What? I Actually Reincarnated As Stepping Stone In Another World?



"Woah!" Rian exclaimed as he surged upward, his mana erupting from his body.

"The Wind Elemental Art: Raging Wind!" he chanted, unleashing his powerful wind elemental technique upon the group leader.

Suddenly, a devastating windstorm materialized, wreaking havoc as it barreled towards the cloaked group leader.

Every tree in its path was mercilessly torn apart and reduced to rubble, leaving behind a barren landscape devoid of any standing foliage.

Undeterred by the unleashed destruction, the group leader stood resolute, refusing to yield to the chaos surrounding it.

Without hesitation, it retaliated by casting the identical spell once more.

"The Darkness Elemental Art: Darkness Swallows All!"

With focused intent, it directed the swirling darkness gathered in its palm and hurled it towards the raging storm.

The darkness collided with Rian's wind elemental art, abruptly halting the ferocity of the windstorm.

However, instead of completely devouring Rian's wind elemental art, the two forces clashed and annihilated each other in a cataclysmic collision!

Seizing the opportune moment, Rian swiftly employed the elemental art of acceleration.

"The Wind Elemental Art: Acceleration!" In an instant, his body vanished from its original position, reappearing stealthily behind the cloaked group leader.

With his two sharp daggers in hand, he spun his body like a whirling top, intending to cleave through the figure's back with precision.

"Gotcha!" Rian muttered under his breath, intensifying the speed of his attack.

However, to his astonishment, the cloaked figure, without even glancing back, deftly parried his attack.

"Clang!"

Their weapons clashed in a dazzling display, generating a shower of sparks that illuminated the intense battle.

However, to Rian's bewilderment, he was abruptly propelled backward, hurtling through the air for a distance of twenty meters.

Reacting swiftly, he contorted his body to ensure that the impact upon landing would not endanger his vital areas.

"Damn it!" Rian cursed, his eyes fixed on the robed figure looming above, maintaining a casual stance while slowly pivoting its body.

With a disdainful gaze, the figure peered down at Rian.

It was then that Rian's realization struck: in the leader's hand materialized a long, black sword, seemingly conjured out of thin air!

"Weapon formation from the elemental arts!"

Rian's astonishment grew as he witnessed the leader's ability to materialize a weapon through its mastery of elemental arts, something he never anticipated.

The manifestation of a weapon through elemental arts was a rarity, and witnessing such power, especially in connection to the darkness element, was unprecedented.

Users of darkness's elemental arts were either nonexistent or had managed to remain hidden, as no records or accounts acknowledged their existence.

Throughout the history Rian knew, no one had ever awakened the core of darkness.

However, several centuries ago, an enigmatic individual emerged, wielding the power of darkness and sending shockwaves throughout the entire human continent.

This man fearlessly and mercilessly assaulted elemental users, claiming their lives and absconding with their lifeless bodies.

After some time, this mysterious figure vanished from the human continent, leaving his whereabouts shrouded in mystery.

Twenty years later, he resurfaced, wreaking even greater havoc on the unsuspecting human continent.

However, what proved to be even more astonishing was his indirect involvement.

Instead of personally intervening, it was the black-cloaked figures, likely the members he had amassed over the course of two decades, who carried out his bidding.

The severity of the situation prompted the leaders of the five empires to join forces, determined to eliminate this grave threat that had brazenly crossed all boundaries.

Much to everyone's astonishment, upon learning of the news, the enigmatic man took direct action and mercilessly eliminated every individual sent by the emperors of the five empires.

In a chilling proclamation to the world, he declared that his organization, the Light-Eater Organization, would persist in instilling terror throughout the realms.

Realizing that such a situation could no longer be tolerated, the Emperors swiftly intervened, ensuring the permanent eradication of the Light Eater Organization.

As for the mysterious man, he vanished into obscurity, never to resurface again.

Rian took a deep breath, feeling a surge of caution course through him.

Nevertheless, he stood his ground, undeterred.

