159 Ch. 159: The Endless [2]
Hector's lips curled into a wry smirk as he locked his gaze onto Nathaniel, and flicked off his fingers.
"Rooarr!!"
"Screecchh!!"
Nathaniel instinctively glanced over his shoulder and saw a horde of monsters that had previously attacked the wall now rushing toward him.
Reacting swiftly, Nathaniel drew his sword from his Magical Sphere, but before he could strike, the monsters' heads exploded in a gruesome spectacle.
—Splat —Splat —Splat
Green blood and chunks of flesh burst forth, creating a macabre display akin to fireworks.
Upon recognizing the familiar Mana swirling around him, Nathaniel realized that Adrian's magic had come to his aid, covering his back.
"Thanks!"
Nathaniel exclaimed in gratitude and redirected his attention to the front.
Clutching the hilt of his sword tightly, anger surged through Nathaniel's veins as he realized that the man perching on a tree branch was the one wielding the Sacred Orb's power.
However, the man abruptly turned around and leaped onto another branch, swiftly making his way deeper into the Forest of Death.
"Don't you dare run away, you bastard!"
Nathaniel shouted after him, swinging his sword and unleashing a volley of crescent light towards the fleeing enemy.
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
Hector's previous foothold exploded into a splintered mess of wood.
"Haha!!"
Yet, the man just laughed, seemingly unfazed by the relentless assault.
Undeterred, Nathaniel continued with his attack as he chased the man.
"Nate! Wait!"
Adrian's voice echoed through the chaos, hurriedly pursuing his brother.
"Ian! Go back! This is too dangerous! Let me handle this!"
Nathaniel shouted back, his focus solely on his target.
No matter the cost, he must retrieve the Sacred Orb and the only way to do so was by killing the bearer.
Hector stole a glance over his shoulder and discovered an uninvited guest joining the fray.
"Hmph!"
He had intended to settle his duel with Nathaniel alone, and the interference of another was unwelcome.
With a flick of his hands, Hector commanded forth the nearest monsters.
"Rooarr!!"
"Rooaarr!!"
When two presences entered his radar followed by their deafening roars, Adrian quickly hopped backward.
Landing perfectly on a new branch, Adrian could see that his previous foothold was now occupied by two monstrous creatures resembling giant jaguars, blocking his path.
"Grr!"
Peeking over his shoulder, Adrian found two identical monsters had encircled him, cutting off any possible escape routes.
"Rooaarr!!"
With a ferocious roar, all the monsters lunged at him simultaneously and Adrian conjured an earth tower beneath his feet, propelling him upward.
—Whack!
Green blood splattered through the air as the monsters struck Adrian's hardened pillar instead of him.
Seizing the opportunity, Adrian conjured four earth spears and launched them toward the monsters.
—Splat! —Splat! —Splat!
Green blood spurt into the air the moment the earth spears lanced through their heads.
Sensing another imminent attack, Adrian leaped backward once again, narrowly evading the arrival of a new jaguar-like monster that landed atop his previous earth pillar.
Just right after he landed on a tree branch, Adrian was forced to create another earth tower to propel him upward, anticipating an attack from behind.
—Whack!
Once again, the new jaguar-like monster struck the pillar instead of Adrian, blood streaming down its head as a result of the impact.
"Rooarr!"
As if the time slowed down, Adrian saw the jaguar monster on the pillar lunging toward him with its talons poised to attack.
Drawing his sword from his Magical Sphere, Adrian brandished it.
"Rooaarr!"
The monster let out a piercing wail when Adrian's sword cleaved through its body, its blood splattering across his face and clothes.
"Grr!"
The remaining monster below attempted to rise to its feet, but before it could regain its balance, Adrian shot a wind bullet.
—Splat!
Green blood burst into the air as the monster's head exploded into pieces.
Wiping the monster's blood from his face, Adrian surveyed the surroundings, only to find that his brother and the man were nowhere to be seen.
"Tsk."
Adrian clicked his tongue in annoyance, a sense of worry creeping into his thoughts.
Nevertheless, he just hoped that his brother had not succumbed to his own recklessness and met an untimely demise.
Because he was fully aware that the man they were facing was no ordinary opponent.
The very fact that that man possessed the ability to control the monsters indicated that he had fused with the Sacred Orb, making him an Endless.
As Adrian prepared to leap, his instincts kicked in, and swiftly darted below.
There, he saw an Orc attempting to uproot the tree he was standing on, causing Adrian's footing to shake violently.
Without much thought, Adrian created an earth plate in mid-air and hopped on.
Immediately after landing, he reflexively raised his sword when a jaguar-like monster lunged towards him, its sharp claws ready to strike.
—Splat!
"Rooaarr!"
The jaguar let out a wail as Adrian's blade cleaved through its body, causing it to fall to the ground in two halves with a resounding thud.
Nevertheless, the attack did not stop, Adrian was forced to make another earth plate and leaped up to evade a massive tree hurtling towards him.
—Boom!
The deafening sound reverberated through the air as the trees collided against each other, sending shockwaves through the surroundings, and shrouding the area in a cloud of billowing dust.
Landing perfectly and standing on his feet, Adrian quickly tilted his head and a wind bullet was passed by in a hairbreadth.
Glancing down, he witnessed numerous Elementalist Orcs and Orcs scattered below.
As expected of the monsters that lived in their true habitat, they were far stronger than those he had encountered during the mid-term test.
But now that the true power of an Endless unfolded before his eyes, Adrian gained a deeper understanding as to why the Empire was desperately trying to conceal the existence of the Sacred Orbs.
Because, could you imagine if many people had such immense power?
The potential for chaos and destruction, especially in the hands of the greedy, was unimaginable.
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