Amber shot forward, running past the shocked Reena. She moved first, taking the initiative and wanting to strike before it could react, but because they were still in the void, she couldn't use skills like [Phase Step].
The voidling screeched as it saw her approach, its tendril mane lashing out like spears. Amber dodged and weaved through the strikes, her daggers slicing through the tendrils that came too close. But the severed tendrils didn't fall lifelessly. They dropped to the ground and, as if animated by their own will, rose like serpents and lunged at her from behind.
The writhing snakes snapped toward her, but passed harmlessly through as Amber's body shifted into sand.
The voidling shrieked. Seeing its tendrils were ineffective, it recalled them, and the severed masses slithered back to its body. The tendrils were absorbed through its feet which then grew out from its mane.
Once whole again, it charged forward at Amber who was getting too close.
But before it could reach her, a pillar of sand erupted from the ground and struck, sending it backwards a few feet.
From all directions, streams of sand launched toward it like arrows. The voidling roared and moved its tendrils around itself, crossing them like a shield to block the barrage.
Amber seized the opening and dashed in. Her daggers flashed as she unleashed a flurry of slashes across its flank. But to her attacked the voidling didn't spill any blood. What came out of it was only a black, squirming mass that when it fell onto the ground it moved on its own, crawling back to the voidling and reabsorbing into the main body. No matter how many times she struck and cut off its flesh, it regenerated in mere moments.
And she knew she couldn't keep the pressure up forever. She was using a lot of mana to create and maintain these attacks and without access to their spatial rings she couldn't keep it up forever.
Reena, meanwhile, stood helplessly on the sidelines. Without her space magic, she could do little more than watch. She turned to Solwyn, who was still locked in his chaotic battle with countless voidlings, laughing as lightning and fire tore through the void.
"Solwyn! We need help! There's one in here with us!"
He scoffed, barely glancing their way. "It's only a single voidling. You should be able to handle it yourselves."
Reena stood frozen in disbelief. 'Seriously?! I can't even use my magic, and she's not even an A-Ranker! How are we supposed to kill this thing?!'
She wanted to rebuke him but every second wasted was another Amber couldn't afford. The voidling's regenerative abilities were too great and if it had a weakness they didn't know what it was.
'Think, Reena, think.'
All she could do was rack her head for an answer, but as she was doing so things got worse.
Amber was caught off guard by a sudden swipe of a tendril and sent flying through the air. Reena's instincts kicked in, and she dove forward, catching Amber just in time.
"Are you okay?" She asked, breathless.
Amber nodded quickly, then leapt from Reena's arms without hesitation and dashed right back into the fray creating more sand and expending more mana so it didn't have any unoccupied tendrils
Reena blinked, stunned for a moment. 'She's so light… I caught her easily. Of course I did. I'm still an A-Ranker.
Her eyes widened. Realization dawned like lightning. There was something she could still do.
She shot up and shouted, "Amber! Can you block its vision? I have a plan!"
Amber gave a sharp nod. Instantly, a swirling sandstorm enveloped the voidling, cutting off its sight.
Blinded, the creature screeched in fury and flailed, its tendrils whipping wildly in all directions. But Amber remained inside the storm, her daggers slicing through them with surgical precision. Though the tendrils quickly regenerated, the barrage kept it distracted.
Then out of nowhere, a pair of feet slammed into the voidling's head.
It staggered back.
Reena had charged in through the storm, and without her magic, she still had one advantage, raw strength. As an A-Ranker, her physical power still surpassed Amber's and it was nothing to scoff at. So using the sand storm as a distraction she jumped with all her strength and drop kicked the voidling in its face sending it reeling backwards towards the wall.
Reena shouted. "Now! Hit it as hard as you can!"
Amber responded immediately. Behind her, a colossal sand fist formed and launched forward, smashing into the voidling's chest.
Unable to react in time, the impact sent it hurtling backward, smashing through the intangible wall and back into the void beyond.
"Yes!" Reena cheered. She sprinted to the wall and slammed her palm against it, modifying its properties just in time—
—BAM!
The voidling tried to come back inside only to crash against the dimensional wall, unable to enter.
"Haha! It can't come through anymore!" She shouted triumphantly.
In the distance, Solwyn chuckled to himself.
"See? That wasn't so hard."
He turned and glanced at the timer.
[2:13]
"Hmm… finished faster than I expected."
He had maxed out all the skills he'd absorbed from the voidlings. There wasn't much left to gain by staying.
But just as he began to turn back toward the dimensional room, he instinctively leaned to the side.
As he did as a sleek black blade shot through the void where his head had been a moment before. Cutting through with frightening power and accuracy.
A hum of tension vibrated through the air.
"Well now." Solwyn muttered, eyes narrowing. "Who might you be?"
He turned toward the direction of the strike and saw what at first looked like another voidling, but it was different.
It was humanoid in shape. Its limbs were long and razor-sharp like blades, and its head was shaped like a sleek black diamond. From it sprouted three deer-like antlers that curved upward like a trident. Its appearance overall looked somewhat knightly which was unlike any other voidlings. Around it were more black swords that hovered silently.
But that wasn't what made Solwyn pause.
From the creature's body extended not one, not two—but three tethers.
Solwyn grinned. He was genuinely glad to see this new voidling.
"Finally… someone worth my time has appeared."