Chapter 51: Winds of War [3]

As Jin looked at the location he had been transported to, his mind began working at full speed. As someone who had fought many battles and gone through impossible scenarios, he started to understand what was happening.

It seemed the dwarves weren't satisfied with just attacking him and had decided to send their forces to eliminate those inside the carriage. Jin's right hand moved with illogical speed, slicing the gun into small pieces in less than a second.

In less than a moment, Jin analyzed the situation and acted accordingly, thanks to the fact that he was already on alert from the previous battle.

He grabbed Cassian's hand and jumped high, breaking through the roof and getting them out; the carriage might not be safe now.

"What's your status?!" Jin asked as he stood on the carriage's roof, thinking about the best move he could make next.

"I can fight; I can handle three -B rank enemies at once." Cassian replied without hesitation, his calmness in such a situation greatly impressing Jin.

"Killian should be safe given his skill. Go support him and use everything you have!"

After giving the appropriate instructions to Cassian, Jin headed in the opposite direction of the carriage, where Elara was supposed to be. He initially wanted to finish off the five war machines before supporting Elara and hadn't used his new Legacy skill because he wasn't sure of its effectiveness.

But now, with the help of the fog and the exceptional abilities of the puppets, he should have about ten minutes. During this time, he needed to support Elara.

Jin hadn't overlooked the presence of a sixth war machine, assuming it was with Elara, which made him anxious. If another person died in front of him... it was pointless to think about it, he just needed to go.

The tracks to follow were very clear, with trees broken and the ground uneven. Many holes were made in the ground, likely caused by the hammer strikes of the war machine.

Jin was somewhat surprised while following the destruction, it seemed Elara made sure to retreat and keep a distance between him and the enemy, and they had already moved far away.

He had only seen Elara at full power once before, and that was in the Puppet Society.

'If he uses his skill that way, he should be able to last for a while.' Jin thought tensely as he advanced through the forest trees.

"This path... don't tell me!" Jin's expression became anxious when he noticed the path Elara had taken, and he began moving faster.

He pushed his limits entirely, risking additional burden on his body to arrive on time. When he started hearing the sound of heavy hammer blows on the ground, Jin stopped and looked at the group of dwarves blocking his way.

'Were they on their way to support the war machine? Or to stop any reinforcements coming to Elara?!' He wondered internally as he tightened his grip on his short swords.

None of the dwarves spoke; they all held their equipment and weapons, and mana erupted in the place with frightening force.

'Magic formation...!' Jin's expression changed suddenly, and he used ghost movement again.

No matter the power difference between him and his enemies, he should never underestimate the power of any magic formation.

The group of dwarves blocking his way consisted of ten rank A+ fighters, a red circular formation fell from the sky, applying a strange effect on them.

Nine of the dwarves suddenly collapsed, exhaustion evident on their faces, gasping for air around them. Seeing what was happening, Jin decided to charge immediately without the slightest hesitation.

The mana of ten rank A+ fighters had combined into one body, significantly enhancing the overall power of that one person.

'Rank S-...' Jin thought briefly and appeared before the enhanced dwarf before completing his thoughts.

"The formation's effect is legendary, but the power difference is simply too big." A quick move decapitated the dwarf, his lifeless body falling before the other nine, who turned even paler upon seeing that.

{Don't move.} Jinn commanded and continued advancing.

Since the targets of his skill were in an extremely weakened state and their willpower completely shattered, he didn't lose much mana.

He could kill them, of course, but he wanted to extract information from them later, everything from the reason for their presence here to the origin of that formation.

Despite easily overcoming them, the effects of that formation were incredible.

 A rank A+ fighter had risen to rank S- at a very cheap price, and the other nine didn't even suffer serious injuries.

The war machines alone gave the dwarves a significant military advantage, and having such a formation capable of enhancing power without cost could make them superior to humans.

Jin planned the questions he wanted to ask now and continued moving towards Elara's supposed location.

"Elara!" he shouted as he reached the edge of a high cliff, and what he saw was impressive.

Elara's body shone with a bright golden light as he moved skillfully around the war machine.

Jin noticed something strange about the war machine's movements, as all its attacks were strangely suppressed.

'Do they want to capture him alive? This supports the hypothesis that they aren't a group separate from the dwarven government... What happened in the world while I was gone, for god's sake?...' Jin thought as he approached the war machine, not panicking since it wasn't trying to kill his friend.

However, before Jin could reach him, something shocking happened...

The mana around Elara intensified greatly, and he began to exceed his limits.

His throat shrank strangely, seeming about to contract from the immense pressure.

He was reciting his usual verses, but the meanings of the words were strangely stronger and shorter today, was he about to break through?

Since they had been confined to the same rank for a long time within the Puppet Society, they were already at the peak of their ranks.

Everyone who had been suppressed in the Puppet Society for more than three years had the best foundation of strength that could be found. It wouldn't be strange for them to break through their ranks up to three times at most in short periods, even if they had just been released.

The more solid the foundation of strength, the easier it is to ascend in ranks.

And now, just by participating in a dangerous battle, signs of rank breakthrough were already appearing on Elara.

<Fast as a Cheetah>

<Strong as an Elephant>

Elara exceeded his limits many times over, and his muscles began to expand.

<Strong as Asher!>

His body expanded more and more, and his movements became more stable.

<Skillful as Gilbert!>

A metallic blade emerged from Elara's mechanical hand, moving strangely around the war machine.

What Jin saw next was enough to furrow his brow in shock.

Elara's eyes shone with a white-gold light, and the heat emanating from him burned the nearby grass and trees.

"MorningStar Sword Art?" Jin stopped moving, letting Elara continue his breakthrough process.

With a swift and precise move, Elara dodged the war machine's hammer and cut off its right leg as if it were made of clay.

Then, with a powerful kick, he sent the war machine tumbling off the cliff without even looking at it.

Below, there was the path of one of the monster waves... creatures capable of devouring even metals!

Jin slowly approached Elara, his voice heavy.

"H-have you broken through already?" He looked at him, unsure of what to say.

Before him stood Elara, but with a completely different aura.

Rank S-!