tud’or’s scales slowly darkened into a deep crimson. The amber light beneath them became increasingly visible as his muscles tightened.
Steam poured from his nostrils when he exhaled, and the earth beneath his feet began warming from the sheer heat radiating from his body. The air immediately surrounding him distorted slightly, as though the battlefield itself was struggling to tolerate his temperature.
"If you have mastered magic long enough, you will come to understand that the power of magic is not meant to be released outwards alone, but also inward,"
Tud’or continued, his voice becoming deeper as the heat within his body continued rising.
"It’s a pity I only learned this a year ago, and I’m yet to perfect it, but this should be enough to put you in your place. I call it, Elemental Body!"
Buzz!
Grash’s frown deepened.
He didn’t immediately respond. His eyes traveled over Tud’or’s body with careful attention, studying every visible change. The kobold’s scales had become crimson, while amber veins of light ran beneath them like streams of molten fire. Heat rolled from his body in waves, making the air around him shimmer. Even his breathing seemed to carry warmth, each exhalation releasing another cloud of steam.
Grash had encountered countless forms of magic during his expeditions. He had seen spells that created fire, spells that manipulated wind and spells that shaped earth. He had even learned several Words of Power himself through years of painstaking effort.
But he had never encountered this.
Elemental Body.
The name alone told him that Tud’or wasn’t simply releasing fire from his body. He was doing something fundamentally different with his magic. The kobold truly looked like a beast made from fire.
Grash’s fingers tightened around the handle of his battle axe.
"Come," he said coldly. "Show me what your magic can do."
Buzz!
Tud’or disappeared and Grash’s pupils contracted.
There was no warning.
One moment Tud’or stood several meters away, and the next his body had crossed the entire distance. A burning trail remained behind him as his feet tore across the earth, the heat beneath his steps scorching the ground. His fists trembled violently from the sheer concentration of power packed inside them, amber and crimson light spilling between his scales as he approached.
Swoosh!
Grash reacted on instinct. He raised his battle axe horizontally and barely managed to position the weapon between himself and Tud’or’s incoming fist.
Pang!
The collision produced a metallic shriek.
Grash’s eyes widened. His battle axe shook violently in his hands as Tud’or’s fist slammed into its center. For an instant, Grash believed he had successfully stopped the attack.
Then he saw the steel.
His expression changed.
The portion of the battle axe directly touching Tud’or’s fist had begun to glow red. It was melting.
Grash’s eyes sharpened as the heat rapidly spread across the metal. The weapon he had carried through countless battles, the same weapon that had torn through hardened scales and shattered magical defenses, was actually beginning to soften beneath the heat radiating from Tud’or’s body.
"What?"
Bang!
The true force behind the attack arrived a heartbeat later.
Grash’s arm was violently blasted backward.
His shoulder twisted from the impact as the battle axe was forced away from his body, leaving his chest completely exposed. His boots carved deep trenches through the earth as his body was pushed backward, but he refused to surrender his balance.
He had barely recovered his footing when Tud’or’s second fist was already coming.
Grash’s eyes widened.
Tud’or had deliberately prepared the second attack while the first one was being blocked.
"Elemental Body: Fire Fist!"
A roar tore from Tud’or’s throat as his left hand became engulfed in violently churning flames.
He punched and the fist connected directly with Grash’s exposed chest.
BOOOM!
A gigantic fist shaped mass of fire exploded from Tud’or’s arm at the instant of impact.
Grash’s entire body was lifted from the ground. For the first time since arriving at the colony, his expression completely changed.
The force of the attack dragged him backward as though he had been struck by a charging beast. Fire swallowed his body while the enormous flaming fist continued carrying him across the battlefield, ripping through the earth beneath his feet before finally launching him into the forest.
BOOM!
Grash smashed through the first tree.
The trunk snapped violently and his body continued, breaking tree after tree. The flaming fist carried him deep into the vegetation before finally dissipating in an explosion of heat. Several trees immediately caught fire, flames climbing their trunks while burning branches collapsed into the undergrowth.
For several seconds, nobody moved. The battlefield seemed to lose its rhythm.
Rudor’s body had been raised for another strike, but his arm remained frozen in place. Lucy had an arrow halfway drawn across her bowstring, yet she no longer seemed capable of remembering what she had intended to shoot. Brox had his massive metal club raised above his shoulder, his normally cocky expression replaced by open disbelief.
Even Tong’a stopped. His green eyes slowly shifted toward the burning forest.
"What..." Rudor muttered.
He had seen Grash fight.
He had watched the goblin chieftain casually destroy opponents who had seemed powerful moments earlier. He had watched him split apart defensive spells, overpower warriors and even defeat a human!
But he had never seen Grash thrown away like that. Not once.
Brox slowly lowered his club.
"Chief..."
The word escaped him almost unconsciously and Lucy swallowed as her gaze remained fixed on the burning trees.
"He actually hurt him."
Tud’or remained where he stood, his fist still extended toward the forest. Steam poured from his body while the amber light continued flowing through his veins. His chest rose and fell heavily, and his arm trembled slightly from the tremendous strain of the technique.
He had succeeded. He had actually driven Grash backward.
But Tud’or did not celebrate. His eyes remained locked on the burning forest. He knew better than anyone that the battle was far from over.