Free Web NovelChapter 22: Fifth-Stage Red Troll vs Arianna Jade (2)
Within everyone’s gaze, Ryven held back the Green Troll.
Because of the wounds Ryven inflicted, the Green Troll’s furious screams reverberated across the battlefield.
"GRAAAAAARGH!!!"
The troll ferociously swung its massive arms, forcing the nearby hunters to retreat.
Each wild swing carried tremendous force, causing the ground to crack and tremble beneath it. Chunks of earth and debris were sent flying in every direction.
Ryven narrowly dodged the flying debris and the Green Troll’s relentless attacks.
Using the momentum he had built up, he surged forward and unleashed a third Sword Slash.
Slash!
The light blue slash cut deeply into the Green Troll’s belly, widening the wound and exposing its intestines. Purple blood immediately poured out.
Seeing the opportunity, the others quickly followed up.
Hans, standing above the fortress walls, calmly manipulated a huge boulder and slammed it directly into the Green Troll’s exposed stomach.
Boom!
The wound widened even further, causing the Green Troll tremendous pain. However, it was yet to be a fatal injury.
Ben, who was watching the scene, immediately shouted toward Ryven.
"I told you to aim for the neck! This Green Troll would’ve already been dead if you aimed for its neck!"
Hearing the displeasure in the hunter’s voice, Ryven couldn’t help but frown.
Although he wanted to target the troll’s neck, his mastery of the sword and his ability to accurately control the Sword Slash were still lacking.
After all, this was his first time properly wielding a sword in an actual battle. Had he recklessly aimed for the neck, he would have most likely missed.
The fact that he was already this proficient with a weapon he had only recently picked up was nothing short of remarkable.
Before he could unleash another Sword Slash, his body suddenly felt heavy.
His eyelids became difficult to keep open, his expression abruptly turned deathly pale, and all the strength in his body suddenly vanished.
Thud!
His entire body went limp as he collapsed onto the ground.
His long hair slowly returned to normal, while the green aura surrounding him completely disappeared.
Not only that, his Mana was completely exhausted, leaving his body completely vulnerable.
The green troll was the first to notice.
Covering its torn belly to keep its intestines from spilling out, it raised one massive hand, ready to crush Ryven to pieces.
"Protect him!"
Hans shouted urgently.
The others couldn’t react in time—most of their abilities were still being activated, and some of them had their Mana was nearly depleted.
It was at that moment they saw a flash of light.
The troll’s arm was sliced off in the blink of an eye.
Slowly, a skeleton clad in armor revealed itself and calmly stepped forward. After severing the troll’s arm with a single strike, Fred sheathed his sword once more.
By using Ravenous Strike, Fred was able to sever the troll’s arm.
The green troll let out another piercing scream, now clearly much weakened.
The others seized the opportunity and began swarming the green troll with attacks.
Moments later, the green troll lay dead on the ground, leaving behind a huge crater.
"What was that just now? Is that a goddamn skeleton...?"
The others stood there in a daze. Only a few of them had seen the skeleton before, so most were left completely stunned.
It was only after Hans explained that they finally eased up.
"It’s Ryven’s companion. Don’t worry, it isn’t harmful in any way. If anything, it can help us."
Before everyone could fully digest the information, another figure appeared.
Her graceful presence instantly drew everyone’s attention.
With her long purple hair that cascaded down on her back, while her glowing violet eyes seemed to captivate anyone who looked into them.
She also wore a violet dress that clung perfectly to her curvaceous figure, accentuating her beauty.
A thick purple veil mask covered half of her face, covering most of her beautiful features.
Calmly, she lifted Ryven’s limp body.
He was unconscious, foaming at the mouth, his body trembling violently from seizures.
Immediately, she realized the cause.
What a stupid person...
She frowned, finding Ryven’s condition troublesome. Most likely, he had copied a very powerful ability, and the resulting backlash had taken a severe toll on his body.
She sighed softly.
Calmly, she covered him in Moonlight Luminescence, the mist enveloping his entire body as it accelerated his recovery.
Then, she swept her gaze across the battlefield and immediately noticed the Red Troll.
With her current strength, she wasn’t confident in taking down a Fifth-Stage creature on her own.
However, her tension gradually eased when she noticed that the Red Troll was slowly being overwhelmed.
Like a proud tigress, Arianna faced the Red Troll head-on, the shockwaves from their clashes reverberating across the battlefield.
Again, Arianna leaped high into the air.
Her gauntlet began to transform, glowing dark green as wings emerged from both sides.
Her mid-level treasure weapon’s ability was activated.
Its effect allowed her attacks to strike with double their usual force. The only drawback was that if the user’s body wasn’t strong enough, there was a chance the user’s hand could break apart from the immense recoil.
However, that was not a problem for her.
With the B-Tier skill book, Jade Bone, combined with her ability, Beast Flesh, enduring such recoil was hardly an issue.
She burst forward like a hawk ready to deliver the fatal blow to its prey.
The Red Troll did not simply stand and watch.
