The armoured rat knights charged forth, their feet leaving claw marks on the ground as they closed the gap. One leaped into the air, while the other unleashed a horizontal slash with its blade.
Moses swung his axe with all his might, intercepting the sword of the rat beastmen that unleashed a horizontal slash and also deflecting the strike of the one that came from the air.
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The third knight slammed its foot into his breastplate, sending him staggering backwards. He glanced down, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the rat’s footprint dented into his breastplate.
‘For rats, they’re strong,’ he thought grimly.
Without a pause, the knights attacked once again, moving with coordinated precision, but Moses was able to defend himself thanks to his axe, fending off their deadly swords.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks erupted as their weapons clashed. Growing tired of being on the receiving end, Moses shifted his tactic. Removing his left hand from his axe, he spun and hurled it with ferocious strength toward the rat knights.
The sudden move caught the rat beastmen off guard, forcing them to scatter. While they were able to evade the strike, an orange glow flickered at the corner of their eyes, instantly prompting them to snap their heads towards Moses.
In his hands burned two large fireballs. “Enough of this!” he growled.
With a roar, he hurled the fireballs. The rats easily dodged the balls, snickering in mockery of how predictable the attack was, but soon their mockery turned into shock as thin, crimson chains of light materialized, tethering the fireballs to Moses.
With a fierce yank, Moses pulled the fireballs back at blinding speed.
“Ah!”
Two of the rat knights were engulfed in flames, their agonized screams piercing the air and making the last knight stagger as he lost his confidence.
After picking up his axe, Moses strode forward at the last rat knight. The screams of the burning rat knights and his steady, deliberate footsteps made the rat knight tremble.
“Die!” Moses roared as he swung his axe downward.
But something stopped the blow mid-swing!
Looking down, Moses saw a short, pink-horned white rat clad in black armour with golden linings at the hem. The noble rat’s long, thick tail that seemed reinforced by some unknown armor parts coiled around Moses’ legs, binding them together.
Bam!
In an instant, Moses found himself yanked off his feet and slammed into the ground in the next second. Pain assaulted him, but he quickly forced himself to roll to the left just as his own axe buried itself where he had been slammed a moment ago!
“How lucky,” the noble white rat sneered, its voice dripping with disdain.
As Moses rose to his feet, he took in the newcomer. The rat wore a metal mask and long, flowing white hair cascaded down its back. The air around it pulsed with an undeniable aura of authority.
“Who are you?” Moses demanded, narrowing his eyes.
“Were you sent by that old man from the human stronghold?” Adah, the rat replied with another question, turning her attention to Asher who was perched atop the carriage, blood dripping from his sword.
‘That sword!’
Adah’s eyes flickered as her gaze flickered at the azure blade that seemed to be forged entirely out of ice.
Asher squatted, his gaze steady. “I just hate rats,” he said bluntly.
Adah’s eyes narrowed. “You demean us? You insult a noble race? A race far more superior than your pathetic humankind!”
“So?”
Asher cocked his head. Although his expression was relaxed, his vigilance was high knowing well that the system wouldn’t add ‘Not die’ for nothing.
There had to be something about this pink-horned rat before him that was dangerous.
Seizing the moment, Moses quickly conjured a fireball and hurled it at the rat.
But just as the fireball was about to make contact with the rat, it stopped in midair.
Then, it began to spin, faster and faster, as if caught in some unseen force.
Seeing this, Asher’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Moses!” he shouted.
Swish!
The fireball flew back and detonated with a deafening roar, flinging Moses 30 meters through the air. His axe slipped from his grasp as he landed hard, gasping for air and coughing.
Luckily, he had been quick and defended himself with his axe or the blast would have been fatal.
Adah raised her hands, flaunting her claws that glinted ominously. To Asher’s shock, Moses suddenly levitated, only to be slammed back to the ground with a devastating force, carving a crater into the earth!
Seeing this, Asher sprang into action. Adah evaded his slash with a graceful twist but her eyes widened as she spotted another aimed at her neck. She intercepted Euodias with her bare hands, the clash ringing out like metal scraping on other metal.
Asher’s eyes narrowed. His veins bulged as he pushed further, breaking her hold and just as the blade grazed her neck, she vanished in a blur.
Swoosh!
Adah reappeared atop the carriage. She touched the blood trickling from her neck, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.
Asher’s strength was abnormal. She had assumed Moses, who wielded a massive axe, would be the stronger of the two.
“Your father should have warned you,” she hissed, her voice sharp with menace. “The day you draw your sword against Edom, your existence shall cease.”
Adah lifted up her hands and Asher felt as if an invisible force had seized him. It clamped around his body like a giant’s grip, squeezing tighter with each passing moment, trying to squash him.
Veins bulged all over Asher’s body, his face turned crimson and his eyes bloodshot.
Asher knew if this continued for a few more seconds he would die and seeing his death inching closer with each passing second, he summoned all of his force and channeled into Euodias without restraint.
Awoo!
A mighty wolf spirit erupted forth, its presence freezing Adah in place. She stared in disbelief—-Asher had just summoned a spirit!
Swoosh!
The beast lunged, its claws slashing at Adah. She flew behind her carriage, using it as a shield, but the spirit wolf’s claws shredded the vehicle and sent her hurtling into the distance.
But just after that, the wolf turned, its eyes burning with hatred as it set its eyes on Asher.
Its claws glowed a menacing red. Its next strike was doomed to kill him.
Asher could feel it. He knew that the moment the claw touched him, it would annihilate him, leaving no chance of recovery. However, he was too weak to move and could only brace himself for the end.
Swish!
A bright crescent of light descended from the sky, cleaving the wolf spirit into two. The spectral beast dissolved into flickering blue motes, which floated upward and dispersed.
From above, a figure descended—a man with an air of authority.
“Do you realize what you have done?” Isaac’s voice was sharp with reproach as he landed. “Clan Edom will wage war on the stronghold because of your recklessness!”
Isaac sheathed his sword and approached Asher, who was on his knees, looking at the ground.
“I am speaking to you, boy!” Isaac barked and stepped forward, but stopped stopped. His gaze softened as realized that Asher wasn’t conscious.
[Congratulations…You have awakened a talent.]