The horde surged forward in chaotic waves, a mass of malformed creatures driven mad by the Leyline rupture. At the forefront, two towering ogres lumbered forward, their hulking, muscular frames rippling with raw power. Their red skin glistened like oil under the sunlight, stretched taut over veins and sinew, their jaws filled with razor teeth and the two boar like tusks that their kind are known for, their intense yellow eyes burned with unbridled rage. Behind them, wolfens darted like shadows—much smaller, leaner, but no less threatening. Their humanoid forms were twisted, covered in matted fur marred by blisters and pustules that wept a sickly fluid. Sharp fangs jutted from snarling muzzles dripping with froth, their glowing yellow eyes locked onto me with feral hunger.
*Thud!* *Thud!*
The ground beneath their feet trembled with their advance, the combined weight of the ogres' thunderous stomps and the wolfens' bounding steps creating a rhythm of impending violence.
"GRYAAAAHH!"
The guttural roar of the ogres echoed, spurring the wolfens into motion. Four of them lunged toward me, two leaping high with claws outstretched, while the other two flanked from either side. Behind them, the two ogres barreled forward, each step shaking the earth beneath them.
I stood motionless, my blade, "Mumei," gleaming faintly in the harsh light.
""...""
I was not impressed...
((Slow...))
Despite their rabid aggression, the wolfens' movements were sluggish to my eyes. Time seemed to crawl at an unbearably slow rate, every arc of their leaps and swing of their claws were absentmindedly traced with mechanical precision. Their overzealous charge betrayed their instincts.
I moved...
*Shlunk!*
My blade pierced upwards through the first wolfen's throat, sliding cleanly up through the neck and severing the cervical spinal nerves. Its snarling expression froze as life left its body in an instant.
*Gurgle!*
The creature collapsed to the ground, a wet, bubbling sound escaping its ruined throat as its blood pooled beneath it.
*Crunch!*
Spinning on my heel, I twisted the blade free from the first Wolfen and brought it up in a sweeping arc. The edge cleaved through the second wolfen's skull, bisecting it neatly down the middle.
*Splatter!*
A spray of blood and brain matter erupted as the creature's bisected halves crumpled to the ground with a sickening *thud*.
*Shkunk!*
Dropping low, I slid across the blood-slicked ground, my blade angled upward. It met the belly of the third wolfen mid-slide, carving through muscle and spilling its viscera in grotesque ribbons as its momentum carried it past me.
*Whoosh!*
Pushing off with my foot, I sprang upward into a twisting arc. My blade whistled through the air before finding the neck of the fourth wolfen as it lunged from the right.
*Snick!*
The head separated cleanly from its body, landing with a dull *thump* as the lifeless body collapsed beside it, the severed head's eyes still gazing at where I was with feral rage.
*Boom!*
Landing lightly, I felt the air shift behind me as the two ogres swung in tandem—one aiming a downward smash, the other sweeping in a wide arc.
*Whoom!**Crash!*
I dropped into another low slide, the wind of their combined strikes brushing just above me, their massive clubs slamming into the ground with an impact that sent a tremor through my bones.
*Shrrk!*
As I passed beneath the first ogre, my blade lashed out, severing the thick tendons in its right leg.
"GRAH?!"
The creature howled in agony, collapsing to one knee, its blood pouring from the severed limb and staining the ground beneath it. Its companion turned to see the source of its partner's pain, confusion flashing across its glowing yellow eyes.
*Thud!*
Using the tendon of the fallen ogre as a springboard, I launched myself toward the second. My enhanced strength carried me high, landing squarely on its broad shoulder.
"GRAAAAH!!!!"
It roared, swiping at me with clawed hands, but I was already in motion.
*Shunk!*
Driving "Mumei" forward with both hands, the blade pierced through its ear, puncturing its eardrums and through the skull, lacerating the brain. The ogre twitched violently, its massive hands flailing before going still.
*Boom!*
I vaulted off its massive shoulder just as it collapsed, landing on the first ogre's head as it struggled to rise.
*Schluck!*
Without hesitation, I drove the blade downward into its skull, the steel sinking deep into the brain with a sickening *squelch*. The creature stiffened, then slumped forward, lifeless.
