Free Web NovelThe were-rat roared. A bestial sound of pain and rage. But Jack, in his hulking rakshasa form, barely flinched.
The blow to the shinbone had staggered the massive creature. Its weight shifted precariously. Its red eyes were now burning with renewed fury. They were locked onto the smaller fiendish figure before it.
It tried to swing the cleaver in its hand in a wide, desperate backhand arc.
Jack was faster though. His arms moved with a blur of motion. Swinging the [Judgement Warhammer] to strike the were-rat's elbow before it could complete the action.
CRACK! A loud bone meeting metal sound reverberated.
Jack didn't stop with that. His Savage Rampage style of counter attack was swift, brutal, and... connected. The [Judgement Warhammer] slid down after hitting the elbow. And it slammed into the were-rat's knee from the side.
CRACK! Another sickening crunch echoing in the cavernous hall.
The creature howled. A sound that was more of agony than anger this time. It tried to charge but it stumbled. Its massive frame was heavily unbalanced.
Jack didn't give it a chance to recover. He was a force of savage destruction. His movements were efficient and merciless. He spun. Bringing the hammer around in a horizontal arc towards the creature's midsection. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The impact was like a cannon shot. Sending a shockwave through the were-rat's body. Its breath seemed to explode from its lung. And it reeled sideways. Momentarily disoriented.
Jack followed through. A relentless shadow of muscle and bone. He jumped and his free leg stomped hard at its chest. Crashing against its thick hide and muscles. Throwing the much larger foe a couple meter backward.
Meanwhile, the other gigantic were-rat was engaged in an equally brutal clash. Against the [Ancient Guardian Rockleo].
The three-eyed metal lion was a marvel of ancient engineering and raw power. Its huge metallic paws slammed down with earth-shattering force. Sending tremors through the floor.
Sparks flew as the were-rat's claws scraped against Rockleo's metal limbs.
The lion guardian responded with a thrumming roar of steam and grinding gears. Its three glowing red eyes were fixated on its opponent. Its tail. A thick chain of interconnected plates, whipped and lashed. Occasionally striking the were-rat with enough force to send it stumbling.
The clash of metal on bone was mixed with the bestial snarls and mechanical roars. Forming a chaotic set of sounds that dominated the central hall. Even louder than the battle of Jack against the other giant were-rat.
On the other side of the hall, the Silent Mermaid crew fought with a ferocity born of necessity. Hundreds of were-rats swarmed them. Their eyes were glowing red and their fangs were bared.
Reina and Aella moved like ghosts. Their form flickered in and out of existence. Teleporting almost constantly all over the place. Never staying long enough to be targeted.
A dozen were-rats would charge them. Only to find themselves lunging through nothing. Or through an illusion of shimmering fog.
They would reappear in a different place. And bursts of explosive bullets and voidfire blasts would flare from their guns. Sending several were-rats sprawling. Burnt. And their bodies went limp.
Chloe and Sparkle were also nightmares for the were-rats. They would move in and out of shadows. In the chaotic battle against much more numerous enemies like this, Chloe had abandoned her grimoire magic. Opting to use her more practical shadow sorcery.
Her newly learned [Shadow Arrows] were launched whenever she appeared. Targeting the head of the were-rats.
Sparkle, her lightning kirin cub, also contributed greatly. It launched a miniature bolt of pure energy. Each snap of its tiny spark was accompanied by a blinding flash. It wasn't strong enough to significantly damage the were-rats. But it left them paralyzed. Vulnerable to Chloe's precise strikes.
The rest of the group didn't free roam like the three girls. Instead, they made their stand in one location. Defending themselves against the assaults of the wererats, while moving slowly to the exit gate.
Leon Drake was the center of the vanguards. The armored wizard casually stood in full armor and opened his grimoire. Launching lightning spells without caring for any retaliation. His full plate draconic armor provided more than enough protection against the regular were-rats.
Don, Bell, and Moby were the group's other vanguards. They had their own ways to do their 'vanguard' tasks...
Bell with his [Buckler of Retribution] and a steamrune handgun. Don with his [Bracelet of Protection] and fire manipulation primal sorcery. And Moby with his mystic spells and both [Tough Bone] and [Great Regeneration].
These three might not be as great combatant as Leon Drake. But, they had the power and qualifications as decent front liner. Besides, they weren't alone.
Behind the four of them, Baroness Artheim, Ned, and Argust could attack freely. The lightning birds summoned by the baroness, the stramrune guns used by Ned and Argust... they were eliminating the opponents rapidly.
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There were also the four supports... Barnaby, with his various bardic songs to buff everyone in the team; Mirella with her magical scrolls of painting that did different types of team enhancement; and the healer sisters, Serene and Autumn who were ready to heal their team mates whenever they got even slightly injured.
Outside the ruin, the situation was actually more dire than the one inside. The were-rats had poured out from the hall. Mercenaries and treasure hunters who had been near the entrance were now engaged in a desperate, sprawling battle for survival.
Screams mingled with bestial snarls, the clang of steel, and the sound of explosion. It was a chaotic free-for-all. A bloody massacre that seemed to have no end.
Duke Starlight, however, remained untouched. He was like a figure of serene, detached evil. His insanity somehow didn't affect his safety. He stood near the pulsating spatial crack. His face was illuminated by its eerie light.
His eyes were abnormal. Unhinged, yet cold and calculating. He watched the unfolding bloodbath with a scholar's interest rather than a participant's fear. He wore a faint, unsettling smile.
