Chapter 630: Swift Cleanup
Chapter 630: Swift Cleanup
"Naray, you're here?"
In the tunnel filled with scattered sparks, an intense battle was underway.
The Awakened commander, who was overseeing the operation, heard footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, he saw Naray leading an elite squad.
A look of relief appeared on the Awakened's face.
The battle here strictly adhered to the rules established by Lord Lindsey.
After discovering the presence of intelligent Deviators within the cave, they immediately retracted their forces, aborting the surprise attack. They positioned Headshield Beetles at the forefront to block the entrance, while they held their ground within the tunnel.
As soon as they saw the reinforcements arrive, the experienced commander ordered the insects to clear a path:
"Haus, rest assured, I'll take care of this guy."
Naray nodded slightly at the commander and stepped forward.
Naray's skill was that of an Elemental Manipulator, an art divided into two schools. One school focused on the four elements of water, fire, earth, and wind, while the other emphasized the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.
Naray belonged to the former school. In the first stage, he learned to sense and manipulate the wind; in the second stage, he delved into the earth, mastering its power; and in the third stage, he chose to harness the element of fire.
Following the progression of an Elemental Manipulator, in the fourth stage, he would gain control over the final element, water.
Once he had mastered and integrated these four foundational elements, achieving a breakthrough, and sensed the existence of the air attribute, Naray would officially advance to the fifth stage, becoming an Ascended Aberrator.
And now, in the underground battle, Naray sniffed the air, discerning the enemy's strategic distribution from the disturbance in the airflow. With his expertise, he swiftly devised a plan:
"Perfect, right in the center of the cave."
The next moment, Essence pulses emerged from beneath the ground.
Although the Deviators had established their base underground, they couldn't manipulate the soil; they had chosen this location for its concealment.
Under Naray's skilled manipulation, the Fourth Stage Deviator, who had been stationed there, suddenly felt the ground beneath him give way.
A thunderous rumble echoed as the ground split open, and the Deviator's body plummeted into the chasm.
His body fell about a meter before the opening ground began to close in, seemingly intent on trapping him underground!
"Damn it!" the Deviator cursed.
In a critical moment, he extended his right arm upwards, and his flesh and blood visibly swelled, wedging perfectly into the closing fissure.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Flame Arrows shot out from the darkness in rapid succession.
After Naray subdued the Deviator, the archers in the army joined the assault.
Trained in strategic architecture, they might not achieve a hundred percent accuracy, but their numbers and abundance of arrows made up for it.
"Good!"
Naray gritted his teeth, and his skill activated once more.
The flames on the arrows instantly intensified, igniting a blaze around the swollen arm.
The Deviators, who had been summoned to provide flesh and blood for the higher-ranked existence, were now forced to slow down, struggling to advance through the flames, which were almost like a natural enemy to them. They couldn't immediately support the Fourth Stage Deviator.
"Send the insects to launch a surprise attack. I've trapped him underground," Naray shouted.
"After we finish cleaning up, we'll toss the explosives Lord Lindsey gave us and give him a warm welcome!"
At Naray's command, the insects, who had been waiting to attack, charged forward. Without the Fourth Stage Deviator's leadership, the lower-ranked Deviators were easier to handle, no match for these skilled warriors.
A minute later, a deafening boom reverberated from underground.
As the heat from the explosion surged, Naray, who had been straining to control the Deviator, relaxed, and his body went limp, falling backward.
Nari was immediately caught by the Awakened beside him.
"Nari, thanks to your support."
"You managed to suppress a Fourth Stage Mutant; your skills must have improved significantly."
Nari shook his head slightly.
"It's not that simple. I was able to hold this guy back because I had the advantage of the terrain."
"If we were fighting on the ground, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"..."
The battle with the 7th Legion was going smoothly.
In reality, Lindsey had assigned Nari to a relatively easier task, as there was only one Fourth Stage Mutant at this location.
The situation was much more challenging where Lindsey himself was positioned.
With a series of loud collisions, the head beetles at the front were retreating, and some of their sturdy head shields had already been shattered into fragments. They were now being transferred to the rear with the help of other bugs.
"..."
Witnessing this scene, Lindsey silently charged forward, his body almost transforming into a bolt of lightning in the darkness.
The members of the 7th Legion could sense Nari's arrival for support.
However, no one here could detect Lindsey's presence.
He left his supporting troops behind and leaped high into the air, almost sprinting vertically up the wall.
In just a breath or two.
Lindsey felt his feet go empty as he burst out of the tunnel and into the air above the cave ahead.
At that moment, he hovered in the air and also caught sight of the scene below.
"Fifth Stage?"
Lindsey raised an eyebrow.
It was a severely deformed creature, brandishing a massive meat hammer and attacking the passageway.
And at that moment.
The attacking Fifth Stage Mutant, as the only capable individual on the field, sensed something in the air.
He slightly lifted his head.
In the next second, his gaze was about to discover Lindsey above him.
"Focus Mode—Adrenaline—Professional Athlete—"
In an instant, the three skills of the Athletic Module activated simultaneously.
In [Focus Mode], the world before Lindsey seemed to pause, becoming a static oil painting. He could even see the subtle movements of the Mutant's muscles as he lifted his head.
Then, with the combined boost of [Adrenaline] and [Professional Athlete],
Lindsey's physical attributes rapidly soared, surpassing his usual attributes by more than onefold!
"Haa—"
Lindsey took a deep breath.
The murky underground air filled his lungs, and his blood began to stir.
Whoosh—
The [Annihilation Blade] appeared in his hand.
Driven by his powerfully swollen muscles, the tip of the blade glinted with a deep and dark metallic luster, aiming directly at the Mutant below.
Then, the blade rose upward.
Boom! The air tore, and a sound almost like an explosion echoed through the cave.
Just as the Mutant was about to look up at Lindsey, his vision would never rise again.
In a time frame difficult for ordinary people to react to, the [Annihilation Blade], infused with the flames of the [Lava Surge Sword], shot down from above and pierced the Mutant, slicing him in half.
Roar—
Accompanied by the burning flames, the Mutant's vitality was slowly incinerated.
"Huff—"
Lindsey exhaled a cloud of turbid air.
Only then did he begin to descend from the air, and as he exited the extreme state of having all three skills activated, Lindsey also looked towards his subordinates in the passageway, issuing an order that sounded like a verdict:
"Alright, this guy's done for. Let's begin the offensive."
(End of Chapter)
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