Assuming a determined fighting stance, he gathered his mana once more, fully prepared to launch an assault against the leader of the cloaked group.

Just as Rian prepared to launch his attack against the group leader, he sensed two menacing killing intents emanating from his left and right.

"Damn it!" Rian swiftly reacted, deftly parrying the silent attacks from both sides with his dual daggers.

"Clang!"

However, in that split second, two additional black-cloaked figures lunged at him, launching a direct assault.

Without hesitation, Rian, no longer holding back, began reciting an incantation.

"The Wind Elemental Art: Tempest Blades of Annihilation!"

In an instant, two razor-sharp blades of wind materialized, resembling swords, as they relentlessly sliced through the ranks of the cloaked figures.

Nevertheless, the ferocious onslaught of wind missed its mark, as the cloaked figures vanished like fleeting shadows, only to reappear five meters away.

"Wind Elemental Art: Acceleration!"

Rian swiftly invoked his acceleration technique, transforming into a gust of wind and materializing on the back of one of the unsuspecting cloaked figures, who had not anticipated Rian's sudden counterattack.

"Not good!" The cloaked figure was taken aback, completely caught off guard by Rian's astounding speed and agility.

"Arghhh!" A pained scream escaped the cloaked figure's lips as Rian's strike struck with merciless force, inflicting intense agony upon its vulnerable back.

Just as Rian prepared to launch a second attack, determined to deliver a decisive blow, an overwhelmingly potent aura emanated from above, catching his attention.

"The Wind Elemental Art: Acceleration!" Rian swiftly invoked his technique, transforming into a swift breeze and vanishing from his initial position, seeking to evade the imminent danger.

*Boom!*

Without warning, a menacing black spear, formed from the embodiment of dark energy, impaled the very spot where Rian had stood just moments before.

Narrowing his eyes, Rian directed his gaze towards the leader of the group, who loomed in the sky.

The leader's hand remained extended downward, an indication that they had just completed the casting of a powerful elemental art.

"Frustrating! I won't be able to overcome them if this persists!" Rian's grip tightened around the handles of his daggers, his determination unyielding.

His gaze never wavered as he observed the cloaked figure he had previously attacked abruptly vanish, only to reappear by the side of the group's leader.

"Are you alright?" The group leader turned towards the wounded, cloaked figure, concern etched on their face.

"I-I'm fine..." the injured figure responded, their voice strained and hoarse.

The sheer agony they endured was apparent from their labored breathing and the tremor in their voice.

Witnessing the scene, the group leader's voice seethed with anger.

"Didn't I explicitly instruct you to approach this with utmost seriousness?!"

"Why are you still playing around?!" The leader's words dripped with fury.

Hearing the reprimand, the wounded, cloaked figure tightened their fists, fully aware of their own negligence and the consequences it had brought forth.

The group leader took a deep breath, making an effort to regain composure.

"Fine! You, along with the three of you, unleash your full force against him, while I engage him with my elemental arts," the leader commanded.

"I have no interest in hearing any excuses if you fail once more," the cloaked leader warned, their tone laced with a menacing threat.

Upon hearing the leader's words, the injured, cloaked figure nodded in acknowledgment and responded, "I understand."

Without delay, it vanished like a fleeting shadow, preparing to assume its designated position.

The leader's gaze fixed upon Rian, who stood poised in a battle-ready stance, anticipation radiating from every fiber of his being.

"Today, I will ensure that you do not escape death once more!" The leader muttered with malicious intent, raising their hand high.

"Numbers twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, and twenty-four!" the leader bellowed with commanding authority.

"Unleash an all-out attack without delay!" Their booming order reverberated in the air, while their raised hand amassed an astonishing surge of dark energy.

Fully aware that this could be his final opportunity, Rian resolved to muster every ounce of his remaining mana and energy in an attempt to eliminate the group leader.

Yet his determination was met with a disheartening sight.

