Free Web NovelChapter 223: Punch It
Hearing the explosion and feeling the faint blast-wave brush past him, Lucas couldn’t help taking a step back, not because it was particularly loud or powerful, but because of what it represented.
Old man Hubert’s aura had risen dramatically over the last few seconds, reaching a point where it was on par with that of a Peak-Rank Spirit Adept.
Given the fact that Commander Levins was only a High-Rank Spirit Initiate, and one that was starting to see a decline in his strength due to old age, there was only one way he could have possibly generated such a surge in power.
Lucas, Christina, and every other Sea Establishment Realm soldier present couldn’t help freezing in place when they felt the explosion go off in the distance.
They all knew exactly what had just happened, and it brought tears to all of their eyes.
The final and ultimate offensive method for a Cultivator in the Grand Spirit Realm was to overload their own Dantian Core, causing it to self-destruct in a violent explosion. By doing this, a Cultivator could create a devastating blast that was at least 10 times more powerful than any conventional attack they could otherwise unleash.
Once initiated, this kind of self-destruct was basically impossible to stop, and it was said to be more painful than anything one could ever imagine.
There were also many who believed that when a Cultivator self-destructed, their Soul and Essence were completely destroyed, preventing them from entering the cycle of reincarnation and damning them to disappear forever, never to be reborn.
It was for these reasons, and many others, that so few chose to use this technique, even in the face of certain death.
The fact that Commander Levins was willing to go so far, despite knowing his final act might only buy a few more seconds of time for them, proved once more just how extraordinary a man he was.
Were it possible, all those who had sensed what happened would have wanted to stop and pay their respects once more for the ultimate sacrifice the old Commander had made on their behalf, but even that small gesture was denied to them.
Despite their eyes becoming wet, none of them cried, and despite wishing to honour Commander Levins, none of them paused for more than an instant, for the rage filled roar of the Seventh Order Beast that rang out immediately after reminded them of the harsh reality.
Even the self-destruct of a High-Rank Spirit Initiate wasn’t enough to stop this monster.
In fact, it barely even slowed it down.
Such was the cruelty of life.
When the gap in strength between two foes was big enough, even if the weaker party went all out and held nothing back, it couldn’t prevent the inevitable.
Still, Commander Levins’ objective in this battle wasn’t to win, or even to survive, it was to buy time for them to escape. The best way they could honour the old man’s sacrifice was to make sure they survived.
Reaching this grim conclusion, Lucas clenched his fists and shouted, "We can mourn later! Right now, we need to get out of here!"
No one needed to be told twice as they all sprang back into action.
"Keep moving!"
"Up the ramp! Get up the ramp now!"
"Spread out! Don’t bunch up! Make room!"
With a renewed sense of urgency, the few dozen survivors who were still yet to board the Sunchaser began rushing up the ramp or scaling the rope ladders which had been thrown over the side of the ship.
As this mad scramble was happening, another terrifying roar exploded out from the west, accompanied by an intense surge of pressure from the Seventh Order Beast. Obviously, it was pissed off and had set its sights on the only creatures around it could vent its fury on.
In the next second, a point of blue light appeared in the distance, just beyond the edge of the Great Western Forest.
This point of light was too faint and too obscured to be noticed by the naked eye, but the Spirit Qi aura it was giving off was impossible to miss for anyone with a Soul Sense.
Before Lucas, Christina, or any of the Sea Establishment Realm Captains could figure out what this point of light was, they all saw it rapidly expand as it flew towards them at incredible speed.
"Brace for impact!" Lucas shouted, grabbing hold of the ship’s gunwale and holding on for dear life.
The moment he got a clear view of this projectile, he recognizing it for what it was; a long-range attack formed from condensed Spirit Qi.
Less than 5 seconds later, the ball of Spirit Qi smashed into the ground about 50 metres away from the Sunchaser, setting off a huge explosion and sending dirt and debris smashing into the Skyship’s hull.
As the massive Sunchaser lurched under the shockwave from the blast, and almost everyone who hadn’t heeded Lucas’ warning was knocked off their feet, the young boy couldn’t help feeling a cold sweat form on his brow.
The Sunchaser was the simplest, most basic model of Skyship available, meaning it wasn’t equipped with any kind of armour, weapons, or defensive Spirit Arrays. Its only purpose was to serve as a form of aerial transportation.
Additionally, although Lucas had discovered that World Qi allowed certain laws of physics he thought to be inviolable to be bent, or even broken, the basic truth that a heavier object was harder to lift still applied. As such, the Sunchaser was naturally refined from the lightest materials possible.