*Crash!**Crash!*
Both ogres fell heavily, their bodies shaking the ground as they crumpled.
I straightened, flicking the blood from "Mumei" in a practiced motion. The blade gleamed clean once more as I turned to face the rest of the horde.
Exactly 10 seconds had passed…
The remaining monsters hesitated, their frenzied charge faltering as glowing eyes regarded me with something akin to wariness.
""...""
I stood silently amidst the carnage, the broken bodies at my feet speaking louder than words.
((The most efficient tactic against ogres in close combat is to target the brain or brain stem. Anything less, and their unnatural [regeneration] and resilience will ensure they survive long enough to become a persistent nuisance. Fire magic is effective too—it halts their [regeneration]—but this… this is faster))
I thought, my gaze shifting briefly to the two fallen giants behind me. Even in death, their [regeneration] refused to rest. The bloody gash where I had severed the first ogre's tendon writhed unnaturally, sinew and muscle fibers knitting themselves back together in grotesque harmony.
*Gurgle…* *squelch…*
The sound was wet and sickening, as though the flesh itself was alive, struggling to undo the fatal damage I'd inflicted. But the stillness of their massive frames confirmed it—they weren't coming back. Not this time. Any considerable amount of damage to their brains ensured their finality.
((Persistent to the bitter end...))
The thought passed through my mind as I turned my focus back to the battlefield. There was no time to linger—the rest of the horde was still a problem.
""Come all at once. I don't have all day...""
Turning to the horde I addressed them, the blade of my katana gleamed in the pale light as I raised it in a gesture of calm defiance, my tone was carried by the wind slicing through the battlefield.
The roars of the horde echoed like thunder, a cacophony of bestial fury that rattled the air itself.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The ground beneath my feet trembled under the weight of countless monstrous forms charging forward. Their glowing eyes shone with unrestrained malice, their snarls and growls forming a discordant symphony of rage.
((At least there aren't any flyers...))
The thought flickered through my mind as I sprinted toward the oncoming mass. It wasn't that I couldn't handle aerial combat; I just didn't want to. One less axis to worry about.
The horde came into sharper focus as I closed the distance.
((14 goblins, 24 wolfens, 20 kobolds, and 9 ogres...))
I cataloged their numbers, at least the ones nearest to me. Each category represented a different kind of threat.
The kobolds—small, goblin-sized lizardmen with scales that shimmered faintly under the light—were spread among the pack. Their sinewy frames moved with unsettling agility, their slitted eyes glowing with intelligence and malice. Their mouths opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth as the first of them began to conjure fireballs, the telltale hum of magical energy radiating from their throats.
The wolfens were less intelligent feral beasts but their agility made them great skirmishers, heightened by the fact some of them were ridden by Goblins, spiteful green wretches that weren't threats on their own but absolutely horrid in the right conditions.
As always the ogres towered over the horde, their hulking forms rippling with muscle. Most of them bore hybrid weapons—part tool, part weapon—improvised from the remains of scavenged armaments. A massive cleaver or was it just a slab of iron? Its blade chipped and uneven, swung menacingly in the hands of one ogre, while another carried a spear as thick as a small tree, its jagged metal tip glinting ominously in the light.
The sheer variety of their armaments reflected their barbaric ingenuity and the raw chaos they embodied. This wasn't a coordinated force; it was a brutal, unrelenting tide of destruction, each weapon as unpredictable and deadly as the creature wielding it.
((The trick when it comes to one vs many combat is to prioritize taking out one or a few enemies at a time as quickly as possible before just as quickly moving on to the next. Speed, precision and timing will be key to victory here, not power and brute force))
I thought, my mind churning to weave a clear path through this battlefield, it was chaotic—a cacophony of snarls, screams, and the deafening clash of steel. Blood and grime soaked the ground as the horde surged forward, their numbers seeming endless. Each step I took was deliberate, every motion calculated.
The second wave came hard and fast: wolfens bounding forward with primal savagery, their claws scraping against the blood-slicked earth. Some bore goblins on their backs—hissing and shrieking, their crude weapons raised. Slings whirred, and jagged rocks hurtled through the air toward me.
*Thwack!* *Thwack!*
The projectiles shattered harmlessly against the ground where I'd stood a second earlier, my movements a blur as I darted through the chaos.
