Elemental Cats

Dristel putting out the fire Toz left in his wake gave Toz enough of an opening to launch a fireball straight at Dristel. However, Toz wasn't the only one with good reflexes, and Dristel ducked under the spell. Usually, Toz would have been able to redirect the fireball to crash down on Dristel's back. But Dristel's attack forced him to dodge, and the fireball flew forward and collided with the net of chains.

Dristel had used mostly basic attacks, reinforced by martial energy, occasionally extending his spear with aura or throwing a PIercing Gale at Toz's face.

However, the attack he used after ducking under Toz's spell was a technique TOz hadn't seen before.

Dristel slipped the spear through his hands so that he held it at the end of the shaft with only one hand. He began dragging the spear just above the ground in a wide circle from almost right behind him, accumulating extraordinary amounts of martial energy and aura at the same time.

The spear built speed and momentum as it continued on its trajectory, with the gathered aura gradually obscuring the spear. And as it neared the peak of its arc, the spear, even the afterimages, transformed into a green, translucent reptilian tail.

The tail whipped out and flicked its tip as the spear reached the end of its path.

Toz had jumped up to avoid the strike since he thought Dristel was trying to sweep away his legs. And he managed to avoid the spear. But he couldn't avoid the Dragon's Tail Sweep.

The force released by the tail flick tore off the surface of the deck like a hand brushing away sand.

Despite dodging the spear strike, Toz couldn't avoid the effects of the technique, and the force hit his body. Toz, who was still in the air, was sent flying like a kite with its string cut. Suffering the blow would have almost been worth it if it had sent Toz flying out of the ship and into the Void.

However, before he could escape the range of the ship, Toz collided with the ship's main mast.

Toz hit the mast like a sack of potatoes. After cracking the mast, he sunk to the ground with a groan.

Dristel had exhausted a lot of his martial energy and stamina in order to successfully execute that strike. But he couldn't let go of the advantage he made just because his body ached a little more than was comfortable. However, he couldn't move with the same vigor as he did at the beginning of the battle.

Dristel walked over to Toz with newfound admiration and respect in his eyes. It wasn't until their head-on clash that Dristel noticed Toz's level.

A fifth level mage capable of rivaling a ninth level fighter was admirable, no matter how many elements they possessed and refinements they had gone through.

The difference in quality between the mana of a fifth level mage and the energy of a ninth level fighter wasn't something that talent in mana control could make up for.

Even if Toz pushed his mana to the limit each time he broke through, he would still be limited in what he could achieve. It would make him stronger than peers at the same level who only pushed their mana as far as they needed to break through. Since it didn't carry as much risk and didn't actually lessen their future potential, most people finished their breakthroughs as soon as they could. Trying too hard could easily put too much strain on the mana pool or the mage's body. Both were things that could lead to a mage's magic getting crippled.

However, Toz ignored such risks as he pushed his mana as much as he could with every breakthrough and refinement, each time pushing the quality and control of his mana a little further. The increase in his mana quality wasn't as significant as the improvements his body underwent in order to handle the increased size of his mana pool and the amount of mana that flowed through his system. But each increment, no matter how small, made it easier for Toz to push himself even further during the next breakthrough.

That was why, despite being a fifth level mage, he was capable of withstanding a ninth level fighter in direct combat. Another significant reason for Toz's ability to fight on somewhat equal footing with someone technically stronger than him was his inclination.

As a beast type inclination, Toz's physical abilities were enhanced accordingly with the cats. And even if they weren't physically strong, Toz got a lot of agility and nimbleness through his bonds with the cats. Not only that, thanks to most beasts' superior regenerative capabilities, Toz also healed faster than most mages and fighters, especially since it was the trait that Toz got the strongest effects from.

Mages and fighters with extraordinary senses, flexibility, and physical speed weren't out of the ordinary. However, elemental mages without an attribute to heal them using magic that could recover from serious injuries with nothing but their passive regeneration were a little rarer.

Dristel, who was already surprised at Toz's capabilities and strength, naturally wasn't prepared for Toz also being able to recover from his injuries faster than mages usually would.

The Dragon's Tail Sweep and the ensuing collision with the ship's mast injured Toz pretty badly. Toz had at least a few bruised internal organs and several cracked ribs. It would be difficult to move, but not impossible. However, he wouldn't be able to fight back against Dristel in that state. Toz could maybe withstand one or two blows, but he would eventually be rendered helpless against Dristel's assault.

However, that would only happen if Toz's injuries remained.

Since Dristel took his sweet time walking over to Toz on the other side of the boat, Toz had enough time to partly recover from his injuries. It wasn't a complete recovery, but it wouldn't affect his movements too much as long as he gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain.

Toz carefully paid attention to Dristel's leisurely approach as he made use of every last second to recover and prepare for the moment Dristel got close enough.