Now, most of the Sunchaser’s superstructure was still built from sturdy Tier 3 and Tier 4 Mortal Grade materials, but its actually durability was quite limited.
All this was to say that a single hit from the Seventh Order turtle’s long-range attack would likely completely destroy the ship.
Understanding this, Lucas turned to Captain Gage and shouted, "Charge the Wind Burst Array and prepare to activate it!"
Lana Gage had previously objected to this course of action as she was worried about a potential catastrophic accident occurring; however, after witnessing the enemy’s attack just now, she no longer had any such reservations.
As Lana ran back to the bridge, the wrath-filled roar of the Seventh Order Beast sounded again, followed by a series of thuds that progressively got louder and heavier.
"It’s coming," Lucas uttered, his tone nervous and uneasy.
If he had been slightly more ruthless, he might have ordered the Sunchaser to take-off right now, bringing away everyone who was already onboard while abandoning he rest.
It was the logical choice, the one most likely to save the most lives, but even facing the approaching crisis, Lucas couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Perhaps he was being too soft, or too naïve, but Lucas just couldn’t get over the idea of leaving people behind, and since at some unknown point he had inexplicably become the one in charge, this was his decision to make.
And his burden to bear.
"Will we make it?" A familiar voice suddenly asked.
Looking back over his shoulder, Lucas saw two young girls staring at him anxiously, seemingly looking for some kind of comfort or reassurance.
Unfortunately, Lucas didn’t believe in giving false hope, so he just honestly replied, "I don’t know."
Lucas’ vague response naturally caused Eris and Christina to become even more worried. They also felt antsy as there was nothing left for them to do but wait.
Even Yuki, who was nestled in Christina’s arms, was shaking nervously, tucking her head into the former’s chest as if trying to hide.
30 people left to board...
20 people left...
10...
5...
"Everyone’s aboard!"
"Captain Gage!"
There was no need for anyone to prompt Lana as she had been monitoring the ramp with her Soul Sense the entire time. The moment the last person climbed up onto the deck, she activated the Levitation Array at full power while simultaneously firing the Propulsion Array.
The Sunchaser lurched up and forward violently, scraping off a fair amount of dirt from the ground as it rapidly lifted-off.
Several people were thrown off their feet again, but fortunately, the walls and railings surrounding the deck were high enough, so no one tumbled overboard.
"ROAR!!"
Before the ship could pull away from the camp, a giant head the size of a small house broke through the Great Western Forest’s treeline.
Beady, black eyes; long fleshy flippers; a hard, craggy shell, it was truly a monstrous Wild Beast, the largest anyone aboard the Sunchaser had ever seen before.
As the behemoth crashed through the trees and out onto the western farmland, dark red blood spurted wildly from a fresh wound on one of its front flippers.
This was clearly a new injury, likely caused by Commander Levins’ final sacrifice.
The old man must have thought that with two injured flippers, the turtle’s speed would be further reduced, giving the others a greater chance of escaping, and his bet seemed to have paid off.
Despite still moving quite rapidly for a creature of its size, it was obvious that the turtle was struggling somewhat.
Still, it was a Seventh Order Beast, so even when it was awkwardly dragging itself forward, it moved with surprising speed.
The creature was still more than 4 kilometres away, but everyone aboard the Sunchaser could feel the raw power and killing intent radiating off of it, causing all of them to shudder in fear.
It only took a moment for the creature to lock its gaze onto the Sunchaser, after which it opened its colossal maw and again began condensing an astonishing amount of Spirit Qi.
Seeing this, everyone aboard the Skyship paled as they felt the scythe of death rest upon their necks. They had all witnessed what this glowing ball of Spirit Qi was capable of; being hit by that attack would mean certain doom.
In the midst of the panic, few managed to retain any sense of calm, but fortunately, Lucas was among them. Realizing that it was now or never, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone brace! Lana! Punch it!"
Not needing to be told twice, Lana Gage smashed the button to engage the Wind Burst Array, causing the Sunchaser’s hull to light up as vast amounts of World Qi were drawn from the Core.
At this moment, she was deeply regretting not heeding Lucas’ advice to have the Wind Burst Array fully charged and ready.
8 seconds was all the time it had taken to charge the Spirit Array, and a minute ago that seemed like an inconsequential amount, but now, those same 8 seconds could be the difference between everyone living, and everyone dying.
The Spirit Array activated... free𝑤ebnovel.com
The Beast fired its attack...
Everyone held their breath...
