NOVEL NEXT Chapter 115: Sneak attack
Centric snapped back to consciousness, his senses sluggish yet rapidly adjusting to the chaos around him. He pushed himself upright, sand clinging to his body like remnants of a shattered storm. His vision was blurred by a thick, swirling haze of dust, the battlefield beyond obscured as if wrapped in nature's own war-torn veil. His ears barely registered the scattered murmurs of regrouping warriors until,
BOOM! A thunderous blast roared past him, slicing through the fog of his disoriented mind and returning his hearing in a violent rush. His head jerked up instinctively, eyes locking onto a Thanacrite soaring through the sky, its radiant energy streaking like a falling star before striking down the encroaching primordial beasts with terrifying precision.
Then came the sharp urgency of footsteps.
"Protect the Astro Leader!" a commanding voice rang out.
Centric turned his head, catching sight of Kal leading a squad of subordinates, their movements synchronized with unwavering discipline. Three warriors swiftly closed the distance, their gazes firm, unwavering.
"We came to bring you back," one of them stated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Centric said nothing, but his silence was an affirmation. The trio understood, gripping his shoulders and helping him move toward the rear as the Mountain Astro Aether Glide descended toward them, its mechanical hum blending with the distant battle cries. The moment it halted, Centric tilted his head upward, his eyes falling upon a familiar figure standing tall against the storm of dust and chaos—Seraphina.
"Take your time and recover from the shock," she said, her voice carrying the unshakable resolve of a warrior. Gone was the softness of her once-childish nature, replaced by the hardened steel of battle-born conviction.
Centric exhaled, a faint smirk touching his lips. "Thanks. I owe you this."
As the warriors supporting him adjusted their stance, preparing to turn him toward safety, Seraphina merely nodded. "I will be waiting for your return."
With that, the Aether Glide surged forward once more, cutting through the battlefield like a comet tearing across the heavens.
Centric cast one last glance over his shoulder, his heart clenched between duty and desire. The battlefield was a maelstrom of chaos, a dance of life and death where the roars of the beasts intertwined with the war cries of celestial warriors. His fingers twitched, the instinct to return clawing at him, but he forced himself to swallow the selfish urge. There was a mission, an objective far greater than his personal pride.
As he turned forward, a gust of dust swirled around him, the battlefield fading from sight like a story not yet finished.
On the Frontlines The beasts no longer retreated out of fear. No, their hesitation had faded, replaced by the cold calculation of sacrifice. Some creatures lunged willingly into the path of the Thanacrites, becoming living shields that absorbed the devastating energy, clearing the battlefield of its smoke-cloaked ruins. The gap between the two forces shrank, the tension thickening like a storm on the verge of breaking.
Realizing her moment had come, Seraphina leaped from the Aether Glide, her body descending like a falling blade of judgment. The Aether Glide veered back, retreating slowly, its task complete.
In the space between breaths, her presence shifted.
Her celestial core pulsed, golden energy flaring like an unyielding mountain against the storm. She extended her senses, forging an unspoken connection with her subordinates, a bond of synchronized power, their energies merging into an unshakable force.
[Seraphina's Status]
[Name]: Seraphina (XXX)]
[Race]: Celestial Race (Saint)]
[Age]: 18 Years]
[Stage]: Ascendant Realm (Peak)]
[Celestial Core]: Convergence Formation Core (750/750) ]
[Bloodline]: Pillarborn Bloodline (XXX)]
[Weapon]: Divine Gauntlet (XXX)]
[Skill]: Mountain God's Crushing Fist]
[Techniques]: Avalanche Barrage / Stone Wall Guard / Seismic Fist]
Seraphina lunged forward like a comet tearing through the battlefield. One of the cannon fodder, still writhing from the toxic dust it had inhaled, sensed her rapid approach. Without hesitation, it harnessed the Law of Energy Conversion, transmuting its essential energy into pure electrical force. Without warning, a searing bolt, more akin to silent lightning, erupted from its horn, stripped of its thunderous roar as it crackled into existence, cutting through the space between them with terrifying speed, flashing toward her like a silent executioner.
With instinct honed in the crucible of countless battles, Seraphina vaulted into the air, her body twisting as the electric surge tore through the space she had just vacated. The ground beneath shattered upon impact, cracks snaking outward like veins of destruction, sending fragments of solid earth skyward.
