The leader of the dark elves charged ahead immediately, eager to cut down Aren and ensure he protected the demons. Aren was open, with no way to defend himself. He was still weak and convulsing on the ground.

Aiden gritted his teeth in anger. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He pressed his feet against the ground and launched forward like a bullet, the ground beneath his feet cracking from the force, his sword glowing bright blue.

CLANG!

Both swords collided, and a massive shockwave ripped through the air like a vortex. Dust rose, and cracks formed on the walls of houses. The dark elf was pushed back, and so was Aiden.

"Step back, I’ll not allow you to take even one step close to him," Aiden spoke in a voice used when someone decided to stand against the odds. His eyes burned with a desire to protect and defend Aren in the time that he needed.

"Step aside, human!" the dark elf charged ahead, his sword glowing with powerful demonic energy. Wisps of dark energy rushed around it as he slashed with a speed that turned the sword into a blur.

Aiden gritted his teeth. He parried the attack to the side, his hands shaking from the force, the ground cracking beneath him, yet he held his ground and pushed through.

He pressed forward for the counter, slashing from the side immediately.

The elf reacted, kicking the ground to retreat. Aiden refused to let him. He pushed against the floor hard and stabbed for the heart of the elf. The elf blocked the attack, and sparks flew into the air.

Aiden looked with a burning desire in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and slashed down. The attack was blocked, and the elf used its free hand to attack with a blast of demonic energy that threw Aiden back.

He slammed into the ground and rolled. He stabbed his sword into the ground and forced himself to stop. He looked up, and the elf was already attacking, his sword glowing red as it pulled everything into the attack.

Aiden could dodge this, he had enough time, but he knew that if he did, the attack would rip past him and hit Aren, who was still on his feet. He could not allow this.

’I’ll make sure I protect him the same way that he protected me,’ Aiden pushed forward.

"I’m tired of being a goddamn leech!" he roared and blocked the attack with everything that he had. The air instantly trembled from the force of the attack. His knees buckled instantly, and the ground cracked beneath him, yet he managed to block the attack.

He looked at the elf with a grin on his face, then he propped himself up fast, using his shoulder and all his strength to slam into the elf and throw him back.

The other elder elves moved to attack as well, but the first landed on the ground and raised his hand to stop them.

"This human thinks he can stand against me. I’ll make sure that I rip him into shreds and then kill the one that can kill us," he declared, filled with pride and the confidence that Aiden could not stand against him the same way that Aren had stood against him.

"Tch, this fucking elf does not believe that I can stand against him. Tch, I’ll take him down no matter what. I’ll kill him for sure!" Aiden said. He looked ahead and then dashed forward fast, his speed increasing faster than it had ever been. He leaped into the air and spun the sword, slashing down with all his strength.

The elf looked up and slashed. The blades collided, and the blast ripped through the air even stronger than before. Aiden was thrown back into the air. He looked down and saw that the elf was about to launch at him. He pressed hard against the ground and shot into the air with a slash.

Diagonal slash

Block

Thrust

Parry

Aiden managed to block and parry the first two attacks, but then another attack came in even faster. He tried to block but could not stop it entirely. The attack slammed into him hard, and he was thrown back, bleeding from his shoulder.

He gritted his teeth hard, blood pouring from his shoulder.

"Tch, bastard," Aiden muttered and then unleashed a slash. A blue arc ripped through the air. The elf could not dodge the attack, so he was forced to block. The force threw him back to the ground. He landed on the ground, and the floor cracked beneath his feet.

The elf looked up instantly and pointed one hand upward, unleashing a very quick barrage of demonic energy attacks. They ripped through the air at Aiden fast.

Aiden gritted his teeth and pulled his hand back. He flashed forward and blocked the first one, causing an explosion in the air. He gritted his teeth and continued to slash, blocking every one until one slammed into his chest, exploding and throwing him back. He slammed into the roof of a house, breaking into it.

"Aiden!" Athena yelled and tried to run and help, but Zero grabbed her by the hand.

"Do you really think he would be taken out by that?" she asked. She looked down at Aren, who was still struggling to stand. "Aiden is giving his all to defend Aren for once."

From the rubble, Aiden shot through the air. He looked down and saw the elf standing a small distance away.

"Let’s get serious now!"

"Ultimate Slash!!!" he roared and attacked with a slash. A massive sword arc cut through the air with the kind of force that could uproot massive trees. He poured a massive chunk of his soul energy into that attack, and it proved effective. The elf could not block or hinder that attack in any way, so he leaped backward very fast to evade it. It slammed into the ground, destroying the ground and houses all around, throwing debris in all directions.