A dust-covered hand emerged… It trembled for a moment, then grasped the edge.
Elisa looked at the hand that came out
Elisa was weak and her limbs were still numb, so she couldn't get up.
'Why can't I feel my limbs?'
She actually had an idea as to why her limbs were going numb; when the kidnapper strangled her with the piece of cloth, she inhaled a strange smell from it, and as she inhaled that smell, she slowly lost her strength, so she thought that was the reason.
But it seemed to be temporary, as after a few seconds she noticed that her ability to move her limbs was improving and returning to normal.
'I wish I could move my body quickly'
Once the hand became visible, the stones began to move away and slip until the first of the kidnappers emerged, struggling to his feet. His mask was slightly cracked near the split eye, and traces of blood were visible on his neck. His body was covered in visible cuts and bruises.
He breathed slowly… then brushed the dust off his shoulder.
"T…tch…"
His breathing was heavier than before.
On the other side—the pile of stones suddenly exploded.
The second kidnapper rushed out,
caught the rocks off him with a powerful fist,
then stood up, pressing on his injured shoulder.
"Damn it…"
His voice was rough and filled with anger.
There were visible bruises on his arm, and superficial cuts that bled, along with bruises on his body.
The two stood amidst the rising dust…
Their clothes were partially torn,
but they were still able to stand and move.
One of them slowly raised his head…
towards Kai.
"…that won't be enough, boy."
The other clenched his fist, and the sound of his tense skin rubbing against it was clearly audible.
Then he said coldly:
"Our turn now."
Kai was nervous now, even though his eyes were fixed on the kidnappers, who were in poor condition. He wasn't at his best either; his last attack had exhausted his spark. He could attack and defend, but his spark would run out quickly, perhaps after 5 or 6 attacks or defenses.
'Should I attack them with everything I have?'
His initial thought was to attack them with all his might, but he dismissed it at the mere thought of it. If he failed, they would be defenseless, so he decided...
'I think I have to defend myself until help arrives.'
He decided to waste time defending himself until help arrived.
Kai looked at the kidnappers, then at Elisa, took a breath, and raised his hand. The wind began to grow stronger and thicker in that place.
Moments later, it took the form of a dome or sphere around Kai and Elisa; the wind became their shield.
The kidnappers looked at Kai and Elisa, who were using the wind as a shield, and then one of them spoke
"A shield of wind again, that's annoying."
The other replied,
"We have to destroy it quickly and take the girl. We've wasted too much time, but where's Raven?"
The first one spoke
"I don't care where he is because he won't get anything after kidnapping the girl."
The first one grabbed his knife from the ground, then the two of them attacked Elisa and Kai.
Their speed was much slower due to their injuries and the exhaustion they suffered at Kai's hands, but it was still significantly faster than the speed of an average person.
Seconds later, he appeared in front of the air wall and began attacking it to destroy it.
The first one attacked with his knife, trying to break the wall of air with multiple, repeated blows, but the wall was solid. The air was like a real wall, and that bothered him.
"Damn elemental users! You made the air solid? This is cheating, kid! But don't worry, we'll break it in a moment."
The second one attacked with his fist, and strangely enough, the effect of his fist was greater than that of a knife; he made the wall crack with his multiple blows.
The duo's attack continued, and the air wall held firm, but after a minute it began to crack. A smile appeared on the kidnappers' faces.
Kai and Elisa's faces grew tense. Elisa spoke to Kai:
"Why is the wall cracking?"
Kai replied, his voice strained:
"I've run out of sparks. I can't do anything now."
After he said that, the wall broke and the air scattered throughout the place as if it had never existed.
The person holding the knife looked at Kai with a hateful bloodied gaze.
"You're dead."
He lunged swiftly at Kai's neck, slashing with a knife. Kai couldn't react in time, and couldn't even use his element.
'Am... I going to die?'
But inches before the knife reached his neck, an ice spear pierced the man's leg, and a cry of pain was heard from him as blood gushed forth.