Chapter Eleven: Tornado Storm

The eyes of the pursuers were undoubtedly sharp; from Komer’s casual demeanor, it was clear that today’s battle would not be easy to resolve. While one pursuer continued to monitor the elf thief from afar, the other two quickly and skillfully formed a strange triangular formation behind their leader, raising their hands toward the sky almost simultaneously. A clear chanting sound soon echoed in front of the cliff.
“Vast sky, gift of the gods to all life—let the tornado wind arise!” The three chanted with remarkable proficiency, repeating the phrase three times, each time faster and at a higher pitch, until it transformed into a massive wave of wind before the cliff.
“Tornado Storm!” Even the elf thief, who had remained relaxed, could not help but pale in fear. This was a special wind-based magic array. To activate it in such a short time without any magical tools or artifacts required the caster to draw upon their own sacred energy, which was why no magician would dare attempt it lightly.
Komer also realized the severity of the situation. These people were clearly carrying out some secret mission, one that seemed to need to remain hidden. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have launched such a fierce attack right away, leaving him with little room to maneuver. Although Komer had never seen a tornado storm before, he had seen pigs run in the mountains before—just by sensing the intense concentration of wind elements around him, he knew this wind magic would be extremely powerful.
In the blink of an eye, the massive wave of wind gathered into a huge swirling vortex, sucking in all the trees and soil around it. Like a true giant tornado, it rushed toward Komer with a howling wind.
The poor earth troll didn’t even have time to act before being torn to pieces by the spinning tornado storm. Defying the immense power of earth magic, its massive, broken body was flung into the air at the center of the storm and instantly turned into dust, disappearing without a trace.

The body subtly shifted to avoid the fierce gusts of the tornado, but Komer quickly realized he had made a mistake. The sharp gazes of the three pursuers were fixed on him, guiding the tornado column to adjust its direction and head straight for him. Whenever Komer moved right, the tornado column turned right; whenever he moved left, it turned left. Its speed increased, its power grew stronger, and its range expanded. Komer felt as if he were inside a hurricane eye, with air swirling wildly around him. He knew he would likely have to confront this wind-based magic head-on today.

The massive tornado had already sucked in all the soil and dust around it, forming a spinning column of mud. The deafening howl of the wind was almost enough to tear people’s eardrums, and the entire ground trembled as it rushed forward without any obstacles. Komer had recited the spell three times in his mind. This defensive shield from dark magic was the first time he had used it. Normally, a magic shield from light magic would be the most suitable, but light magic wasn’t Komer’s innate power. Although he had successfully exchanged some dark magic for light magic, it was still only a preliminary experiment. Simple light-based spells might work, but facing such a powerful wind magic array, Komer didn’t dare risk his life. Seeing how the mud trolls were torn to dust in an instant, he preferred to expend more energy rather than take that risk.

A series of diamond-shaped shields emerged silently as Komer uttered his final spell. One after another, they gathered in front of him. Within moments, the crystal-clear shields formed a huge semi-elliptical barrier before the tornado could strike. The surface of the shields shone with starlight, as if the power of the stars in the sky was projected onto them. But if a magician skilled in star magic were present, they would notice that the glowing surface couldn’t hide the faint dark gray light flowing beneath it. That dark light moved continuously between the diamond-shaped shields, instantly connecting them all into a perfect whole.

“Star Magic?!” Both the pursuers and the elf thieves couldn’t help but exclaim in shock. Among all forms of elemental magic, star magic was undoubtedly the most effective at counteracting it. Elemental magic stemmed from elemental transformation, and all elements originated from nature. Nature and the stars were originally two distinct realms that merged into one—elemental magic focused on specific strengths, while star magic embraced comprehensiveness.

With an elegant smile on his lips, Komer gently waved his hands. A cluster of large diamond-shaped shields merged with a semi-oval shield, slowly but firmly moving toward the rushing tornado column.

The massive air currents collided and compressed, causing the entire space to distort. Komer could clearly see the dark light flowing within his Heavenly Demon Shield, accelerating rapidly to form a magnificent dark curtain. The wind elements pressed in were almost instantly swallowed by the dark veil. The shrill howling grew even more intense at that moment. Along with the thunderous roar, Komer felt as though his Heavenly Demon Shield, to which he had devoted all his strength, had been struck by a ten-thousand-ton hammer. A crack suddenly appeared in his mind, and an endless desire for slaughter surged out from that crack.

At that moment, Komer could also clearly see ripples in the air ahead, spreading outward like water waves. Realizing something was wrong, he didn’t hesitate. He stepped back, and the immense energy generated by the collision of the two powerful magics immediately caused spatial distortions at the point of impact. All nearby matter disappeared due to these distortions. If Komer hadn’t pulled himself back in time, that sudden spatial distortion might have thrown him into another dimension. If that happened, it would be uncertain when he could find another such spatial seam to return.

The massive waves caused by the magic collision spread outward like mushroom clouds. The three pursuers managed to avoid the shockwaves of magical energy right away, but their severe depletion of mana left them unable to fight another round. It was hard for them to find any other explanation besides lamenting their bad luck that such a fierce wind-based magic array had been destroyed by star magic.

The three pale-faced pursuers stared wide-eyed at the mushroom cloud slowly dissipating. The dust raised by the clash of magic had finally cleared, allowing them to see whether the creature that had managed to withstand their tornado storm could still stand firm. But as the dust cleared and Komer’s icy, murderous gaze swept over them, they realized they had truly encountered a formidable opponent today.

At that moment, Komer was struggling hard to suppress the violent murderous intent within him. The immense force generated by the wind-based magic array of the tornado storm was beyond what ordinary people could imagine. With no way to retreat, he had to resort to the most clumsy method of direct confrontation. Although he managed to use the Heavenly Demon Shield to resist the impact of the opponent’s magic, the powerful recoil almost immediately cracked the tightly controlled dark magic within him. An endless surge of murderous intent threatened to burst forth from his well-hidden mental space. At that point, Komer only wanted to rush forward and slaughter everyone in front of him with the cruelest means possible.

Komer knew this was because his dark magic did not entirely stem from his own gradual cultivation. By forcibly accepting the power of Kenifer III, he had gained immense magic power at once, but he couldn’t use it freely. He had to gradually transform this magic into something he could control through self-training—a process that would take a very long time. Once the magic power exceeded his control, or if he was struck hard in a confrontation and lost control, the various negative emotions brought about by the powerful dark magic could erupt in an instant. And if he lost control once it erupted, he might descend into madness and fall into darkness.

Komer had to use all his strength to suppress the surging murderous intent within him. His turbulent emotions battered against his mental defenses like waves. He knew this was a test of his will. The faint metallic taste in his mouth didn’t help him stay clear-headed; instead, it gave him a bloodthirsty thrill—a sign of impending madness. Komer kept taking deep breaths to control his emotions. At this moment, he could only pray silently that the opponent wouldn’t provoke him, otherwise, the anger and murderous intent in his heart might break through all limits. While the others might vanish, he himself could end up trapped in madness.

In fact, as Komer’s icy gaze swept over the group of dark elf pursuers, the lead pursuer immediately realized that completing the task today would be extremely difficult—perhaps they would all die here. The dark elves were the race among the seven major elf races that had the most contact with mortals and understood them best. Just from Komer’s gaze, he understood that escaping was only possible if he took action now, while the man was still regaining his breath. Once he recovered, none of the four of them would likely survive. He silently signaled the three others behind him, and without any warning, the four figures dashed away like swallows in flight, quickly moving dozens of meters away. Only the thief elf’s screams echoed in the air.