Thalion had to admit that his bloodline was causing more problems for him than he had initially thought. Not being able to control the trajectory of his spells against a fast-moving target made things far more difficult. None of his tentacles even came close to hitting the elf, who dodged effortlessly between his tendrils of darkness and the shadows that clumsily tried to strike her.

He was still able to evade her attacks with relative ease, but landing a solid hit without putting himself in grave danger was impossible. The fight had reached a point where one or two of the elf's strikes could kill him. His high recovery was impressive, but it wouldn't save him if he got bisected.

Another troubling thought struck him: with his current crude control over blood, he had no chance of obtaining the female elf's bloodline. He hated to admit it, but the ritual was doomed to fail.

The elf was on a rampage, stabbing and slashing at him rapidly, careful not to overextend, preventing him from grabbing her and ending the battle quickly. The wind seemed to amplify her danger sense, guiding her out of harm's way. Thalion had tried to strike her from her blind spot with his tentacles, but she was always whisked aside by a gust of wind.

Thalion was confident he could outlast her, but without the bloodline of the elven prince, he would have killed her long ago. Those ridiculously powerful skills were flashy, but against agile fighters they were largely ineffective. A weaker skill that could steadily accumulate damage would be far more practical. It took far more resources to heal wounds, and pain gradually eroded fighting capability.

His powerful abilities forced the elf to dodge, but without dealing damage, she didn't expend much energy. On the other hand, he had to spend quite a bit. It wasn't as much as normally required for skills of such strength, but it was still significant. Paired with his high recovery, it wasn't disastrous, but Thalion hated being forced into close-quarters combat. In his human form, ranged attacks had been more viable but now, striking a projectile was nearly impossible.

The elf noticed this weakness and exploited it fully, staying close enough that he struggled to evade her lightning-fast strikes, but far enough that he couldn't retaliate. The air crackled whenever Thalion and his opponent unleashed powerful skills. She used hers trying to end his life while he used his primarily to keep her at bay and prevent her from chaining attacks.

She had already wounded him multiple times. Her strikes were so fast that he couldn't dodge them all, and they were powerful enough to tear through his skin. The wounds weren't deep and healed extremely quickly, but the pain was cumulative, and Thalion didn't want it building over time.

Yet he could feel her desperation growing with every passing second. Her resources must be dwindling, and once depleted, strength alone wouldn't save her. Thalion's focus was sharp. He weaved between attacks, slashing at her whenever he saw an opening. Minutes passed, and the momentum began to shift. A predatory smile crept across Thalion's face as her exhaustion became evident, and he grew increasingly brutal, forcing her to dodge his violent swings.

She seemed unaware that he could no longer fly in his crippled Eclipsari form because she didn't jump into the air to escape his pursuit. Her movements grew sluggish and desperate, while her boosting skill began to fade. At the same moment, Thalion pressed his advantage, deploying Umbral Miasma to increase pressure on the elf.

He saw realization cross her face, quickly replaced by resolve. This was dangerous. She was likely preparing a final gambit before activating her escape token. That moment came after a few more exchanges. Her aura flared, and a massive explosion of wind threw Thalion backward, while she aimed a devastating strike at the exact spot where he would land.

Thalion did not intend to be hit. He anchored himself with dark tendrils, halting his flight instantly. The stab annihilated the ground behind him, which offered no resistance. Had he been struck, he would have died instantly.

The elf's aura collapsed after her final attack, and she fell to her knees. Thalion acted swiftly. Even though he didn't want to kill her, he also couldn't allow her to escape. Instead of charging with a lethal swing, he acted differently.

He shifted back into his human form and triggered Crimson Gaze the moment their eyes met. The elf likely knew about his ocular ability, which was why she had always looked at his neck or chest. But the crippled Eclipsari was a good head taller than his human form, which meant that with his instant shapeshifting, he now had direct eye contact. Crimson Gaze, empowered by his bloodline, was nothing to underestimate.

It also didn't require much practice like his other abilities, since he didn't need to aim or direct the skill. If he made eye contact, he could activate it. Sadly, it didn't shatter her soul or immobilize her. Even though he couldn't steal her bloodline right now, there was no reason not to keep her as a prisoner until he could.

Only three golden gems on her wrist popped, while she didn't seem to be affected by the skill. Those treasures were truly annoying. Maybe he would buy some of them in the next system shop. With his ridiculous credit score of several million, it should be easily possible, depending on what the system shop had in stock.

Thalion watched with a wide, needle-like grin as the female elf activated her escape token and disappeared in an instant.

