NOVEL WEB Chapter 197: Retreat To The School!
Raegar leapt onto a nearby boulder, using it as a launchpad to soar toward the man's face. In mid-air, he unleashed an attack, a Stormfire Bullet from his left dagger, aimed to blind with a burst of light, and a Lightningfire Blast from the right, targeting the exposed neck.
The leader roared, raising his sword to block the bullet, but the blast seared his throat, charring flesh and drawing a howl of agony. Landing in a crouch, he didn't relent as his adrenaline blocked the pain.
''That's it!'' he exclaimed.
Raegar rushed around, slashing at the barbarians legs, the daggers carving deep lacerations that weakened the man's stance. The enemy swung wildly, his sword tearing up the earth, but he was always a step ahead, his speed a blur of shadow and fire.
Blood streamed from the barbarians wounds, his movements growing sluggish as his never-ending slashing and slicing wore the stronger man down. Sensing the end, he channeled all his energy into a final gambit.
He moved to the man's side, leaping high to avoid a desperate swing, and focused his Aether into an overcharged Stormfire Bullet. The orb, larger than any he created, pulsed with blinding energy as it rocketed toward the enemy's chest.
Raegar watched as the leader raised his sword to block the spell, but the projectile's power overwhelmed the runes, shattering them in a cascade of sparks. The impact drove the man to his knees, his armor cracking thanks to the sudden attack
He seized the moment, Flash Stepping to the enemy's shoulder. With a shout, he plunged both daggers into the base of the leader's skull, unleashing a torrent of Lightningfire that coursed through the giant man's body.
''This should kill you!'' he roared.
The barbarian convulsed, his voice fading to a choked gurgle as he collapsed, the ground shaking with the finality of his fall. He leapt clear, landing amidst the dust, his chest heaving as he wiped blood from his daggers.
Just then, the valley erupted in cheers from the Dawnfirians, their voices a triumphant chorus. The remaining barbarians fled only to regroup with the incoming army that the Death Knights pointed at.
Raegar glanced at the fallen leader, his reckless grin returning. ''Not bad for a runt,'' he muttered.
He stood panting, his daggers dripping with blood, their glow casting flickering shadows across his faltering grin. The Dawnfirians' continued cheers echoed around him, but a guttural rumble silenced them.
''Is this guy a damn zombie?'' he muttered before preparing to fight again.
The barbarian stirred for a second time, his wounds knitting together with unnatural speed, the runes on his armor glowing with a crimson light that made him freeze as he knew what it was. 'Devil magic!'
Raegar soon realized this was no ordinary foe; the man's power skyrocketed, radiating the unmistakable aura of a Tier Twelve, far beyond the barbarians he had killed previously, causing him to grow nervous.
'I need to be careful now,' he thought while recasting Enhancement on his tired body.
''You thought that was enough, Devil Killer?'' the leader growled, his voice like grinding stone.
He rose to his full height, blood dripping from his charred neck and shoulder, but his eyes burned with fury. A gash across his arm oozed, yet the Devil magic in his runes bolstered his resilience.
The man swung his greatsword in a taunting arc, the blade humming with power that warped the air. Raegar's heart raced, his body aching from the strain of his relentless Flash Steps, Stormfire Bullets, and Lightningfire Blasts.
Moments later, the barbarian charged, his sword cleaving downward with earth-shattering force as it connected. Raegar Flash Stepped to the side, but the shockwave sent him stumbling, a jagged rock slicing his thigh as he rolled to his feet.
Blood seeped through his torn cloak, and pain flared, but he gritted his teeth, his red eyes blazing with defiance. He countered with a volley of Stormfire Bullets, the blazing orbs streaking toward the enemy.
The leader deflected them with a swing, the runes absorbing the magic, but one bullet grazed his cheek, leaving a smoldering burn. The giant man snarled, retaliating with a horizontal slash that he barely dodged, nicking his shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.
Raegar's vision blurred momentarily, his body screaming from the accumulating wounds. The enemy's Tier Twelve power was overwhelming; each blow carried the weight of a collapsing mountain, and his runes countered his magic with infuriating ease.
