Chapter 211: Overload: Courage 1/7

Chapter 211: Overload: Courage 1/7

Darian was shouting orders at his men. As his warriors gazed up at the invading army, their faces were marred with brutal conviction.

Astrid expected to see confusion, fear of the unknown, but it seemed that they had experienced this before. Maybe that’s why they ran from their homeland?

Whatever the reason was, Astrid had to help them. Not only because it was her mission to do, but the main reason was because it was partly her fault. Or more accurately, it was the Eye-Queens doing. However, since Astrid was on her mission, the responsibility lay on Astrid’s shoulders.

The attacking Ixtalians, however, were terrified of the sudden appearance of an entire army. First, they scowled at Darian, thinking that he had something to do with it.

But when the invaders turned straight for the castle with killing intent swirling within their eyes, their thoughts quickly changed. And then, they ran. Disappearing into the jungle without looking back for a signal second.

Cowards. You’re next if we all die. Astrid spat, but she couldn’t blame them.

Ignoring the Ixtalians, Astrid prepared herself for war.

Taking a stimulant granted by the crazed psychos, Astrid took a renewed breath from her fight with the construct. Her mana swirled, broiling around her container like fuel to a furnace.

The invaders approached.

They were beastly humanoids, and strangely, they reminded her of the femora that she had battled a while ago. However, it was clear they had stark differences. For one, their arms were much larger than the former. Forearms bulging, with thick legs to match, antennas poking out of their heads, and vaguely human-like faces.

The attacking army reminded her of humanoid ants.

None of them held weapons. Instead, their fingers twitched, ready to attack with nothing but their beastly body. To Astrid, that meant they were either a primitive race, or they simply didn’t need them at all. She knew which one was the worse of the two.

Astrid was about to attack, but what was behind the first layer of attackers caused the fine hairs on the back of her neck to rise. Flesh tingling, she gazed in horror at the monsters scuttling behind the fearsome warriors.

Spiders.

Too many legs, with thick hairs covering them like a spiked torture blanket, and far too many eyes. It was Astrid’s worst nightmare. Not only that, but each of them had two long horns poking out of their head, and their fangs dripped a harrowing liquid.

Dropping to the floor, it sizzled, decaying whatever the vile saliva, or venom, touched until the land was petrified.

For the first time in a long time, Astrid hesitated.

Courage 13/100%

You can do it Astrid. Kill them all. Don’t let them get near!

Raising her mental fortitude, Astrid concluded that the fastest way to get away from them was to annihilate them instead.

Although she hesitated, it was only for a few seconds. Still, she was second to react. Darian had already given the order for his archers to fire upon the army.

High powered arrows blotted the skies with pointed accuracy. Each pointed shaft swished through the air, thrumming with power as they slammed into their target. The long distance mattered little to them.

It was clear the archers were no ordinary warriors. Each one of them were perhaps even stronger than the elite forces of Rebirth.

Did he have something up his sleeve?

In the next second, Astrid was made aware that he indeed did have something hidden. And it caused Astrid’s lips to twitch in shock.

Darian stood at the forefront of his warriors. There was no wind blowing in the jungle, yet his clothes, and hair, were being blown as if he was in the centre of a typhoon.

Astrid could feel the energy in his surroundings churn violently. At first, she thought it was mana, but it wasn’t. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Checking the Lord’s mana container, she was met with surprise.

He didn’t have one.

Yet there was still a violent power coming from within his body. Whatever it was, was incredibly powerful.

Darian brandished his longsword. The blade had hundreds of lines running through it. They had no order to them. Like waves crashing against rocks, the lines reminded her of the water bouncing back into the ocean like a riptide.

The guard of the longsword was four inches on either side, and instead of just a bar of metal like the swords Astrid was used to, they were moulded into lions. And the pommel that was the final ornament to the blade was an ice blue sapphire. A liquid sloshed within the gem, moving under the surface.

Like all magic, there had to be an element tied to it. That was why Astrid thought that the gem belonged to the water element.

But just like his formless energy, it was evident that it had the same properties that he himself had.

Darian stood in a powerful stance with his longsword pointed behind him to the floor. He was readying himself for a slash, but he was waiting for an opportune moment to strike. His eyes glistened, and radiated a vivid ice-blue light.

The army of ants and spiders were only fifteen metres away.

Astrid used a lot of her mana, blasting them into pieces, or tearing them apart with bullets. Or better, tearing their eyes from their sockets. With her current boosts to eyeball pulling, it was possibly her strongest attack.

Darian’s men were calm as they held back their attacks. Astrid thought they had something wrong with them, but in the next moment, Darian moved.

He slashed his sword.

A blinding light left his blade and swept through the surrounding terrain like a scalpel through flesh. Whether it was hardened carapace, bone, or the iron-like jungle trees, nothing could withstand the might of that one blade.

It wasn’t mana. Nor was it energy like Astrid’s void skills.

It was something else entirely. Astrid wanted to find out.

The blade of light had severed hundreds of humanoid ants and spiders all at once. It swept through them like an apocalyptic scythe, revealing the backmost warriors.

Surprisingly, they were smaller than the vanguard, but their bodies were no less impressive. With compacted muscle, they bolted forward, moving a speed Astrid couldn’t fathom.

However, just as Astrid was ready to create a hundred illusions to battle their strongest, another energy shot toward them.

This time, it was an energy she was familiar with.

Many were going to die.