Michael could clearly tell that the situation was getting out of hand as the stronger Kitsun Guards and Awakened paved their way to the frontline. They ignored their brethren, and pushed them aside while utilizing their unique combat techniques and Soultraits.
Some Soultraits inflicted damage to the surrounding Kitsun, but that was not something the Awakened cared about. On the contrary, they harmed their brethren intentionally.
They had savored the pain, the suffering and the deaths of their own brethren long enough, and decided to heed to their master’s orders. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t pursue their desire and bloodlust while following the orders they had been given. They continued to harm those around him and stared ecstatically at those who were suffering.
‘How did nobody eliminate them until now? Like…literally…From the looks of it these sadistic idiots must have killed their own more than an enemy.’
Michael could never understand how the Kitsun survived that long as a race. They loved violence way too much. As long as they were not the one in pain, they would sadistically watch and observe whoever was being tortured. Their love for pain was simply too overbearing. It even affected their minds in the middle of a huge war. That was the sole reason Michael and his people had been able to kill that many Kitsun until now.
The strongest Kitsun working for the Kitsun Lord simply hadn’t bothered joining the war because watching the desperation and suffering of their own kind had been too enjoyable to watch.
Michael was at a loss as he observed the sadistic race. They were simply unpredictable.
Therefore, Michael steadied his feet on the ground as he awaited the incoming attacks. He released several enhanced Qi Glacicle Swords which he willed to rotate around him rapidly. Michael ensured that the weaker Kitsun couldn’t approach him. In fact, they had to retreat and make space for Michael as the Qi Glacicle Swords moved outward.
Following the manifestation of the rotating swords, Michael made use of the information he took in by observing the surroundings. He used Spirit Disturbance on a Peak Tier-2 Awakened, who had been about to stab Lilica in the back, and released a handful of Glacicles to pierce and freeze his neck.
Lilica spun around and thrust her weapon into the Awakened, killing him on the spot. She wanted to thank Michael, but too many powerful enemies attacked her simultaneously. Lilica had hardly enough time to take a breath. Her entire body was tense as she continued to move through the rows of her enemies. She pinpointed her enemies’ weaknesses and aimed precisely at them, killing or crippling them on the spot.
However, at one point she couldn’t handle the sheer number of enemies anymore. A blade found its way through her defense. The blade pierced through the seams of her leather armor and dug deep into her side. Blood spurted in the surrounding area as the blade was pulled out of her body viciously.
Lilica groaned out in pain, alarming those around her. Liopham and Pheli moved quickly to aid her. Pheli summoned several Repelling Shield around Lilica to protect her from further damage while Liopham appeared behind three Tier-2 Summons. His hands moved rapidly, and his daggers found their way into their hearts, and necks. He killed the three Tier-2 Kitsun swiftly before he sensed something from behind approaching him with terrifyingly high speed.
Liopham upped his usage of Swiftness and was just about to disappear from the spot when his legs stopped moving. His eyes widened and he looked behind himself, just to see that a large Kitsun had appeared behind him. The Kitsun’s cloud-like lower body seemed to have merged with the ground. However, that was not where the cloud stopped. No, it moved through the shadows and created new shadows wherever it passed by.
Engulfing Liopham’s shadow with his shadows, the Kitsun could restrain Liopham’s movements. That was the Tier-3 Kitsun Awakened’s Soultrait; Shadow Cage.
Liopham cursed under his breath as he tried to escape the Shadow Cage with brute force. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Shadow Cage might only be a 2-Star Soultrait, but it had been cast from the refined origin energy of a Tier-3 Awakened. The Kitsun Awakened used a considerable amount of energy to manifest Shadow Cage as well, thus rendering Liopham unable to move.
Following the Shadow Cage, another Tier-3 Awakened appeared near Liopham. He raised his longsword and utilized his Soultrait, which resulted in several spikes shooting out of the shadows. The spikes were black in color and condensed shadows that could only bloom in absolute darkness. It was a 3-Star Soultrait, but required shadows to be utilized, in the first place. The darker the shadows the stronger the Shadow Spikes.
His Soultrait possessed a great synergy to Shadow Cage as it expanded existing shadows at the wielder’s will, creating a perfect combination for a small team of two.
