Free Web NovelChapter 308: Hunting the Heralds (4)
Marcus stared at the crumpled bodies of his escort lining the aqueduct floor. He squeezed the hilt of his broadsword until his knuckles turned white. Golden light erupted from his plate armor and banished the shadows from the tunnel.
’Pathetic,’ Marcus thought. ’I have to do everything myself.’ ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
He sprinted across the sludge. Kicking up sprays of corrupted water, he charged directly at Novus.
"You think a piece of bug shell can stop me?" Marcus shouted.
He brought the glowing blade down in a massive overhead strike. Novus planted his boots wide and hoisted the Centipede Shield. The golden steel crashed against the bronze artifact.
A violent shockwave blasted outward from the point of impact. The magical force transferred straight through the shield and slammed into the surrounding architecture. Brick walls on either side of the tunnel cracked open to rain debris into the water.
Novus grunted under the impact. He pivoted his body to catch the next series of horizontal slashes on the curved edge of the artifact.
Explosive blasts ripped through the corridor with every parry to splinter the vaulted ceiling. Large chunks of masonry dropped around their feet. Marcus thrust the tip of his broadsword straight toward Novus’s face.
Novus tilted the shield upward and deflected the piercing attack into the roof. A chunk of stone fell from the ceiling and crashed between them. Pushing forward against the falling rubble, Novus rammed the spiked edge of his shield directly into Marcus’s chest plate.
Marcus stumbled backward. Glancing at the crumbling brickwork, he lowered his weapon. He backed away from the intact shield.
’He blocks everything,’ Marcus deduced. ’I just need to remove his footing.’
"Keep your toy," Marcus sneered.
Shifting his grip on his hilt, he channeled a brilliant surge of golden mana into the steel. Leaping over the fallen rubble, he bypassed Novus’s guard completely. The golden aura trailed behind him as he drove the glowing broadsword straight down into the unstable cobblestones beneath Novus’s boots.
The bricks pulverized instantly under the magical strike. A massive crater opened in the floor as the foundational masonry collapsed. Novus lost his footing on the failing stone and tumbled backward over the broken edge. He plummeted into the deep sewage trench below.
"Novus!" Krax bellowed from across the corridor.
Krax stepped over the pulverized masonry and locked his gaze on Marcus. He tightened his grip on his greataxe to prepare for the charge.
"You die here," Marcus spat.
Launching himself forward, Marcus crossed the sludge in a blur of golden light. He brought his broadsword down in a blinding flurry of slashes.
The glowing steel crashed against Krax’s bone-plated armor to sear through the protective carapace. White-hot energy bit deep into the tissue underneath, spraying bone splinters across the corridor walls.
Marcus drove his boot into Krax’s knee. The impact forced Krax to stumble backward.
Krax planted his back foot and brought the haft of his greataxe up to catch the next descending strike.
"Your glowing toys break just like normal steel," Krax grinned, exposing his prominent fangs.
’He hits hard, but he bleeds like anyone else,’ Krax thought. ’I just need to crush him.’
A piercing shriek echoed from the other end of the aqueduct. Elena stood trapped within Iron-Scale’s emerald cyclone. She raised her hands above her head and wove her fingers through the swirling green currents.
A brilliant tether of pink light pierced the vortex and slammed directly into Marcus’s back.
The restorative magic washed over his plate armor. The deep gashes Krax had inflicted sealed instantly, and the exhaustion vanished from Marcus’s face.
"Keep him pinned!" Elena screamed over the rushing wind.
’She undoes my work,’ Krax analyzed, glaring at the distant caster. ’I will flatten him first, then I will deal with her.’
Krax shifted his stance and focused on the violet Ley-Crystal embedded in his weapon’s socket. The gemstone flared with brilliant light. He slammed the broadside of his greataxe directly into the cobblestones beneath Marcus’s boots.
A localized gravitational singularity ignited upon impact. The immense pulling force dragged the surrounding sludge and broken bricks inward to compact the terrain into a dense sphere.
Marcus sank into the collapsing crater. The crushing gravity dragged his limbs downward.
’He thinks he can trap me,’ Marcus scoffed internally. ’I hold the power of a god.’
Channeling a massive surge of radiant energy straight into his broadsword, Marcus swept the blade in a vicious upward arc to physically cleave the singularity apart. The pure radiant magic shattered the gravitational field into useless sparks of violet light.
Marcus stepped out of the ruined crater. He rested his broadsword against his pauldron and looked down at Krax.
"I am a Herald of Aethelgard," Marcus announced, a wide grin spreading across his face. "You cannot crush the sun."
Iron-Scale emerged from the adjacent filtration chamber and wiped a smear of blood from his daggers.
He had just finished securing other heralds in the lower levels. Stepping back into the central aqueduct, his eyes tracked the brilliant flashes of light illuminating the dark brickwork.
Krax and Marcus clashed in a brutal exchange of steel and magic.
Every time Krax landed a devastating blow, a vibrant pink tether pulsed through the surrounding winds to seal Marcus’s wounds instantly.
Iron-Scale watched the magic flow directly from Elena’s outstretched hands. She stood safely secured within the eye of the swirling cyclone, funneling her entire mana reserve into Marcus. freёweɓnovel.com
’We are wasting time,’ Iron-Scale thought, analyzing the continuous loop of restorative energy. ’You break a siege by cutting the supply lines first.’
Iron-Scale sheathed his weapons and raised his right hand toward the vortex. He channeled the power of his emerald core into his fingertips.
The swirling green currents responded immediately to his call. He compressed the chaotic wind into a single, razor-thin needle of pure elemental force. The construct rotated violently over his palm.
Iron-Scale projected his voice over the clash of weapons. "Your friends in the other tunnels are already screaming. You should go join them."
Elena gasped and turned her head toward the sound. She raised her free hand to conjure a defensive barrier.
Iron-Scale thrust his arm forward. The emerald spike tore through the protective cyclone without disrupting the surrounding gales. The condensed wind bypassed her rising shield entirely and pierced straight through her casting arm.
Elena cried out as the magical construct pinned her limb directly against the damp masonry of the aqueduct wall. Her knees buckled under the sudden impact. She collapsed against the wet bricks, clutching her bleeding shoulder with her uninjured hand.
The vibrant pink tether connecting her to Marcus sputtered wildly—a final pulse of energy escaping before the connection severed entirely. The restorative light fractured into a dozen useless sparks and died.
Marcus stumbled as the flow of healing magic vanished from his veins. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening as he saw Elena slumped against the tunnel wall.
Marcus swung his broadsword to carve a path through the mud. "Elena!"
Krax seized the momentary distraction. He slammed the flat of his greataxe into Marcus’s chest plate and drove him backward.
Iron-Scale walked casually into the containment zone. He grabbed Elena by the collar of her robes and hoisted her up against the brickwork. He pressed his forearm firmly across her throat to neutralize any further spellcasting attempts.
Iron-Scale leaned closer to her face. "The healing ends here. You get to watch him fall apart."
