The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 379: Straight Lines in a Crooked World (11)
The monster was too strong for Reidar to fight, and he couldn't even slow it down.
He needed to find a way to distract it again, and he needed to do it before it cleared the ash clouds above.
He needed a plan. He needed something to keep the flying monster away from him.
<The Vorathid Sky-Hunters.>
The insects were still alive, harassing the Ignis by trying to lure them away, though it hadn't worked as he'd hoped; at least the Sky-Hunters were still out there.
<If I can get the flying monster to focus on something else…>
Reidar connected to the Sky-Hunters through the Overmind Consciousness. The insects were scattered across the city, still harassing the Ignis with quick dives before retreating into the ash clouds. Most of the monsters had given up chasing them, though a few still tried.
The three hundred remaining Vorathid Sky-Hunters were hovering near the area where they'd failed to lure the Ignis away—the monsters had learned the bugs were too hard to catch. Reidar had a new use for them now, one that was risky but necessary.
<New orders,> he said through the link. <Stop attacking the Ignis. Find the flying monster, and Lure it toward the Ignis.>
The Sky-Hunters broke off their attacks on the ground-based creatures and flew upward, heading toward the ash clouds where the flying monster was hunting.
<If the Sky-Hunters can get the flying monster to chase them, and if they can lead it to the Ignis…>
His plan was simple cause-and-effect: if the Sky-Hunters could get the flyer's attention, they could lead it right into the pack of Ignis following his trail.
The flyer wanted a meal, and the Ignis were many, which meant there was a decent chance the plan could work; however, the flying monster might ignore the insects entirely, or it might kill them and then come after Reidar anyway.
But it was the only plan Reidar had.
He watched through the Sky-Hunters' vision as they climbed into the sky, where the ash clouds were thick and visibility was almost zero; however, the insects had better senses than Reidar did, allowing them to track the flying monster by sound and movement.
One of the Sky-Hunters spotted it through the ash clouds—a massive creature with wings cutting through the gray haze as it circled overhead, searching for something.
Probably him.
The Sky-Hunter dove at the flying monster, buzzing close to its head, and the creature's eyes snapped toward the insect before it roared again.
If this worked, the two strongest threats in the city would be too busy killing each other to worry about a single human on a horse.
[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]
…
[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]
…
But the other insects kept going. They buzzed around the flying monster, staying just out of reach, leading it away from Reidar's position.
<Now lead it to the Ignis.>
The Sky-Hunters changed direction, flying toward the ground-based creatures, while the flying monster followed, roaring and snapping at the insects.
Reidar pulled his focus back to his own body, knowing he couldn't watch the Sky-Hunters anymore because he needed to focus on getting out of the city.
Behind him, the Ignis finally reached Reidar's final defensive line. The Avatar of Primal Convergence stood its ground as it used Cataclysmic Cleave to strike the first monster that came within range.
The blow dealt significant damage, but the level difference was still there, since the Ignis were level 480+ and were moving in a group of dozens.
The lead Ignis charged and slammed into the nearest Siege Breaker, making the construct stagger but not fall. The Siege Breaker swung its weapon, a massive stone hammer, and struck the Ignis in the side.
The creature screeched and stumbled, but it recovered quickly. It lashed out with its blade-arms, striking the Siege Breaker's torso.
The other Ignis joined the fight and swarmed the Siege Breakers. The constructs fought back, swinging their weapons and unleashing elemental attacks, but they were outnumbered.
[Your Summon (Siege Breaker) has been destroyed.]
The Verdant Sovereign tried to help, sending vines surging across the ground to wrap around the Ignis and hold them in place, but the creatures tore through the vines as if they were nothing. One Ignis turned toward the Verdant Sovereign and charged, covering the distance in seconds; the Sovereign tried to defend itself by creating a wall of thorns, but the Ignis smashed through it before its blade-arms came down, cutting deep into the Sovereign's body.
[Your Summon (Verdant Sovereign) has been destroyed.]
The Avatar of Primal Convergence unleashed its full power, and elemental energy surged out from its body to strike the Ignis with fire, lightning, and ice. The attacks hit hard, causing some of the creatures to stagger, but they didn't stop. The Ignis swarmed the Avatar, attacking from all sides as their blade-arms cut through the elemental energy to strike the construct's core. The Avatar fought back, but it was overwhelmed.
[Your Summon (Avatar of Primal Convergence) has been destroyed.]
The Void-Claw Pack tried hit-and-run tactics. The shadow beasts darted in and out, slashing at the Ignis with their claws. The attacks left marks on the creatures' skin, but they weren't deep enough to matter.
The Ignis spread out and cornered the Void-Claws one by one. The shadow beasts tried to retreat into the buildings, but the Ignis followed.
[Your Summon (Void-Claw) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Void-Claw) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Void-Claw) has been destroyed.]
…
…
…
[Your Summon (Void-Claw) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Void-Claw) has been destroyed.]
[Your Summon (Void-Claw) has been destroyed.]
…
The notifications kept coming. Reidar felt each death through the connection, but he didn't stop riding.
The last Siege Breaker fell. The construct's stone body shattered, and the Ignis moved past it without slowing down.
[Your Summon (Siege Breaker) has been destroyed.]
Reidar checked the distance and realized the Ignis were maybe fourteen blocks behind him now, which meant there was nothing between him and the creatures anymore—no summons, no walls, nothing. However, he was far enough away because the summons had bought him the time he needed, and the edge of the city was three blocks ahead.
<Just a bit more.>
He was alone on the road, but as he looked back, he realized the stalling had worked. He had spent a fortune in mana, but the distance between him and the pack was now several hundred meters—enough for him to reach the city limits before they could close the gap, and the flying monster was slowly reaching the ground.
