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Chapter 315: Aspiring for the Sanctuary
🕑 Added 2024-10-09 05:27:58 +0000 UTCA chill ran through Rhett’s heart as he realized the enemy’s tactic—they intended to wear him down to his last breath by continuously exhausting his mental power.
As time passed, Rhett found himself fighting atop a growing mound of beastman corpses. His own forces had long since been wiped out, while the beastman army still numbered over two thousand, with half of their original forces still intact. They relentlessly charged at him, with the frontlines charging and the rear throwing stones.
The Earth Drake and the Sand Wolves were wreaking havoc outside, their shockwave-infused forms emitting terrifying energy that reduced many beastmen to mincemeat before they could even reach Rhett. Yet, even this couldn't halt the tide of attackers.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Suddenly, ten spears flew in a straight line from the same direction, expertly aimed through the gaps between the charging beastmen, targeting Rhett’s right eye.
Despite his extensive combat experience and formidable strength, Rhett struggled to make a significant impact against the overwhelming numbers and power surrounding him. With no choice, he maintained maximum output of his mental energy, desperately holding on.
Crack!
As the spears struck, the highly condensed earth elements released a fierce repulsive force, resonating in the air with high-frequency vibrations. However, the first four spears were deflected, but the next six broke through the barrier, crashing into the Rocklight Shield. Just two of them were enough to shatter the shield, reducing it to a spray of sparkling earth-element fragments that quickly dispersed into the air.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The sound of the projectiles whizzed past his ears. Rhett barely managed to dodge the follow-up spears by tilting his head, though one did tear through the side of his ear. But to him, this was a minor injury, not even worth the mental energy needed to trigger his accelerated healing ability.
Thud, thud, thud...
Heavier and faster footsteps suddenly resounded as high-ranking beastmen broke through the ranks, charging at Rhett from all directions—seizing the golden opportunity as his Rocklight Shield crumbled.
“Human, your death is imminent!” roared Tyrell, the first to reach Rhett. In his shadow form, he pounced like a mad dog, arms slightly bent before springing out like deadly blades—one claw aimed at Rhett’s head, the other at his heart.
Thud, thud!
Consolidation Mysticism!
In that split second, Rhett enveloped his entire body in the mysticism, and as expected, Tyrell’s initial strike was ineffective, as if his claws had sunk into soft quicksand. Tyrell, however, was unfazed, sneering at Rhett, “Hmph, let’s see how long you can keep this up!”
Thud—
A dull sound came from behind as an eighth-level Half-Dragon closed in, its claws slashing down heavily. The force of the blow sent a gust of wind whipping through Rhett’s hair. Though the attack wasn’t enough to cause significant harm, it still drained Rhett’s mental energy.
“You’re all asking for death...” Rhett’s eyes turned cold as he scanned the surrounding enemies. Encircled by wolves, he quietly cast another Seismic Spell.
A faint yellow light rippled through the air—seemingly gentle but brimming with deadly intent. Low-ranking beastmen were instantly drained of life, collapsing to the ground, while mid-ranking beastmen fell unconscious, their muscles spasming and hindering their assault. Only the Shadow Tigers and Half-Dragons managed to maintain their composure, gradually retreating from the battlefield.
Just then, a massive boulder appeared in the sky, over two hundred meters in diameter. The shadow it cast rapidly descended. The Shadow Tigers easily evaded to a distance of a hundred meters, and the Half-Dragons withdrew at the last moment. Only one remaining Minotaur, slower and heavier, hesitated for a moment too long and, upon turning to charge again, found it was too late.
Boom!
The ground shook violently as the boulder landed, causing the earth to groan under the weight. The Minotaur’s body was flattened into a bloody pulp, but its diamond-tipped horns remained partially intact, embedded in the ground.
Taking advantage of the brief lull in the battle, Rhett gathered a gust of wind element around his body and leapt onto the top of the boulder, coldly surveying the battlefield below.
