Chapter 512: Chapter 512: Hero Stepping Out Of Legend
Time seemed to slow down.
The air whooshed past Sol’s ears as he blurred into motion. The world narrowed to the desperate cries of the fallen kids, the pounding footsteps of the approaching Marauders, and the glint of axes raised high in the sunlight.
Every heartbeat felt like a thunderclap. The dust kicked up by the enemy hung in the air like an exquisite slow-motion shot. The recruits’ terrified faces stretched in slow, agonizing detail as they tried to crawl away from the death closing in on them.
It was a tense, heart-stopping moment.
The young Veynar recruits tried hard to control their bodies, which seemed to have given in due to sheer terror as the Marauders closed in.
Their legs felt like they were made of lead, heavy and unresponsive.
Their lungs burned with every desperate breath. The world around them narrowed to the pounding of their own hearts and the terrifying thunder of enemy steps growing louder behind them.
A few of the fallen kids tried to crawl away, their fingers clawing desperately at the rough gravel, but their legs were tangled in a chaotic pile and their bodies were exhausted from the sudden run.
One boy, barely sixteen, looked back over his shoulder, his eyes wide with pure, animalistic fear as he saw the axes glinting in the sun and the Marauders’ faces twisted into monstrous, bloodthirsty grins.
The recruits running in front reacted with horror.
They glanced back, their faces paling as they saw their friends about to be overrun.
Some slowed down instinctively, torn between the instinct to help and the primal urge to keep running for their lives. One girl screamed, "No!!" but her voice was lost in the chaos.
The entire group was on the verge of breaking... some already slowing, others pushing forward with tears streaming down their faces, knowing they couldn’t turn back without dooming everyone.
The recruits closed their eyes in resignation, because with the Marauders’ speed, they were gonna reach them in just a few moments.
It felt like the end.
The air whooshed past their ears. Time seemed to stretch and slow, every heartbeat echoing like a war drum.
The shadow of the approaching axes loomed larger, the stench of sweat and blood from the enemy filling their nostrils.
They could already imagine the pain... the cold bite of stone, the warm rush of their own blood spilling onto the dry ground.
A few whispered silent prayers to the ancestors, accepting their fate as weak, helpless bait.
Just when it seemed like it was all going to end in a bloodbath, Sol had reached them.
Like a hero stepping out of legend, he blurred into the scene with terrifying speed. His black Rockhorn armor cut through the chaos like a dark blade, his silver-crimson eyes burning with cold focus.
The world seemed to bend around him as he moved... dust swirling in slow motion, the screams of the recruits stretching into long echoes.
He reached the fallen recruits in a flash, grabbing two of them by the back of their leather vests and yanking them to their feet with effortless strength.
"Up!" he barked, his voice steady and commanding even in the chaos.
But as they slowed down, the Marauder group sped up even more and was almost on them.
The lead raider... a massive brute with a notched axe and a scar across his face... roared with triumph, swinging his weapon down in a deadly arc aimed at the nearest fallen recruit.
The axe whistled through the air, the heavy blade descending like judgment itself.
The young boy on the ground looked up in pure terror, his eyes wide as he raised his arms instinctively, knowing it was futile.
Seeing this, Sol spun around in a blur of black armor, his body moving with the.
His right leg snapped forward in a powerful, explosive kick.
The impact landed square in the center of the Marauder’s chest with a sickening CRACK... the sound of ribs shattering like dry twigs.
The giant warrior was lifted clean off his feet, his body flying backward like a cannonball launched from a war engine.
He crashed into the three Marauders directly behind him, sending all four tumbling in a chaotic heap of limbs, axes, and dust. The sudden collision created a momentary pile-up, disrupting the entire enemy line and buying precious seconds for the fallen recruits.
But the rest of the Marauder group didn’t stop.
Three more raiders had already broken through the chaos, axes raised high, their faces twisted with bloodlust as they charged straight at Sol and the kids.
One swung low, aiming for the legs. Another leaped forward, trying to bring his weapon down on Sol’s head.
Sol didn’t stop and stepped forward, shielding the still fallen kids with his body.
His left hand shot out, catching the low-swinging axe by the handle mid-arc. With a violent twist, he snapped the wooden shaft like a dry reed and drove the broken end straight into the attacker’s throat.
The Marauder gurgled, clutching his ruined neck as he collapsed.
The second raider’s axe came down. Sol ducked under it smoothly, his right fist slamming upward into the man’s jaw with Layer 2 strength.
The impact lifted the Marauder off the ground, his head snapping back with a sickening crunch as he flew several feet and crashed into the dirt, unconscious before he even landed.
The third raider tried to flank him, swinging wildly. Sol spun effortlessly, his elbow smashing into the man’s temple. The raider dropped like a sack of meat, his body twitching once before going still.
All of this happened in the span of a few heartbeats.
"Run!" Sol shouted, his voice overwhelming the noise of the chaos. He grabbed the last fallen recruit by the back of his vest and shoved him forward with enough force to send the boy stumbling back into a sprint.
The young warriors scrambled up and sprinted again, their fear now mixed with adrenaline and gratitude.
Their legs burned, but the sight of Sol single-handedly holding back the enemy gave them new strength.
They ran toward the pass with everything they had, spears clutched tightly, tears of terror and determination streaming down their faces.
Sol stayed at the rear, covering their escape as the disrupted Marauders recovered and charged again.
More raiders broke from the main horde, drawn by the commotion like sharks smelling blood.
Axes whistled through the air. War cries echoed.
The ground trembled under their heavy steps.
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