While the confrontation between Leon and Reiligh advanced toward its most critical point, another part of the underground had already turned into a completely different battlefield. The structure on that side was still partially standing, but showed clear signs of collapse, with dense clouds of dust and mana spread throughout the environment. Surfien advanced in a straight line, his posture firm, while in front of him stood Bastião, the counselor responsible for cloud magic—someone whose ability to control the environment was on par with other high-level fighters.
"So you decided to betray us."
Surfien did not speak as he moved around Bastião. The counselor let out a small scoff, as he already expected that—this knight was not one to talk much during battle.
'This is going to be annoying.'
One remained still while the other moved without concern beyond his own focus, so since his opponent acted that way, Bastião chose to analyze as well. The mist began to thicken further across the area. Bastião raised his hand slightly, and the air around them condensed into dense masses of cloud, gradually filling the space. This wasn't just visual cover, but a direct extension of his magic, capable of interfering with perception, movement, and even the flow of mana in the environment.
"Mana interference."
Surfien didn't respond immediately, because his magic wasn't the type that dominated the battlefield with brute force. His Arcane Veil Magic did not erase or destroy directly—it altered, distorted, and rewrote. Instead of removing something, it made it appear as something else, and instead of completely hiding it, it made no one notice what was there. Surfien's body remained visible, but his presence was no longer the same. His mana shifted, covered by a false layer, and to any sensor he seemed weaker—or even like someone else entirely.
Bastião observed the change without much reaction. The clouds intensified and advanced from multiple directions at once, compressing the space where Surfien stood. The attack wasn't direct, but wide-reaching, attempting to crush and restrict any possible movement. When it struck the point where Surfien was, the impact was strong enough to sink the ground—but there was no real result. Surfien was still there, just not where Bastião believed.
'…My perception was altered.'
With narrowed eyes, he tried to focus as much as possible on his opponent. Moving within the mist, Surfien didn't disappear completely, but became difficult to track. Every time Bastião tried to follow his movements, something diverted his attention. Small errors accumulated, and his reading of the situation began to fail. A cut appeared along his side—light, but enough to force him to retreat and reassess.
'Arcane Veil Magic… something this troublesome requires caution.'
Without showing desperation, Bastião expanded his magic even further. The clouds spread aggressively, occupying every available space, reducing movement areas and making the environment increasingly hostile. Surfien responded by expanding the Arcane Veil. Now it wasn't just his presence that was altered, but also the traces around him. Footprints vanished, battle marks appeared where none existed, and even the flow of mana seemed to come from the wrong directions.
Bastião attacked a point where he sensed presence and hit directly—but it wasn't Surfien. It was a false construct, a scene created to deceive perception and magical reading. At that same moment, the real Surfien appeared elsewhere and advanced with a deeper strike. The blade pierced through the defense and opened a visible wound, forcing Bastião to retreat again. His expression shifted slightly—he now understood this was not a normal fight.
'Tsk… it seems he wants to take this battle to where he has the advantage. I can't allow that.'
The clouds began to compress, creating zones where the air became heavy and difficult to pass through. No matter where Surfien was, the entire environment began pressing against his body. This time, he was hit directly. A compressed mass launched him against the structure behind him, opening a deep wound on his shoulder. His body took a moment to respond, but even so, he stood up without hesitation.
'Just like Lord Leon said… this won't be easy.'
Surfien brushed his neck with his hand before taking position again, ignoring the blood still flowing from his shoulder. To Bastião, it looked like an advantage. Surfien was clearly more injured, his breathing heavy and his movements less precise. But what he didn't notice was the gradual shift in the battlefield. Surfien was rewriting the scene itself.
'I just need to wait for the right moment.'
Suddenly, Surfien disappeared. Bastião reacted to an attack coming from the right and defended correctly… but the real attack came from the left. The blade pierced his side, and this time the damage was more severe. Blood flowed quickly, and before he could adjust, Surfien attacked again.
"Veil of Cuts."
Each strike came with distortion. Every movement concealed the next. Even so, Bastião did not fall. In a final effort, he released a large amount of mana, causing the clouds to explode around him, striking the entire area indiscriminately.
"Cloud Explosion."
Surfien was hit directly. The impact threw him backward, opening new wounds and worsening the previous ones. His condition was now clearly worse than his opponent's, with blood flowing, heavy breathing, and a body that seemed at its limit. For a moment, it seemed he wouldn't be able to continue.
'That hit was strong… it's been a while since I fought a rank nine.'
He was more fragile than rank nines, so attacks that strong could injure him severely. Even so, he stood up again. He couldn't lose—not in that position, not being who he was to Leon. The Arcane Veil manifested once more, but now not as simple distortion.
'As always… I'll have to win with tricks.'
Bastião created several dark clouds. Surfien looked upward as a massive number of lightning strikes began falling toward him. Quickly, he moved between the lightning while approaching Bastião. In a single moment, he activated his magic again and moved behind the counselor.
"I won't fall for that a second time."
Bastião pointed his hand backward, crushing a Surfien that appeared behind him. A hole opened in the knight's stomach, and still not fully trusting it, Bastião pointed his other arm forward to destroy the Surfien in front of him as well.
'You know… I can't make just two of those.'
To his surprise, he heard Surfien's voice right beside his shoulder. The blade descended—and didn't stop. The first cut was followed by another, and then another, without any pause. Each strike came from a different angle, completely breaking Bastião's perception. There was no time to react, no way to understand what was happening.
"Arcane Cuts."
The attacks continued until Bastião's body could no longer respond. He fell to his knees, still conscious, but unable to fight. Surfien only stopped when he was certain. His breathing was heavy, his body at its limit and far more injured than his opponent. He looked at the enemy for a moment before stepping back slightly. Still alive—as he should be, since that had been an order from the prince.
'Though honestly… I only care about Lord Leon's orders.'
If it weren't for Leon being the one who informed him, Surfien wouldn't have cared much about that order.