NOVEL NEXT Chapter 189: Ripples on the river of Time
Spells and arrows were the first ones to clash in the air. The players had an overwhelming superiority when it came to the sheer variety of skills. It might not seem to be that big of a deal because having more variety didn't mean that it would be more powerful; however, there was one area where variety reigned supreme– counters.
Take fireball as an example. A normal fireball skill could be neutralized with another common aqua shot skill. But what if that fireball was different? What if instead of one big fireball it was actually a ring of fire? A bird of fire that can move? In that case the outcome would be different.
An Aqua shot spell that resembled an arrow made up of water might pass right through a ring of fire. There would be no counters in such a case.
*BAAM*
The same thing was occurring on the battlefield. The players were fine because they were being protected by the barrier, but the same couldn't be said for the imps.
How could they have thought that more than half of the initial skills would fly by the impact zone and land on them?
"Keep it up. Just focus on releasing your greatest firepower and leave the rest to me."
Noone replied to Zyrus and instead they started attacking with even greater fervor. It looked like players had a great advantage and momentum right from the start, but both Zyrus and the Imp King knew that it was just an empty show
⦕ Target the vermins with low HP, you dimwits ⦖
A low and deep voice was heard throughout the battlefield. This was the first time when the imp kind had directly intervened in the war.
And the result of this was disastrous for the players.
Having a good commander was very important when it came to large-scale battles. The imps which were attacking like a horde of ants suddenly went into complete change. Their mimicry didn't just apply to the enemy. So long as their king was willing, they could mimic the military tactics that were inside the king's head.
Zyrus wasn't dumb enough to not act when the enemy was making their move. He knew very well that the players with low HP were at a grave risk. At about the same time when the imps launched their second wave of attacks, Zyrus used his last turn on the Vajeer.
*Shalalang*
Phantoms of countless scepters began to form and clash in the air. It made the mana filled sky even more chaotic. The Vajeers had the authority to mobilize all the troops. This was something that even Zyrus as a king could not do.
Ria coordinated with the others and teleported all the weak players to the central area. In the ideal scenario they should be staying there from the start, but things were different when army formations were concerned. One could not have formations without fixed positions. The players had no choice but to go along with what they were familiar with in order to deploy the formations in the shortest possible time.
This was when the usefulness of turns was utilized to its greatest extent. The players were already in the middle of using their subclass skills and formations. Now they were being attacked by the imps, and at the same time, they were also affected by the Vajeers' mobilization authority.
It was one thing for the enemy to interrupt your casting, but would any allied buff ever stop the casting process? The answer was obviously no.
"Now, Jacob."
"Roger that."
*RIiiip*
A loud tearing sound rang across the whole stage. Too many things were occurring within seconds. Most of the basic skills had their cooldowns in single digits. No more than 30 seconds had passed ever since the first attack was launched.
*Shalalang*
The scepters clanged once again and changed the players' locations. This time, it was neither the low HP players nor the shield warriors and mammoths who were leading the charge. At the forefront of the imps was none other than the mage legion led by Jacob.
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<Steady. Concentrate as if your life depends on it…because it does>
Zyrus's voice was heard in every player's head. The previous barrier was broken as the Vajeers had moved out the players. In the end, it wasn't a proper army formation. The shield warriors were strong for sure, but at the same time, the imps were no weaklings.
Under the third round of imp's attacks it could be said that the players were practically naked. The scroll that Jacob used and the new subclasses they had acquired would not save them from certain death. It was a cold hard fact that their HP was pathetically low.
The current scenario resembled their fight against the Camazotz. They were on the brink of death because they were fighting against someone who was way out of their league. It remained the same for the following boss raids and wars, all the way to the star marked tyrant.
Now, things were a bit different. The scenario was similar if one looked at their HP values, but the underlying reality was the exact opposite. The players were superior to the imps after getting their subclasses. If their hp wasn't reduced in the previous round then this wouldn't even be a war between the imps and the players. The players could simply kill the imps like livestock because that's just how powerful they had become at this point.