Following that, he knew he couldn't win through attrition. There was one option left, a technique he'd sworn never to use lightly, as it exhausted him whenever the fight came to an end, Fusion Overdrive.
'I can use it now and have Drusilla heal me,' he mused. 'It's a shame she went with Zahara earlier.'
It would elevate him to the same tier, matching the barbarian leaders' might, but the cost would be brutal, straining his body to the brink of collapse. ''No choice,'' he muttered.
He planted his feet, daggers raised, and closed his eyes for a fleeting moment. Aether surged within him, a wild torrent of energy that burned through his veins. He channeled it into his core and activated his special ability. 'Fusion Overdrive.'
Raegar's body glowed with a radiant aura, azure and gold flames licking across his skin, his daggers blazing brighter than ever. His muscles screamed as the power pushed him passed Tier Ten, every fiber straining under the unnatural strain.
His wounds throbbed, but the pain was drowned by the rush of raw power coursing through him. The barbarian's eyes widened, sensing the shift. ''What sorcery is this?'' he roared, charging with his sword raised high.
Raegar moved faster than ever, his sprint was a streak of light that left afterimages in its wake. He appeared above the giant, unleashing a barrage of Stormfire Bullets, each one larger and more volatile, exploding against the man's armor with deafening force.
The leader swung his sword, deflecting and blocking some, but others struck his chest, cracking the rune-etched plates and drawing a bellow of pain. Blood sprayed from fresh wounds, mingling with the burns already scarring his flesh.
Raegar landed, his body trembling from the Fusion Overdrive's toll. He Flash Stepped again, circling the man, his daggers slashing in a frenzy of Lightningfire-infused strikes. Each cut burned deeper, severing tendons and weakening the enemy's stance.
The leader countered, his greatsword a blur, and one strike grazed his side, tearing through his armor and drawing a deep gash. He staggered, blood soaking his armor, but the ability kept him moving, his speed defying the pain.
'If I don't deal with them now they will get to Drakenwood,' he thought as his determination flared. 'Never!'
Raegar retaliated with a Lightningfire Blast, a torrent of electric flame washed over the man's arms, charring them black and forcing him to drop to one knee. The barbarians runes flared, struggling to heal the mounting damage.
He used Flash Stepped to the enemy's flank, leaping high to avoid a desperate swing. Mid-air, he channeled Aether into a massive Stormfire Bullet, its radiance blinding as it rocketed toward the giant's chest.
The leader raised his sword, but the bullet's power overwhelmed the runes, shattering them in a cascade of sparks. The impact drove the giant to his knees, his armor cracking. Raegar seized the moment, Flash Stepping to the enemy's shoulder.
With a shout, he plunged both daggers into the leader's skull, unleashing a cataclysmic Lightningfire Blast that surged through the body, frying nerves and boiling blood as the man's skin exploded.
Following that, the barbarian let out a final roar that shook the valley, a sound of defiance and defeat, before he collapsed, his massive form crashing like a felled tree. Raegar leapt clear, landing hard, his legs buckling as the Fusion Overdrive faded.
Pain crashed over him, his wounds bleeding freely, his body wracked with spasms from the technique's strain. He fell to one knee, daggers planted in the earth to steady himself, his breath ragged.
The Dawnfirians' voices were a distant roar as the remaining barbarian fled toward the last group of enemies. As the Death Knights approached, their crimson eyes gleaming with respect, but he could barely nod, his vision swimming.
At that moment, a thunderous war horn shattered the air, heralding the last stand by the remaining barbarian horde, igniting a fierce grin across Raegar's face. He got to his feet while calling out to the remaining Empire soldiers. ''Retreat to the school!''
Following that, he shook his head and mumbled. ''I hoped not to use this spell until the tournament starts, but with no students to witness, the time for their return is now!''
With a roar of defiance, get ignored the pain that flared up and used the last bit of Aether to cast Hydra Blades forged from the raw fury of Earth and Fire, blazing magma weapons that pulsed with untamed power.
Raegar quickly threw them toward the incoming horde of barbarians, he watched as the molten blades carved through the charging enemy ranks, rending flesh and bone in a spectacular inferno of destruction.