Before long, the unconscious beastmen began to stir. As soon as they regained their mobility, they once again rushed toward Rhett, eager to be the first to take him down. At this point, only eight royal bloodline beastmen remained—four Shadow Tigers and four Half-Dragons, including the two peak-level ones.
“What’s the matter? No more Rocklight Shield? Is your mental power running out?” The peak Half-Dragon noticed that Rhett no longer had any defensive spells active, and a cruel smile spread across its face.
“What’s there to talk about? He’s a spent force. Finish him off and take his head to the frontlines!” Tyrell snarled, his body already leaping into the air, diving toward Rhett.
Indeed, Rhett no longer had the same sharp edge he had displayed at the beginning. He was visibly exhausted—whether it was mysticism or magic, he had been casting them continuously and with full force since the start of the battle, never ceasing the drain on his mental energy. He hadn’t re-cast the Rocklight Shield, partly to conserve his energy and partly because he had other plans…
The bottom half of the boulder beneath Rhett’s feet began to glow with a hazy, twisted light, as if the entire area had become a dangerous thicket of thorns, making it difficult for the beastman horde to approach. But with a command from the peak Half-Dragon, the beastmen chose to leap into the air, aiming directly at Rhett at the top of the boulder.
Stalagmite Rain!
In response to the beastmen leaping at him, Rhett unleashed a torrent of mental energy, summoning an avalanche of earth elements. The sky filled with brilliant light as countless crystalline spikes descended, piercing the night and clearing the mist.
In no time, a storm of earth-element spikes rained down, as deadly as the reaper’s scythe. The beastmen, who had charged fearlessly, were cut down en masse, and even the high-ranking beastmen who had charged alongside them were severely injured by the barrage.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
Atop the boulder, the four Shadow Tigers dodged the spikes while frantically attacking Rhett, who was now in his sand-form. When the rain of spikes ended, the Half-Dragons joined in, launching a relentless assault.
Spikes and stalagmites followed one after another. One of the Shadow Tigers failed to dodge in time and was impaled through its entire body, from the sole of its foot to the top of its head, before rolling off the boulder.
But the beastmen, driven mad with bloodlust, charged forward, undeterred by their mounting losses. They would not rest until Rhett was defeated.
Thud—
Another strike hit his chest. Though his sand-form negated the attack, the excessive mental energy expenditure caused a slight spasm of pain in his mind. Rhett couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly—he was close to his limit.
Yet his eyes remained cold and sharp as he locked onto a Half-Dragon, preparing to unleash a spinning slash. Timing it perfectly, he fired off several stalagmites, piercing the creature’s legs.
Then, he re-cast the Rocklight Shield around himself, infusing it with the power of shockwave mysticism, which emanated a distorted, hazy glow. Surrounding him were countless beastmen, and everything seemed to be coming full circle…
The peak Half-Dragon squinted at the yellowish glow surrounding Rhett, noting the shockwave energy crackling across the Rocklight Shield. Its expression changed momentarily before it settled back into a cruel grin. The fact that Rhett was re-casting his shield now meant this was his last desperate attempt. Victory was within reach!
Ignoring the bleeding wound on its left leg, the peak Half-Dragon began spinning at high speed again, transforming into a silver whirlwind. The violent gusts of wind tore at Rhett’s tattered robes as the Half-Dragon charged straight at him.
Stalagmites burst from the ground, but they were basic spells, lacking any infused mysticism. The silver whirlwind tore through them effortlessly, slicing them apart.
Crack, crack, crack...
Fragments of rock scattered like a curtain of flowers, signaling the end.
In the darkness, the silhouette of a lone human stood out, bathed in a faint glow, surrounded by an endless sea of beastmen, seemingly moments away from being torn to shreds…
After holding on for another half hour, Rhett felt a sharp pain in his mind, his mental reserves depleted. A wave of weakness washed over him—a feeling he hadn’t experienced since those days of desperation on the canyon’s defensive line.
The shockwave mysticism quickly faded, and the peak Half-Dragon reverted to its original form, its claws crashing down on the remaining Rocklight Shield. In an instant, the smooth surface cracked like a spiderweb before shattering into pieces.