The kobolds hung back, their scaly forms glowing faintly as fireballs materialized in their gaping maws. Their slitted eyes gleamed with malice, their hunched, goblin-like bodies coiled and ready to strike. Behind them, the towering ogres advanced, their crude weapons raised—clubs, axes, maces, each weapon grotesque and brutal.
*Snarl!*
A wolfen lunged, its jaws snapping for my throat.
*Slash!*
I sidestepped, "Mumei" arced downwards in a clean motion, cleaving through its neck. Blood sprayed in a gruesome arc as its body crumpled to the ground.
*Hup!*
I pivoted, vaulting over another wolfen's lunging form. My katana struck as I passed, severing its spine with surgical precision.
*Splatter!*
Its rider—a Goblin clutching a rusted short sword—tumbled backwards as both of my feet planted in it's face leaving a visible dent.
*Stab!*
"GAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
I landed on the ground and met it mid-fall, driving my blade through its chest. It shrieked, its small hands clawing at the steel buried in its heart before going limp.
*Boom!*
A fireball exploded nearby, the heat searing the air around me. A kobold hissed triumphantly, its scaled mouth glowing with another spell ready to fire.
((Not today...))
*Fwoosh!*
I summoned a gust of wind, redirecting the approaching fireballs mid-flight. They careened into the ranks of its own kind, engulfing a pack of goblins and two kobolds in flames.
*Screech!*
The monsters flailed as the fire consumed them, the acrid stench of burnt flesh filling the air. One of the fireballs even struck an ogre, its hulking frame stumbling as flames licked at its red skin. It bellowed in pain, dropping its crude club to roll on the ground.
A goblin riding a wolfen charged at me, swinging a spiked flail with wild abandon.
*Clang!*
The weapon glanced off my blade as I deflected the strike, the wolfen snapping at my legs.
*Slash!*
I cleaved through its legs, sending both rider and mount tumbling to the ground in a heap.
*Stab!* *Slash!*
I drove "Mumei" through the goblin's skull, then twisted to decapitate the flailing Wolfen with a fluid motion.
The ground trembled as the first ogre of the second wave reached me, its massive club raised high above its head.
*Crash!*
The club slammed into the earth, creating a crater where I'd stood moments before. Dirt and debris rained down as I darted forward, using its overextended swing to my advantage.
*Hup!*
I leapt onto its arm, running along the length of its bicep to reach its shoulder.
*Stab!*
Driving my katana into the base of its skull, I severed its spinal cord with a precise twist. The Ogre let out a guttural roar before collapsing face-first into the dirt I leaped off it to meet the next ogre before it hit the ground.
*Crash!* *Splat!*
The impact shook the ground, its massive body crushing a few unfortunate goblins in its fall.
The other ogre charged, this one wielding a jagged axe. Its swing was wild, cleaving through the air with devastating force towards me, I swung down to meet it's axe with a *Clang!* before flipping over our interlocking weapons using them as leverage to push myself even higher into the air. Vaulting over its head , landing lightly on its back.
*Slash!*
My katana arced downward, carving into its skull and reaching the brain. Blood sprayed as the ogre fell, its dying roar shaking the battlefield.
The kobolds renewed their assault, fireballs screaming through the air.
*Boom!*
One detonated dangerously close, burning away the large corpse of the dead ogre I was standing on, the heat singeing the edges of my cloak.
*Fwoosh!*
I summoned another gust of wind, redirecting two fireballs into the horde. One struck a group of sling wielding goblins and fire mouthed kobolds, reducing them to ash, while the other careened into a pack of Wolfens, sending them scattering in flames.
A much larger ogre than the ones before it approached, wielding an enormous black great sword that gleamed faintly under the light. It swung with surprising precision, the jagged blade aiming to cleave me in half.
*Clang!*
"Mumei" met the sword mid-swing, the clash of steel ringing out like thunder.
*Shink!*
I twisted my blade, cutting cleanly through its weapon. The massive black blade split in two, the ogre stumbling back in shock.
*Hup!*
I leapt onto its chest, driving "Mumei" through its eye and into its brain. It roared, flailing, before collapsing with a deafening Crash!.
Two goblins mounted on wolfens charged simultaneously, their crude spears thrust forward.
