NOVEL WEB Chapter 213: Ancient Call.
"Call your army back!" Alera did as Pyris said, her energy was decreasing slightly.
The creatures-grotesque now free, with limbs twisted and eyes glowing a fierce shade of violet-began to shift and grow, their bodies morphing with a dark energy that seemed to pulse from the ground itself.
Pyris clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the challenge intensify.
"Anyone else feel like things just went from bad to worse?" Alera muttered, her hand resting on the hilt of her weapon, eyes scanning the creatures as they circled. The creatures' eyes bore down on them with a new, almost malicious intelligence.
Zara's chuckle came from behind, watching the scene with an amused smile. "What did you expect, a walk in the park?"
But as Pyris looked at the new, hulking forms advancing, he sensed a deeper danger. "They're not just getting stronger," he murmured, feeling a prickle of foreboding. "They're learning."
The ground cracked beneath him as he unleashed his Elemental Sovereign's Aura, sending ripples of elemental energy outwards. Flames erupted around him, lightning sparked in the air, and shadows twisted at his feet, responding to his command. One creature lunged, its jagged claws glinting in the dim light as Pyris sidestepped, his form a blur, but this time, the creature anticipated his move.
It pivoted midair, landing a glancing blow that sliced across Pyris's arm.
Blood spattered onto the ground as Pyris staggered back, pain radiating from the wound. He gritted his teeth. These creatures had adapted to his speed.
"Pyris!" Alera's voice called out as she summoned her shadows, merging them into a blade that slashed through the darkness, slicing through one of the creatures' limbs. But it didn't fall. Instead, it twisted toward her, massive claws reaching, and Alera barely dodged, its claws grazing her side. Blood seeped through the torn fabric, and she winced, staggering back.
Lyra, her face tense with focus, fired bolts of concentrated energy at the creatures. They hit, but the creatures merely absorbed the impact, their bodies rippling as if feeding off the energy.
One creature charged her, moving faster than before, and its clawed hand slammed into her with crushing force, sending her sprawling across the ground.
Lyra coughed, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "They're... they're adapting too quickly!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet, her eyes wide with the dawning realization that their attacks were barely leaving a mark.
Pyris's eyes narrowed, the air crackling around him as he extended his hand, reaching deeper into his arsenal. He twisted his fingers, bending the very space around the creatures, trapping them in a spatial vortex. The air shimmered with distorted light as reality itself twisted, compressing the creatures in an invisible cage. But even as they struggled, their bodies bulged and twisted, dark tendrils emerging as they strained against his control. One broke free, its body rippling with a burst of dark energy, and it lunged at him.
Pyris dodged, calling upon his mastery over time to slow the creature's movements, its clawed swipe missing him by mere inches. But even as he slowed it, the creature's sheer force pushed against his hold, each step it took resonating with a bone-rattling impact. It broke through the time bind with a guttural roar, claws slashing toward him again.
Pyris moved to counter, calling upon his blood element to create a shield of hardened crimson, but the force of the creature's blow shattered it, sending fragments flying.
The blow caught Pyris's shoulder, tearing through skin and muscle. Blood spurted from the wound, and he stumbled back, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Luckily he was regenerating fast.
"They're... they're too strong," Alera muttered, her voice strained as she called forth her shadows once more, forming protective barriers around her and Lyra. But even as the shadows solidified, one creature lashed out with brutal strength, smashing through the barrier with ease. Its claws tore into her arm, leaving deep gashes as she cried out in pain, her shadows flickering as her concentration wavered.
Lyra fired another bolt, her breathing labored, but her attacks were barely slowing the creatures now. She watched as one creature turned toward her, its eyes gleaming with malevolent intelligence, and fear flared in her eyes. It lunged, its claws swiping dangerously close, but Pyris intercepted, moving faster than a human eye could track.
He summoned lightning to his hands, slamming his electrified fists into the creature, the crackling energy sending it reeling back.
But even his lightning seemed to lose potency. The creatures were absorbing everything they threw at them, adapting, evolving with each attack. Pyris's heart pounded, and he could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on him, his reserves of energy slowly draining.
"These things are relentless," Pyris muttered, wiping blood from his brow. His vision swam, but he forced himself to remain steady.
"They're pushing us to the edge," Alera gasped, her hand pressed against her bleeding side, shadows swirling around her protectively.
Just then, the creatures charged once more, their bodies surging with newfound power. Pyris raised his hands, his Elemental Sovereign's Aura flaring as he unleashed a wave of fire and ice, the elements clashing in a dazzling display of raw power. Flames roared across the battlefield, ice crackled in the air, and the creatures shrieked as they were caught in the elemental storm. But even as the fire and ice consumed them, they pushed through, their forms distorted but unyielding.
Pyris's breathing grew heavier, his muscles aching as he strained to maintain control over the elements. He summoned earth to rise around them, creating a barrier of rock and stone, but one creature smashed through it with terrifying ease, its claws raking across his chest. Blood spattered onto the ground, and Pyris staggered back, clutching the wound, his face contorted in pain.
They were reaching their limit.
"Is... is that all you've got?" Zara called out from the sidelines, her voice laced with dark humor. She watched with interest, eyes gleaming as she observed Pyris and the others struggle.
Pyris shot her a glare but didn't waste breath on a reply. Instead, he reached deeper into his elemental mastery, summoning more strength as he called upon time and space once more. With a wave of his hand, he compressed the creatures into a temporal loop, freezing their movements for a brief moment.
"Alera, now!" he shouted, his voice strained.
Alera didn't hesitate. Summoning the last reserves of her shadow magic, she created a massive blade of darkness, sharp as obsidian, and brought it down upon the nearest creature.
The blade sliced through its twisted form, and for a brief second, it faltered, its essence leaking into the air.
Without missing a beat, Pyris extended his hand, absorbing the essence, feeling the dark energy flood into him. It surged through his veins, a mix of power and darkness that amplified his shadow and darkness control.
Lyra, barely holding on, looked on in awe. "How... how is he still standing?" she whispered, watching as Pyris's aura grew even darker, his power rippling out in waves that seemed to distort the air itself.
But then as he absorbed the essence, Pyris felt a strange pull, as if something ancient was calling to him from within the labyrinth. It was subtle, a whisper in the depths of his mind, but it was there-a connection to something powerful and primordial.
Alera staggered over to him, her face pale, her own body battered and bleeding. She met his gaze, her eyes wide with shared understanding. She could feel the same pull, an undeniable bond to whatever lay hidden in this place.
Pyris looked to her, their connection through the Shadow Nexus pulsing with energy. "Do you feel it too?"
She nodded, her voice a mere whisper. "It's... ancient. Like it's been waiting for us."
As they prepared for the next wave, Pyris tightened his grip on his power, determination hardening his resolve. They weren't done yet-not by a long shot.
******
This might have come late since it's a privilege chapter right now but thank you @Wbug for the gift.