The fragmented earth elements slowly dissipated into the air, and as Rhett gazed at the scene before him, his body weakened to the point where he could barely stand. He felt as though he were halfway detached from the world, his boundless anger and despair gradually giving way to a state of weary clarity. At that moment, the dark world around him began to reveal a new, previously hidden aspect.
Before Rhett’s eyes, the broken earth elements suddenly underwent a magical transformation. Although a single earth element particle wasn’t particularly special, when multiple particles gathered and formed a unique bond, they produced an astonishingly terrifying power that left a deep imprint on Rhett’s mind.
In the next instant, a massive claw struck down, shattering all the earth element particles. As the claw descended heavily, Rhett’s gaze remained unfocused, his mind still immersed in the profound realization he had just experienced. The peak Draconian, seeing that Rhett had no strength left to even cast Disperse Mysticism to protect himself, revealed a smug, arrogant expression.
"Human, I admit you are strong, but today, you cannot escape death!"
As these words fell, the Draconian’s claw slashed across Rhett’s throat.
However, just as his consciousness was about to fade, Rhett suddenly had an epiphany and activated the mysticism he had just grasped!
Slash! Slash! Two simultaneous sounds of flesh being pierced rang out. The peak Draconian’s eyes widened in disbelief as blood spurted from Rhett’s neck. A gaping wound appeared in Rhett’s abdomen, and from it, a spike emerged, piercing into the Draconian’s own stomach.
At first, the Draconian thought it was just a wound to his abdomen, something he could easily recover from. But the terrifying power at the tip of the spike began rapidly disintegrating his cells, causing his body to disappear into nothingness.
It was as though he had been buried deep in the earth, destined to vanish into the soil. The spike, infused with the power of the Disintegration Mysticism, completely obliterated the peak Draconian in a matter of moments, reducing him to mere particles of earth that disappeared from the world.
Splatter!
"Disintegration Mysticism... how is this possible?!" the surrounding beastmen gasped in shock.
Yet despite their terror and disbelief, Tyrell gritted his teeth and moved to finish Rhett off. He used one claw to crush Rhett’s heart and the other to snap his neck.
"It’s finally over..."
As a ripple spread across his vision, Rhett returned to reality, letting out a quiet sigh.
Endless light fell from above, illuminating every inch of the land. Rhett glanced around, feeling a rare sense of surrealness. But the sight of a familiar glowing screen quickly brought him back to reality.
[The real simulation has ended. Please choose one attribute to retain.]
[1. Constitution]
[2. Battle Qi]
[3. Mental Power]
"Definitely Mental Power!"
After silently making his choice, Rhett closed his eyes, quietly feeling the changes in his body. As a new insight began to form in his mind, he reached out with his mental power to explore it.
Moments later, Rhett discovered that the world around him had indeed changed somewhat. The infinite particles of earth element could still disperse, condense, or unleash shockwave power, but when they clustered together, they could generate a completely new force—what must be the Disintegration Power...
Recalling the power of Disintegration Mysticism from the real simulation, Rhett couldn’t help but feel excited. Even the initial form of the mysticism was enough to completely destroy a peak Draconian. It was no wonder that throughout history, so few Earth-type Grand Magi had ever comprehended the Disintegration Mysticism—it must be incredibly difficult. Without a certain level of world affinity or an imprint on the world, it would be nearly impossible to grasp.
"Come to think of it, could it be that the type of mysticism one can comprehend is related to the world imprint? Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why some mysticisms are so much harder to grasp..." Rhett narrowed his eyes slightly, a deeper understanding forming in his mind.
Having tasted the benefits, Rhett quickly returned to another [Real Simulation], eager to see if any new changes would occur in the same scenario now that he had already grasped the Disintegration Mysticism.
With that thought, he activated the system once more.
[Do you want to start a Real Simulation? Each day simulated consumes 1 point of Destiny.]
"Yes, simulate seven days."
