NOVEL NEXT Chapter 335: Battle
The battlefield was a cruel display of violence and chaos. Selene's Pyroclasm scorched entire clusters of Phantom League soldiers as it seared flesh and metal alike in a blaze that carved through their ranks. Her mastery over the fire element was on full display, and I had to admit that she was a talented mage.
Not far from her Cedric danced with death itself. His swordsmanship was so precise it seemed like art in motion instead of murder techniques. Each swing was calculated, each step a fluid evasion or counterattack. Blood spattered in arcs around him as he went from one enemy to the next, leaving behind a pile of felled foes.
Meanwhile, the monks who were led by Abudha pummeled the enemy lines with bare fists that cracked bones and armor alike. They moved as a single, seamless unit as they held the line of the front to the best of their abilities.
Arrows filled the air as the elven archer squad loosed volley after volley. They struck with machine-like precision, thinning the enemy's numbers to the best of their abilities. Every second counted, and the elves didn't waste even one as they continued their unrelenting assault.
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In the heart of the fray, Ambition was an unmovable force. Her warhammer swung in brutal arcs while she was tanking blow after blow as she plowed through the soldiers who dared to approach the fragile backline she was protecting. Her strikes were absolutely merciless with nearly each one caving in helmets and shattering ribs.
Beside me, Seraphiel loosed a barrage of Arcane Arrows, each of which was charged with a great deal of her mana.
Blossom moved like a ghost through the mayhem with her claws flashing ominously as she darted in and out of the enemy lines. Every movement was nothing but a blur as she slit throats, severed arteries, and left a trail of death behind her. She targeted the isolated and distracted, striking with lethal precision before slipping back into the shadows, hunting the next unfortunate soul in her path.
Iris tore through enemies with pure, brutal efficiency. Her sword swung with relentless power, cleaving soldiers in half, scattering limbs, and coating the ground beneath her in blood. Each strike was a homage that was paid to her raw physical prowess, and the soldiers who faced her were given no chance to react before her blade was upon them.
Ayame moved with her trademark supernatural grace. She flipped and whirled between opponents, dodging and parrying attacks effortlessly while her blade struck, finding the tiniest gaps in armor and exploiting them with pinpoint precision. Her strikes were as lethal as they were beautiful. She left a deadly trail in her wake.
Amidst the chaos, Aurora was a beacon of calm support for all of us. She's gotten much better at remaining efficient in highly stressful situations over the days. She was still my pampered princess, but she was not at all a liability during battle. Her voice rose in a melodic chant when she imbued some members of our team with increased strength, resilience, and speed.
Then finally, there was my Lucille- she was no longer a fledgling warrior struggling to keep up but a berserk whirlwind of blood and steel. Each enemy she defeated fueled her even further. Her axe swung with monstrous strength as it cleaved through armor, flesh, and bone alike. Her body seemed to pulse with bloodlust as every kill added to her momentum and caused her to grin wide and wild as her axe cut down another enemy.
In the meantime, I heard Orianna and the rest's fight taking place farther and farther from us. It was clear they had intentionally distanced themselves, giving us the space to fight without the risk of stray, catastrophic spells.
Based on my descriptions one might expect us to be winning- or even owning our enemies, but that would sadly be far from the truth. Ayame, Iris, and Cedric, our three most skilled melee damage dealers couldn't just blitz from enemy to enemy, since each soldier took time to go down. They managed to deflect a lot of our strikes, and return some hurt as well.
We started with 27 memers but that was already below 20, while the enemies still had 50 or so enemies. Selene and Cedric's Heralds were a straight-up liability. Their side of the circle was already overrun, making our job of protecting the backline nearly impossible.
Abudha had also lost two Monks to the enemy's assault. They were overwhelming us due to the number difference. Ambition's archers were also less effective against these heavily armored soldiers than they would be normally.
Much to my annoyance, our opponents deserved my respect. They were nameless soldiers but I couldn't continue holding back. At any moment they will overrun us all, killing everyone who I care about in the process.
With an inward sigh, I decided to stop hiding my strength. I will deal with the consequences once our continued existence has been secured. <Seraphiel, shoot Selene down if she tries anything. I'm going to the front.>
<Master?!> She asked with surprise, but in the next moment after some swift deliberation, she accepted. <I understand.>
The part of the front where Ayame, Iris, and Ambition fought was still holding up, so I focused on where Cedric and Abudha desperately did their best in trying to keep our backline safe with less and less success as time went on.
I raised my blade before my face while closing my eyes as I focused inwardly "[Stormblade's Focus]" I murmured, feeling the magic thread through my limbs, anchoring me to a place of complete clarity. The sounds of the distracting battle simply faded into that of a distant murmur, and everything sharpened: the placement of every soldier was clear in my mind as well as how my allies were holding up, and I even sensed the minuscule shifts in my enemy's stances.
I extended my blade, and with a thought, I invoked the next spell. "[Stormcaller's Blade]."
The sword trembled momentarily in my grasp before roaring to life as it got enveloped in a crackling tempest of wind and lightning. Thunder rumbled along the blade's length which became a weapon that was an extension of the storm itself.
Some soldiers who had extremely acute senses paused, with some even stepping back as they sensed the storm's fury radiating from my weapon. But I gave them no time to second-guess their instincts. In one powerful motion I crouched down and felt the wind whipping around me.
"[Thunderclap Strike!]"