The [Rat King Heart] was still faintly glowing in his hand. Its malevolent energy was still feeding the crack and sustaining the torrent of were-rats. He was safe, for now. Observing the chaos he had so carelessly unleashed.
Back inside the main hall, Jack pressed his advantage against the giant were-rat. The creature had already been wounded. Its movements were sluggish. Its roars were weaker. Its attempts to retaliate were clumsy. Easily parried or dodged.
The rakshasa hadn't stopped assaulting the were-rat. Its huge hammer was a blur of controlled power. He drove the were-rat back. Step by painful step. Towards one of the ruin's massive, metallic pillars.
With a final, desperate roar, the were-rat lunged. Its cleaver aimed for Jack's head. It was a move fueled by instinct. Devoid of any strategy.
Jack met it with calm, yet unpredictable counter-attack. He twisted his body. Letting the cleaver hit his shoulder pauldron. Creating a shallow cut on the blazing [Naraka Armor] that was almost instantly recovered right away.
At the same time, his [Judgement Warhammer] was already in motion. Swinging upwards with the full, terrifying force of his one-handed monstrous strength. It connected with the giant were-rat's jaw. Resulting in a bone-shattering CRACK that resonated throughout the hall.
The creature's head snapped back. Its eyes were rolling wildly. Dark-green, ichor-like blood spurted from its mouth. Mixed with shattered teeth.
As the creature fell, before it could even touch the ground, Jack pivoted. Bringing the massive head of the [Judgement Warhammer] down in a final, decisive strike.
It smashed directly into the forehead of the falling were-rat's skull. The impact was horrific. A wet, pulpy explosion of bone, brain matter, and fur.
The colossal creature dropped to the ground like a gigantic stone. Its limbs twitched for only a moment before falling still. A grotesque mound of mangled flesh and broken bones.
Jack let out a low growl. A sound of satisfaction and grim triumph. He scanned the battlefield. His eyes were quickly assessing his crew’s situation. Then they moved towards the other gigantic were-rat.
He was about to charge and helped the mechanical guardian Rockleo handle it. However, Rune appeared in its tiny draconic form. Her glow was intense. Pulsing with a new, urgent crimson. Aimed at one direction.
Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] were activated automatically. Focusing on the direction pointed by his fairy guide. The spatial crack. And his blood immediately turned cold.
The Duke had made another move.
He reached into a hidden spatial object within his leather outfit and pulled out a second artifact. It was a skull. A human skull. But it wasn't normal skull. It was bigger and looked ancient.
It pulsed with a sickly green light. Turning into an intricate crystalline color. Emitting a sinister aura. Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] identified it immediately...
[Name: Crystal Lich Skull]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Status: Cursed]
[Durability: Indestructible]
[Special Ability: Unstable Necromancy]
[Description: A relic of highly unstable, ancient necromancy. It is imbued with the power to animate the dead. When activated, it resurrects all recently deceased within a significant radius as mindless, uncontrollable undead creatures.]
Duke Starlight's insane smile was a truly terrifying sight. He held up the [Crystal Lich Skull]. Its green light washed over his face. Distorting his features.
He didn't speak. But a wave of necrotic energy, cold and suffocating, radiated from the skull. A low groan, like countless eerie voices speaking in unison, filled the air. Then, the horror truly began.
All around the main hall, and outside of it, every dead creature began to stir. The hundreds of common were-rats that Jack’s crew had so painstakingly slain twitched their bodies. Their dead, broken bodies moved again.
Their eyes, once lifeless, now glowed with an unholy green light. Reflecting the skull’s power. Their torn and mangled muscles, were reknitted with unnatural speed. Broken bones were reset with sickening snaps. They were no longer dead bodies. They were undead instruments of death.
And these weren't just the dead were-rats. The fallen mercenaries and explorers, either the ones who fell to the ruin security system or caught in the initial were-rat onslaught... they began to rise too.
Their bodies, bloody and torn, were shambled into grotesque parodies of life. Their empty eyes now glowed with the same chilling green light. They were mindless husks. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
And these abominations were now filled with an unthinking, unfeeling drive to kill. Attacking anything and everything that moved. Anything that wasn't undead.
The scene descended into a new layer of hell. The living were-rats that had been fighting Jack's crew suddenly found themselves attacked by their own recently deceased comrades. But the undead were-rats didn't just attack them. They also targeted the Silent Mermaid crew.
Outside, the human adventurers were still reeling from the were-rat invasion. And, they were now assailed by the rising corpses of the creatures they had killed and their own fallen allies. Panic erupted.
Jack's grip on the [Judgement Warhammer] tightened. His rage was a burning inferno in his chest. This was no longer just evil strategy. This was pure, unadulterated madness.
Duke Starlight had not just unleashed a plague of otherworld beasts. He had now desecrated the dead. Turning them into bloodthirsty undead. This atrocity was unforgivable.
"You.. Lunatic Bastard!" Jack roared. His voice was thick with a guttural fury that shook the very air.
He didn't care about the remaining giant were-rat battling Rockleo. Or the myriad of undead now swarming. Or the resurrected undead giant were-rat he had just killed. His focus was solely on the arcane thief.
From his chain bracers, wild energy erupted. Coalescing into black chains that was ablaze with fiery fire. The [Chains of Vengeance].
The chains shot forth with incredible speed. Slithering on air like hungry serpents of pure retribution. Targeting the source of the madness... Duke Starlight.
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