The sky above Erantel was a battlefield, the air crackling with mana and the ground trembling from the sheer force of the clash.
Two figures stood against Zahara, their weapons drawn and their expressions grim.
Veradine, the guildmaster of the Erantel Adventurer's Guild, held a spear crackling with lightning, his sharp eyes locked on Zahara.
Beside him was Hagan, the mayor of Erantel, a brown-haired man of average build wielding a bastard sword in one hand and a longsword in the other.
His presence was calm but deadly, his swords glowing faintly with the power of wind.
Hagan's voice cut through the chaos, his tone stoic but firm. "Identify yourself. Who are you, and why are you attacking this city?"
Zahara didn't respond. Her expression was blank, her eyes cold and empty as she summoned a staff into her hands.
The staff was sleek and dark, pulsing with an ominous energy that made the air around her feel heavy.
She floated in place, her presence radiating an overwhelming aura of darkness and destruction.
Veradine sighed, his grip tightening on his spear. "Looks like she's not in the mood to talk. Let's end this quickly."
Hagan nodded, his swords gleaming as he took a battle stance. "Agreed."
The fight began in an instant. Veradine lunged forward, his spear crackling with lightning as he thrust it toward Zahara.
She dodged with ease, her movements fluid and precise, as if she could predict his every move.
Hagan followed up with a sweeping strike, his bastard sword coated in wind that sliced through the air like a razor.
Zahara raised her staff, deflecting the strike with a burst of telekinetic force that sent Hagan skidding backward.
Veradine didn't let up. He summoned a barrage of lightning spears, hurling them at Zahara with blinding speed.
She waved her staff, and the spears disintegrated into harmless sparks before they could reach her.
Hagan dashed in from the side, his longsword glowing with wind as he aimed a precise slash at her flank.
Zahara twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the strike, and countered with a wave of darkness that forced Hagan to retreat.
The battle was a blur of motion, the three combatants moving at insane speeds that made it nearly impossible to follow.
Veradine's lightning clashed with Zahara's darkness, the air around them sizzling with energy.
Hagan's wind-enhanced strikes cut through the air, creating shockwaves that shook the ground below.
But no matter how hard they pressed, Zahara was always one step ahead.
She moved with an almost casual grace, her staff spinning in her hands as she deflected their attacks.
Her telekinesis was a constant threat, lifting debris from the ground and hurling it at them with deadly accuracy.
Veradine and Hagan were forced to dodge and weave, their movements growing more desperate as the fight dragged on.
At one point, Veradine coated his spear in lightning and charged at Zahara, aiming a powerful thrust at her chest.
She sidestepped the attack and countered with a blast of darkness that sent him flying. He crashed into a nearby building, the structure collapsing around him.
Hagan took advantage of the distraction, launching a flurry of wind-enhanced strikes at Zahara.
She blocked each one with her staff, her expression unchanging, before retaliating with a wave of telekinetic force that sent him tumbling through the air.
The ground shook violently as their fight continued, the shockwaves from their clashes destroying buildings and sending debris flying in every direction.
Civilians screamed and ran for cover, the city guards struggling to maintain order amidst the chaos.
The destruction was immense, but neither Veradine nor Hagan could gain the upper hand.
Zahara was toying with them. That much was clear.
Her movements were effortless, her attacks precise and calculated.
She wasn't trying to kill them—not yet. She was testing them, pushing them to their limits. And they were losing.
Veradine gritted his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet, his spear crackling with renewed energy. "We can't keep this up," he said, his voice strained. "She's too strong."
Hagan nodded, his swords glowing brighter as he channeled more wind into them. "We have no choice. We have to hold her off until reinforcements arrive."
Zahara tilted her head slightly, her expression still blank.
Then, without warning, she raised her staff, and the air around her darkened.
A massive sphere of darkness formed above her, pulsing with an ominous energy.
Veradine and Hagan braced themselves, their weapons at the ready, but they knew they were outmatched.
The sphere of darkness shot toward them, and they barely managed to dodge, the attack obliterating the ground where they had stood moments before.
The shockwave from the explosion sent them flying, their bodies slamming into the ground with bone-jarring force.
As they struggled to get back up, Zahara floated above them, her staff glowing with dark energy.
She didn't speak, didn't gloat. She simply watched, her cold, empty eyes staring down at them as if they were nothing more than insects.
The fight was far from over, but one thing was clear: Zahara was in complete control. And unless something changed, Erantel was doomed.