...
Meanwhile...
Outside the Night Lord's Crypt, an intense battle was unfolding between Malentansium and the allied forces.
The allied forces which consisted of Amaharpe, Proximus, and Rosentarus were slowly gaining ground against the skounae.
Despite their initial momentum dying down, the allied forces revealed no signs of being pushed back on all three sections of the battlefield.
In the sky above the battlefield stood a particular individual whose gaze seemed to stretch far and wide.
The person was a man standing confidently with his right hand resting casually on a golden hilt with red gemstones embedded in it. The hilt was attached to a sword that did not possess a sheath that enabled one could see its keen silver blade.
The man's armor was intricately crafted with diverse patterns and textures, and it appeared to be made of a combination of metal and leather. A red cape attached to the armor flowed behind the man as if it were being carried by the wind.
The helmet he wore had a raised visor that revealed only his red eyes and stern expression. And a gorgeous red plume was placed atop his helmet that remained perfectly still despite the turbulent winds in the sky.
This man was the person both Solomon and Aurie served under and the one responsible for overseeing the assault on the Night Lord's Crypt, High General Caius.
NPC Name: War Brigade 1st High Legion High General of the 1st Core, Crimson Dragon Slayer Caius(???)
NPC Level: ???
Caius narrowed his eyes as he felt an unusual shift to the winds at his back.
"You're late," Caius said calmly without making a move.
"Late? Hmph, such carefree arrogance seems to be a skill you humans have mastered. A pity such arrogance does not work on those who have the strength to oppose it." An eerie and aged voice sounded from behind Caius.
"Enough! We did not come here to exchange words with this human warrior! He is the one responsible for destroying our defenses and leading this futile assault against the treasured grounds that belong to the Night Lord who serves the sacred one! He must be punished!" A second voice echoed; however, this voice sounded considerably more outraged than the first.
"Punished? With just the two of you? Absurd." Caius replied indifferently as he casually turned to face the latest arrivals.
What greeted Caius was two individuals of the skounae race. However, they were not your average run-of-the-mill skounae. The immense auras the two skounae gave off did not lose out to someone like Duke Zareign in the slightest.
On the left side was the first person who spoke. It was an elderly skounae with incredibly pale blue eyes that were somewhat different than one would expect from a skounae. He had long white hair that flowed down to his lower back and a hunched-over figure formed from countless years of poor posture. He wore a set of clean and simple black robes that seemed to prioritize comfort above all else. And, there was a calm energy that continuously swirled around the elderly skounae and occasionally emitted violent energy that influenced its surroundings.
Next to the elderly skounae was a younger skounae who seemed to be in the midst of his aging years. He had an angered expression and a cold look in his eyes as he stared down Caius without blinking. His white hair was tied neatly into a single long braid that traveled all the way down to his ankles. He stood upright with an air of confidence that encompassed him. He donned exquisite dark blue and silver leather armor that clearly displayed his high status among the skounae. And on his back were two large metallic discs nearly half his size that hovered a few centimeters apart from one another.
NPC Name: Benevolent Darkseeker, Duke Malkonen(Legendary)
NPC Level: ???
NPC HP: ??? (100%)
NPC Name: Twin Lunar Blades, Duke Noresuga(Legendary)
NPC Level: ???
NPC HP: ??? (100%)
The elderly skounae, Duke Malkonen, smiled light-heartedly and said, "Now, now, even if we are enemies on this day, it is best to maintain some basic level of manners, would you not agree?"
"Are you always so talkative with your enemies?" Caius asked as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
"My, well, only to those I believe are worth holding a conversation with. Though... I am afraid my companion is not of the same patient nature as myself. So, I suppose our conversation will have to end here." Malkonen said nonchalantly without losing the smile on his face.
However, as Malkonen was in the middle of speaking, Noresuga disappeared from his side.
Woosh! BANG! Shrieeeeeeek!
An ear-piercing noise erupted in the skies that caused a few of the clouds in the sky to split open.
In the blink of an eye, Noresuga had arrived before Caius and launched a ferocious attack. One of the discs that were on the Duke's back was now rapidly rotating and grinding against the blade Caius used to intercept it.
"It plagues me—how others compare the Dukes of the skounae to the High Generals of the War Brigade. Put simply, I have always found such a comparison to be ludicrous. Today, I will prove it to be so." Caius stated as a massive amount of energy built up within his blade.
"Avoid it!" Malkonen called out.
The next moment, a flash of white light flooded the atmosphere. To those on the ground, it would appear as though another sun had formed in the sky.
...BOOOOOOOOOM!
...
A few moments ago, in the Night Lord's Crypt...
'Call of the Thunder God... Fourth State: Heavenly Field.'
Bzzzt...! Crrrrckle! Clap! Clap! Clap!
The sound of numerous thunderclaps erupted as the lightning element within the atmosphere increased severalfold.
Simultaneously, purple lightning strikes sparked on the ground and quickly reached every corner of the room.
Those present felt a sudden tingling sensation on their skin and had the ends of their hair stand up.
Suddenly, five flashes of light appeared throughout various areas of the battlefield.
When this occurred, Izroth's flickering figure silently disappeared as a flash of lightning formed directly where he had just been standing.
Gwraaah! Gwraaah!
In a flash, Izroth appeared tens of meters away from Duke Zareign and reappeared next to a group of Night Terror Shadow Beasts. However, he did not just show up next to one group of the creatures.
Every place one of the flashing lights emerged, Izroth's silhouette could be seen. But this silhouette was different from the ones typically left behind whenever he used his Flickering Steps. The new silhouettes showed no signs of flickering and appeared to be sturdy solid figures!
Clap!
A thunderclap sounded as each group of Night Terror Shadow Beasts received a heavy amount of damage and were thrown into a state of chaos.
In the following second, yet another five flashes of light appeared in different areas of the room. And, just like last time, Izroth's solid silhouette arrived in that place as the creatures howled out in despair.
This was the work of Izroth's Call of the Thunder God's Fourth State: Heavenly Field.
Skill Name: Call of the Thunder God
Skill Level: 3/5 -> 4/5
Skill Rank: Unique SS -> Unique SSS
Requirements: None
*New -> «Fourth State: Heavenly Field»:
Mana Cost: 1,800 Mana
Active: Creates a field of lightning that covers a range of sixty meters and increases the user's agility by 100% for 5 minutes. Every 10 seconds, a torrent of [25] lightning strikes will rain down over the course of 5 seconds. During the 5 seconds, the user can temporarily transform into lightning and instantly move any number of times to the location of a lightning strike. Each lightning strike also deals 100% of the user's attack as lightning damage to enemies within 3 meters of where it strikes and has a chance to paralyze its targets for 1 second. Enemies struck directly by a lightning strike will receive 300% additional damage. The user gains the ability to use «Heavenly Lightning Parade» during this period of time. This skill shares a separate cooldown from «Heavenly Lightning Parade» and can still be used while «Heavenly Lightning Parade» is on cooldown.
Cooldown: 6 hours
«Heavenly Lightning Parade»...
...
Zareign looked at the scene that unfolded before him with an enraged expression.
A young human dared attack him and then immediately flee to battle the creatures he called forth? Did that human not put him in his sights?! Arrogant! Conceded! Insolent!
The more Zareign thought about it, the greater his anger became.
"Insolent human—I shall personally tear you limb from limb!" Zareign roared as the energy around him surged to tremendous heights!