Seven days in the simulation passed in an instant in reality.
When Rhett returned to the present, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. The results of this simulation dashed his hopes. Reliving the experience from earlier, it was difficult to maintain the same state as before. After all, having already grasped the Disintegration Mysticism, his combat power had greatly increased, making the beastmen far less of a threat, and it was hard to recreate the feeling of being pushed to the brink.
Moreover, with the Disintegration Mysticism, Rhett had been in peak condition from the start of the fight. In this simulation, he had been able to display unparalleled might, decimating the high-ranking beastmen with the help of the three Sky Knights. The only downside was that he still couldn’t land a decisive blow on the peak Shadow Tiger, which managed to escape once more.
"Sigh, the Shadow Tigers really are a troublesome foe. Even standard Seismic Spells and Sandflow Spells struggle to hold them..." Rhett sighed, deep in thought. "Perhaps only by mastering the Gravity Space Mysticism, with its unparalleled ability to control movement, can I securely take them down. Otherwise, no matter how strong my defense and offensive abilities are, they’re useless if I can’t hit my target..."
Finding the Shadow Tigers to be quite a headache, Rhett continued to march with his troops while once again opening the system, curious to see how things would unfold after letting the peak Shadow Tiger escape again.
[Do you want to start a Text Simulation? Each year simulated consumes 5 points of Destiny.]
"Yes, simulate one year."
[In the year 482 of the Kingdom Calendar, on April 7th, you broke through to the ninth level of a Grand Magus and comprehended Disintegration Mysticism, one step away from the Sanctuary. Congratulations.]
[On April 11th, during your march, you encountered dozens of Shadow Tigers and Draconians leading a contingent of elite royal beastmen blocking your path. You and the other commanders decisively engaged them. After an hour of fierce battle, you cycled through four different mysticisms, unleashing your full power and cutting down the high-ranking beastmen one by one. However, the peak Shadow Tiger managed to escape. Ultimately, you secured victory at the cost of nearly half your soldiers.]
[On April 13th, after marching day and night, you finally arrived at the frontlines. The battlefield was littered with endless corpses, and both human and beastman armies were locked in a massive and brutal conflict, the stench of blood overwhelming.]
[Due to the war’s duration—four days and nights—only a few tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides remained in battle. Your arrival brought a powerful new force to the fray, and your attack on the flanks dealt significant damage to the beastmen.]
[On April 16th, after two more days and nights of fighting, the light of elements and Battle Qi illuminated the sky as though it were day. Perhaps due to the beastman elite troops you wiped out during your march, you didn’t feel much pressure in this battle and were even able to spare some focus on watching over your followers. In the end, your side achieved a major victory, and the beastmen fled in disarray.]
[On April 23rd, a soldier delivered a letter to you. Due to your outstanding performance, Commander Angus appointed you as the commander of the Tenth Army and requested that you return to the Coldstream Camp within a month to receive your assignment. That day, you shared the news with Laedros, who offered his enthusiastic congratulations.]
[On April 29th, you returned to the Coldstream Camp. Under Angus’s witness, you officially became the commander of the Tenth Army. You were also surprised to find that Locke had voluntarily joined your army as the deputy commander. Angus pondered this request for a long time before ultimately approving your powerful alliance.]
[On May 17th, you led your troops to the Sixth Army’s outpost. This time, you did not encounter an ambush from the Shadow Tigers.]
[On May 18th, on the way back, twelve Pale Knights intercepted your forces. Half of them launched a massacre on your army, while the other six targeted you and Locke. You raised the alarm and fought back with all your might, but each of these knights possessed combat power on par with the Scarred Knight you had previously faced. After a fierce battle, Locke tragically perished, and you, though severely wounded and mentally exhausted, managed to secure a hard-won victory.]
[On May 25th, Lawrence, after enduring a life-and-death struggle, finally broke through to the rank of Earth Knight.]
[On July 6th, while resupplying at the Coldstream Camp, you received urgent news that the First, Third, Fourth, and Seventh Armies had been ambushed and annihilated during missions. Several bodies, as well as heads and hearts, were missing.]
