Chapter 670 Clash of Powers (2)
"Shamans, push these barbarians back out! Do not let their filthy feet step inside this holy ground! Witch Doctors, give them a taste of your worst curses! Do not give them the chance to build up their momentum! Crush them! Break them! Make them feel utter despair!"
Following Matriarch Laelana's commands, the rows of Witch Doctors behind the Shamans quickly chanted as they raised cross-shaped totems made from the finger bones of wretched creatures of darkness into the air.
"Rak, kuzu, xan, telik, qui, fiamir!"
"Guard yourselves with aura!"
Emperor Varan had no idea what the Witch Doctors chanted, but he didn't intend to wait to find out as he warned his troops.
In the next instant, clusters of eerie black light shot out from the Witch Doctors' cross-shaped totems, aiming straight at the imperial soldiers, who were pushed back by the Shamans' green barriers.
In a contest of pure strength, it was impossible for the imperial soldiers and guards to be pushed back by the scrawny Shamans.
However, the Shamans did not rely on their pitiful strength to push the imperial soldiers and guards back; the repelling force came from the green barriers.
These barrier-type totem powers were clearly extraordinary for being able to suppress even the Rank 4 Body-refining imperial guards.
Nevertheless, as the eerie black light approached them, the imperial guards all coated their bodies in aura as ordered. They acted decisively and without hesitation, and that saved them from the cruelty of the black light as it failed to penetrate their aura.
Unfortunately, not all imperial soldiers were aura users like the imperial guards; most of them were purely Body Refiners. As such, several unlucky imperial soldiers were struck by the black light.
At first, nothing happened to them.
However, moments later, these unlucky imperial soldiers all started screaming and squirming with horrified expressions.
"Ahh! Ahhh—! Don't get near me! Don't get near me!!"
"Get away from me—! Die, die, die, you monster!!!"
The inflicted imperial soldiers completely lost their minds as they wildly swung their swords around as if to hack the illusory monsters within their hallucinations.
No one knew what these inflicted imperial soldiers saw, but it must have been an unimaginably horrible nightmare for these battle-hardened warriors to behave as they did.
Their violent panic easily broke formation and wounded their comrades as their swords could not tell friends from foes.
These strictly trained imperial soldiers and guards had never encountered such a situation. They didn't expect it either. As such, the chaos caused delays in their judgment as they hesitated on how to deal with their inflicted comrades.
"Hahaha! Look at their shock and confusion! That is the right expression to have! However, it is not enough! Witch Doctors, give them another taste of despair!" Matriarch Laelana commanded.
"Aura Users take the vanguard!" Emperor Varan thundered with a solemn, grim look.
The powerful curses demonstrated by the Delarosan Witch Doctor cleared one of his great doubts. It became clear to him that the curses cured by the Witch Doctors in the past three hundred years were most likely conjured by none other than themselves.
"What a good Witch Doctor! What a good Shaman! Such benevolence! Great scheme! Wonderful acting!" Emperor Varan spat with gloom.
"For many years, you made the whole nation think all the curses came from the witch kingdoms when, in truth, they came from your people! Your family has certainly played countless proud warriors for fools, Laelana Delarosa!"
"You must have viewed all of us as idiots!"
"Hahaha! It's good that you know! You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you the truth and laugh in front of your face, Your Imperial Majesty!" Matriarch Laelana addressed Emperor Varan without a hint of respect.
His status was a mere joke to her.
Following their exchange, the second wave of curses struck many more imperial soldiers outside the broken gate.
After the imperial soldiers and guards were forced out of the territory, the open space made them easier targets for the Witch Doctors' curses. As such, the number of victims increased by tenfold!
Having the Aura Users take the vanguard didn't necessarily stop the vulnerable non-Aura Users from getting inflicted with curses; the beams of black light flew around unpredictably to pick their victims.
Moreover, this second wave of curses came with more than one type.
Some victims experienced horrifying hallucinations and nightmares as their screams and cries resounded from within the ranks of the imperial army. Others encountered blissful dreams as they sexually assaulted other comrades; even the ground itself wasn't spared from their carnal stimulation.
However, these types of curses were considered mild among the curses inflicted upon the imperial soldiers. They only inflicted fear or bliss and didn't cause any real harm.
The most unfortunate victims were those trapped in purgatory hell, experiencing days of soul torment within the span of a breath. Time flowed differently in their caged dreamscape as scars were carved onto their souls.
The longer they were trapped within, the greater the danger to their life. It was a truly vicious curse.
The last type of curse inflicted was a physical kind – the inflicted victims were reduced to mere puppets, moving according to the bone effigies played by the Witch Doctors. It was no different from voodoo magic, used for physical torture.
"Hahaha! Instill fear! Shatter spirits! Incite torment! Provoke despair! Let these barbaric brutes tremble before the might of our totems!" Matriarch Laelana wildly laughed as she witnessed the effectiveness of the totem powers.
Against their fearsome curses, non-magic users were simply free targets.
The more wildly Matriarch Laelana acted, the more shaken the imperial soldiers and guards were.
However, the intelligent Emperor Varan eventually saw through Matriarch Laelana's false bravado. From her provocations to her wild behavior, they were psychological attacks, meant to intimidate and buy time.
Emperor Varan acknowledged the power of the totems was indeed troublesome. But besides inciting disorder in the ranks of his soldiers, actual harm was limited.
After Emperor Varan finished analyzing the situation, he immediately made his move.
"Everyone, step aside!" Emperor Varan thundered, charging forward with his sword drawn. "Your pretty tricks ends here, vile spawns! Die!!"
Ka-cha!
Emperor Varan slashed out with his aura-infused sword, and the seemingly powerful green barriers shattered like fragile glass.
However, his attack did not end there, as his sword wave continued on its path, slicing through several Shamans and Witch Doctors.
"Arghhh!!!"
Cries of pain and fear resounded as chaos quickly spread within the ranks of Shamans and Witch Doctors.
At the same time, Matriarch Laelana's face quickly paled as Emperor Varan's sword wave swept past her, narrowly missing her.
She had not been prepared to counter Emperor Varan's lightning-swift attack.
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.𝘤ℴ𝑚 for the best novel reading experience