Chapter 418 (1/2)

Although the demon monster was the largest threat, it was also only part of the problem. Annie’s role was not one of glory, but one of intelligence. Which was somewhat disappointing, for now, but Annie assured herself that SOME sort of rogue opponent would rear its ugly head, and she would have a 1 v 1 duel with it.

Probably, they would think she had lost, and the opponent would ambush Randidly, leaving him helpless. And then at the last moment, Annie would reveal herself, monologuing about how this was her plan all along, and that due to the monster’s foolishness, she had been able to turn the tables, and now their side would be victorious… solely due to her actions. That was just how amazing she was.

Annie nodded sagely, then acknowledged the practical part of herself that was screaming that they were currently in battle, and the daydreaming could wait until later. Better address the problem in front of them before it became serious.

Her fingers danced across her bow, arrows sprouting from the surrounding monsters that were waiting to ambush, giving Alana some space to deal freely with the demon thing. Which of course, the woman immediately did, leaping forward and bringing her spear down in a brutal smash that shattered the thing's shin bone. Its cackles turned into screeches and it fell to the ground, lashing out with its claws. Lightning fast, Alana drew out two spare spears and pierced the wildly swiping claws, pinning them to the ground.

Then she was upon its chest, and slit its throat. A stomp crushed the front of its skull in, and then she was off, gathering the spears back to herself and storing them in her ring while the demon continued to spasm wildly.

In that space, the turtle barreled forward, its head snapping out, chomping down with fearsome power, shattering bones and liquefying flesh. The surrounding monsters reeled back, attempting to reform now that the demon was dead, but those intelligent enough to motivate their comrades were immediately assassinated by Annie, and those bold enough to stand their ground were smashed backward by Alana.

Very soon, they had a bit of space before the next wave of monsters arrived, and Alana removed a bottle of water from it and solemnly drank half. She offered Annie the rest, who declined it. She had her own water, and had more downtime in the battle than most of the others, rushing to and fro. Alana finished the bottle.

Then the next wave arrived, and Annie was beginning to worry about how many arrows she had remaining. After this, she would have to go around and collect some of her spent ones...

Withdraw. Alana first.

The order came suddenly, much more quickly than Annie had been expecting. Under the cover of the turtle's huge, durable shell, the group fell back, slowly allowing the middle of their formation to collapse. As they did so, monsters stopped attacking the flanks, and piled into the middle, chasing down Annie, Alana, and the turtle's retreating forms.

Annie smiled as they came back within sight of their reinforcements, and a dozen Chain Lightnings sailed over their heads and hit the pursuers.

”I suppose it's my turn,” A voice said, full of tightly controlled brutality. Annie's tongue instinctively flicked out, and she shivered based upon what she tasted. The Ghosthound had a switch deep inside himself, and she hadn't seen him turn it on like this since he had disappeared for several months. Annie had suspected that he had undergone some sort of transformation, especially when she had felt the energies moving in the sky to the Northeast, as the Ghosthound had obtained a Class. But now...

As she watched him, she could feel the energies swirling around him, gathering to his will. Distantly, she could almost feel... the image of a tree, hovering above him, the canopy of branches twining together to form a crown. But when Annie blinked, that image was gone, leaving just a man holding a spear.

”With the center collapsed, here they come, charging down the middle,” Rose said, then she trailed off, turning to look at Randidly. ”If you can't handle this many there is no shame-”

”I know,” The Ghosthound cut her off, his emerald eyes looking at the assembled host of monsters. ”But I honestly don't know... I need to see how far I've come.”

Then the Ghosthound stepped forward, then leaped, crossing 10 meters to arrive far from the group. Then... he shifted. A wave of pressure smashed outward so that Annie and Alana grimaced, and Rose was sent staggering. The image that Annie had seen before came back, stronger, the branches twisting and weaving to form a barren and pointed crown.

Annie narrowed her eyes. This... was similar to the move that the Ghosthound possessed before, the pain aura that he used to great effect to stun the warriors of Donnyton. But this... this was more than pain. It was distorting senses, it was mental strain, it was creeping wariness. It was the weight of carrying a world's portion of responsibility on your shoulders, and it crushed down everyone in the surrounding area. The monsters chittered amongst each other, stumbling to a stop. They were unwilling to rush into his area, but the momentum of those behind them pushed them forward, shoving some of them deeper, where the weaker ones writhed and shrieked.

Then something else ignited, a fire, a burning bride, that hung above the crown of branches and roots. It seemed to be composed entirely of pride and nobility, a representation of the immortal will and honorable code that one could use as a source of strength to overcome the weight of responsibility. It was a demonstration of his superior mental power. Something indomitable. And after it was activated, the Ghosthound's emerald eyes were burning like a chemical bonfire.

Then another wave of force wrapped its way outward, a softer wave, but still as insidious. It was a four colored domain that spread out, and Annie felt oddly... restricted by it, although she couldn't determine in what ways it affected her at the moment, at least not easily.

After a small breath, the Ghosthound grinned and raised his spear, ready to test himself.