Chapter 10: Battle in the Open Path 3
Cecily's body blurred, leaving afterimages behind as she charged towards Eoi.
Eoi smirked. "You want to compete in speed? Hmp! Don't make me laugh!"
Eoi no longer ran as it was pointless. Given Cecily's speed with the help of the Light Step spell, their agility was about even.
The previously calm and reserve Eoi was now wild and unrestrained as he transformed into nine marriages, all wielding a bow as he shot an arrow towards her.
The nine arrows flew in different directions. Cecily readied herself to deflect the nine arrows. But as it was growing closer, it seemed as though arrows filled the entire space. An infinite number of arrows, giving Cecily nowhere to run nor defend!
[Barrage]
Cecily huramp. Using her momentum, she swirled her body like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, Cecily's entire body turned into a spinning windstorm while the countless flashes of her sword glint under the noon light.
[Torrential Swing]
The countless arrows were all blocked by the flashes of Cecily's sword.
Eoi was stunned. "So you do have a bit of skill in you, O' princess of Byron."
"DIE!" Cecily bellowed.
She slammed towards Eoi, sword pointing at the sky as though what she was wielding was not a thin stick rapier but a Warhammer. That stick of a sword transformed into thousands of blades.
[Sword Rain]
Eoi raised his bow to defend and cast a spell that enveloped his entire body of strange dark lights.
Cecily's sword strike was light and graceful, but when they collided against Eoi's bow. Eoi felt as though a thousand-pound weight was being hammered on him repeatedly.
BAM!
BAM!
Under the repeated assault, Eoi was forced down to the ground, and the earth around him cracked as clouds of dust and rocks swirled everywhere. The dark shadowy lights covering Eoi's body trembled, and it broke from the might before it burst and shattered.
If this keeps up, I'll be mincemeat for sure. Eoi mused to himself, then his silver eyes narrowed, turning into a dot as his muscles grew while his veins bulged.
Cecily sensed that something was not right. She flipped her sword and retreated backward, landing on both feet. She eyed the dark elf cautiously.
Eoi's muscles and bones cracked and reformed. Veins were crawling underneath his skin, distorting his face.
"Lo and behold! For this sight will be the last you'll see."
Cecily's eyes rounded when Eoi's transformation halted, and her view was filled by a creature that she had never seen before.
Monster!
No one could recognize the dark elf's elegance and allure anymore. Eyes, silver and dilated. Muscles were bulging. Veins crawling in all parts of its body while large protruding rock-like skin was on his shoulders and limbs, forming an armor.
If it was not for the enlarged ears, the man could not be recognized as an elf.
Dark elves were famed because they could conjure dark magic to aid them during a fight, transforming them into something of pure strength and speed in a limited time.
"Hmm. .. not good." Murok cast a spell.
[Heavenly wind]
Cecily's entire body was enveloped in sharp wind, raising her defense and offense. Still, cold sweat appeared from Cecily's forehead, dripping down towards her cheek. She was in a dangerous predicament.
Cecily and Eoi were on the ground, staring at each other.
On the other side of the field, the ax in Garet's hand, carrying a massive tectonic force, would appear and disappear at random.
In Ryu's eyes, all he saw were countless blades slashing towards him. If not for the beastmen high sharp sense, Ryu wouldn't be able to dodge it all. But thanks to the rippling sounds that the blade made whenever it reappeared, Ryu could somehow pinpoint where the attack would appear next.
Ryu was conflicted. He wanted to kill Garet and hurry towards Cecily. Then again, he was afraid that Cecily would be mad at him for killing the human.
All Ryu's life was revolved around killing without holding back, so he didn't know how much strength he would use to render Garet immobile without actually killing him. He was afraid that if he used too much force, the guy would just drop dead.
However, Ryu was suffering from blood loss from all the cuts he received from Garet's ax. Combined with the hunger and torment he received a while ago, his body was nearing its limit and was beginning to slow down.
Murok could have spared a glance in his direction and deducted that Ryu couldn't use mana to nourish his body and heal his wounds. But Murok was busy with his fight and didn't bother to spare a second glance at him. He'd rather conserved his mana than waste it on someone insignificant.
Unlike all other races that needed to absorbed mana to use spells, Beastmen could see the flow of mana and could manipulate it to nourish themselves. Thus, as long as there was mana, they could continuously heal their wounds without conjuring any spells. It was unfortunate that the Beastmen were weak in mental fortitude to cast complicated incantations. If not, they would indeed be invincible.
Garet took advantage of Ryu's body slowing down. He flung his ax at Ryu. "I got ya' now!"
It was too late for Ryu to dodge the blade as it was just inches away from him.
CLASH!
Garet laughed. "Kyakyakyakyak! How's that?!"
But his laughter halted in mid-air when he saw that Ryu wasn't harmed the slightest.
Except for Ryu's left arm that had a cut due to blocking the ax with his hand, nothing else was broken.
"Tsk! He is ridiculously resilient. Even with that blow, I just manage a cut without even slicing his arm?" Garet stuck out his tongue, spit dripping from it.
Tapping the ground with the point of his foot, Ryu leaped backward before he tapped his foot again and charged at high speed towards Garet.
At this time, with his body at its limit and with Cecily joining in the fray that could endanger her life, Ryu was cornered. And a cornered beast didn't think of anything else but to go wild in a frenzy.
He doesn't need his limbs to stay alive.
Ryu's face grew solemn. Then he moved at a rapid speed. A wild gust of wind filled the air as Ryu's body reached a terrifying swiftness.
WOOSH!
Ryu slashed towards Garet. It was so fast that the very space rippled around him.
Garet managed to block. Still, some of the force from Ryu's claws sliced his flesh, draining his clothes red.
Ryu let out a deep growl. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of his opponent, his afterimage lingering at his last spot.
"Not good!" Garet wanted to block. However, at the sight of Ryu's monstrous aura, he was stupefied instead.
Ryu stabbed his claws four times in different spots, clawing a chunk of Garet's flesh while the man lost his bearing and tumbled on the ground.
"Guk. . ."
Garet could only gape at the beast that was approaching him, staring down at him as he raised his claws.
Garet choked, "Shit."
BOOM!