The four cloaked figures simultaneously initiated their assaults from the very directions Rian was facing: front, left, right, and back.

"The Wind Elemental Art: Acceleration!" Rian swiftly propelled himself upward, moving with remarkable speed to create some distance between himself and the cloaked figures.

Summoning his resolve, he invoked another spell, unleashing the might of "The Wind Elemental Art: Raging Storm!"

A turbulent tempest erupted from the very epicenter of his previous position, hurtling towards the four adversaries with unrestrained fury, effectively extinguishing their lives.

However, keenly aware of Rian's imminent assault, the four cloaked figures synchronized their movements, casting a dark elemental art spell in unison.

"The Elemental Art of Darkness: Darkness Is One!" The four cloaked figures chanted in unison, their voices resonating with dark power.

In a display of their mastery over darkness, they seamlessly teleported, skillfully evading Rian's devastating attack.

Without missing a beat, they reappeared in the exact same attacking positions, surrounding Rian from all four directions he was currently facing.

"What?!" Rian exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

With swift reflexes, he assumed a defensive stance, bracing himself to withstand the imminent onslaught from both the front and the back, where his vulnerable vitals lay exposed.

"Clang!"

With deft movements, he managed to intercept and block the sword strikes from the two cloaked figures positioned in front of and behind him.

However, to Rian's misfortune, the remaining cloaked figures swiftly capitalized on his momentary vulnerability, successfully landing strikes on his ribs and the right and left sides of his abdomen, inflicting deep wounds.

"Argh!" Rian cried out in agony, the pain reverberating through his body.

Yet, in a fraction of a second, he summoned his resolve and recited another incantation, aiming to create distance and evade all four adversaries.

"The Wind Elemental Art: Unification With Air!"

As he spoke the words, his body seemingly dissolved into transparency, blending seamlessly with the air itself.

In the blink of an eye, Rian disappeared from his previous position and reappeared on the surface of the ground, using his concealment to his advantage.

"Huh!" Rian gasped for breath, his chest heaving, while beads of sweat streamed down his forehead and neck.

His heart pounded relentlessly within his chest, a testament to the intensity of the battle.

With each successive employment of elemental arts, his mana reserves depleted rapidly, leaving him in a precarious state.

The wounds inflicted by the poisonous attack still festered within his body, and their effects were far from subsiding.

The venom continued to exert its malevolent influence, constricting the flow of mana within him and adding to the mounting pressure on his core.

"Damn it! If this continues, I won't survive!" Rian seethed with frustration, his inner voice filled with desperation.

Despite the overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion that washed over him, a fierce determination burned within his eyes.

With every fiber of his being, he knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down, even for a moment.

However, as Rian's gaze remained fixed on the four cloaked figures hovering in the sky, he observed a puzzling development.

They had suddenly halted their onslaught and now stood motionless, their eyes fixed upon him. 

Furthermore, to his astonishment, the bodies of the cloaked figures began to subtly vanish into thin air.

"What is going on?" Rian's senses heightened, his wearied body drenched in blood from the relentless onslaught.

He remained on high alert, his instincts warning him of a potential sudden ambush or deceptive tactic.

However, in the midst of Rian's confusion, a thunderous voice resonated from behind him, shattering the momentary silence.

"Your time is up, Rian!" The words, filled with a chilling finality, pierced through Rian's consciousness like a bolt of lightning.

In a flurry of movement, he swiftly pivoted to face the source of the voice, his gaze fixated on the darkened sky above.

"What?!" Rian's voice trembled with a mix of shock and disbelief, his heart pounding in his chest.

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"They" (Subject Pronoun) and "Their" (Possessive Adjective) here are not all plural but identify as subject and possessive pronouns whose gender is unknown.

Indeed, grammatically, it is wrong, but it can be used as a pronoun for people whose identity and gender are unknown.

Also, I didn't add a plural noun, so it doesn't refer to multiple people.

It's quite hard to understand, but if you have a better suggestion, please let me know!

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