Zyrus didn't speak anymore because he believed that his army wasn't so dumb that he had to spell it out for them. As long as the scroll was activated, as long as they survived this barrage of attacks and finished their formation, the victory would belong to them.
[Ranshao]
[Skrastreg]
[Wrathful Reckoning]
Every commander except Babi used their high cooldown aoe skills to negate as many attacks as possible. The span of 20+ seconds was more than enough for the physical confrontations to occur. Maahes, Strongfist, Druv, and Shi kun acted as main tanks and held back thousands of imps on their own. This was the scene that they wouldn't have envisioned even in their wildest dreams, but now, it had become a mark of glory. It was the glory they earned by burning their blood and sweat for a whole decade.
Zyrus who was looking over them knew this feeling very well. The rush of adrenaline when you held back a whole army was something that was hard to describe. Few were able to achieve this feat, and fewer lived to reminisce over it.
Those like Strongfist who had seen the heart of abyss were able to gain huge benefits from their subclass. They were nowhere close to Zyrus when it came to their understanding of the laws and the source of origin, but what mattered right now was that they were able to use that power thanks to the system.
Every punch of Strongfist created a metallic wall that pushed back the imp riders. Not a single cadejo mount was able to save its skull from caving in at the moment of impact. Druv was restricted by the environment, yet just the roots he summoned were enough to lessen the imp's overall momentum by 20%.
⦕ Defenders at the front. The rest, try to preserve your HP and do not engage ⦖
The imp king gave the new order as a devastating hurricane of greenish yellow flames was formed in the air. This was the monstrosity created by Lauren and Jacob working together.
Even without the elemental seed Jacob was second only to Zyrus in burst power. Lauren who had the wind elemental seed was a perfect catalyst for this. With suitable terrain and external aid Jacob was able to use an attack that went beyond his league. This was an attack that not even Zyrus and the Imp King would be unscathed by.
"Your eyes are sharp despite how they look."
"Nothing but an old soul's wisdom."
Zyrus and the Imp king chatted with their gigantic projections as if the cataclysmic war below had nothing to do with them.
"Care to make a bet?"
"No. I know that my kind will lose."
"Hmm…maybe they wouldn't if you didn't tell them to stop the attack."
"Why do that? That little girl had already foreseen it. Your 'formation' would go up right before the attack landed."
As always, the Imp king didn't fail to intrigue Zyrus. It had been less than a day since they became acquainted and just from their conversations thus far, he could guess why he'd want a subordinate like the imp king.
Zyrus was familiar with space and dimensions, but time was an uncharted territory for him. From all the existences he knew about in the sanctuary only one had mastered the usage of temporal spells.
"Do you have an authority similar to clairvoyance?"
"Not quite. Let's just say I'm someone who could see the ripples on the river of time."
The scroll was successfully activated and the formation went up right on time. Hundreds and thousands of pebbles formed in the sky and sucked away all the chaotic mana. The final battle was just beginning, but in Zyrus and the Imp kings' eyes, its outcome was already determined.
The only ones who could change that outcome were they themselves.
"Your army has proven their qualifications, and now, it is your turn."
*Crrrack*
"I would want nothing more than that, but your current level is far from enough," Zyrus stretched his joints and stood up from his throne. They couldn't join in below before two hours were over, but Matope wouldn't mind if they had a 'friendly spar' before that.
"I know that very well. The current 'I' is far from your match. Fortunately, someone has agreed to help me, or rather, you."
Zyrus had long since guessed the identity of that someone. All the random and out of order things that happened on this island should be related to the same culprit. If the Imp king was someone who could see the ripples on the river of time, then there existed someone else who was like a fisherman on the river of time.
[Wow! It's so lively down there!]
Indeed, the one who popped out of nowhere was none other than Aurora.