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Chapter 298: Feigning Weakness
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 05:12:48 +0000 UTCSpurred on by the promise of battle rewards, the beastmen roared once more, their blood boiling as they unleashed all their remaining strength, overwhelming the battlefield.
At this moment, escape was no longer an option for the Vice Commander. The sheer number of beastmen left no space for him to dodge or run. To break through, he would need to take down at least one opponent, creating an opening.
However, more beastmen lay in wait on the perimeter, ready to block any escape attempt, and the Draconians were poised to strike the moment he let his guard down.
The situation had once again deteriorated to a critical point.
"Am I really going to die here today?" The Vice Commander gritted his teeth, a deep sense of unwillingness gnawing at him. Yet, he still didn’t dare to retreat. Only ten minutes had passed; his subordinates wouldn’t have gotten far. The beastmen could still track them down based on their escape route.
He needed to hold out for another ten minutes!
The world before him dimmed as the beastmen closed in, casting long shadows over him. Taking a deep breath, he fixed his gaze on a nearby Night Cat, ready to use it as his breakthrough point.
But suddenly, amidst the roars of the beastmen, a new sound emerged—heavy, earth-shaking footsteps accompanied by high-spirited battle cries!
"Damn it! I told them to retreat. Why did they come back?!" The Vice Commander’s face twisted in anger, assuming it was his subordinates who had returned against orders.
However, in the next instant, he realized something was off. The force approaching was much larger than the remnants of his troops, and there were three particularly strong presences among them, as glaring as bright beacons in the dark.
A glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes as he quickly pieced it together—reinforcements had arrived!
"I'm saved!"
The thought reignited his fighting spirit. If unnecessary sacrifices could be avoided, all the better. The renewed surge of energy within him pushed his battle aura to its limits, squeezing out every last drop of his strength. He unleashed his most powerful technique once more—Whirlwind Ripper!
A terrifying gale howled, as if an angry ghost was roaring. The brilliant blue light of his attack swept through the beastmen, scattering them like leaves in a storm.
The intense beam of light from the valley was clearly visible to Rett, Laedros, and Freya, who were watching from the mountainside. A shout of joy erupted from behind them:
"It's the Vice Commander! He's still alive and holding on!"
Laedros and Freya were both astonished. For one man to hold out for so long against so many beastmen, his strength and willpower were truly remarkable!
Rett also feigned surprise, but his pace didn’t slow as he led the charge, shouting:
"Attack! Below are the beastmen who have ravaged our comrades. Charge and rescue our allies! Crush these beastmen!"
"Kill!"
The nearly thousand soldiers responded with a thunderous roar, their feet pounding the ground as they followed their commanders into the valley.
The valley was several hundred meters deep, but it had a steep slope that the soldiers used to leap down, catching hold of protruding rocks to guide their descent. Soon, they were in the valley, faced with the blood-soaked river and the multitude of beastmen just a few hundred meters away. The sight of so many enemies ignited their battle lust, and the knights formed up, holding their shields aloft and swords ready as they charged forward.
Meanwhile, the mages swiftly channeled their energy, casting a barrage of spells. In an instant, fire rains, dark arrows, wind blades, earth spikes, and blinding lights bombarded the clustered beastmen, delivering devastating damage and causing significant casualties.
The beastmen who had barely escaped the Whirlwind Ripper had no time to react before they were struck by the magic barrage, their lives snuffed out or left grievously injured.
In a matter of moments, the battlefield had turned in favor of the humans. The beastmen’s ferocity waned, their cries of pain and fear echoing through the valley.
The three Draconians were stunned. Where had this elite human force come from? And why were there at least three high-level supers among them? The pressure from these new enemies was immense.
"Was this a carefully laid trap, or just bad luck?" Conflicted thoughts flashed through Kumi's mind. His expression darkened, but he concluded that it had to be bad luck. There was no way anyone could have known about their plan in advance, and certainly no one would have sacrificed so many soldiers on a whim. This had to be a case of an elite human force stumbling upon them by chance.
"Commander Locke, we've brought reinforcements!"
"Commander Locke, let's kill them all together and avenge the Commander!"
"Charge! Tear these beastmen apart!"
The knights moved swiftly, shouting as they plunged into the beastmen ranks, igniting a fierce clash of claws against swords that erupted in showers of sparks.
Rett, however, stopped his charge toward the Draconians, positioning himself on a rocky outcrop. His gaze coldly locked onto the three high-level Draconians as he focused his energy, preparing to cast his spell.
"Quick, stop him, Jimmy! Don’t let that human archmage cast freely!" Kumi barked orders as he saw Rett drawing his staff, his voice urgent.
Earth Drake Summoning!
Before the high-level Draconian could reach Rett, his first spell was already complete.
A massive, armor-plated beast burst onto the battlefield, its arrival kicking up a cloud of dust and sending unlucky beastmen flying in a spray of blood. Landing in the middle of the beastmen ranks, the Earth Drake immediately became a game-changer.
Moreover, the Earth Drake was enveloped in a shimmering aura, distinctly different from other Earth Drakes. Kumi's face paled as he recognized the energy surrounding it—a terrifying, all-encompassing seismic resonance elemental mystery.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
"Argh!"
Screams erupted from the beastmen as the Earth Drake's trampling caused immense damage. Unlike typical Earth Drakes summoned by archmages, which relied on their massive size and strength to crush enemies, this Earth Drake exuded a seismic force that disintegrated weaker beastmen upon contact, leaving nothing but shredded flesh.
A wave of terror spread through the beastmen ranks.
