Chapter 142: Its just a Fleshwound (1/2)
The five seconds passed as if in slow motion, Ilea’s organs and tendons healing at a fast pace, the injuries less severe than she had previously though. The world was frozen, all the beings who heard the monster’s scream stood unmoving as with the complete lack of sound the fissure in the air vanished. The massive squid like monster was parted as its noises turned from anger to pain, tentacle like extensions flailing around wildly as they tried to find the missing part of its body.
Ilea’s smile widened as she watched the monster slowly die as it fell downwards with almost magical slowness. She didn’t know if the Hand could’ve taken that one but now they didn’t have to worry about it anymore. The wale like monster was starting to move again though so they weren’t quite out of trouble. Of course she didn’t forget about the monstrous demon below her and the army of a couple hundred thousand standing inside the city of Ravenhall. It could be worse, she thought.
“One step at a time.” she said to herself as the five seconds came to an end, Ilea blinking downwards immediately, finding the demon falling slowly, its face and body still frozen. Another blink brought her behind the beast, quick punches delivered to the spine and neck, she tried to inflict as much damage as possible.
Sped up by the attacks’ impact, the monster flew downwards and landed hard on the cobbled street, stone crumbled below the two as more flew outwards and into the frozen demons. Ilea’s black obsidian gauntlets formed around her arms before she started her assault again, each punch pushing the demon further into the ground. A satisfying crack could be heard with the last punch before a kick from the beast made her blink backwards, her gauntlets vanishing again as she prepared for its assault.
Ash formed around her already, spreading into the surrounding immobilized masses of demons. The monster she had assaulted slowly got up before it walked sideways into the building next to them. The whole street was covered in ash by that point, Ilea using the moment to blink next to the monster, kicking at its leg before she jumped away again. The fight had been going on for quite some time, each time they touched she had pushed destructive mana into the beast and each minute let her become stronger thanks to Form of Ash and Ember.
The monster turned, sluggishly this time, the broken bone in its back giving it at least some trouble. It still stood and Ilea used every second to gain back some of her mana through Meditation. It had at least some difficulty locating her in the mist of ash as she appeared next to it occasionally to deliver single blows, the second stage of Wave of Ember slowly stacking as she started to hear a sizzling inside the demon.
Several big impact spells landed on the demons just a couple streets over as some of the Hand’s members likely had the Veteran skill as well. Slowly the world began moving again as the demons twitched and started screaming. Ilea weighed her options before the demon in the mist of ash spoke.
“Boring fight, coward. Green is tired.” the monster said and jumped up one of the buildings before its wings spread and it flew towards the south. Ilea blinked up and out of the ash, the masses of demons behind her starting to flow towards the northern gate as she looked at the already distant demon, its wings carrying it upwards towards the high mountain top overlooking Ravenhall.
‘It just left… Green was it?’ she thought and shook her head. First that asshat of an elder and now some shit demon. Both had overwhelmed her in power somehow. She had managed to stand against them but this wasn’t exactly a testament to her own power. Ilea was annoyed to have been overpowered again. With cunning and her skills, combined with the luck of having a beast like that squid use its paralyzing ability she had managed to gain at least even ground with the demon but she had to get stronger. Putting those thoughts on hold, she focused on the present again, especially the massive whale now floating above the city.
“Time to get some experience...” Ilea said as she turned around, bladed gauntlets materializing around her hands, her grip tightening as she focused on the whale. Shaking her head, she flew towards the next building as she continued her search for mind weavers hidden in the enemy forces. It would be easier to slaughter the demons and then focus on the massive magical whale if at least they weren’t coordinated.
Appearing in one of the houses, her blades cut through two demons’ throats before she ducked, claws flying past her head as she cut through the legs of her enemies, blinking behind the mind weaver before she slashed through its head. This time she didn’t vanish but faced the demons scrambling to their feet as her Meditation skill brought back the mana she had just used. Ilea stood still before she dodged the first attack, a small kick sending the demon stumbling before she caught the next enemy’s arm, a fist to its chin sent it backwards.
Two minutes later, Ilea was standing in the room surrounded by twelve demon corpses, all of them having been above level two hundred. A bonus of going after the mind weavers. Both something suited to her set of skills and the most efficient for leveling. They would take this city back. Her eyes were cold as she blinked outside again, looking for her next prey.
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The enemy forces were destabilizing more and more, Sulivhaan ordering their mages further and further towards the city walls to deliver spells right into the clusters of demons huddled behind the protective stone barrier.
“Preparations ready boss.” a team leader said next to him as he turned towards the man.
“It doesn’t seem interested in us, are you sure we should engage it?” the woman next to him asked but Sulivhaan wasn’t going to change their plans.
“That monster was born here in Ravenhall, and this is where it will end.” he simply said as he took to the sky, his eyes fixed on the flying whale, its blood red eyes looking towards the Hand’s forces as it slowly floated towards them.
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‘And another one...’ Ilea thought as she made her gauntlets vanish, looking around the room of dead demons. Looking outside, she saw that the demons in the streets were already fighting each other, confused at the magic coming from above and the chaos around them.
“Guess we’ve managed to break through...” she said as she got closer to the window, looking up to see the whale covered in explosions of differing elements. “Time to join in the fun...” she uttered before looking through the messages she had received since coming to Ravenhall. Her Meditation skill ran at top performance. Ilea wouldn’t want to engage that flying monster without a full stock of health and mana.
‘ding’ ‘Your group has killed [Striker - Demon – lvl 58]
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‘ding’ ‘You have killed [Claw Master - Demon – lvl 207]
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth First Hunter has reached level 218 – Five Stat points awarded.’
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth First Hunter has reached level 219 – Five Stat points awarded.’
‘ding’ ‘Blink reaches 3rd lvl 4’
‘ding’ ‘Body of the First Hunter reaches 2nd lvl 19’
‘ding’ ‘Hunter’s Sight reaches 2nd lvl 5’
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth Perception reaches 2nd lvl 19’
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth Reversal reaches 2nd lvl 11’
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth Reversal reaches 2nd lvl 12’
‘ding’ ‘Inheritor of Eternal Ash has reached level 214 – Five Stat points awarded.’