The next day Maximilian entered the meeting room with an antsy energy. He both dreaded what was about to happen and welcomed it. He hated the feeling. He hated being stuck in limbo. When the time came for him to make his choice he increased the difficulty by yet another stage. He was well beyond a seventy percent chance to die, a thought that was both terrifying and sobering. When the white light engulfed him, he prepared himself for a battle. What he didn't expect was the voice of the Network and what it said made him equal parts concerned and excited.

  User Qualifies for Unique Advancement Opportunity.

  He wasn't sure what the "Advancement Opportunity" meant but he figured it would be both good and bad for him. When the white light faded, he found himself stood atop a stone platform. The platform had a complex magic circle carved into it. There were five paths that went from his platform into five other platforms. Each one had a person standing on top. It was three goblins and two humans at least he assumed the small green people were goblins. Before he could figure out what was going on the platform began to descend. It was about as fast as an elevator, so he doubted there was any danger to it or him. That and the look on the faces of the people he could see. They were caught between awe, confusion and disbelief. It was a bit like he was their hero which gave him a clue at what he was going to be doing. Last mission he was sent to save someone so this time he would be protecting something. Sure, enough when his platform reached the bottom he found a group of five waiting for him. There was a human, an elf, a goblin, a dwarf and an orc. Each one wore medieval armor with weapons sheathed on their right side. On the right side of their breasts they had an emblem of five stars surrounded by a circle. He assumed that meant they were some kind of unified army. Either that or their kingdom was divided into five parts for some reason.

  "Greetings honorable hero. We are sorry for the lack of proper summoning. We are in great need and our shamans believed that this was the only way we could do what needed to be done." The human began as he gestured for me to follow. As I did the others fell into step around and behind him. For a moment he thought they were trying to keep him from running off but he realized that was wrong. It was more like they all wanted to be as close to him as possible. "The Ourinieans have already begun their advance. Our forward troops are doing what they can, but it won't be enough." Before he could ask for more details, he received the quest prompt and what he saw didn't make him feel any better.

  Stall the Advance of the Ourineian Dynasty

  That was it. He wasn't sure how he would stall an army on his own or better yet how he was supposed to do it with these people. From what he could see they were normal. Albeit stronger than earth's humans. He couldn't detect even a bit of spiritual energy or even killing intent from them. He hoped the later was because they were on the same side. The group went over the details of their war as they led him through a castle and out into a large city. A city that reminded him of something he would've seen in Europe. The whole scene helped to settle him into his role. It wasn't until he got to the wall that he realized he might've bitten off more than he could chew. Their enemy was a group of humanoid hippo people. That were dressed in vibrant colors with weapons and gear that reminded him of a steampunk movie.

  Despite their somewhat ridiculous clothes it was clear that they were winning. The biggest problem was a bunch of mechanical monstrosities. That were the size mammoths. There were five of them with two having already been taken out. The problem was that every mammoth cost the defenders hundreds if not thousands of warriors. They wouldn't survive the day at those numbers. He figured his job was to deal with that threat. From what he could tell the machines were made out of regular albeit strong metal. He figured what he was dealing with was closer to a modern tank than a fantasy creature. "Call your people further back and have them focus on defense. I will thin out their numbers as much as possible. Once I am called back you all will be on your own."

  He wasn't sure if the Network provided them with a story about what would happen once his quest was complete or not. Nor was he sure it even mattered but it felt wrong not to say something. He didn't want these people relying on him and he vanished. His gut told him the quest would be complete once the enemy was dead or once the people in the city had evacuated. At the fastest estimate he figured he would have to fight for at least half a day. He answered a few more questions before he leaped from the wall. He landed in a somewhat epic superhero landing and then sprinted into the battle. He decided that this called for the opposite of stealth so he formed a Severing Disc and pushed it to its limit. He leaped into the air and launched the saw like blade with all the strength he could manage it. He didn't bother aiming for anyone specific. The enemy might as well have been a horde and his goal was large destruction and distraction.