For the human knights, however, the sight was a morale booster, pushing their fighting spirit to its peak.
Freya, too, was shocked by the display. She had known that Rett had mastered seismic resonance, but she had assumed it was just a rudimentary grasp, capable of enhancing the tips of earth spikes or stone cones. She hadn’t expected that he had fully mastered it to the extent of enveloping an entire Earth Drake and doing so with such speed that the resonance was applied the moment the spell was cast.
Her eyes flashed with admiration, but she quickly regained her composure. Victory was the priority. After surveying the battlefield, she began issuing commands:
"Falcon Unit and Swift Panther Unit, execute the Tide tactic!"
The Falcon and Swift Panther Units were specialized detachments made up of elite soldiers from the Fourth and Sixth Corps. The Tide tactic was code for a complete encirclement, a maneuver designed to prevent any beastmen from escaping. On the battlefield, it was crucial not to openly announce one's plans, so complex tactics were often disguised with code words to prevent the enemy from reacting in time.
Freya’s crisp voice rang out across the battlefield, and the previously chaotic melee began to take shape. Soldiers disengaged from their immediate battles, pivoting to new positions, their movements initially appearing disorderly but gradually forming a rough circle that enclosed the beastmen.
In situations where forces are evenly matched, encircling from the outside is risky—it’s easy for the encircled to break through, scattering the encircling forces, making them easy prey. But here, the situation was starkly different. The Earth Drake continued its relentless march within the core of the battlefield. Though slow-moving, it was like an unstoppable bulldozer, mercilessly mowing down lines of beastmen.
With their escape route blocked by the encircling soldiers, the beastmen found themselves trapped. Panic and despair began to spread through their ranks.
Hearing the anguished cries of his subordinates, Kumi was furious. He knew they had to eliminate this human archmage first.
One of the high-level Draconians, closer than the others, charged at Rett, encountering little resistance. But just as it was about to strike, it found itself trapped within a spherical shield of light, encasing it in a perfect barrier. Confident in its power, the Draconian prepared to shatter the shield with its claws, only to be interrupted by Kumi's frantic shout:
"Stop, Haim! That human’s seismic resonance is nearly perfect! Don’t touch his defensive magic!"
Kumi had recognized the ominous light on the Earth Drake and felt a sinking dread. But Haim had already moved too quickly, his clawed hand already making contact with Rett's Stone Shield.
In the next instant, the shield dimmed, the countless earth elements that composed it resonating with seismic force, each one emitting a terrifying vibration, finely controlled to repel external threats.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
The high-frequency vibrations resonated through Haim's body. His expression twisted in agony as the scales on his right hand shattered, revealing the bloody flesh beneath, with even the bone faintly visible.
"It shattered my scales... This is terrifying!"
Haim was sent flying, a look of shock and disbelief on his face as he stared at Rett.
"It didn't shatter his right hand? This defense is incredibly strong!"
Rett watched as Haim's body was sent flying, feeling a bit surprised, but the thought quickly passed. He didn't dwell on it, and his next spell followed immediately.
Earth Spikes!
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Several earth spikes shot up from the ground in unison. With Rett's extensive battle experience, he accurately predicted Haim's trajectory as he tumbled through the air. If they hit, he was confident the terrifying power of the seismic resonance could easily penetrate Haim's defenses and instantly extinguish all life within him.
But Kumi and another high-ranking Draconian were already on the move. The moment Haim was blasted away, they charged toward Rett. They weren't reckless; they didn't plan on engaging him in close combat. First, they pulled out silver, glinting iron balls from the pouches at their waists, leaned back slightly, and hurled them at Rett with all their might. The terrifying speed of the iron balls generated intense friction, creating sparks that streaked across the air like two meteors. They struck Rett's Stone Shield in quick succession.
The two worked in perfect coordination, with the first iron ball neutralizing the seismic force and the second, carrying tremendous power, shattering the Stone Shield and exposing Rett to the open air.
"Perfect opportunity!"
Haim's eyes lit up. He was the closest to Rett, and seeing the situation unfold, he could have used the momentum of his backward fall to retreat further. As for the earth spikes behind him, he didn't really care; a slight twist of his body would easily dodge them.
But how could he let such an excellent opportunity slip away? With a powerful push from his tail against the ground, he halted his backward momentum and launched himself back toward Rett.
"Hmph, human, without your shield, let's see how arrogant you can be!"
The approaching Draconian sneered. Although he had lost his right hand, his left hand was still fully functional. And he wasn't just limited to his hands and feet—he had his tail, his scales, and his spikes. Even a mere collision with his body, covered in irregularly distributed sharp spikes, posed a great threat to opponents of his level.
A sinister smile gradually crept across his face. As he closed in on Rett, he even seemed to detect a flicker of... fear in Rett's eyes. Yes, fear. He had seen that look in the eyes of many humans before. When faced with death, not everyone could remain calm.
His claw came crashing down, and the two Draconians rushing toward them from a distance both wore wild grins. In their eyes, today had been a mix of bad luck and unexpected fortune.
Although they had unexpectedly encountered two human prodigies who had mastered the profound mysteries, these formidable foes were not at their peak. They hadn't even joined forces, allowing the Draconians to eliminate them one by one. And once they were dealt with, it would be a significant victory for the Draconians, and a devastating loss for the human forces.
Even Haim's heart was racing with excitement. While he had killed archmages before, this was the first time he would kill one who possessed the profound mysteries. Watching his opponent, now as helpless as a lamb, unable to mount any defense, filled him with immense satisfaction. It was as if the negative emotions from his maimed right hand had completely vanished.
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