Episode 12: Battle to Live

  Chapter 036 - Hunted Soldier

  The ground rumbled. The Groggins retreated into the woods, slipping into the shadows like beetles scurrying to hide. But then the woods darkened, dozens of bodiless figures casting shade. Pairs of eyes burned from afar, motionless in their wait.

  Xollor took a wide stance and met the stares of judgment around him. He used the moment to stretch. His body arched, arms reaching high. As he warmed up, he processed his options. Activating multiple APs required tremendous focus. Focusing on one AP was like balancing an upright sword on his palm. Two APs meant balancing two swords, one in each hand. Three for three hands, and so on.

  If he was going to survive—or at least keep the battle circling him—he couldn’t afford to burn too much power in a short time. One AP at a time. Use them strategically.

  “Alright,” he exhaled. His expression hardened as he lifted his crimson sword, ready for battle. “Let’s get started.”

  A twig snapped to his right.

  He turned and spotted five Groggins slipping into the dark, their ghost-lit eyes glinting.

  —distracted, one had already sneaked up behind him.

  Wretched Summoning ? Lv. 11

  Stealth Haste ? Lv. 12

  A Groggin burst out of the fog from behind, swift and silent. His cloak flared, revealing hands snatching at empty air. Twin daggers resolved into form from crackling static. Black blades shone with razor edges, smoke trailing behind: a wretched summoning. He leapt for Xollor’s spine, a destructive blow meant to cripple a person.

  Xollor vanished—

  Quick Speed ? Lv. 41

  —and the daggers sliced empty air. He reappeared yards away in a burst of force that cratered the earth where he’d stood. Then he raised his arm—

  Telekinetic Magic ? Lv. 53

  —and thick threads of magic unleashed from his hand and lashed toward the Groggin. They coiled around him like a serpent, tightening to crush. Bones cracked. His neck twisted at an impossible angle.

  In the single second it took to kill him, more Groggins closed in. They rushed forward, blades materializing as they aimed for their target. Xollor moved before they could strike.

  Vertical Leap ? Lv. 32

  He launched into the air, soaring above the trees as he looked down. The Groggins lifted their heads to track him, acting while he was still suspended.

  They dropped to their knees and pressed their hands to the ground. A pulse of light ran down their arms, into their palms, and into the earth. Then the glow faded. They sank with it, scurrying away like insects. All that remained were dozens of black marks staining the ground. Suddenly, hundreds of jagged blades erupted upward, each one pointing skyward. They jutted meters high, waiting for Xollor to fall onto them. Some leaned at warped, chaotic angles that left no safe place to land.

  But Xollor activated his TM and swept aside the nearest blades. Metal bent and snapped, carving out a narrow field to land. He crashed down with a heavy thud.

  Suddenly, a grinding shriek tore through the air and rattled his eardrums. His fingers twitched. He spun.

  It was a trap.

  The angled blades had all been aimed toward him, converging on a body that sword and armor alone couldn’t protect. Then, in unison, they lunged forward with a speed that could pierce even elite armor. His eyes widened as his system flared in desperate response.

  Incantation Magic ? Lv. 41

  Xollor released an explosive beam of magic. The impact shattered the terrain as the earth convulsed and trees tore free from their roots. Boulders hurled skyward. Chunks of ground hung in the air as every blade was ripped from the soil. Trees, grass, roots, and stone rained down over the field until chaos folded in on itself and nothing remained.

  A massive crater had formed, dirt flung across a wide radius with Xollor at its center. The Groggins collapsed, having underestimated the explosive spell he’d summoned. They soon rose again and retreated in their shadowy forms, slithering into the far reaches of the forest. Xollor looked around and clicked his tongue, realizing what he’d done.

  The trunks darkened. The air thickened. Xollor watched, heart racing. He glanced down at his body, then wiped his forehead. The burning heat at his core, the cold tug at his calves, the muscle on his back he rarely used… The toll was beginning to set in.

  Out of the depths of the forest, hundreds of daggers launched skyward. The sky went dark, black blades swarming like locusts. They arced high, then descended toward him. Xollor realized their intent: they wanted to drive him out of the crater and back into the trees. He was ready to counter the rain easily, but in the corner of his eye he saw the ground blackening with spots.

  More blades. From below.

  His eyes widened, a curse slipping past his lips as he retreated.