  His attack tore through the four soldiers before it cut a gash into one of the war machines. The blow wasn't enough to stop the creature but it was enough to get everyone's attention. Maximilian imbued his voice with a bit of spiritual energy. Just enough to make sure he could be heard throughout the battlefield. "Fall back, Help your people. I will do what I can." Part of him wished he could've come up with something better to say but he knew it didn't matter. That his attack did more for them than what his words ever could. Some of the soldiers began moving but most didn't. He wasn't sure if it was because they didn't care what he said or if it was due to anger. He also didn't care. He had given them an order. One designed to keep them alive. He unleashed his aura. Just enough to put the fear of god into them. After that he rushed toward the enemy. The field between him and the other army had blown up. Which left very little cover to protect him.

  He arrived at one of the sole remaining trees just before a storm of arrows rained down on him. He activated Severing Disc at its maximum size. He poked his head out from behind his tree and launched it into the army. He didn't bother trying to hit a specific target since he had no way of determining who should or shouldn't be hit. Fortunately their armor wasn't high enough quality to make a difference. His disc bisected seven of the hippo people before it was blocked by a shield wall. The shields lacked spiritual energy. They were of limited effect on their but together they protected their weapon. "Concentrate fire!" A person barked out from behind their line. They were a rotund warrior with a war hammer slung over his shoulder. Maximilian figured that guy might be the boss of the conflict but knew he couldn't do much about them now. He was forced to duck back behind the tree to avoid the next rain of arrows. As soon as they finished, he continued his attack,

  Electricity surged into every enemy he could find as he activated his Dao and Static Bolt. No matter how many people he took out another one would raise. After an hour it felt like he was fighting a horde instead of an army. He had tried to go after the hippo he saw last time but either he had moved, or he had hidden deeper in his ranks. After ten minutes of this he decided to focus on the main target. He pushed spiritual energy into his feet and rushed for the closest of the mechanical monstrosities. Several worries tried to get in his way, but they couldn't even slow him down let alone stop him. He spared those he could, but the sheer number forced him to rely more on Severing Disc than Static Bolt. He avoided a stab of one warrior's spear which forced him into the path of massive great sword. He activated the barrier on his robes only for his instincts to scream a warning. As soon as the great sword crashed into the barrier another warrior appeared. Two nasty daggers in his hands. Maximilian's eyes widened as the swordsman pulled his blade back in time for the assassin blades to force their way through the cracks.

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  Maximilian's world narrowed to the edge of those blades as his mind blanked. Seconds before they would've reached him his aura exploded. The flood gates stormed open as electricity fused with all of his life and death battles. For a moment it was as if the world stood still in the next the assassin and all warriors within ten feet of him dropped. Dropped like marionettes with their strings cut. Maximilian resisted the urge to reseal his aura. As far as he could tell the people around him were his enemies. Which meant it would only help him. He unleashed an imbued Static Bolt into a warrior that had tried to advance on him. He activated Severing Disc and continued toward the mechanized construct. He was forced to kill five more warriors before they gave up on attacking him. A testament to their training or whatever controlled them they didn't stop their war. They sacrificed a section of their force so the rest could keep going. It slowed them but he couldn't stop them.

  The screams and destruction put him on edge. Until he was faced with a squad of hammer wielding soldiers. None were the one that spoke out earlier, but they were all here to stop him. "Just go. I would prefer not killing you." He had hoped to see at least a little hesitation on their faces but there was none. They raised their hammers and roared. He launched another Severing Disc. Two of them managed to avoid being bisected but it made little difference. Maximilian arrived in front of the closest a moment later. His fist dented its breast plate and knocked it to the ground. He blasted it with electricity a moment before the second warrior arrived. He was forced back a step to avoid a few wild swings before he unleashed Static Bolt. The attack stunned it long enough for him to cave its skull in. Maximilian moved on. He created the largest Severing Disc he could manage and launched it into the construct. It tore through the metal with little resistance. He had to launch three more discs before it stopped moving. He was about to head toward the next one when his instincts warned of danger. He leaped out of the way a moment before a war hammer slammed into the ground where he had been.

  "So, this is the person causing us so much trouble?" A warrior that was at least twice the size of the others stepped forward. A second hammer slung over its shoulder. This hippo looked more like a behemoth than anything on Earth. He wore a metal breast plate and had muscles that looked like steel cables. There were a pair of thick tusks, one coming out of each side of its face. Each one looked like it could crush stone or rip through solid metal.

