Chapter 85: Destroying The Nodes
The distance between Regaleon and the advancing Terracotta vanished in a blink.
BOOM!
The construct crossed several meters in a single bound. Obsidian cracked beneath its armoured feet as it surged forward, its massive sword trailing behind it like a comet of iron.
Crimson radiance burned brightly beneath the visor, casting an ominous glow across sections of the crypt.
The weapon descended upon the failed Knight and Regaleon met the attack head-on...
CLANG!
The impact detonated through the crypt. A violent shockwave burst outward from the collision, sending dust spiraling from the nearby platforms.
The Forgotten Knight’s boots scraped across the polished floor, leaving shallow grooves in the obsidian as he absorbed the impact. But unlike before, he did not yield...
His golden eyes remained fixed upon the construct as muscles strained beneath his Armour.
The Terracotta pushed forward relentlessly, trying to overcome him with brute strength, but Regaleon answered with an equal ferocity of his own.
For several seconds, neither side gained an advantage over the other. But gradually, Regaleon began faltering...
The construct possessed a strength infinitely closer to a true Rank One Anima and trying to compete with it merely as an Awakener is like trying to use the strength of a mantis to stop a chariot.
So unsurprisingly, he was the first to succumb; but just as it seems the puppet was finally gaining the upperhand, Regaleon changed strategy...
The failed Knight suddenly twisted sideways, causing the knight’s sword to pass by him, crashing downward...
BOOM!
The weapon pulverized a section of the floor instantly. And just before the construct could recover, the shaft of Regaleon’s Halberd slammed into its torso with brutal force...
BANG!
The Terracotta staggered slightly, but that was enough opening for Aureleah to take advantage of.
Shadows unfurled behind the construct as the silver-haired Assassin emerged soundlessly from the darkness. Her twin Daggers flashed with a dark glint as she activated "Mark Of Darkness."
SHING!
The dual blade pierced through the puppet’s armour immediately.
Unlike Regaleon’s Halberd that needed considerable strength to do minimal damage, Aureleah’s King Tier weapons tore through the armour with far less resistance.
Crimson light flared in its eyes as the construct surged forward. Despite the damage, it didn’t relent.
Instead, it reacted instantly as its free hand swept backward with enough force to shatter stone... But Aureleah vanished before the strike could connect.
This movement created a small window for Regaleon to exploit and without hesitation, the silver-haired Knight took it. Silver light erupted across his Halberd as he activated "Silver Sheen."
Then, he drove the axe blade forward...
SHING!
The weapon plunged into the fractured cavity Aureleah had created moments before it could start regenerating.
Since his own Soul Essence was even longer than Aureleah’s, the weapon was able to penetrate deeply, connecting with something fundamental in the Terracotta.
The crimson glow within the construct’s eyes pulsed violently, then it began to stutter. Suddenly, the Terracotta froze instantly, its massive weapon slipped from its grasp before striking the ground with a deafening crash.
Cracks raced through the knight’s body, until it collapsed into a heap of shattered fragments...
The battle this time was considerably shorter and easier, but that was because they already knew about the weak spot of the Terracotta beforehand.
Also, it was two ganging up against one and with their seamless cooperation, bringing the guardian down was only a matter of time.
Regaleon exhaled slowly. Yet, before the duo could have a moment of reprieve, the crypt was suddenly filled with another sound...
CRACK!
Both Awakeners turned in time to see a third knight breaking free from its stone shell. Ancient fragments rained from its shoulders as it moved its body.
Unlike the first two guardians, this one was carrying a mace which looks heavy enough to crush an average human into bloody pulp.
Crimson light ignited beneath its helmet as it walked toward the edge of the platform and jumped...
BOOM!
Regaleon exchanged glances with Aureleah, and without another word, the duo ran toward the animated statue...
Meanwhile, atop the dais, Kaeloris studied the glowing Mummification Array with mounting anxiety. Sweat dripped from his forehead as his eyes moved rapidly between the formation before him and the ancient runes spread through it.
Around him, the remaining five stood before a crystal pylon each awaiting his instructions...
"So, what next?" Veyrath asked nervously.
The failed Alchemist had been using a side-eye to observe the battling duo. At first, when they had destroyed the second Terracotta, he had been elated. But seeing the third statue finally becoming animated had turned that elation to depression...
"Don’t distract me!" Kaeloris snapped. His voice was somehow strained from the kind of burden pressing down on him.
The Mummification Array turned out to be more sophisticated than he initially assumed. The glowing lines connecting the eight crystal nodes stretched throughout the crypt like a living circulatory system.
Energy pulsed through them continuously and with what he was seeing, simply taking out one or two nodes after another would not cut it out.
The Mummification Array itself functioned as a complete circuit. Every node had to be destroyed simultaneously and doing any less might cause the formation to redirect its energy elsewhere.
And Kaeloris was not about to find out what this "elsewhere" entails.
After a tensive silence, he finally turned toward the failed Vanguard and requested. "Valmyr, I’m going to need your sword."
He had finally come to a decision. Since there was no other way to disabling the Array, then they would have to go with the original plan. Hopefully, this would not turn out to be a great mistake...
"My Sword? Why do you need it?"
"Because none of my Soul Essences are heavy or sharp enough to deal damage to the crystal."
Valmyr nodded curtly before handing his Sword over. The weight of the massive Soul Essence nearly made Kaeloris’ knees buckle. With a heavy grunt, he finally managed to stabilize the Broadsword using both hands.
Then he spoke further. "Sylveris, you’ll also need the saber fangs."
The fourteen-years-old nodded before turning to Caelestra, who opened her Treasure Chest to retrieve two polished ivory fangs.
This time, they no longer resembled crude monster teeth. Instead, after Regaleon took his time to refine them, he was able to turn them into proper weapons. So they were now elegant, sharp and deadly.
Sylveris received the blades carefully before turning back to Kaeloris. "I’m ready."
Kaeloris’ expression was grave as he addressed them. "On my signal, all of you are to destroy the pylons before you with everything you have."
"Remember, we are to do it simultaneously unless you want something to go wrong..." He warned grimly.
The group tensed their shoulders as they looked at the glowing crystals before them seriously...
"Three...!" Kaeloris started the countdown. "Two... One... Break!"
Immediately after hearing that, they all moved at once as; Kaeloris slammed the Broadsword into his node with both hands...
With a roar, Valmyr hit his own node with the edge of his Great Shield...
Caelestra swung her ornate Treasure Chest at her own node with every strength she could muster...
Sylveris, despite being the smallest, slashed at her node with the ivory fangs in both hands repeatedly...
And Vaelorin simply channeled Fiery Aether into his staff, unleashing flames at his own crystal...
CRASH!!!!!!
The dais shook the moment the strikes landed simultaneously. Then, every crystals began to fracture before shattering into crumbs...
Immediately after, the crimson currents running throughout the crypt flickered wildly, then eventually, they turned dark...
Seeing this, Kaeloris laughed weakly before whispering. "We did it..."
The others also let out a breath of relief but just before they could begin celebrating this minor victory...
CRACK!
A sound suddenly echoed across the sepulchre.
CRACK!!
Another sound followed immediately...
CRACK!!! CRACK!!!! CRACK!!!!!
A series of sounds suddenly echoed across the crypt like a deathly chorus...
