Chapter 349: The Final Five (1/2)

The crimson fractal on [Verun's Bite] had long been recharged, and he didn't want his battle with the E-Grade powerhouses to be interrupted by the remaining forces. Verun understood his thoughts and immediately stormed into the thick of it, its oversized maw snatching up Technocrats and drones alike.

If the Technocrats equipment could be seen as a counter to Zac, with his inability to activate [Deathwish] against attacks that relied on technology, then the opposite could be said for Verun. Some of the drones tried to fire at the large beast, but its intangible form was the perfect counter to the laser beams as they harmlessly passed right through it.

Zac had already guessed that the Tool Spirit was a bit like the ghosts of the Undead Empire. Normal attacks didn't work, and they needed to be empowered by the Dao to be able to reach him. Perhaps only the cultivators would be able to harm it at all, which gave it free rein on the battlefield. Miserably screams echoed across the Underworld as the beast reveled in its uninhibited carnage.

Satisfied that his back was protected by Verun, Zac could finally target the leaders of the Incursion without worries. He stomped into the ground with tremendous force, and the next second he appeared right in front of the Technocrat with one of the spatial crystals in hand. He immediately threw it at the Nexus Hub in the distance, hoping to seal any communication or escape while he was occupied.

”Protect me!” the foreman screamed, and four powerful strikes flashed toward him almost as soon as he arrived.

Zac was inundated in a sea of lightning, and even with his tremendous Endurance he felt his consciousness slipping. Luckily the attacks only lasted less than a second, and Zac immediately slammed his foot into the ground again before they could launch the next attack. The five large towers rose into the air as Zac unleashed another cloud of corrosion in the cage.

The moment the towers appeared the ghastly chains immediately shot out, but this time each chain targeted a different person. Unfortunately, things did not go as smoothly this time. The four cultivators immediately backed away from Zac while they started to fight the chains, launching powerful strikes to rebuff them. The chains acted like snakes, slithering around and trying to pass their defenses, but the cultivators kept them as bay as they looked for means of breaking out.

The technocrat wasn't as lucky though. He had a personal shield that stopped the chain a few times, but after a few slams the chain managed to create a large enough crack to pass through. The technocrat tried to clumsily defend himself with his expensive-looking exoskeleton, but a wide swing left his whole side open for the chain to sneak up and wrap around his neck.

Zac couldn't believe how weak the man was. It looked like he had never been on a battlefield before, just asking for death by being here. Perhaps he was just a businessman or an owner of the company that had taken the mission to scan Earth, and never even planned to enter a battle.

The brief pause allowed him to scan the five with [Inquisitive Eye]. The foreman was actually only level 76, not having improved the slightest since breaking through. The four cultivators were a bit better though, ranging between level 83 and 86. But Zac still didn't feel there was any need for alarm since he had fought far stronger enemies until now.

”Help me you buffoons!” the Technocrat screamed to finally regain the attention of his guards.

”Transform!” one of the guards screamed as he unleashed in an enormous discharge of lightning that pushed the special chain far away.

The next moment the sky above the cage darkened as thick clouds formed in an instant. It was the first time Zac had seen any clouds in the Underworld, and it was obvious that they were created by the four guards. They were almost as dark as the mist Zac created with [Winds of Corruption], but they were teeming with wild energies as it continuously lit up by lightning bolts.

Zac guessed the four bodyguards came from the same Sect or Clan since they all possessed lightning-attuned classes. Perhaps the foreman had hired them since they would be efficient in protecting him from other Technocrats and their machines.

Of course, lightning attacks were just as effective against humans as well, and Zac's eyes darted between the bodyguards and the foreman, unsure of who to deal with first. But the decision was made for him as the four powerhouses simultaneously charged him. Zac got ready to defend, the world turned white for a second as four massive lightning bolts slammed into the cage.

However, the lightning did not target Zac, but rather the four guards. It slammed into all of them simultaneously, completely hiding them inside the blinding light. Of course, Zac knew they weren't about to kill themselves, so he wasn't surprised when they emerged unscathed. The lightning had helped them transform into another shape.

Crackling white armor covered their bodies, and they all held weapons that seemed to be wrought out of frozen lightning bolts. Two of them were holding spears whereas the other two held broadswords. They had even gained wings made from electricity, making them look like gods of thunder.

Their looks weren't the only thing that changed with the lightning strikes. Their speed almost doubled as they Zoomed toward Zac like four streaks of lightning. He barely had time to prepare his defenses before they were upon him, all stabbing toward his vital spots.

Zac blocked two of the strikes with the help of [Immutable Bulwark], one with his shield while he met the final strike with [Verun's Bite]. Two ghosts immediately appeared behind the two who stabbed his bulwark, while a crack resounded as the sword wielder who Zac met head-on broke one of his arms in the clash between weapons.

The two ghosts only managed to cause minor wounds, but the surprise strike was enough to distract one of them enough for the chasing chains to lock around his throat. Zac felt a shock run through his body from the massive amounts of electricity the four warriors released, but he forced himself forward to follow up on his strike.