NOVEL WEB Chapter 196: Keep Up With This Little Dance?
Raegar watched as the Death Knight finished the job with a downward slash, splitting the enemy's skull and body in half, causing blood to fly everywhere. This shocked the remaining barbarians.
'Wow, they are strong!' he thought in excitement.
Together, they were a whirlwind of destruction, his speed and fiery complementing their power. The enemy, caught between his sudden attack and Dominique's Tier Ten summons strength, began to falter.
Their numbers were dwindling as the grasslands became a graveyard of their fellow raiders, and more rushed forward. Moments later, the Dawnfirians, bolstered by this, roared with renewed fervor, blades flashing as they surged forward, washing over the barbarians who didn't stand a chance.
While doing this, he made sure to save as many soldiers as he could while contemplating. 'Time to thin the herd so the empire's soldiers can survive.'
Raegar and the undead moved as one, cutting a path through the enemy ranks, their combined power an unstoppable force. As another fell, its body vanishing under a knight's dark magic, he caught the gaze of the strongest.
Its eyes gleamed with something akin to approval, and he flashed a reckless grin. ''Let's finish this,'' he said, his daggers flaring brighter as he launched himself at the next, the Death Knights at his side, ready to bring ruin to the northern forces.
Moments later, the valley became a cauldron of chaos, the air thick with the stench of blood and scorched earth. He tore through the battlefield, a blazing comet amidst the ranks of raiders from the north.
While doing this, he thought while dodging a swing of a massive club. 'I need to be faster than these brutes or I could get hurt.'
Raegar's daggers pulsed thanks to Lightning and Fire, leaving trails of electric flame as he put down the weaker barbarians with devastating pinpoint slashes. The Dawnfirians rallied behind him, their war cries bolstered by his help.
Yet, at the valley's heart loomed the true threat: the Barbarian Leader, a colossus of muscle and fury, towering over his kin at nearly twelve feet. His massive greatsword gleamed, and his eyes burned with a cunning that set him apart from the horde.
His gaze locked onto the man, a reckless grin spreading across his face. ''You're mine,'' he muttered, his voice drowned by the din of battle.
Raegar surged forward as the enemy roared, raising his greatsword in a challenge, the blade as long as a man was tall. He didn't hesitate and thrust one dagger forward, channeling his magic into a volley of Stormfire Bullets.
Seconds later, the projectiles streaked through the air like meteors, trailing sparks of blue and red. They slammed into the enemy's sword as he swung it in a wide arc, the blade deflecting them with a deafening clang.
'Damn!' he thought in frustration.
Raegar weaved through the chaos while heading for the leader. He appeared and vanished across the battlefield in bursts of Aether, circling the man at dizzying speed that confused everyone around them.
Raising both daggers, he unleashed a barrage of Lightningfire Blasts, torrents of electric flame that roared like twin dragons. When the barbarian saw this, he countered, his sword a blur as he parried the blasts, the runes on his weapon flaring to absorb the energy.
Each clash sent shockwaves through the valley, the ground trembling beneath the force of their duel. The Dawnfirians and remaining enemies paused, awestruck, as the two titans faced off.
His training surged to the forefront, years of honing his speed, precision, and mastery of his fighting skills. He darted closer, using Flash Step to evade a crushing swing of the greatsword that shattered the earth where he'd stood moments before.
The man's strength was immense, but he was untouchable. Raegar leapt onto a fallen corpse, using it as a springboard to launch himself skyward. Mid-air, he spun, channeling Aether into an attack, a Stormfire Bullet from one dagger to blind the leader with a burst of blinding light
As the big man stumbled, he Flash Stepped to his shoulder, driving both daggers deep into the base of the leader's neck. Lightningfire erupted from the blades, coursing through the man's body in a torrent of electric flame.
The barbarian roared one final time, a sound of pure rage, before collapsing with a thunderous crash that shook the valley. Raegar leapt clear, landing amidst the dust and debris, his chest heaving as he stood over the fallen colossus.