*Leap!* *Spin!*
I vaulted into the air, spinning like a deadly cyclone.
*Slash!* *Slash!*
My katana carved through both riders and their mounts in one seamless motion. Blood and viscera painted the ground as I landed lightly, already moving toward the next threat.
Four more wolfens bounded toward me, each bearing goblin riders. The first pair carried crude, jagged swords, while the second hung back, flinging sharpened stones and twisted metal projectiles with slings.
*Thwip!* *Thwip!*
The projectiles whizzed past, one narrowly grazing my shoulder.
*Dash!*
I closed the distance in a blink, targeting the ranged pair first. The goblin atop the wolfen shrieked, fumbling with another stone as I approached.
*Slash!*
"Mumei" carved through the wolfen's legs, sending both mount and rider crashing to the ground.
*Stab!*
I plunged my blade into the goblin's chest, its wide, panicked eyes going glassy as it let out a final gurgle.
The second ranged goblin loosed a desperate shot, the jagged projectile arcing toward my face.
*Hup!*
I leaned back, the shot grazing harmlessly past. In one fluid motion, I thrust forward, my katana piercing through the Goblin's chest and into its Wolfen mount's spine.
*Gurgle!*
The creature spasmed, collapsing in a heap of blood and fur.
The remaining two wolfens with sword-wielding goblins charged in unison, their weapons raised in crude mimicry of warriors.
*Clang!*
The first sword struck my katana in a reckless swing, the goblin snarling as it tried to force me back. I stepped inside its guard, twisting "Mumei" to send the rusted blade flying.
*Slash!*
The goblin and its mount fell in two, their blood spraying the ground in a crimson arc.
The final goblin screamed, its rusty weapon slicing downward in a desperate attempt to avenge its comrades.
*Step!*
I sidestepped cleanly, the blade missing by inches.
*Slash!*
"Mumei" cleaved horizontally, severing the goblin's torso from its legs. Its wolfen mount tried to pivot and flee, but I caught its movement.
*Stab!*
A quick thrust ended its life, the creature crumpling to the blood-soaked dirt.
As I straightened, the first kobold finally reached me, its claws outstretched in a savage lunge. Unlike its brethren, this one opted for melee combat, its scaled face twisted in a snarl.
Before it could strike, I caught it mid-leap, my free hand gripping its head with brutal precision.
*Crack!* *Pop!*
The pressure of my grip crushed its skull, a sickening burst of blood and brain matter spraying in all directions as its lifeless body went limp.
The sound seemed to unnerve the rest of the horde, their snarls faltering for a brief moment, taking advantage of this I threw the headless corpse of the kobold whose skull I crushed towards them distracting them long enough for me to cut down another dozen goblins, kobolds and wolfens.
Another pack of wolfens, four strong, charged from behind, attempting to catch me off guard. Their claws and fangs gleamed with the intent to kill.
*Hup!*
I pivoted smoothly, my hand resting briefly on my katana's hilt.
*Shing!*
An Iai slash—a single, precise motion—split through the air like lightning.
*Slash!*
All four wolfens froze mid-charge, their bodies falling apart in neatly sliced pieces as blood sprayed in chaotic arcs around me.
The battlefield was littered with bodies now—wolfens, goblins, kobolds and ogres alike. The remaining monsters hesitated, their glowing eyes darting between their fallen comrades and me.
""...""
I turned toward them, blood dripping from my blade. Without a word, I surged forward. My blade hummed with deadly intent, ready to carve through the rest.
"What the h*ll?!"
Even amidst the chaos, my enhanced hearing caught the guards' frantic voices from the walls behind me.
"Who IS that?!"
"He's massacring them!"
"A fixer from the guild maybe?"
"I don't see a guild brooch...is he an independent Jaeger?"
The voices were a fleeting distraction, their words barely registering. The fight wasn't over. The horde still surged forward in unrelenting waves, and I had no time for speculation—or recognition. The only thing that mattered was holding this line until Garellia's aerial unit or a more substantial force arrived.
((Focus...))
Their chatter faded into white noise, replaced by the rhythmic sounds of the battlefield—the heavy *thud* of ogre footsteps, the wet *squelch* of bodies meeting steel, and the guttural snarls of dying beasts. Time spans collapsed into instances of flashing steel, crimson blood sprays, projectiles rushing in every direction and the rumbling of magic being discharged.
