Chapter 191: Chapter 191 - Second Wave(Part 3)

Point-of-View: Ilex Sarralot

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"Initiate Skill: Shadow Bind," I chanted, freezing a Chimera in its tracks right as the fangs of its lion head began to pierce through the skin of my neck, before stabbing it through the head with a Mana blade formed from my Soul Weapon as trickles of blood ran down the spots in my neck where the tips of its fangs had broken my skin.

I then swung the Mana blade up to split its skull open, before swiftly decapitating its other two heads, killing the Monster.

I then quickly spun around as a Scythe Mantis sprang up behind me, before one of Lynks’ ring blades came spinning across towards it, slicing off the Monster’s left arm before it could react.

As it let out a chirping screech of pain, I swiftly aimed and extended my Mana blade at its right arm, piercing into its shoulder before rapidly swinging the blade up, to literally disarm it completely.

Suddenly, it spun its body across in midair, swinging its legs out rapidly and slamming them onto its severed arms, kicking each of them towards either of us.

Lynks raised his ring blade in alarm, partially blocking it and grimacing as the scythe-like arm slashed across the side of his left arm, just above his elbow, while I quickly unleashed a burst of Mana from my Soul Weapon to deflect the incoming projectile, my eye widening in alarm as the injured Monster leapt straight towards me, as a Wind Dragonoid swooped down towards Lynks.

The Scythe Mantis slammed one of its feet onto my chest before I could react or evade, knocking me onto my back with a painful thud before kicking at my wrist with its other foot, hitting my Mana Armament out of reach.

It then moved that foot onto my throat, the other firmly planted on my chest, as it began applying pressure onto my throat, choking me. As I let out a choked gasp, I reached my right hand over to my chest, placing it onto the Monster’s shadow.

As I opened my mouth, it applied more pressure onto my throat, eliciting a sharp wheeze from me as my vision blurred, the taste of blood filling my mouth and trickling out the corner of my lips. D-damn it, I...I can’t chant like this...! If...if this keeps up, I’ll...I’ll die in a matter of seconds!

C-come on...I-Initiate Skill:...Shadow Bind!

I let out a pained, sharp cough as the increasing pressure on my throat stopped intensifying, gasping as a stinging pain burst out in my throat with each cough...damn it, I’m still struggling to breathe, let alone talk. I...I managed to pull off Chantless Casting just now. I can do it again...no, I have to!

M-Manifest Soul Weapon:...Mana Armament!

I gritted my teeth as it formed in my left hand and I took aim at the Monster’s head, firing out a drill-like bullet at it, piercing through the middle of its face and bursting out the back of its head.

I inhaled sharply as I pushed its corpse off me and caught my breath, my vision darkening around the edges slightly and blurring as I coughed hoarsely, flecks of blood spraying out as I clutched at my throat.

My throat definitely took some damage from that, it really hurts, damn it, but...but I can’t afford to stay down. The Catastrophic and Disastrous Grade Monsters had flooded into the town, most of them went further in, only a few had remaining here by the entrance and engaged us Adventurers and the Knights.

I can see over a dozen human corpses laying about, and there are still three Monsters left. Lynks is barely holding his own against the Wind Dragonoid that attacked him, a couple of Knights are trying to cut down a Manticore, a Disastrous Grade Monster.

It resembles a lion with Dragon-like wings and a tail like a scorpion’s, the Knights are slowly but surely starting to overwhelm it.

Meanwhile, a group of Adventurers are fighting a Four Armed Ape, another Disastrous Grade...with so many of the more experienced Adventurers having being killed during the last battle, we’re seriously lacking in high ranked, competent Adventurers.

The rest of the Knights and Adventurers went after the Monsters that went further into town, and I can’t imagine that they’re faring too well. Ten powerful Monsters got past us, three Catastrophic Grades and seven Disastrous Grades.

The Chimera and Scythe Mantis are the only Catastrophic Grades we’ve killed so far, and we’ve killed three Disastrous Grades. And we’ve lost about fifteen people on our side in the process, and presumably more have been killed by the Monsters that got past us.

Just how many of these powerful Monsters do the True Nobility have at their disposal, anyway!?

I then shot towards the Wind Dragonoid that was starting to overwhelm Lynks, firing out a barrage of Mana bullets at it to grab its attention. It spun around towards me with a vicious scarl, as it simultaneously whipped its tail out towards Lynks to knock him away.

He crossed his arms in front of himself in alarm while tightly clutching his ring blades, grimacing as the tail slammed onto his forearms and sent him flying back, a couple of shallow cuts appearing on the Monster’s tail as it struck the ring blades.

I quickly fired out a wide blast of Mana as the Dragonoid then blasted out a powerful gust of wind from its mouth at me, an immense shockwave bursting out as our attacked clashed and canceled each other out.

The sheer force knocked me off my feet and sent me flying back, my shoulders tensing up as the Dragonoid zipped towards me rapidly. It’s already starting to close in!

Soul Weapon Ascension: Mana Armament Level 3 - Amplifier!

I just barely managed to trigger my Soul Weapon Ascension, twisting the dial to the x5 multiplier setting and firing out a massive, admittedly panicked, blast of Mana as the Dragonoid closed in on me and began to drive its claws into my chest, swirling wind around each of its claws.

A powerful explosion of Mana burst out of my Ascended Soul Weapon, knocking the Monster away right as its claws pierced my skin, a shudder running down my spine as a couple of its claws grazed some of my ribs.

I collapsed onto the ground as Level 3 of my Soul Weapon Ascension reverted back to the default form of my Soul Weapon, feeling a stinging backlash as a result of forcing it out when it was still too soon...my eyes then widened in horror as a pained, malicious growl echoed out from in front of me, the smoke clearing to reveal the Dragonoid, still standing.

Its right arm, wing and shoulder had been blown off by my attack along with a chunk of the right side of its head, its brain partially visible.

It let out an enraged, screeching roar at my face, before raising its left hand, aiming its claws towards my head as it narrowed its remaining eye at me.

I...I need to activate Shadow Bind-...no, I’m not gonna make it in time...!

Suddenly, as I began to drive its claws down towards me, something came spinning through the air and struck its exposed brain, killing it before it could kill me.

"That was close...you okay?" Inquired Lynks, walking over and pulling his ring blade out of the Dragonoid’s head with a digusted grimace as he shook it to get the blood off the blade.

"Yeah, just barely...," I nodded, as I stood up with a slight wince and looked around.

Looks like the two Disastrous Grades have been killed too...so, that just leaves the ten other Monsters that are deeper inside the town. Ten more dangerous, powerful Monsters. Including three more Catastrophic Grades. Yeah, we might be screwed here...

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