[On July 15th, hearing of the heavy losses at the Coldstream Camp, the beastmen regrouped and launched another assault. That day, you received orders from Angus appointing you as temporary deputy commander, granting you command over the armies in the upcoming battle.]
[On July 16th, after issuing orders to the various armies and arranging tactical plans, you led the Sixth Army straight to the central battlefield.]
[On July 20th, you, along with the Second, Fifth, and Eighth Armies, totaling twenty thousand soldiers, engaged the beastmen in a massive battle near Winterpeak. From the outset, you held nothing back, displaying your full strength and slaying two high-ranking beastmen. But suddenly, a crimson beam shot from a distant point, and in the next moment, you felt your spirit rapidly drain away, your vision darkened, and you soon lost all consciousness. You died.]
[The text simulation has ended. Do you want to continue simulating?]
"No!"
Rhett lingered for a few seconds on the blindingly bright screen before him. Once the screen slowly faded, he exhaled a long breath.
"Dead again... but at least the short-term battles ahead don’t pose any unexpected threats, which is enough for now!"
"The last part of the trajectory seemed like an ambush? A crimson beam... Hmph, who else could it be but the Blood God Cult Master?"
"It seems that even after mastering Disintegration Mysticism, the Blood God Cult Master still sees me as a threat..."
Rhett smirked to himself, not overly concerned. He’d let the Blood God Cult Master enjoy his time for a little while longer because once Rhett broke through to the Sanctuary, it would mark the end of the Blood God Cult Master’s life!
Returning to the main issue, this simulation hadn’t revealed anything too shocking. What pleased Rhett most was that by eliminating two of the beastman elite armies during the march, the balance of power had shifted in their favor, significantly impacting the outcome of the battle at the frontlines and leading to a decisive victory.
However, this success also had its downsides. Perhaps the human advantage at the Coldstream defensive line became too overwhelming, prompting the Blood God Cult Master to alter his plans. Instead of attacking the Gorge defensive line, he decided to target the armies at the Coldstream defensive line.
"That’s a bold move!"
Rhett chuckled darkly but suddenly remembered something important, causing his expression to change. Earlier, he had reported to King Milan that the Blood God Cult Master was planning to attack the Gorge defensive line. Lately, he hadn’t heard any news of King Milan being active at the Coldstream defensive line.
"Could it be... that King Milan has already gone to the Gorge defensive line to ambush the Blood God Cult Master? But then his presence was discovered, and with the shift in the Coldstream defensive line’s situation, the Blood God Cult Master altered his plans?"
Rhett was filled with uncertainty, his eyes flickering with concern. If this were allowed to happen, he might very well be branded a traitor. After all, it was his erroneous intelligence that diverted the Sanctuary’s forces, leading to the Coldstream defensive line’s devastation.
"I absolutely cannot let this happen!" Rhett exhaled deeply, reminding himself firmly.
Thankfully, there were still three months left until July. With the upcoming decisive battle, subsequent war activities, and the stable flow of Destiny points provided by Tyrus at the rear, he had a good chance of ascending to the Sanctuary! If he succeeded, all potential crises would be nipped in the bud, and there would be nothing to fear...
"What’s wrong, Rhett? Have you noticed another issue?"
Laedros, walking alongside Rhett, seemed to sense something off in Rhett’s expression and asked.
"Nothing, just wondering whether the frontlines have engaged in battle yet and what the situation might be..." Rhett replied, snapping back to reality with a smile.
"Hmm, funny, I was just thinking the same thing. Let’s pick up the pace and reach the frontlines as soon as possible to support the flanks!" Haisenth interjected, his golden Swiftblade bouncing against his side, catching the light as they ran.
"That makes sense!" Baruch agreed, his skin dark and his thick brows making him look somewhat simple. Of course, the beastmen on the battlefield had never thought so.
Laedros and Haisenth exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and shouted in unison:
"All troops, accelerate!"
"Yes!"
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