Another roar thundered through the forest. The sound alone carried pressure to shake away loose ash from the trees.

Atheline remained still for only a moment before turning away from the battlefield. He wasn’t stupid enough to wait around for the approaching monsters.

Since he was injured he would definitely be offering himself on a silver platter if he decided to stay and fight the monsters.

Even if points from killing them were attractive, he couldn’t let himself be dragged by greed.

The ruined forest behind him still burned violently, illuminating the shattered lands in crimson light. Evidence of the battle stretched for hundreds of meters. The earth was filled with deep trenches, frozen fire, collapsed grounds, and melted stone.

The creatures that slept beneath the harrows would most definitely come to investigate but Atheline wasn’t too worried about the forest. With the high concentration of Aether in the centre it meant the forest might take a week or two to fully heal and return to its former state.

It was one of the best things Atheline loved about this world. Deforestation was basically not a problem since trees regrow pretty fast.

It was their luck that they hadn’t met an awakened tree. Those were trees that had lived for thousands of years and eventually gained sentience. They would have attacked both of them for their insolence.

Another tremor shook the forest. Lightning surged under his feet, accelerating him through the forest in a near-silent burst of speed while water element suppressed the heat surrounding his body.

This was the first time he had tried using lightning for movement since he hadn’t been in a hurry. He had noticed that, despite having the other elements, he had been relying on wind a little too much since it was his default element and he couldn’t bring himself to easily use the others despite training all of them.

The battle had really taught him a lot.

The silence that had formerly prevailed was now gone. Even as he moved further away from the battlefield, footsteps and roars echoed in the forest.

Predators were moving, hunting. Several times during his retreat he would catch between trees gigantic shadows and eyes glowing in the dark.

One creature slithered across the canopy above briefly, large enough to bend ancient branches beneath its weight before disappearing again.

It seems like high-level monsters were finally going to move. For a moment, Atheline felt guilty but it all vanished a few seconds later. This was bound to happen he had just accelerated the event.

With it being midnight, he was sure most of the participants were fully asleep or in hiding. This should give them enough time to run if they can.

Another roar came from behind him as though he was being followed. Atheline’s expression remained calm but his speed picked up. His current condition was not suitable for battle.

Burns spread across his arm. A deep wound stretched diagonally across his chest from the spear strike. Several ribs ached every time he breathed too deeply and the constant elemental circulation from prolonged battle had exhausted his Aether core and channels. He couldn’t believe it, he had fought continuously for almost ten hours straight without pause.

Even so, his body felt strangely light. The elements flowed through his core and body smoothly now. As if the battle had forcefully broken apart some sort of invisible wall restricting his control.

The elements no longer crashed violently with each other as opposing elements tried to dominate the other. The feeling of peace he was now getting was just bizarre and beautiful.

The realisation of what he had gotten lingered at the back of his mind while he continued through the forest.

Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a cliffside. It was partially concealed behind hanging roots that emerged through the darkness. Water flowed faintly near, the sound nearly hidden beneath distant monster roars.

What had attracted him was the cave on the cliffside. It was small, narrow, and well hidden enough.

Atheline stepped inside cautiously before finally lowering his guard slightly. Darkness swallowed the interior and only faint moonlight reached the entrance.

He remained motionless for several seconds listening carefully for any movement outside the cave but nothing came, just silence.

’Finally, some peace’

With a quiet exhale, he finally sat against the stone wall. Pain surfaced almost instantly afterward.

His body had ignored most of it during combats but now, every injury returned with a vengeance at once. The burns pulsed painfully, and the spear wound seemed to have decided to let an extra gallon of blood flow the moment he sat down.

His muscles ached from repeatedly forcing multiple elemental transitions under pressure. Atheline smiled a little at those memories.

Looking back now, he couldn’t help but admire himself a little. He didn’t know how he had suddenly managed to put most of his theories into action just like that.

Atheline lowered his gaze briefly before lifting one hand. His body gathered Aether from the air faster and his core circulated Aether faster than he had imagined.

Pure water, without the interference of the other elements, gathered silently. A floating sphere formed above his palm.

He pressed it carefully against the burn wound first the constant itch eventually calming down. His body had already started to heal on its own but he couldn’t wait long enough for the wounds to close on their own.

Steam hissed the moment water came into contact with the wound. Igrad fire wasn’t normal fire to begin with.

The ice element spread through the water slowly, numbing damaged flesh without freezing it entirely.

Putting ice on the wound to cool down the psychological heat. A small mistake or loss of concentration and he could freeze his own hand.

He treated himself methodically, using earth Element to stabilise fractured bone while water cleansed the deeper wounds. Fire sterilised damaged flesh where necessary while lightening stimulated exhausted muscle to prevent stiffness.

This was the first time all his elementals had worked together and it felt exhilarating.