Chapter 52: Winds of War [4]

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Nearby…

"Jump to the right!" Killian shouted as he ran, the seriousness on his face evident as he quickly navigated through the forest trees.

He carried a young man, not yet twenty, on his back. This was the person he had brought with him after escaping from the Puppet Society and the one who had necessitated Cassian and Jin's help.

Speaking of Cassian, the two of them were running together through the forest, maintaining a distance from the dwarves.

"Isn't fighting them up close better?" Cassian said in frustration as he dodged a bullet guided by Killian's instructions.

Killian's expression didn't change, and he continued moving in the direction Jin had directed them.

Cassian's idea might seem correct since their enemies were dwarves, a race that usually relies on long or medium-range combat.

"I'd prefer to retreat for now; there are rank A fighters among them!" Killian leaped to the side as he finished speaking, and surprisingly, a dwarf appeared there out of nowhere.

"That's an example!" Killian yelled as he increased his speed; the dwarf that attacked him had strength at rank A-.

Although his overall strength should be better than dwarves at the same level as a human, especially since his body had been modified to be stronger, the number of enemies was still too high.

If Cassian were at rank B like him, things would be different, but even a legendary martial art wouldn't do much now.

{Dream Descent}

Cassian cut off the arm of a dwarf who got too close and continued running with Kilian. The scene behind them was terrifying; dozens of powerful dwarves were chasing them like worms, each at least rank B.

Some were even at rank A-! There's no point in fighting now.

Cassian looked at Killian, it was clear that carrying someone on his back was slowing him down significantly, especially since brute strength wasn't his primary trait.

"We can't keep this up much longer! We need to do something!" Cassian said as another dwarf grabbed his leg, the situation turning from bad to worse.

-

=+=

"What are you doing, for God's sake?!" A loud shout from the sky drew everyone's attention, even the pursuing dwarves.

Some began to tremble in fear, while others laughed; the mixed reactions around me left me unable to predict what was coming. Standing in the sky was a dwarf, 140 cm tall, very tall for his race. Instead of the common silver hair, his hair was golden, indicating he was indeed different from the others.

Of course, I knew what golden hair meant for this race, and I didn't like it much.

The more golden the hair, the better the mana and mental capabilities of the dwarf. The dwarf in the air had entirely golden hair.

The energy radiating around him indicated two things: the amount of mana he had and that his control over it wasn't absolute. It took me a moment to recognize his identity, but I eventually did. I had written and designed this particular dwarf myself.

The dwarf used silver metallic wings to fly, attaching them securely to his shoulders, and held a giant golden hammer in his hand. As the best race in terms of mental abilities, with the worst mana among the races on earth, dwarves often relied on external tools.

With a suppressive aura around him, the dwarf disappeared into the air with incredible speed; he was at least at rank A-.

"Move!" Killian shouted loudly, but it was already too late.

=+=

{Commandment of Sloth}

The dwarf appeared above me the next second, and the hammer he held was surrounded by countless lightning bolts.

The lightning lit up the surrounding area with a blinding blue light, and the dwarves behind us finally stopped their pursuit.

Maybe because the lightning would hurt them too, or something else... My legendary sword slowly moved at first but collided with the hammer in time as I finished preparing its internal power.

The acceleration and impact of this sword were hard to understand, and it clearly wasn't just about speed. A golden light shone from the Seal of Sloth, so intense that I saw it myself, and it obviously affected the dwarf's vision in front of me, even if just for a second.

Our powers clashed for a moment, ending with my body getting hit by some lightning and being flung backward at high speed. I used a lot of energy from the seal in that strike, making it much easier to withstand the dwarf's attack.

Thanks to my extraordinary body, I recovered from the lightning in a short time, though it still stung a bit.

'I can't withstand more than one additional hit...' I tightened my grip on the sword, trying to anticipate the timing of the next strike. I raised my sword above my head vertically and waited.

"Now!" Killian shouted loudly, still standing where he had been moments ago, looking at me with obvious panic.

Since the waves of dwarves likely surrounded the area, all we could do now was wait for reinforcements from either Jin or Elara.

{Dream Descent} 

I executed the first step as soon as I heard Killian's voice, my preparation allowing my strike to land first this time.

Killian's ability is excellent... I really can't do without this person. Additionally, the Commandment of Sloth is truly legendary; it can manipulate the concept of speed entirely. It's amazing, even if I can't intervene much in it.

The hammer clashed with my sword again, it was a bit better for me this time, but the result was the same in the end.

I was flung backward with moderate injuries, and the accumulation began to hinder my body's movements.

'Rank A- is truly amazing... It's clear he just recently broke through to that rank, yet he can still strike me while I'm using a legendary sword and martial art...' I sighed a bit as I tried to get up.

The next attack would be the last one I could execute with the same power... My ability to withstand the lightning hammer came at no small cost.

Each Dream Descent I used required drawing out the maximum energy of Sloth, which I had refined for four months in the Puppet Society and an additional week after that.

I had to adapt somehow...

I immediately moved away from where I had fallen, distancing myself so much that I could no longer hear Killian's voice.

Things were getting worse... In such a dangerous battle, at least I began to realize my flaws.

'Relying too much on the Commandment of Sloth at a low level is not a wise choice...' I barely dodged a lightning bolt that struck from the sky. If it hadn't glowed before it launched, I wouldn't have been able to avoid it.

Mechanical wings, a war hammer, and a massive mana reserve due to his racial superiority. Why didn't he keep striking me from the sky?

I noticed the sky glowing above me in several spots and immediately moved out of the range of each. It's unfortunate that dwarves aren't like humans. Even though I created this dwarf's character, predicting anything about his combat style is simply impossible.

Dwarves usually don't rely on a fixed type of equipment; the only thing determining their combat abilities is how quickly they process thoughts and their mana reserves.

So predicting Eldrick's — the golden-haired dwarf's— thoughts is extremely difficult.

For Eldrick to come here personally to ambush humans, what's really going on?

A lightning bolt narrowly missed me, bringing me back to focus on the battle. Why did Eldrick strike me personally in the first two times but now hit from a distance?

Was he simply underestimating me? But such behavior from a dwarf is unreasonable. Maybe it's related to his equipment... the lightning hammer and mechanical wings...

I dismissed the wings from my thoughts as they still worked as they had from the start, so is it related to the hammer?

The falling lightning bolts were accelerating gradually. I had to find a solution quickly, or it would soon be raining down like a storm.

<Mind Improving>

'Think... Think... Think...'

'Something related to Eldrick, how he controls his immense mana, the lightning bolts, their timing and precision each time...'

I jumped to the side at the last moment, barely avoiding the last bolt, forcing me to stumble... it was impossible to avoid the next hit now.

But at least, I finally understood the secret of the lightning hammer! I can survive!