  "I suppose I am. Would it be unreasonable if I asked you to leave? To retreat and not kill the innocent?" Maximilian circulated his spiritual energy as he assessed the situation. More soldiers gathered a few feet away. He doubted he could get away, he would have to attack the group which would leave him open to the big guy. Further his gut told him this was the challenge. He would need to deal with either a duo or a trio before the quest would end.

  "You are welcome to ask but I am afraid I can't do that. I would appreciate you standing down. I don't want to fight any practitioners if I could avoid it."

  Maximilian shook his head and activated Severing Disc. "Afraid not. I've been asked to stop you, and I don't have much of a choice in that." The next thing he wanted to say was lost as the warrior lifted his hammer. The warrior dashed forward with a speed that would've made NFL linebackers jealous. Maximilian retreated a step to avoid the bone shattering swing. Before he could retaliate the warrior launched right hook that caught him across the jaw. He stumbled back a step as the taste of iron filled his mouth. The warrior picked the second hammer out of the small crater in the ground. "Guess that means the time for talk has ended."

  The warrior responded by continuing his attack. Maximilian activated the barrier on his robes to stop one attack to buy himself the time to retreat. He activated Static Bolt and caught the hippo in the chest. The momentary paralysis bought him less than second. Enough time to imbue his legs with spiritual energy. He ducked the follow up attack and leaped almost twenty feet away. His instincts told him it wasn't far enough to be safe. He activated Severing Disc as an idea came to him. He withdrew his aura. The sudden lack of power made his enemy hesitate. By the time the warrior caught up Maximilian had already launched his attack. The buzz saw like blade shot toward him like a guillotine poised to claim yet another life. The warrior moved to avoid but was far too slow. Instead of the fatal blow he wanted, the hippo sacrificed its right arm. Maximilian was about to offer the warrior another chance to surrender when it grabbed the second hammer and launched it at him. By the time his mind caught up to the danger he was in the hammer had crashed into his chest.

  His robe's damage transference made the difference between the broken ribs he got and a blow that should've caved his chest in. The blow almost launched him in the waiting line of enemy warriors. He activated Prismatic Barrier to buy him a second to catch his breath and take a healing pill. The sound of his bones correcting themselves sickened him. "Alright, I guess that means you won't give up. I guess we fight until we can't anymore." Several blows rained down on his shield, but they weren't worth worrying about. He activated Severing Disc and was about to launch it when he felt a familiar sensation. He grinned and tried to force even more energy into the skill. When it refused to accept it, he paused. It took him another second to realize what it meant. The skill had advanced but the change didn't let him use more energy. It let him imbue it. The large hippo had joined the attacks on barrier which meant it wouldn't last much longer. He forced the Dao of Static into the skill symbol as fast as he could. As soon as Prismatic Barrier fell, he launched his attack.

  A sound reminiscent of thousands of bird's chirpings filled the air. The improved Severing Disc bisected the large hippo and continued to the enemy line. The attack was almost faster than the eye could follow. The disc bisected anything it could reach. Dodging the disc made little difference. Errant sparks of electricity shot in random directions. They weren't enough to kill who they hit but it based on their screams it hurt. A lot. The kill energy was enough to make up for all attacks until now and then enough for him to level. He resisted the urge to spend his attribute points as he focused on the battle. Most of the warriors near him had given up on beating him. That didn't mean they ran. Instead, they formed a shield wall using whatever weapons they had. Part of him was impressed by their devotion. Another part knew it wasn't worth it. If this was all fake, he would get bogged down fighting them. If it wasn't...Well, he would prefer not to think about that.

  He pushed spiritual energy into his feet and leaped over the group. It took him a handful of jumps before he was free of the encirclement. He took a moment to survey the battlefield and what he saw was a mixed bag. The allied army had managed to take down another construct, but it was the last thing they'd be able to do. They were in full retreat now which was good. He wouldn't need to worry about them. The quest hadn't ended. Which meant either they needed more time for the evacuation, or he hadn't caused enough damage. He sighed and turned toward the last machine. There was only one way to find out.