“Ok folks, let’s take a short pause.”
“Let’s recap what we’ve just witnessed,” Marcus said, trying to steady his voice.
“Darven, after an intense battle with the Crimson Berserk Ape, managed to turn the tide with his incredible lightning breath and then transformed into a humanoid form, showing us a whole new level of his power.”
“And his finishing move,” Elena spoke up, “this ‘Valor-Void Sword Art,’—I’ve never seen anything like it. The speed, the power… It was like he became a bolt of lightning himself.” “Absolutely, Elena. And now he’s returning to Alister. This shows just how strong his sense of loyalty is. What we have come to learn from this is that not only are Alister’s summons intelligent, they seem to have a genuine high opinion of him, which is why they are so obedient. Unlike other monsters where the summoner constantly needs to establish a sense of dominance to prevent their monsters from acting out of line.”
“I can’t wait to see what happens next,” Elena said, clearly excited.
“With Darven back at Alister’s side, things are bound to get even more interesting.”
“True,” Marcus agreed. “This is just the beginning. The battles ahead promise to be even more thrilling.”
“For now, let us return to watching Ren and his team as they complete their raid of their half of sector X. The excitement never ends, for once that’s done, they could very well give the Reapers a run for their money.”
The feed switched to the body cams.
…
The tide of battle began to turn against Ren and his team. Despite their earlier success, the nearly endless waves of monsters were wearing them down.
Each member was pushing their limits, their movements growing slower and erratic.
Hiroshi found himself distracted by the pain in his left arm and leg, both of which now had deep, bleeding cuts.
He gritted his teeth, his breath ragged. “Damn it… I can’t keep this up much longer.” His grip on his daggers weakened slightly. He pulled up a vial, chugging down a blue potion. He discarded the bottle as he said, “That was my last potion… Ren.”
Kaida, her sword still slicing through the creatures, was visibly exhausted, panting heavily. Sweat poured down her face, and her movements were erratic. “They’re just… not stopping… We can’t go on like this. We need a plan. We’re running out of stamina potions, so we can’t keep this up… Ren.”
Ren’s mind raced, his heart pounding as he assessed the situation. They were on the brink of defeat, and his team was suffering.
‘This isn’t good…’ Ren’s thoughts raced as he struggled to keep up, burning down monster after monster. He took a short pause, reaching for a small compartment at the waist of his suit. He pulled out a stamina potion, shortly opening his mask and chugging it down before closing his mask again.
Although it recovered his stamina, it didn’t take away the aches in his body or the fact his mana was nearly depleted.
‘I would have ordered a retreat, but we’re already boxed in,’ he thought, gazing at their backs to confirm the sight of monsters behind them.
This was the reason Ren constantly ordered his team to maintain the line, ensuring the death of every monster they encountered as they progressed forward.
It ensured they wouldn’t be in a situation like this, vulnerable to surprise attacks because the monsters went behind them.
But despite their best efforts, it appeared as though they were already being attacked from both sides.
‘Kaida appears to have depleted most of her mana, Razogrin and Goro don’t look like they would be able to clear a path with a joint attack, and we can’t rely on Hiroshi for any swift takedowns either.’
‘Seems I’ll have to…’
…
“Things aren’t looking good for Ren and his team,” Marcus commented, his voice tense. “They’re being overwhelmed, and they’re all visibly exhausted.”
Elena nodded, her eyes glued to the screen. “Razogrin and Goro still haven’t managed to defeat Infernal Grendak, and they look like they’re on the verge of collapse.”
…
Razogrin and Goro were still locked in battle with Infernal Grendak, but it was clear they wouldn’t be winning anytime soon.
Razogrin’s war hammer strikes were losing their impact, and his breath came in heavy pants. “This thing just won’t go down.”
Boom!
The situation worsened as Goro took a direct hit from Grendak’s backhanded swipe, sending him flying across the valley. He crashed into a rock formation, groaning in pain as he tried to
get back up.
“Goro!” Hiroshi yelled.
Hiroshi instantly turned around, leaping to aid his friend. Ren’s eyes widened with shock when he saw this. “Hiroshi! What are you doing?”
Hiroshi was breaking the line, meaning their already bad situation was only going to get
worse.
…
“Goro just got sent flying by Grendak’s attack,” Marcus added, wincing as he watched. “And Hiroshi’s badly injured but wants to cover him. This isn’t good.”
…
Trying to cover Goro’s fall, Hiroshi was slashed deeply in his right side by a Night Reaver the moment he lost focus and wanted to charge towards him. He hissed in pain, clutching his wounds as blood flowed freely.
“Ahhhh.”
It didn’t take long for Kaida to be overwhelmed and attacked too. A monstrous claw slashed across her back, and she screamed in agony.
“Kaida!” Ren called out in shock, but he was unable to reach her as the chaos continued to
unfold.
The Infernal Grendak threw a backhanded attack at Razogrin, who countered with a massive hammer swing.
Boom!
The impact sent vibrations up his arms, making them numb. “Damn it!” He said in frustration
as he gritted his teeth.
Out of nowhere, a monster slashed him in the back, causing him to instinctively swing his hammer in defense. This left him open to another backhanded attack that sent him flying across the battlefield, his hammer left behind.
…
“Is this the end for them?” Marcus wondered, his voice filled with dread. “They need a miracle at this point.”
Elena nodded, her eyes wide with concern. “I don’t see how they can come back from this. They’re all wounded and so exhausted.”
….
“Uahhhh…”
Before Ren could gather his thoughts, he was suddenly punched in the gut by a magma orc, sending him tumbling backward.
His vision became blurry as his glasses shattered when his face landed on the floor. His hask got damaged as well.
Struggling to his feet, he wiped the blood from his mouth, his body aching from the attacks.
“Yes… a miracle,” Ren muttered, coughing up more blood. He rose shakily to his feet and called over the comms, his voice desperate.
“A-Alister… leave whatever you’re doing. Come save us. We can’t hold on much longer.”