Liopham’s legs were pinned to the ground through the Shadow Spikes. They pierced through his calves and thighs mercilessly, drawing blood and energy. Liopham screamed out even louder than Lilica did before. However, he had yet to give up. He activated Swiftness at full power, hoping that the Shadow Spikes weakened the Shadow Cage. The Shadow Spikes removed the shadows from Shadow Cage to manifest lethal spikes. This should result in Shadow Cage weakening.
To Liopham’s relief, his guess was correct. He could force his way through the weakened Shadow Cage and move again – even though it was still hard. Liopham forcefully accelerated his movements through Swiftness. His daggers cut through the Shadow Spikes that pinned him to the ground, and he kicked the ground to blast ahead with a burst of energy.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere for Liopham to run. All he could do was rush to Lilica and Pheli, who were also struggling against their enemies.
Pheli was still unscathed, but using Repelling Shield tens of times, and keeping up Battle Cry consumed most of her energy. She was running on low storage and was about to use her last bits of energy.
Once she was out of energy, the Kitsun would flood her. It was only a matter of time before Pheli would sustain her first injury.
Meanwhile, Liopham struggled to control his feet. Fountains of blood poured out from the punctures left behind by the Shadow Spikes. Even if he wanted to keep moving and fight, his physical condition wouldn’t allow him to move much longer.
The shadows on the ground expanded once again and they would connect to the Kitsun Awakened’s shadows in a second or two. By then Shadow Cage would restrain Liopham’s movements once again, and a bunch of Shadow Spikes would pierce him as well.
But just as the Shadows were about to expand, Liopham’s body began to glow golden. Space around him twisted and the Forest Elf disappeared from the spot. He was replaced by a fist-sized Wasp that glimmered golden.
A moment later, the Golden Stinger Wasp released two stingers aimed at Pheli and Lilica. A fist-sized spatial portal manifested, and the Golden Stinger Wasp disappeared once again. In the next moment, the Golden Stinger Wasp’s swapping power was utilized once again. She switched places with Lilica and reappeared at her earlier spot.
Just as the Golden Stinger Wasp was about to disappear through the fist-sized portal once again, Shadow Spikes shot out of the ground. The Golden Stinger Wasp was about to be impaled when several Repelling Shields manifested around the fist-sized monster. The Shadow Spikes’ force was repelled, providing enough time for the Golden Stinger Wasp to disappear through the portal unscathed.
Meanwhile, Pheli had overdrawn her origin energy with the last fully empowered Repelling Shield uses. She collapsed to the ground and was about to be consumed by the Shadow Cage and impaled by Shadow Spikes when her body began to shine brightly. The Golden Stinger Wasp replaced Pheli just in time.
But this time the monster ended up getting caught by the Shadow Cage. It couldn’t move anymore no matter how much it struggled.
Yet, instead of struggling desperately to escape the Shadow Cage’s grasp and avoid the incoming Shadow Spikes, the Golden Stinger Wasp began to glow golden. It regained its composure as it switched places once more.
This time, however, the Golden Stinger Wasp brought someone to her place.
A young human, shrouded in a vibrant golden dome appeared where the Golden Stinger Wasp disappeared.
“They’re done? Well, it’s better to be rescued in the middle of the battle than dying. They should have learned their lesson,” Michael mumbled to himself after he appeared where Liopham, Lilica, and Pheli had been located just a few seconds ago.
The Golden Stinger Wasp left the battlefield through the Elemental Empress’ spatial portal to bring the Forest Elves to Opars and Mika.
Their fight was over.
“Good job! You can leave the rest to me now!!” Michael shouted loud enough for the Forest Elves to hear.
He hoped that Tiara could hear him as well, but a single glance to the side was enough to tell that Tiara was slowly losing herself. She sustained a few minor injuries, but Michael could tell that she was unable to feel the injuries. The adrenaline coursing through her veins, and the bloodlust spreading through her entire being were enough to block the pain receptors completely.
All Tiara could feel right now was the desire to slaughter her enemies.
“Don’t ignore us, peasant!” The Tier-3 Kitsun Awakened using the Shadow Cage roared.
His Shadow Cage expanded further, but Michael didn’t pay much attention to him.
He expanded the Dome of Extraction and shrouded the entire surrounding in golden light. The golden light dispersed the shadows in the surroundings. .𝘯𝘵
A deep frown appeared on the Kitsun’s face, but Michael just chuckled,
“You don’t have to try to push away the light. It won’t work,” He said lightly, “Your Soultrait is a little bit too trashy to work against mine.”