The guards atop the walls continued their assault. Their mages conjured fiery projectiles, while archers rained down volleys of arrows. Each attack was precise, thinning the horde in small but meaningful numbers. To me, however, they were peripheral—supporting actors in a play where I held center stage.
As the remaining monsters regrouped, a guttural, unified roar erupted from their ranks. They hesitated for a split second, their glowing eyes locking onto me in a mixture of rage and fear. Their scattered charge began to consolidate, their frenzied movements shifting into something more coordinated—a final, desperate push to overrun me.
((Thanks for grouping up in one place, makes my job easier, [Storm Bolts]...))
I raised my free right hand, the air around me crackling with raw energy as the sky above darkened unnaturally. Wisps of blackish-purple mana twisted and coiled around my fingers like serpents before exploding outward, streaking toward the heavens.
*CRACKLE!*
Thunder boomed in response, splitting the air as ominous clouds churned above. The light dimmed further, casting the battlefield into a foreboding twilight. The monsters paused, their movements faltering as the oppressive weight of charged mana descended upon them.
*BOOM!*
The first bolt of black-purple lightning struck with a deafening roar, slamming into the heart of the horde. The ground erupted in a plume of scorched earth and charred flesh, the searing flash reducing a cluster of goblins and wolfens to ash.
*CRACKLE!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
A relentless barrage of lightning bolts followed, each strike precise and devastating. Kobolds attempting to regroup were obliterated mid-spell, their scaled bodies left as smoldering husks. An ogre, its crude weapon raised in defiance, collapsed with a *crash!* as a bolt pierced its skull, frying its brain in an instant.
The horde was chaos incarnate now. The monsters scattered in blind panic, their earlier coordination shattered under the relentless onslaught. Some clawed at each other in a desperate attempt to escape the storm, while others stood frozen, paralyzed by fear.
The acrid stench of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood. Smoke curled from the charred remains of the monsters, their forms barely recognizable amidst the blackened battlefield. The lightning's glow reflected off the slick, blood-soaked ground, casting eerie shadows that danced in time with the storm above.
My outstretched hand lowered slowly, the last bolt striking with a final *BOOM!* that reverberated through the battlefield like the closing note of a symphony. The clouds above began to dissipate, their turbulent energy retreating as quickly as it had come.
""Haaaaaa~""
I exhaled, my breath visible in the cooling air as the conjured clouds above slowly dissipated. The battlefield was quieter now, the once-overwhelming tide of monsters reduced to scattered remnants. Blood dripped steadily from "Mumei," its bloodied blade glinting faintly in the dim light.
"Holy shi-"
The guards atop the walls were silent, their previous chatter replaced by stunned awe. I didn't need to look to know their eyes were fixed on me.
((Just one more push...))
Without hesitation, I turned toward the few remaining monsters, my blade at the ready.
But that's when I saw it...
*Flap!* *Flap!*
A shadow loomed in the distance, growing larger with each powerful beat of its wings. It moved like an ominous kite gliding over the horizon, dark and foreboding, a harbinger of death and destruction. Each wing stroke carried it closer with terrifying swiftness, the air itself seeming to tremble under its approach.
""Oh, you've got to be—""
Before I could finish, a guard's panicked shout cut through the din of the battlefield, confirming my dread.
"HELLKITE! PREPARE THE BARRIERS NOW!"
Hellkite. The word alone sent a ripple of unease through the defenders. A monstrous subspecies of wyvern, its lineage tied deeply to the draconic family, the hellkites were the stuff of nightmares. Bigger than its wyvern cousins, it radiated pure malevolence.
Its scales, black as polished obsidian, shimmered menacingly under the light, each one like a fragment of unholy armor. Twin eyes glowed with a sickly, infernal purple, burning with a rage that seemed almost sentient. Unlike the trainable wyverns, hellkites were utterly untamable—a living embodiment of chaos and destruction, their only allegiance to their own insatiable bloodlust.
The creature soared high above the battlefield, casting a massive shadow over the already broken terrain. Its wings, vast and leathery, stretched like veils of darkness, each flap exuding an almost palpable aura of malice.
