Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Breaking the Seige
"There's just too many of them!" someone shouted, panic evident in their voice.
"We can't hold them all off!" another added, the hopelessness in their tone spreading like wildfire through the ranks.
"We have to! The Lord and the Lady have their work cut out for them. We can't let these small fries add to their troubles!" a third voice countered, trying to rekindle the fighting spirit of the defenders.
"Tch… You call them small fries like you don't know how strong these things are," another lamented, bitterness tinged with exhaustion.
Cormac finally arrived at the scene, his eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield. He saw warriors struggling to keep the monsters at bay, their faces grim and sweat-soaked.
The walls of Lagia, normally a symbol of strength, now seemed on the verge of being overwhelmed.
"Open the gate," Cormac ordered, his voice cutting through the din.
"But sir," one of the soldiers questioned, uncertainty etched on his face.
"Just open the gate," Cormac insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"We're not supposed to let them in! Why would you want us to open the gates we've worked so hard to protect?" another soldier demanded, confusion and fear in his eyes.
Not everyone was aware of Cormac's true strength. Most had never seen him in action, but among them were veterans who had fought alongside him in the fiercest battles and knew what kind of warrior he was.
"Move aside, we're opening the gates," a much older soldier commanded, stepping forward with a sense of resolve. He began to open the gates, the heavy wooden beams creaking under the strain.
"Hey…" others protested, their voices a mix of disbelief and concern.
But Cormac interrupted, "Of course I have no intention of letting them pass." He became engulfed in a yellow aura, and a faint presence of lightning began to crackle around him. "Spear Art, third form."
A massive aura soon spread across the battlefield, putting everyone in complete shock. Cormac held his spear tightly, muscles tensing as he prepared to toss it. The gates creaked open slowly, revealing the horde outside.
"Raging Thunder Spear!" he roared, throwing the spear with all his might.
The spear shot out of the gate like a bolt of lightning, covering a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. As it flew, it left behind an illusion of a dragon cloaked in lightning, its roaring presence electrifying the air.
The dragon-shaped lightning surged forward, crashing into the mass of orcs and wild beasts with a deafening explosion.
The impact was cataclysmic. The spear struck the ground with such force that the earth itself seemed to tremble. Lightning spread out in a massive area-of-effect attack, incinerating dozens of monsters in an instant.
The orcs, high orcs, and great orcs caught within the blast were obliterated, their bodies reduced to charred remnants.
The battlefield fell into a stunned silence as the defenders and the remaining monsters alike stared in awe at the devastation. Cormac stood tall, his aura slowly dissipating, the power of his attack still crackling in the air.
The gate was now a point of triumph rather than vulnerability, and the warriors of Lagia found their fighting spirit rekindled by the display of Cormac's overwhelming strength.
"Now, let's drive them back!" Cormac commanded, his voice ringing with authority and determination.
With renewed vigor, the warriors surged forward, their morale bolstered by the incredible power they had just witnessed. The tide of battle began to turn, and hope flickered once more in the hearts of the defenders.
*****
Jerry and Eva stood back to back, surrounded by chaos as they faced off against the two Orthrus. Jerry charged at one of the two-headed beasts, his sword slicing through the air.
He delivered a series of powerful slashes, his blade cutting deep into the creature's hide even without the use of any special skills or moves. Blood sprayed from the wounds as the Orthrus growled in pain.
"Ha, weak demons like these don't have any place causing trouble here! Hahaha!" Jerry bragged as the Orthrus fell to the ground, seemingly defeated.
"Please stop Dear. Every time you act like that in situations like this, we always seem to get into more trouble," Eva scolded, her tone exasperated. She raised her hands and hurled five massive, cone-shaped earth elements at the second Orthrus, each projectile slamming into the creature with devastating force.
"That's not true...?" Before Jerry could finish his retort, the Orthrus he thought he had defeated suddenly lunged at him, one of its heads snapping its jaws around his arm and tossing him aside like a ragdoll.
Jerry crashed through the front of a shop filled with fruits, sending produce flying in every direction.
'I'm sure it couldn't move a while ago,' Jerry thought, dazed, as he crawled out of the wreckage, hopelessly trying to clean the smashed fruits off his body.
"They seem to have a regenerative skill. I told you to keep your mouth shut, and now look what you've done," Eva warned him, her eyes never leaving the two-headed monsters.
"They can regenerate now? How troublesome," Jerry grinned, his eyes gleaming with newfound excitement as he prepared to re-engage in the fight.
He could feel his blood pumping, the thrill of the battle intensifying. Eva sighed but readied herself as well, her focus sharpening.
'Why do I get the feeling that I should be somewhere else right now,' Jerry thought, momentarily lost in his musings.