It mumbled something under its breath, and a transparent red barrier appeared around it.
At the same time, it raised its weapon made of flesh, adding another layer of defense.
Arianna scoffed coldly.
As she made contact with the transparent red barrier, she unleashed a relentless barrage of punches.
At first, only a small crack appeared. Then at a steady pace, the crack spread wider and wider.
After a few moments, the barrier shattered, while her momentum did not slow in the slightest. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Using her ability, Overwhelming Strength, along with the skill Bursting Strength, her power became unmatched—even against the Fifth-Stage Red Troll that priorities strength.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed across the battlefield as the Red Troll was sent flying several meters away, crashing through countless trees.
The commotion caused the others to abruptly turn toward Arianna’s battle.
At the same time, another disturbance erupted on the right side of the battlefield.
Samminah moved her hand gracefully. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
With a single swift motion, several heads of First-Stage and Second-Stage trolls flew into the air.
She had already placed Ryven in the care of the village healer, allowing her to move freely.
Meanwhile, Fred had moved to support the left side of the battlefield—the area under the most pressure.
Countless trolls surged forward in waves, and among them was another Fourth-Stage Green Troll.
It constantly exchanged blows with Instructor Lawrence.
However, when the skeleton finally joined the left side of the battlefield, the pressure there eased considerably.
The skeleton swung the sword it wielded.
Although each strike of Ravenous Strike was not fatal, its weakening effect gave the guards and hunters the opening they needed to deliver the finishing blows.
"Not bad, this skeleton is quite helpful," One hunter said, sounding pleased.
The others nodded in agreement.
However, some of them were still very skeptical.
"Everyone, please remain cautious. That’s a skeleton, not a human. Don’t trust it too much."
Hearing that, no one seemed surprised.
After decades of surviving in a world filled with abominations, caution had long become second nature.
Three hours passed on the battlefield.
By then, the First-Stage and Second-Stage trolls had suffered devastating losses, their numbers dwindling to only around thirty.
The other Fourth-Stage Green Troll had also collapsed, dying from exhaustion. At the same time the casualties on their side were severe.
At the start, there had been over two hundred hunters and guards combined.
Now, around fifty had died, and more than a hundred were injured.
Meanwhile, Arianna, who was still engaged in battle with the Red Troll, suddenly sensed something was wrong.
The Red Troll wasn’t retreating at all.
Normally, Fifth-Stage abominations possessed enough intelligence to recognize whether they were in a disadvantage or not.
By now, it should have realized it was losing.
Yet instead of panic, a sinister grin spread across its lips. Arianna’s expression immediately darkened.
Then, something strange began to happen.
The corpses of the fallen trolls suddenly started emitting dark energy.
Just like the Red Troll before them, spheres of darkness emerged from their chests. One by one, they drifted into the air before converging together.
Slowly, the dark spheres began devouring the souls of the other dead trolls.
F*ck. This is an ability that affects the soul. I can’t damage it through physical means!
The others quickly noticed it as well.
"It’s trying to break through to the Sixth Stage by consuming its own kin!"
Instructor Lawrence shouted in frustration.
By now, his condition was far from good. The accumulated injuries and exhaustion were beginning to take their toll on his body.
If another, even greater threat emerged, the fortress would inevitably be breached, and the civilians would be placed in grave danger.
"We don’t have enough time to activate the Soul Purification Artifact..."
At that moment, even the remaining trolls began convulsing, their souls being forcibly drawn toward the dark sphere.
If it reached the Sixth-Stage, only the entire hunters of the village working together would be able to defeat it.
Without hesitation, she tried attacking the Red Troll’s standing body.
As her fist made contact, it proved ineffective. Physical attacks simply didn’t work once this type of ability was activated.
Just as she was about to call the village chief.
A woman gracefully appeared out of nowhere. She extended her delicate arm, and slowly, a mist made of moonlight appeared.
It was Samminah.
One, two, three, four, and finally five emerged from her palm.
The five Moonlight Mists started wrapping around the huge ball of darkness. Slowly, it stopped absorbing the souls, and the ball of darkness stopped growing.
As Samminah absorbed the soul of the Fifth-Stage Red Troll, which contained an immense amount of soul energy, she felt her Mana and other attributes increase dramatically.
Sensing something wrong, the Red Troll suddenly opened its eyes, its face turning pale.
Clearly this creature didn’t expect that there was someone capable of effectively attacking the soul.
But by then, it was already too late to run away.
The Red Troll started coughing up blood.
The ball of darkness eventually dissipated.
Because of Samminah, the Red Troll’s soul had been severely injured.
The body of the Red Troll went numb, immediately dropping the weapon in its hand.
Taking this opportunity, Arianna immediately went berserk, activating her Beast Transformation.
A strong pressure was emitted across the battlefield, and even Samminah felt how terrifying her strength was.
Within a few seconds, the huge Red Troll became unrecognizable. Its body was completely disfigured, while an extremely huge crater was left behind.
Jumping from the huge crater, Arianna looked at the woman who had helped them.
"Who are you?"
