NOVEL NEXT Chapter 130: Emergency
The air itself carried the stench of death. Dark cracks split across the horizon, and from them poured monstrous silhouettes, their twisted forms blotting out the stars. A tide of Hollows surged forth like an endless flood, drowning everything in their path.
"Damn it… We arrived in another hell," Felix spat, gripping his weapon tight.
Ryuzen's golden slit eyes gleamed sharply. The faint pressure of his draconic aura surged, pressing against the overwhelming malice that filled the air. "Stay sharp. The dungeon may have been Hell Mode, but this… this is the real battlefield."
Venus raised her fist, her expression grim. "Then the question is… do we run, or do we fight?"
The choice weighed heavy. The Hollow Wave had begun, and survival itself was no longer guaranteed.
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The Junior Blood Legion paused at the outskirts of a small fortress City: Vastera City. His eyes widened as the scene unfolded before them. Streets that had been alive with commerce and life were now rivers of blood, ash, and rubble. Buildings crumbled under the relentless assault of the Hollow Wave, their twisted forms shadowed in the red haze.
The hollows themselves were horrifying. Towering figures with jagged limbs and glowing eyes poured forth in an unending swarm. Some bore crystalline armor, others writhed with unnatural mutation. Every step they took left scorch marks and fissures in the cobblestone. Their shrieks reverberated like war drums, shaking the very air.
Even from a distance, the devastation was clear. Citizen ran in blind panic, screaming as the hollows tore through everything in their path. Horses and carts toppled, fire spreading in great arcs from overturned lanterns and burning structures. The streets were littered with corpses, both human and hollow, mingling in a grotesque tableau of survival and death.
Rudos gritted his teeth, raising his staff. "We can't just stand here! People will die if we don't act now." He cast a quick healing ward over a group of injured civilians cowering behind a shattered wall. The green light from his staff washed over them, stitching torn flesh and steadying panicked hearts.
Venus cracked her knuckles, fire flickering from her gloves. "Then let's make sure we give these monsters a reason to fear the Junior Blood Legion." She leapt forward, smashing through a line of lesser hollows with crystalized strikes, each blow sending shards of enemy limbs scattering into the bloodied streets.
Felix moved like a shadow, weaving between the collapsing debris, blood-swords manifesting from his hands. He unleashed waves of crimson energy, slicing through multiple hollows at once.
"No mercy. Not here. Not now!"
His laughter carried over the chaos, a sharp note of defiance in the face of the endless horde.
Irina, perched on a broken rooftop, summoned her clones. They rained arrow volleys over the advancing hollows, every shot imbued with precise elemental focus. Frost and lightning crackled across the battlefield where her arrows landed, slowing the enemies and cutting off their advance. Each clone acted independently, covering gaps and ensuring no hollow could slip past their defenses.
Ryuzen stood at the forefront, golden eyes blazing as his aura flared. The ground beneath him quaked with his presence. Lightning crackled across his arms, icy mist swirling around his claws, and the heat of solar energy radiated from his core.
"Let's Do It !" Ryuzen shouted, unleashing Eclipse Cataclysmic Roar.
Booom!
A wave of pure destructive energy radiated outward, blasting through swaths of hollows. Some screamed as their bodies were torn apart, others evaporated in the shockwave.
The fight was unrelenting. Hollows adapted quickly, some charging directly at Ryuzen, others targeting his teammates. Every step forward required coordination, every strike demanded precision.
Rudos was constantly casting, healing burns, closing wounds, and reinforcing their defenses, his hands moving in a blur. Venus fought like a whirlwind, her Harvester's Punch smashing one enemy after another, growing stronger with every strike. Felix's blood manipulation carved paths of destruction, while Irina's clones provided a constant barrage of control.
Even Ryuzen, with all his power, was forced to react quickly. Mist Phantom Steps allowed him to weave through attacks, Solar Cryo Lance cut a path of burning frost through clusters of hollows, and Crimson Apex Frenzy shredded armor and limbs alike. Lightning Manipulation sparked between his claws, chaining damage across multiple enemies. Abyssal Grasp restrained hulking hollows, tossing them aside like ragdolls, while Sun Dragon's Gaze targeted weak points, piercing even the toughest armor.
Minutes stretched into an hour as the city became a warzone of fire, ice, blood, and lightning. Civilians fled through alleys and debris, some inspired by the Junior Blood Legion's ferocity, others too terrified to move. Buildings smoldered, streets cracked, and the sky above burned red with smoke and the glow of elemental chaos.
The Hollow Wave showed no sign of slowing. For every hollow they felled, two more emerged from the cracks in the earth and shattered walls. But the squad's coordination never faltered. Each had grown through the dungeon grinds, each had leveled up and mastered their abilities further, and now they applied every skill in perfect harmony.
Finally, after relentless fighting, the tide began to shift. The cohesive assault of Ryuzen's elemental mastery, Venus's crystalized strikes, Felix's blood blades, Irina's precise clones, and Rudos's healing and wards started turning the Hollow Wave back. Hollow bodies littered the streets, their screams fading as the surviving monsters began retreating.
By the time the dust settled, the streets were scarred and bloody, but the Junior Blood Legion stood victorious. Their clothes were torn, their bodies battered, and their muscles aching from the continuous onslaught. But their eyes burned with the familiar fire of triumph and survival.
Ryuzen's chest heaved, golden eyes scanning the horizon for any remaining threats. Venus leaned on her fists, smirking through bloodied lips. Felix wiped his hands clean of crimson, grinning. Irina's clones dissipated as she steadied herself, exhausted but proud. Rudos slumped, staff planted in the ground, breathing heavily as he surveyed the aftermath.
"It's done… for now," Ryuzen said, voice low but steady. "But this is only the beginning. More hollows will come. We must defend it until the Garrison Squads arrives."
The Vastera city, though battered, had witnessed the Junior Blood Legion's power. Even the highest-ranking evolvers observing from a distance could only stare, realizing these young warriors had surpassed expectation, dominating Hell Mode dungeons and now surviving a city-wide Hollow Wave.