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"Yes, go nurture that bloodline of yours until I catch you in the new world," Thalion thought, shifting back to his human form. The elven god, who had suffered a massive backlash after assisting her, would likely intend to help her grow stronger because otherwise, her sacrifice would have been completely wasted. Thalion also had high hopes that the two of them would meet again.

Yes, he needed to reach E-grade, which would be incredibly difficult. Thalion began to worry because of his current bloodline. The power was immense, but losing almost complete control over his skills was becoming a serious problem. He needed a high placement in one of the three system events to obtain a divine race. The first event would be perfect, but with his current skill set, he didn't see how he could succeed. Raw power and recovery wouldn't be enough against the other powerhouses.

It was probably best to focus on the next task: finishing his armor and sword. If he managed to do that by the end of the week, he should be in good shape. Then he had the whole following week to work on the Runes of the Leviathan, the blue crystal, if he could find a way to integrate it with the Tidecaller Serpent. Near the end, he would attempt to fuse the Crippled Eclipsari with the Fear Pillar. Maybe he could find some time for training between crafting sessions, so he could start hunting on New Earth immediately. But before all the crafting, he would have to tear down the elven base. That should be good practise. Every bit of experience he gained would be invaluable and help him achieve the divine class. He also wanted as many skills as possible. That some skills were missing when he took the shape of certain monsters was frustrating, but after enough kills, he should be able to acquire one or two good ones.

Thalion turned and saw only a cloud of dust where the elves had been. They had all retreated like their leader, likely heading back to their base. It took his people a moment to realize what had happened. Thalion watched as the first of them began celebrating and shouting his name, while the others stared with wide eyes and open mouths. Especially the broad elf beside Kaldrek seemed unable to gather his thoughts after witnessing the fight.

Reflecting on the battle, Thalion felt slightly guilty. He could have performed much better without the bloodline's interference, but it was what it was. Now it was time to return to crafting immediately. Time was running out, and he probably wouldn't have much before he had to face the powerhouses on the new planet. By then, he needed to be in peak condition, not like he was now.

He used Telekinetic Dash to shoot upward to the massive skyship, planning a brief talk with Kaldrek and Maike. He was curious whether they wanted to start an offensive against the elves immediately. Perhaps the elves would still keep their hunting parties active. Thalion also despised how the elf had spoken of the humans they had captured, treating them as mere property. An attack wouldn't be the worst idea and he would actually enjoy it. Using escape tokens came at a cost, and it would take time for her to be at full fighting capacity. Now would be the best moment to strike.

"Good job. You had me worried for a moment, but it turned out pretty great," Kaldrek said with a grin when Thalion landed before them.

"Yeah, to be honest, this was a mess. What do we do next? Is anyone against attacking the elven base? I really want to free those humans," Thalion asked the group. Okay, he also wanted to claim ownership of the base, but that wasn't his main reason. He had already conquered most of the tutorial. The Black Fortress, the Undead Base from the Lich, and Kael's base were all under his control. The payout from the system shop when they returned would be massive. Best of all, the ongoing inflation applied to the sellback prices, meaning he could get millions of credits from the base alone, excluding the extra defenses.

"I say we attack as soon as possible. We should be able to conquer their base before the grand treasure appears in the palace," Maike said, greed shining in her eyes.

"Eliminating the elves now is the best way to deal with the threat. They could still roam the jungle and kill humans, but without a base, it will be much harder for them," Lee added, clearly not a fan of the elves.

"Their base is fortified to a ridiculous degree. The walls are shielded and so strong that it would take multiple array breakers to create a breach. This was all built to let us hold out against Ankeht until the tutorial concluded. Do you really want to sacrifice hundreds, if not thousands, of your fighters just to eliminate the elves? I might be able to negotiate for a stop to their attacks and the release of all human slaves," Althirion suggested.

"We can try the negotiation path later, but we demand complete capitulation if they want to live. They enjoy inflicting pain on weaker humans far too much, and I don't trust them one bit. Everything is settled. Maike, Kaldrek, prepare for the assault and move the army when ready. I'll talk with Lucan. He'll be happy to test a few of his new creations. I'll join you once you've established a blockade around the elven base. I doubt they'll dare to fight me after what I've done to their leader, who is likely weakened from using the token," Thalion said.

With the duel finished, Thalion could return to crafting, working on his armor and blade. If the elves were dealt with, the rest of the tutorial should be relatively peaceful, and he could fully focus on the final upgrades.

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