"Are you even listening to me?" Eva yelled angrily as she hurled a rock at him, snapping him out of his daze.
"Hey, hey, what was that for? Alright, I just spaced out for a moment there," Jerry said, dodging the projectile.
Eva checked on the Orthrus she had previously downed. Its wounds were still there but were slowly regenerating. An idea struck her.
"Jerry, their regeneration isn't that fast if the damage is more severe," Eva yelled to him. "So we just have to—"
"Cut them faster than they can regenerate, right? I'm getting really pumped," Jerry interrupted, a grin spreading across his face.
'Tch, battle-crazed brute he's can't even his his excitement to be fighting again. I was going to say let me obliterate them all in one move, but that works too. But I guess that's where he gets his charm,' Eva thought, smiling despite herself. Watching Jerry's excitement during a time like this made her heart race, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Alright, my love, shall we?" Jerry picked up his sword and turned to Eva, still flashing his goofy grin. 'Something really feels off here though.'
Eva nodded, her eyes meeting his. "Let's finish this."
Together, they moved in sync. Jerry's sword flashed through the air, targeting the Orthrus with renewed vigor, his strikes precise and relentless. Eva followed up with powerful earth spells, each one aimed to deal maximum damage. The Orthrus, despite their regeneration, began to falter under the combined assault.
Jerry's mind briefly wandered again, a nagging feeling that he was missing something important, but the thrill of the battle kept pulling him back. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on the immediate threat.
"Ready for the finale?" Jerry asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Always," Eva replied, a smile playing on her lips.
Eva focused her energy, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as she chanted softly. The ground beneath the two Orthrus began to glow with the formation of magic circles.
From these circles, chains of pure elemental energy shot upward, wrapping around the beasts with unyielding force. The chains glowed with a mix of earthen and fiery hues, binding the Orthrus in place, rendering them immobile.
"Alright, my turn," Jerry declared, stepping forward with a confident grin. His aura flared with the power of his
[Grave of Swords S]
User gets a 60% Boost on all stats.
All sword arts gain an extra fire attribute.
Slows down all targets by 80% while causing a bleeding effect reducing HP by 0.5% every 5 seconds. All other stats by 30]
With a single fluid motion, Jerry struck the first Orthrus, his blade moving faster than the eye could follow.
The fire-enhanced sword art sliced through the creature, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. Before the second Orthrus could react, Jerry unleashed another strike, equally devastating.
The beasts were utterly destroyed, their bodies disintegrating into ash, leaving only their glowing cores suspended in the air.
"Now for the finale," Jerry said, his eyes glinting with determination. He concentrated his fire element, channeling it into a focused burst.
With a swift motion, he directed the energy at the cores, causing them to ignite and explode in a brilliant flash of fire and light.
The battlefield fell silent once more, the remnants of the Orthrus dissipating into nothingness. Jerry turned to Eva, his grin widening. "Well, that takes care of that."
Eva released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, a smile of relief spreading across her face. "Impressive as always."
"Well, that was fun," Jerry said, grinning from ear to ear as though nothing had happened.
Eva shook her head, a fond smile on her face. "Let's hope we don't run into any more surprises."
"Agreed. But if we do, we'll face them together," Jerry said, offering his hand to Eva.
*****
The cave floor was littered with the bodies of fallen enemies, their blood pooling and seeping into the dirt. A heavy, metallic scent hung in the air, mingling with the faint glow emanating from Nerissa's eyes as she silently surveyed the aftermath.
Her expression was unreadable, a mix of sorrow and determination etched into her features.
Stepping carefully through the carnage, Nerissa made her way to where Jett lay unconscious.
She knelt beside him, her fingers gently brushing a lock of hair before carefully lifting him into her arms.
"How are you so heavy? I can't believe they saw you as an easy target," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
As she carried him toward the cave's entrance, her mind raced with conflicting thoughts. "Should have probably kept one alive for questioning, though. No, no, no, they deserve it. They hurt Jett. But how did he get this far into the forest? How did he even get to the forest?"
Her words were a mix of anger, confusion, and concern, spoken more to herself than to anyone else. With each step, the weight of the situation pressed down on her, but she kept moving forward.
As Nerissa stepped out of the cave, she suddenly halted, her eyes widening in shock. The scene before her was beyond comprehension.
An incredible, almost surreal landscape stretched out, filled with towering trees and shimmering lights that danced in the air. It was as if she had stepped into another world entirely.
"What the hellllllllllllllll!!!!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the forest. The unexpected sight left her speechless, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.
Holding Jett tightly, Nerissa stood frozen at the cave's mouth, caught between the chaos behind her and the enigmatic beauty before her.
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Alright guys which character do you want to see next?
I've already dropped 4