"GRRRRRRR!!!"
The guttural growl rumbled through the air, sending vibrations through the ground. Its glowing, infernal purple eyes locked onto me, unblinking and full of murderous intent.
""...""
And as much as I hated to admit it, it was now entirely focused on me.
""Haaaaaaaaaaa~""
I let out a long, exaggerated sigh, the weight of inevitability pressing down on me.
((I don't get paid enough for this crap...))
The thought drifted lazily through my mind, tinged with exasperation and a reluctant acceptance of what was to come.
*RRRRRRRRRRRRR!*
The hellkite's chest began to glow ominously, purple light seeping from between its obsidian scales. The air crackled with rumbling energy, the atmosphere growing heavier with each passing moment. Its long, serpentine neck arched back, and a sharp, otherworldly screech escaped its throat.
"Look out!"
"Run away!"
The guards on the walls tried to stir me with their shouts but I didn't move.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
In a blinding flash, the beast unleashed its fury. A concentrated blast of searing purple flames (actually plasma would be a more apt description) erupted from its maw, the beam cutting through the air like a cone of death, scorching everything in its path. The sheer intensity of the attack distorted the air, heatwaves rippling outward as it tore toward me with unrelenting speed.
The ground beneath me glowed with a faint violet hue as gravel and stone begin to heat to a melting point, a prelude to its imminent destruction.
""...""
I watched the incoming cone of plasma with cold, detached calmness, its violet hue illuminating the battlefield in a sickly, ominous glow. The hellkite's devastating attack tore through the air like a herald of annihilation, its heat already prickling at my skin.
My left hand, still clutching "Mumei," rose slowly, fingers still gripping tight. Just above my wrist, an ethereal green circle materialized, its intricate design resembling the face of a clock. Symbols indicating the time from I to XII and runes rotated gently around its edge, pulsing with an eerie light. The faint hum of temporal magic filled the air as the spell activated.
""Weep, despair, and repent, for the [Moment of Truth] hath arrived for thou""
I intoned, my voice steady and void of emotion.
In an instant, the world stilled. The roaring plasma beam halted mid-flight, frozen in its deadly arc, its light stale and stagnant as if captured. The gravel beneath my boots, half-melted by the heat, was suspended in mid-air, each tiny fragment caught between states of liquid and solid. Even the hellkite itself, its jaws wide and glowing with residual energy, was rendered motionless.
Time had stopped.
For the next three minutes, the battlefield was frozen.
[Moment of Truth]—a spell born of chronomancy, its use as powerful as it is perilous. It halts the flow of time entirely, creating a temporal bubble that lasts for a duration dictated by the caster's actions in battle. Unlike most spells, it cannot be summoned at will or as an opener. Its activation requires a precise condition: the slaying of twenty enemies within a single engagement. Each additional twenty enemies slain grants the user an extra minute of frozen time, but the tally resets after each battle. No kills can be carried over; the spell demands freshly slain souls to fuel itself.
Such power does not come without cost however...
((When the time stop ends, the [temporal recoil] will render me utterly vulnerable for ten seconds for every minute spent in stagnated time. The longer the spell is active, the greater the price paid in immobility))
But that was more than enough for me...
*Dash!*
I surged forward through the frozen chaos, my every movement precise and unrelenting. The monsters caught in mid-charge became little more than targets. Wolfens poised to leap, goblins with their crude weapons raised—all became frozen statues awaiting their fates.
*Slash!**Stab!**Slash!*
"Mumei" cut through them with brutal efficiency. I didn't waste energy or flair—just cold, calculated strikes. A wolfen's snarling head toppled from its body. A goblin's chest erupted in a fountain of blood as my blade pierced its heart. A kobold, mid-screech, met the flat of my blade slicing through its throat in a clean arc, an ogre had a hole dug through it's skull with my sword.
The once-packed horde thinned rapidly, each step bringing me closer to the hellkite. Its immense form loomed over the battlefield, wings outstretched, the frozen plasma beam emanating from its jaws casting an eerie glow across its obsidian scales.
""...""
I stared up at the bat like hellkite, a coldness settled in my heart as well as my eyes.
