Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Breakthrough

~Pov Howard~ (First person)

Drenched in sweat, breath filthy enough to paralyze a horse and a sore body. My condition was only getting worse. The lord stopped giving me power saying "You've gotten too much energy in a short time. You need to improve on your own for a bit before I can give you new energy!" afterwards I was given no energy. No matter how many monsters I killed, my energy wasn't returned. The same situation was happening to Lenart, thankfully the other eighteen strongest weren't going through the same thing as us and could fully utilize the rejuvenation from Jantyr energy.

Despite my worsening condition I was constantly drawing more and more arrows using my bow to snipe every magic user of those damn monsters.

My fingers were going numb from the strain from drawing the string. A red mark that drew blood each time I stretched the string appeared on my finger. I gritted through the pain, but it was only becoming more and more detrimental.

Another headshot, I thought relieved as one more Squidra died at my hand.

"When you reach the requirement the energy you haven't received will simultaneously enter you. By then you will either experience euphoria, or the worst pain in your life." kept ringing in my head.

"When will we be able to gain the energy again?" I had asked the deity. He answered something that gave me chills. Finally I had to face my new reality. I wasn't a humble farmer in a humble village. I was Howard, one of the twenty saviors and the acting leader.

"Under the course of this battle, you will become tier one"

Exhaustion was taking its toll on my body. Every second I would black out, only to find my bow already drawn. It became a part of me. Blink, shoot, black out and repeat. In between my subconsciousness, I heard screams and orders given by Lenart. What a bliss, I wish I had as much energy as him. I wonder how Jasmine's doing. I heard she was exploring some ruins. No wait, didn't Lenart go to rescue her? Ah, who cares!

I suddenly felt someone grab my shoulders and shake me violently.

"Listen old man, you're clearly tired. So me and the rest of the slackers will rush out of the gate and fight them using our spears. Use this time to rest a bit. Then it will be our turn to rest after that, deal?" Lenart said to me and I have to admit, most of his words escaped me. But the words "Rest" resedied deeply inside me and made me unconsciously blurt out "Deal!"

Afterwards everything turned dark.

~Pov Lenart~ (First person)

After I finally made Howard take a well needed break, I finally began my long awaited plan.

Three hours after I returned with Jasmine my preparations were finally complete.

An army of over fifty spearmen gathered in front of the gate. The rest were left to defend the wall from any climbers.

I was to lead them and kill everything close to the gate. Now this in itself wasn't enough. So ten of the spearmen with me were of the original twenty, me included. They would lead four men to their respective part of the wall that they would protect.

We all walked out together after the gate was opened. Everyone was in their own group ready to leave for their side. I was to stay here with four others to protect the gate.

The other quickly dealt killing blows to the Squidras that had gathered around the gate. After noticing us getting ready to leave.

My spear found its way into the skull of a Squidra. For the first time I felt no energy course through my body and rejuvenate my entire being, but I was already ready for that!

Like clockwork we took our own positions. I was to face the tide, while they protected the sides.

I swung my spear horizontally and a wave of lightning flew at the enemy. It was many times more powerful than it was some hours ago. In just a day the growth I've been through has been tremendous.

The closest Squidras died to the lighting and the survivors were severely damaged from the electricity running through their veins. Those who survived were the ones blessed enough to not carry any weapons.

I quickly grew frustrated from staying in the same place and killing them. So I broke formation, in a way. I didn't abandon my position, I simply extended it.

I danced amongst the Squidras. My spear found the most optimal way to end their miserable lives one by one. My every move took with it a wave of lightning that damaged everything around.

I found myself trapped in the pleasure of perfectly moving my body back and forth. My spear was completely blue and so was I. Despite that I danced back and forth between the enemy's frontline. A crazed and dazed smile had long since dominated my face and it was only getting worse.

The weather was quickly stepping up. A powerful wind came to the battlefield and clouds slowly formed in the clouds. My lightning was going out of control, quickly draining all my energy. Slowly whirlwinds were being formed in the middle of the battlefield and the clouds blocked the sun.

A weird fluid hit my arm and burned my skin and I looked up. More and more green stuff fell on my arms and on all the Squidras on the battlefield. Acid, I thought to myself as the wind started smashing the acid onto us with force. More and more Acid started to fall and I created a barrier of wind around myself.

The Squidras howled in pain as they slowly disintegrated in front of my eyes. But that wasn't all, my body started to ache all of a sudden and more and more acid started to fall. It was pouring heavily now, despite that the village was safe thanks to Jantyr, but for myself the same couldn't be said.

"Arrgghh" I screamed and grabbed my head while hunching forward. Lightning sparked around my body and started to fuse with the acid. The winds and whirlwinds gathered around me and more and more pain coursed through my body.

I could feel my eyes opening uncomfortably big and my throat growing dry, then it happened.

(Third person)

Lenart's figure in pain filled everyone with concern and all of the people outside the wall had fled inside again. The rain of acid was strong enough to eat away at their skin and flesh.

A blinding light flashed, as lightning surged out of Lenarts body and the acid formed a wave that exploded out of Lenart's body too.

Every Squidra that somehow survived had died just like that. The lightning even managed to scratch the wall, which was supposed to be immune to weather attributes.

A small island of a meter had formed around Lenart as the rest was a lake of acid. The wave of acid had eaten thousands of Squidra alive and nothing was left. Sadly for Lenart this wasn't the end.

'The energy will now enter your body Lenart, good luck!' Jantyr thought.

Lenart started floating and lighting surged out of his body once more. His eyes were opened again, but they were just pure lightning for the moment. Lenart's whole body started gaining the aspect of lightning, but all of a sudden acid took form on his body and he became a sloppy mess, then water and wind. More and more elements of weather and natural disasters had started forming on his body. Magma flowed from his body onto the ground and earthquakes cracked the world close to Lenart.

All of a sudden Lenarts messed up body started turning into a cloud instead. The different elements subsided inside him and clouds prevailed. Slowly Lenarts body reformed itself and he returned to his former self. But the damage to the surroundings had been done.

But Lenart had done it, he had become Tier One, The Stage Of Acceptance.