  He activated QS, propelling himself away from the crater as fast as he could. The instant he cleared it, hundreds of swords jutted from the ground at merciless speed. The falling daggers smashed into them, bouncing off in waves of clangs and ear-splitting rings. Xollor almost relaxed—

  until the ground beneath him darkened yet again.

  A handful of swords burst upward. Xollor tried to dodge, but he was too slow. One blade punched through his upper arm, leaving a huge chunk of flesh torn loose and dangling.

  –39 HP

  HP: 520 / 559

  He growled, clutching the wound with one hand and nearly dropping his sword. Before he could steady himself, two Groggins burst out from behind, daggers raised.

  His TM triggered, smashing into them and sending them flying. Their relentless timing and coordination were throwing him off. The longer he stayed boxed in, the deeper he slid into their web.

  QS flared again, and he dashed away to escape—

  and faced a dozen Groggins standing shoulder to shoulder, their swords leveled at him, waiting to use his own speed as the force to impale him.

  Xollor’s breath caught when he saw it. He triggered QS and IM at the same time. Magic detonated outward, shredding their formation and hurling them in every direction. He surged through the gap, and for a moment the forest returned to its natural color. He escaped, but the Groggins were already chasing again.

  QS burned as he kept running. He needed time, time to read the field and figure out how to shake them off. Right now, he was fighting both numbers and intelligence. He glanced around at the shadows pacing him and grumbled. He was going to have to push himself harder than he wanted.

  Xollor skidded to a stop as the darkness closed in. He clenched his fists and roared, “You are in my domain!”

  He stomped—

  Rippling Magic ? Lv. 14

  —and energy surged out of his body, racing down his legs and into the ground. Magic spread outward like glowing vines, gripping everything it touched. A vast circle of radiating light bloomed around him. The Groggins halted, staring as the earth beneath their feet burned brighter and brighter. They raised their arms to shield their faces.

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  And with a flash brighter than the sun, the light vanished.

  The ground began to shake.

  Xollor lifted his arm, and with it rose a massive body of rock and soil. Trees bent outward as the earth beneath them heaved to the sky. A towering hill took shape. Stones tumbled. Enormous boulders cracked and tore free under the crushing strain. Trees tilted along the slope.

  Xollor stood at the summit.

  The hill had formed in barely a minute. The Groggins stared up at him. He thrust his arm high, eyes narrowed, teeth clenched as his voice seethed through the drain of power ripping through his body. Then he snapped his arm toward the trees.

  TM tore across the landscape, shearing trunks and sending logs and branches crashing down. The Groggins scattered, realizing tons of weight were raining on them. Some sank into the ground in time.

  Others weren’t fast enough.

  Half-emerged, they were crushed beneath falling timber.

  “Not good enough,” Xollor whispered through clenched teeth. “Donnor can do more than this… I will surpass him and establish my rule.”

  Fire burned in his pupils as magical strands seeped from his palms. He roared, “Come! I can take all of you! Where are your masters? Bring them too!”

  The slithering figures advanced, climbing the steep hill as boulders continued to tumble down around them.

  Xollor activated his TM, sending dozens of glowing strands crashing into the earth and choking every stump they touched. Magic wrapped around the wood and twisted it. He bellowed, hands shaking, then let his sword drop so he could pour more power into the spell. As his rage surged through the writhing strands, the stumps began to rotate, driving spiked roots outward.

  With a shout, he hurled them downhill. They tore through the slope with immense force, blasting dirt and gravel into the air and ripping the Groggins out of hiding. Some were dragged along by the roots and sent tumbling to the base of the hill. Others slipped away—but were left exposed.

  Nearly every figure surfaced, stunned and disoriented.

  Xollor stomped again, arms raised, and triggered Rippling Magic once more.

  For every Groggin on the hill, razor-sharp stones burst from the ground and impaled them. Their bodies jerked into the air, arms slack, legs dangling. Backs bowed. Necks went limp. Instant deaths.

  But… more came.

  A handful slithered up to confront him. They burst from the ground and lunged with their daggers. Xollor snatched up his sword and blocked one strike. Steel shrieked against steel as a Groggin hissed, “You think you are in control…”

  Xollor grit his teeth and swung. The Groggin melted back into the earth and vanished. Another erupted behind him and hurled a dagger. It slammed into Xollor’s side.

