Chapter 945 (2/2)

He didn’t have time to play with the elements right now. He had an image to impress upon an entire town. And this was a perfect chance to do that.

Above, leave rustled softly. As Mana filled the roots, they rapidly expanded in size to the point that the wickedly sharp thorns that curved up from their sides were almost as long and thick as the spade of a shovel. The roots themselves were as thick as Randidly’s thigh. When they ripped upward, they punched directly through the hardened ground and slithered up toward the vulnerable mages.

On cue, Kayle, Paolo, and the ten or so remaining melee Classers from Donnyton’s Squads surged forward to strike at him. Randidly also felt a silent arrow shooting toward the back of his head. With annoying predictability, Mrs. Hamilton flung two corpses through the crowd of bodies toward him. The tumbled comically, seeming to cartwheel midair.

Do you think this is enough to stop me?The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns.

A dozen sharp thrusts ripped in every direction, cutting into the surrounding bodies. Once more, Paolo and Kayle chose to accept the sharp attacks and intended to inflict damage as compensation. It was a bitter trade at this point, but Randidly had no choice. He had to knock away the small corpses back toward Donnyton’s troops, keeping Mrs. Hamilton from detonating them.

Those explosions were the source of most of the damage he had endured. Letting that ambient curse energy pile up around him again was not a smart idea. It seemed to leave a mark that allowed Mrs. Hamilton to use Curse of Weakness. In addition, Randidly quickly realized that dark energy decreased all of his Regenerations. Which at the moment was becoming increasingly important.

Paolo’s strike glanced off Randidly’s metallic shoulder and Kayle cut deep into his thing. Chimeric Avoidance made it so the blows were small, but he also felt the mental strain accumulate.

However, Randidly wasn’t finished yet. Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns. Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns. Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns.

It quickly burned through his remaining Stamina, but Randidly didn’t care. He struck outward again and again, against Donnyton’s Squads, and then against the shadowy figure of Decklan who appeared behind him after the first Skill had finished. But all of them were soon riddled with holes as Randidly just continued to lash out in every direction. Kayle and Paolo endured the strike and attacked again.

The Grim Chimera roared and condensed, smashing Annie’s arrow off its course. A sharp pain of metal strain made Randidly wince, but he did not let up. Across the battlefield, the roots pierced up through the assistant mages and threw their flimsy bodies to the side. But it was immediately clear that Clarissa had already absorbed their Mana and now floated ominously several feet off the ground as the wind around her intensified.

Kayle and Paolo’s blows made Randidly wince. He had absorbed Paolo’s strike directly with Sulfur, while Randidly cut sideways with Acri to deflect Kayle’s attack.

Unfortunately, Kayle’s attack was sharp enough that some part of the Skill projected forward and cut a long gash along the side of Randidly’s face. A flesh wound, but it was another sliver of Health gone. Meanwhile, his whole body trembled as Paolo hit Randidly directly in the ribs with a fist that felt like a lead brick.

Need to slow these two down. They’ve fought me for too long… they are getting good at it. Randidly thought grimly. A flick of the wrist had Acri spinning around Randidly’s arm. Instead of using the spear, Randidly simply stepped forward and reached out toward the two of them.

After tossing the bodies aside, Randidly’s roots bit toward Clarissa like a snake… and encountered a glimmering barrier that flared to life around her. Lashing out, the roots found no weakness in its defenses.

Randidly’s eyes narrowed; he had missed the notes of Aether in the air because he had simply too much to watch, but now that he knew what to look for, Randidly’s gaze jumped to a slender young man standing next to Mrs. Hamilton.

Snorting, Randidly set aside that issue for now and stepped forward. His hands were like talons, aiming for Kayle and Paolo.

Paolo took the bold approach and ignored the strike. Meanwhile, Kayle seemed to recognize the unseen threat more directly and took a step back. Rather than pulling back his knives, Kayle simply flung the two he held forward and drew two more in a glimmering arc.

Another powerful blow from Paolo struck Randidly’s ribs. Something cracked, even if it was just a fracture. That’s gonna be painful. Meanwhile, Kayle slashed at Randidly’s left wrist, his knives skittering off the extremely dense metal. The thrown knives scraped against his neck, leaving thin wounds.

Randidly’s eyes glowed. With their responses expended, the Talon Strikes smashed into them.

More than that… Randidly’s Whispersilk Gloves hit both of them. Kayle was hit in the right shoulder as Randidly’s fingers piercing as easily through his leather armor as blades would cut through the material. Immediately Kayle’s right arm trembled and then collapsed at his side as the numbing agent was injected into the surrounding muscle groups.

Paolo was struck in the face. The damage was less, but very quickly his eyelids fluttered and closed. Drool began to leak out of his mouth as his face was completely numbed.

While both were struggling to cope, Randidly’s leg flashed out and smashed them backward. Then he leapt upward, aiming for speed. In his wake, his greaves ignited and spread a wave of white blades cutting into the surrounding members of Donnyton’s Squads. They struggled and fell, unable to handle their sudden wounds.

In the sky, Randidly slowly turned and regarded the darkening clouds with a serious expression. As his headache built, he began to focus.