I leapt into the air, using the body of one of the dead ogres standing trapped in stasis as a platform to propel myself higher. My enhanced strength sent me soaring through the stillness, and as I neared the massive dragon-like creature, "Mumei" glinted with anticipation.
*Slash!*
The first strike cleaved through one of its colossal wings, the leathery membrane splitting apart with a sickening *Rip!*
*Stab!*
I drove the katana deep into its flank, anchoring myself momentarily before pulling the blade free in a spray of dark blood that froze in the air as soon as it was freed from the confines of the hellkite's body.
*Spin!*
Using the force of my momentum, I twisted mid-air, carving through the hellkite's chest and neck in a series of rapid, devastating strikes. Its frozen form shuddered as massive chunks of flesh peeled away, its mighty frame reduced to little more than a butchered carcass.
*Slash!**Slash!*
A final downward strike bisected its head entirely, the lifeless halves still being held together by the stasis as I descended.
*Boom!*
I landed lightly amidst the carnage just as the three minutes came to an end. The glow of the plasma beam hitting the gravel, melting the spot where I stood into molten slag, and the sound of the battlefield roared back into existence.
""...""
For a brief moment, there was silence—an eerie, unnatural stillness that hung over the battlefield like a shroud. The remnants of the horde and the guards on the walls stood motionless, their gazes locked on the devastation. It was as if time itself hesitated to resume, uncertain in the face of the carnage.
Then, as if the world released its collective breath, it all came undone...
*Pop!**Splatter!**Thud!**Squelch!*
The part of the monster horde I could reach tore apart in a gruesome symphony of destruction. Blood and viscera erupted in wet, crimson ropes and arcs, raining down upon the battlefield. Limbs twisted unnaturally, torsos split, and heads exploded into unrecognizable fragments. The metallic tang of blood thickened the air as the ground became a canvas of gore and death.
And then it hit me.
*Crash!*
The crushing weight of [temporal recoil] bore down like an iron shackle. My legs buckled, and I collapsed to one knee, "Mumei" still clutched tightly in my hand. My chest heaved with labored breaths as sweat clung to my skin beneath the cloak and mask. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, locked in place as though time itself had exacted its price.
""Haaa~... Haaa~...""
Each breath felt like a small victory, dragging life back into my lungs as the battlefield moved on without me. I was vulnerable, a single, immovable point amidst the chaos.
"Reinforcements are here!"
*Flap!**Flap!*
The sound of heavy wings cut through the air, announcing the arrival of Garellia's aerial unit. Officers on sleek wyverns descended from the sky, their armor catching the sunlight as they landed near the walls. Among them was a figure I recognized instantly—officer Sera Banfield, the same one who escorted me to this city when I first arrived. Her piercing gaze swept the battlefield, assessing the situation with practiced efficiency. Her wyvern, Maris snorted, hot steam rising from its nostrils.
"You have done well soldiers! We'll take it from here"
Sera's eyes locked onto me briefly. I remained still, bound by the lingering effects of the recoil. Her expression hardened, and she turned to issue orders, the urgency in her voice cutting through the noise of the regrouping guards.
((I don't think she recognizes me...time to bounce))
I thought deciding that it was time to make my escape but just before I could leave...
*Rustle!*
The sound came from my blind side, too close. A goblin, grotesque and opportunistic, saw its chance. With a cruel sneer, it crept closer, a jagged dagger glinting in its twisted hand.
""Tch...""
I muttered under my breath, the bitterness of my vulnerability stinging more than any wound, Luckily my paralysis had JUST barely wore off although the soreness remained. Summoning what focus I could muster, I whispered the chant, my voice steady despite the weight pinning me down.
""[Form release: 1 of 7]""
*Stab!* *Splatter!*
The air around me warped as a massive, serpent's tail jutted out from my back. Its scales shimmered faintly, and though it faded before fully connecting to my body, its presence was undeniable, tipped with a jagged blade like instrument at the end. The tail shot forward with lightning speed, impaling the Goblin through its chest. The creature's eyes widened in shock, a wet *gurgle* escaping its throat before the tail flung it aside with contemptuous ease, sending its lifeless body crashing into the distant trees.
""Ugh! F*ck!""
I cursed, trying desperately to power through the pain. I hid my presence and dashed for the trees, away from both Garellia as well as the horde.
My part here was done...