  –22 HP

  HP: 498 / 559

  He growled as the blade punched through his armor, biting into flesh. He yanked it free and flung it aside, turning to face the next Groggin with his sword ready. Its pale face stared straight into his eyes.

  “But you are not. Look at yourself…”

  Instead of attacking, it dissolved back into the ground. Xollor steadied himself, hands trembling. He’d spent too much magic in too little time. RM had drained most of his reserves. His arms felt heavy. Sweat streamed into his eyes. All he could do was hold his ground atop the hill he’d made.

  Groggins surfaced to his left and right, in front and behind, slowly closing the circle.

  “Remember why you complied with our orders,” one whispered as it rose before him, only to sink back into a pool of black. “You thought changing the prophecy would make a difference in your crushed heart.”

  Then a dozen Groggins emerged at once, towering around him in a ring of cloaks and shadows. Their eyes glowed from every angle. Daggers were drawn, their tips leveled at Xollor. They stood perfectly still, like death brushing against its victim’s skin.

  The one in front spoke.

  “Your evil came from a crushed heart. You think killing a child makes you strong?”

  Xollor’s brow furrowed. He looked around and saw even more Groggins lining the slope below. From the crest of the hill, every shadow and every blade was aimed at him. Even at the summit, he felt smaller than all of them. A vein bulged along his arm and face as his skin flushed red.

  Quick Speed ? Lv. 41

  Vertical Leap ? Lv. 32

  Xollor dashed forward and leapt, sailing over the Groggins in a single bound. He flew until he crashed back to the ground far from the hill. The figures watched him flee, their heads turning in disturbing unison. Then they sank into the earth. Shadows shifted, and they chased after him.

  Knowing they were behind him, he shouted, “If we were meant to kill the child, then why are you keeping him alive? You’re going against the protocol!”

  There was no answer. When he glanced back, they were still coming at a steady pace. It felt like his own speed was slowing. His legs burned as his system drained more energy than ever. His throat ran dry, sweat stinging his eyes. But he kept pushing.

  “If you are protectors of the world,” he rasped, “then keeping him alive only makes the prophecy come true!”

  One lunged from the side. He dodged and kept running. Feeling his power slipping, he gripped the hilt of his sword and lowered his head—

  then a dagger struck his blind side, slamming into his ribs.

  –25 HP

  HP: 473 / 559

  He grunted and ripped the blade free from armor and flesh. Blood spilled from both wounds, soaking into his undergarment. Weaving through the trees, he made a decision. One last move.

  Telekinetic Magic ? Lv. 46

  He had to wipe them out.

  Behind him, glowing strands of telekinetic force lashed outward and wrapped around massive trees. With a violent pull, he tore them from the ground. Dozens of towering trunks lifted into the air, roots dangling like frayed nerves as soil and stone exploded upward. The sun vanished behind a forest hanging in judgment.

  The trees hovered there, silent and ominous, like a waiting judgment.

  Xollor roared and snapped his hand forward.

  Then they fell.

  The speared trees plunged. Roots drove into the earth, smashing down like falling pillars. Some Groggins failed to escape, impaled clean through, or crushed beneath tons of wood. Dust burst outward, and trunks snapped from their landings. The land was caught in chaos, and a dozen more trees fell. Each one seized a Groggin.

  But even that… wasn’t enough.

  From the shadows, more Groggins rose. They poured from the ground in an endless tide. For every one that fell, five more took its place. They closed in, tightening the circle around Xollor.

  He tried to move.

  A dagger struck low in his back.

  –24 HP

  HP: 449 / 559

  Another.

  –25 HP

  HP: 424 / 559

  And another.

  –25 HP

  HP: 399 / 559

  And another.

  –23 HP

  HP: 376 / 559

  He stumbled. His back was a forest of embedded steel, each blade humming with magical interference. His steps dragged to a crawl. Then he stopped.

  Xollor hissed through clenched teeth as pain clawed at every nerve. Blood ran down his legs. He reached over his shoulder, feeling blades scrape against his gauntlet. With a weary groan, he spat thick blood onto the ground.

  And then his system flared, with a warning that shouted louder and louder.

  ● System Interruption ●

  It is getting cold. It is getting numb. It is getting worse.

  Impeding Objects — Detected

  DEX — Decreased by 20% until the problem has been removed.

  Extreme Bleeding — Detected

  All stats and HP — Decrease incrementally by 0.05% per second.

  He was bleeding out.