Seconds later, the remaining enemy attackers faltered, their morale shattered, while the Dawnfirians erupted in triumphant cheers. He wiped the blood from his daggers, his grin unbroken, as the Death Knights nodded in silent respect.
The three undead fanned out to engage the stragglers, leaving Raegar alone. But the battle was far from over. A guttural bellow split the air, and the ground shuddered anew. Within moments, the Barbarian Leader, defying death, stirred.
His massive hand clawed at the dirt, and with a groan like a collapsing mountain, he rose to one knee, his rune-etched greatsword still gripped tightly. Blood streamed from his neck, but the man's eyes burned with unyielding fury; to Raegar's surprise, the enemy was still alive.
The runes on his blade flared brighter, pulsing with an ancient magic that knitted his flesh, slowing the flow of blood. ''You'll pay for that dishonour, runt,'' the man snarled, his voice a low rumble.
Raegar's smirk curled tighter, a glint of smug amusement dancing in his eyes as his appetite for the fight thrummed beneath his skin, his blades spinning with a flourish that screamed show-off.
''Oh, you're still upright? Good. I was just warming up, and I'd hate to leave the stage before the real fun begins,'' he teased the giant man.
He vaulted over the bloodied mess of the battlefield, landing with a nimble grace that practically begged for applause, his daggers crackling with Lightningfire as if to flaunt their ego.
''Care to keep up with this little dance?'' Raegar said, his voice laced with just enough mockery to sting.
Following that, Aether surged through him, his Enhancement spell amplifying every muscle, sharpening every sense. The barbarian lumbered to his full height, his greatsword raised in a two-handed grip.
The air crackled with tension as the two faced off once again, the battlefield falling silent save for the distant clash of steel and the battle cries as reinforcements joined the fray on the barbarians' side.
Moments later, the greatsword descended like a guillotine, its runes blazing with absorbed energy from their surroundings. He instinctively moved to the side, the blade missing him by inches.
He watched it pass by his nose, causing his heart to drop as it carved a deep furrow into the ground that sprayed dirt and stone everywhere. Seizing the moment, he thrust one dagger forward, unleashing a salvo of Stormfire Bullets.
Blazing orbs of condensed Aether that streaked toward the enemies like a swarm of fiery hornets. The leader swung in a wide arc, the blade's magic flaring as they deflected most of the bullets, sending them spiraling into the air where they exploded.
Two slipped through, striking the man's shoulder, searing through his armor and drawing a grunt of pain. He pressed his advantage, darting closer and weaving through the barbarians' reach, his daggers slashing in a blur of Lightningfire-infused strikes as he kept slashing at the man.
Each cut was targeting joints and tendons, but the armor and sheer mass of the man absorbed much of the damage. 'Fuck! I need to hit harder to hurt this mountain!' he pondered.
The leader countered with a sweeping backhand, his massive fist whistling through the air. He ducked under it, feeling the wind of the blow ruffle his cloak, and retaliated with a Lightningfire Blast from both daggers.
Twin arcs of electric flame roared upward, aimed at the man's chest. The leader raised his sword just in time, the blade absorbing the blast's energy, though the force pushed him back a step, his boots sinking into the mud.
''You're fast,'' the man growled, his tone laced with grudging respect.
Raegar's laugh was a sharp, mocking cackle, dripping with youthful arrogance as he dropped into a crouch, radiating smug superiority. ''Oh, please, it's not just speed, old man, Aether and I are running rings around your sorry hide.''
That's when the barbarian shifted his stance, planting his feet wide, and swung his greatsword in a diagonal arc aimed to cut him in half, the blade humming with rune-fueled power.
He Flash Stepped again, appearing behind, but the leader anticipated the move, spinning with surprising agility for his size. The flat of the blade caught him mid-step, sending him skidding across the ground.
Pain flared in his ribs, but his Enhancement dulled it, and he rolled to his feet, daggers ready. His mind raced, drawing on years of training from Rodric, lessons in exploiting an opponent's weaknesses, in turning their strength against them.
The barbarian's size and sword made him formidable, but his bulk slowed his attacks and recovery. Raegar sprinted forward, feinting left before Flash Stepping right, confusing the man's tracking.