I looked up just in ti to see Mavrik—the poison user—leaping down from a low branch, his eyes glowing a sickly green.
His body pulsed faintly as veins along his neck bulged and darkened, the air around him warping with a toxic shimr.
His jaw unhinged slightly, wider than it should’ve been, and I saw the buildup of energy within his throat.
Then he spat out a thick stream of corrosive toxin, the liquid hissing midair as it streaked straight toward .
Yeah, no. I wasn’t taking that head-on. The thought of that poison getting anywhere near —let alone touching my barrier—was revolting.
Instead, I activated [Mana Shield], and a faint shimr of blue light snapped to life around just as the toxin struck.
Ssshhh!
The sound was imdiate and violent—the venom splattering against the barrier, eating away at it like acid on glass. The shield hissed and crackled, the surface warping under the corrosive pressure, but it held long enough.
I clenched my fist and drove it downward, my knuckles slamming into the ground with a sharp crack. The impact rippled through the soil, shattering the hands of earth that had been gripping my ankles. Dirt and stone erupted around as I pulled free.
The instant I broke loose, a whistling sound cut through the air. I twisted instinctively—an arrow sliced past my shoulder, close enough to singe the edge of my cloak. I tracked its trajectory back to Gork, the archer perched above, his next shot already drawn.
I dashed forward, cutting toward Mavrik, who was still reeling from his failed attack. But before I could close the distance, a sudden force slamd into from the side.
The impact was heavy enough to throw off balance. I staggered back a few steps, boots grinding against the scorched dirt. The hit had co from Threl—the stone-skinned brute—his shoulder blow solid as a battering ram.
"Oof," I exhaled, rubbing my shoulder as I straightened. "That was... heavy."
He growled but didn’t advance.
Fine.
I drew in a deep breath, feeling mana gather in my chest before I released it in a roar—
[Sonic Howl].
The shockwave tore through the clearing, invisible but brutal.
It hit the trees with a deep thrum and forced Gork, the archer above, to falter mid-draw. His arrow flew off-course, detonating harmlessly in the distance as he leapt back to avoid the pressure.
I didn’t stop. The mont the first echo faded, I drew in another breath and released it again, this ti directing the full force of [Sonic Howl] toward Threl.
The shockwave slamd into Threl head-on, the sheer force tearing through the air like a cannon blast.
He flew backward, limbs flailing helplessly, before crashing into a nearby tree. The impact was brutal—loud enough to echo through the clearing. The trunk cracked down the middle, splintering under the weight of his armored body before he slumped to the ground.
"Threl!"
Druk’s voice cut through the smoke, sharp and furious.
His body tensed as the bones covering his fra began to shift and twist, reshaping themselves into sothing thicker, denser.
In seconds, he was fully encased in a knight’s armor made entirely of bone—rib plates locking into position, vertebrae aligning along his spine like a white carapace.
He roared, the sound deep and guttural, and charged at .
As he closed in, his right arm extended, bones snapping and reforging into a massive sword that glead with a pale, unnatural light.
He swung downward with both hands, the blade cutting the air with a whistle.
I leapt back just as it struck, the impact splitting the earth where I’d been standing. Dirt and debris shot upward, the shockwave rattling the trees.
Before I could counter, Druk’s left hand flicked forward, releasing two small bone fragnts aid straight for my face. They spun through the air, fast and silent, before detonating mid-flight.
BOOM!
Shrapnel burst outward, shards of bone flying in every direction. But the fragnts clattered harmlessly against the faint distortion surrounding —the transparent veil of [Fractured Existence].
The barrier shimred for a brief second, the impact echoing like a dull ripple before fading completely.
I surged forward, closing the distance in a blur.
My hand clamped down on Druk’s shoulder before he could react, the impact sending a deep crack through the bone plating beneath my palm. His head jerked from the force, and I followed with a sharp punch to his gut. The blow landed hard enough to splinter part of his armor and send a shockwave through his chest.
He staggered, a muffled grunt escaping him, and I pulled my arm back to strike again, but the hiss of arrows cutting through air stopped .
I glanced up just in ti to see a volley descending from above, the tips burning red-hot. I didn’t even think. Instead of activating [Fractured Existence], I picked Druk up and raised him in front of like a shield.
"Sorry, buddy," I muttered.
And the arrows struck.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each one exploded on impact, the bursts of fla and pressure shaking the clearing. The shockwave tore through the dirt, throwing up clouds of ash and splinters.
Even behind the improvised shield, the force was enough to push back several steps, boots dragging deep into the scorched ground.
When the smoke began to clear, Druk’s armor was shattered and blackened, chunks of bone falling from his fra like broken glass.
The shield had done its job.
Now I just needed to finish what was left of him—but sothing in the air shifted.
A flicker of instinct made my skin crawl, a sudden spike of killing intent from my blind spot.
I didn’t hesitate.
I grabbed Druk’s limp body by the chest and hurled it toward the source of the threat.
But the body struck nothing.
It landed with a dull thud against the dirt, rolling once before coming to a stop.
I frowned, scratching my chin.
I was sure I sensed sothing there.
But then, a violent wave of heat washed over my back as a torrent of flas erupted from behind.
I turned just in ti to see Hissra, his eyes burning like coals, one arm outstretched as he unleashed a continuous stream of fire that turned the air molten.
"Was this the danger?" I muttered with a head tilt, and raised my hand, bracing myself.
The flas crashed against like a living tide, but instead of burning through, they split cleanly down the middle. The barrier shimred faintly—[Fractured Existence] bending the attack in two streams that roared harmlessly past my sides.
The heat rolled away, carving twin trenches into the ground behind . I didn’t wait for the smoke to settle.
"Inferno Lance," I whispered.
Flas coalesced instantly in my palm, compressing into a sharp, swirling mass before I hurled it back at him.
The burning projectile tore through the air with a screech, lighting up the space between us, forcing Hissra to react.
He twisted his body at the last second, the lance grazing his shoulder before exploding behind him, the shockwave scattering debris and fla.
He didn’t slow down.
Both of his hands ca...
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