Chapter 4562: Not a Rescue Operation (Part 2)
Chapter 4562: Not a Rescue Operation (Part 2)
Davross’ self-repair abilities were unmatched, but even one second was a long time in a fight to the death.
Spells rained on Uragar’s host from every side while swarms of undead harassed him. He had no armor or equipment aside from his real body, so every hit cut deep.
"Pesky flies!" He tried to swat the flying undead down, but even with the Life Maelstrom empowering him, they were too fast.
He cast the tier five War Mage spell, Ravenous Thunder, conjuring darkness-infused lightning bolts that arched from his body to any opponent that came too close.
"We may be flies, but you’re a coward!" Rusta the Banshee unleashed her Shattered Soul at the cursed book, and the violent vibrations it caused in the metal interrupted Ravenous Thunder. "You’re old and powerful, yet you torment magicless mortals. Don’t you have any shame?"
"No." Uragar shielded his real body with the massive arm of his host.
His bones shattered, and his muscles tore, but he could use magic again.
The Book of Knowledge conjured a tier five Spirit Spell, Griffon Fetters, to restrict the Banshee’s movements, and Phoenix Smash to blind her. She conjured her best barriers to defend herself from the emerald fire and missed the silvery bullet hiding in its wake.
Even with his long life, Uragar was a poor fighter. Yet with a Divine Beast host pushing his Davross body forward and while charging himself with Thunder Soul, he was a force to be reckoned with.
The cursed book crushed through Rusta’s barriers and armor, delivering the corrupted lightning straight into her chest. Every blood vessel in her body burst and her organs ruptured in a fountain of blood.
A Banshee’s heart was ripped out on the night they were turned, and the hole it left was their weak spot. The moment it was filled in any way, no matter if by metal or the Banshee’s own broken flesh, the undead would die.
In Rusta’s case, the blood loss was irrelevant, but the vitae filling the cavity in her chest also doused the right light in her eyes.
"Our time has come!" Marnora sprang into action, followed by his elite eight-man unit. "Remember your duty. Don’t falter, blood of Selkis!"
The Isharas emerged from a Warp Steps in a battle formation, shooting the nearest Upyrs from the sky with ease.
Marnora jumped to the rescue, cutting the arm holding the Book of Knowledge with his left pincer while his left arm pulled Rusta back to safety.
"How dare you!" Uragar snarled in outrage as he rushed to reattach himself to the body of his host. "You’re going to pay for this!"
A cursed object and its host could never be separated. By severing the connection, Marnora had killed the Upyr, and now the Book of Knowledge had to restore everything from the wrist up like a colossal severed limb.
Only the hand holding the cursed book was still alive.
"Dead men keep no tabs." Upon his signal, the Isharas conjured the anti-Guardian Spell, Silverwing’s Annihilation.
The hepta-elemental spell and the seven energy pillars it conjured pulverized Uragar’s real body and forced the Upyrs to scatter, buying the undead a few precious seconds of respite.
"Where are the reinforcements? There are too many of them, and the Dead King’s Chosen has yet to step into the battlefield." The Elder asked while dripping a few drops of his blood into the Banshee’s mouth.
The life essence of a beast was disgusting to an undead human, but the life essence of a Divine Beast was a feast.
Rusta ignored the acrid taste and focused on healing her wounds, the red light of undeath blazing back in her eyes.
"Thanks for the timely rescue." She said, unaware it was all part of the Isharas’ script. "The rest of the Undead Courts and the Awakened Council are on their way. We didn’t expect-"
A river of violet Origin Flames washed over Marnora, but he stopped it with the Spirit Barrier of his armor.
’What are those disgusting overgrown insects?’ Orpal asked as he charged his crystal spear with Nascent Sprout.
’Isharas. Loser Divine Beasts born from a now-loser dead Guardian.’ Night replied, the spite in her thoughts matching her host’s. ’They come from the Rathi continent and can use Life Maelstrom and Doom Tide.
’It’s a deadly combination, but we can already use it on our own. Even if you could convince them to join our cause, they are not proper nourishment for our Feast Soul. They have no value to us.’
’Thanks, that’s all I needed to know.’ Orpal unleashed the weakest of his Blade Tier spells at the Ishara leader.
’Blood of Selkis, our intel underestimated him!’ Marnora shot hyper-compressed Raging Suns from his pincers and activated the many enchantments of his Adamant spear, Stingray, but Nascent Sprout blasted them away and almost crushed him.
Marnora and Rusta disappeared in the silver comet and crashed into the ground like a meteor.
The other seven Isharas had already scattered throughout the battlefield and were engaged in close-quarters combat with the Upyrs. They couldn’t disengage without risking their lives.
"Commander?" Jinima asked through her earpiece. "Are our orders to stand by still standing?"
"Don’t worry. It’s just a scratch." He replied, pretending to reassure Rusta.
He used Invigoration to heal from his wounds and infused himself with a jolt of Life Maelstrom to replace the one he had consumed to save his life.
"I’m fine too." The Banshee thanked the gods for sending the Ishara to help her. "Where the hell are the reinforcements?"
"We’re on our way." Several voices replied from her communication amulet.
"You’d better get a move on, or by the time you get here, we’ll be all dead!"
On the opposite side of the battlefield, Ilthin had moved on the offensive, and the still-flabbergasted Bastet could barely withstand her fury.
"Why have you come here, Mother?" He asked, his voice as feeble as that of a child caught with his hands in the cookie jar. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The real Ileza was still in Verendi and couldn’t answer him.
’This guy has serious unresolved issues with his mother.’ Ilthin thought, her silver eyes sparking with mana and fighting spirit. ’It’s no surprise he joined Narchat.’
The Banshee had infected Akhton with her Charm with every clash of their weapons, but she had no desire to seduce and feed on him. She had combined her bloodline ability with Shattered Soul to conjure the illusion of what the Bastet’s heart longed for.
"Why do you look so disappointed?" He snarled, mistaking Ilthin’s attacks for the physical manifestation of his mother’s displeasure. "I’m doing this for you. For our continent!"
One thing Akhton and Orpal had in common besides their excessive pride was their desperate need for their mother’s approval. Elina pushing Raaz to disown Orpal had left a deep scar in his heart, just like Ileza constantly rejecting Akhton’s suggestions to unify Verendi.
The scorn in the illusory Guardian’s expression stirred violent emotions in both the Bastet and Orpal’s fragment he carried in his body. The resonance turned Akhton into his Upyr form without him even noticing.
Black, needle-like bristles replaced the soft, sandy fur, and fangs grew beyond what his leonine snout could contain.