From above, she descended upon the creature that had launched the attack, her presence a storm about to break. "Mountain God's Crushing Fist: Avalanche Barrage!" Her golden gauntlet flared to life, its glow a raging sun confined within her clenched fist. She hurled the punch downward, the sheer force behind it enough to shake the bones of the earth.
Upon impact, the beast's thick hide absorbed the shockwave, but the force rippled through its body like an earthquake coursing through stone. Its four legs trembled, the ground beneath its feet spider-webbing with fractures before the energy surged through its frame and detonated from its rear. The resulting explosion split the terrain behind it in a violent eruption of debris, sending dust and shattered rock into the air like a miniature apocalypse.
Seraphina eyes wided from the result, her fist remained pressed against the beast's horn, still radiating heat from the attack. The creature's body quivered as the embedded energy threatened to discharge again. But before it could retaliate, a blur of motion cut through the chaos, a foot, heavy as a collapsing mountain, slammed into the side of its skull like a meteor crashing to earth.
The beast's glowing horn flickered, the electrical discharge faltering as the force of the blow carved a wave of destruction outward. The air screamed as the energy from the interrupted attack as the force rippled through its massive frame, bursting out from the opposite side of its head in a thunderous release of energy. The ground behind it erupted into dust and debris, while the beast. Already weakened by Seraphina's devastating strike, the creature staggered, its footing lost. It reeled backward, its agonized "RRROOOORR" splitting the battlefield like the wail of a dying god.
Seraphina landed in a crouch, knees bent as she skidded backward, the force of her descent carving a shallow groove into the dust-laden earth. The figure who had aided her landed beside her, a presence just as fierce. As the dust cleared, her image sharpened, a tall, slender warrior with cropped brown hair, her tomboyish stance exuding raw confidence. Energy surged around her like an untamed tempest, drawn directly from the pulsating veins of the Convergence Formation.
Seraphina turned to her, a weary but grateful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Vega, thanks to your support." She absentmindedly rubbed the back of her head, her eyes flickering like twin embers as they danced within their sockets.
Vega, the ever-blunt and sharp-tongued warrior, folded her arms and gave Seraphina a pointed look. "So you know," she began, tapping a finger against her fabric bracer, "as the Astro Leader, when will you stop charging recklessly into battle like some storm with no direction?" Her voice carried the weight of both frustration and concern, a chiding remark laced with unwavering loyalty.
But before Seraphina could even respond, the space between them was torn apart by a sudden streak of blinding light. A blur ripped through their vision like a comet descending from the heavens, and before either could fully react.
BAAAM! A deafening explosion of force erupted, the world momentarily igniting in a brilliant, searing glow. The very air trembled under its intensity, sending heatwaves rippling through the battlefield.
Seraphina and Vega's heads snapped toward the source of the impact. There, standing like an unshakable bastion amidst the storm, was Kal, the ever-reliable right-hand man of Centric. He had intercepted the surprise attack, another feral, toxin-corrupted beast lunging for Seraphina and Vega after regaining a bit of it sanity and bloodthirsty strength. The creature blast, once destined to tear through them, now met an impenetrable inferno.
"Infernal Edge: Blazing Shield Formation!"
Kal's voice thundered through the battlefield as a roaring wall of flames burst forth, engulfing the beast's strike in an eruption of molten heat. Fire curled and licked at the air, forming an impassable barrier between the would-be attackers and his allies. Sparks danced like vengeful spirits, the sheer radiance of his technique casting long, flickering shadows across the scorched ground.
Kal stood tall, unshaken, his Flame-Heat Duality Sword resting casually on his right shoulder, still smoldering from the unleashed energy. His presence exuded an aura of controlled fury, a warrior bound by both indestructible will and the pulsing force of Convergence Formation Energy. Without sparing the stunned women behind him more than a brief side glance, he spoke, his voice calm, but edged with the promise of battle.
"Apologies for interrupting your leader-subordinate conversation," he said, his tone effortlessly composed despite the firestorm still crackling around him. "But I'll be joining you in this fight, temporarily, until my leader returns." The flames behind him roared, mirroring the unyielding fire in his eyes.