Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-Nine: Encirclement
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Encirclement
A new realm unfolded before Dusken's perception; every shadow within a hundred metres shared its senses with him.
Previously, he had been unable to sense the shadows at all. They had denied him access. But now, under the cold embrace of Ebon, he could feel every shadow in his vicinity.
Dusken immediately realised that Ebon was sharing its perception with him.
'Then what's the reason for Ebon sharing its perception with me?' he wondered, wrinkling his nose.
As if in answer to his question, his perception abruptly shifted, focusing on a particular point.
Tens—no, dozens—of shadows surged into his awareness, sending a jolt through his mind.
He gazed from a tree's shadow and his eyes widened slightly.
They were beastmen—both from the Naga and Nura clans—charging towards his location.
Moments later, Ebon slid from his body to the ground, transforming back into its death guard form.
Black smoke oozed from its figure as it knelt on one knee, head bowed. However, Dusken paid it no heed and shouted towards Lillian.
"We have to get out of here, fast!" His words, laced with impatience, cut through the tension as he moved.
Quickly grabbing the creature's core shard, he glanced at Lillian before following her. She alone knew the way out of the forest.
Ebon trailed behind them, no longer in its physical form but as a shadow. Dusken realised he could share the shadow's perception as it moved, though not as far as Ebon's full range, but it was now lesser, only about thirty metres.
As he dashed past trees, dodging the ones in his path, he contemplated inwardly.
'This is probably the case.' The thought settled grimly in his mind.
If all the beastmen were pursuing them, it likely meant the others had either escaped or been killed.
However, Dusken suspected the other candidates had survived. With spell cards and their level one statuses, they stood a reasonable chance.
Sending a shadow to scout ahead, he stayed alert to his surroundings. It wasn't long before his heightened hearing caught the swooshing sounds of arrows. Looking up, he saw that the sky was almost covered in arrows.
"Hey! You! Stop right there!" a voice echoed behind him, but Dusken didn't respond.
Lillian halted, raising her right hand. A force erupted from it, shattering the arrows mid-air. The broken pieces rained down harmlessly.
Dusken continued advancing. The beastmen—known for their formidable physical strength—were a threat no two fifteen-year-olds could match directly.
Although he wanted to fight for the thrill of it, this was a life and death crisis, and stopping meant death.
Lillian followed close behind. The situation was dire and unexpected. More arrows descended, further slowing their progress.
"Hahaha! You will all die today!" a beastman shouted, its purple, narrow eyes blazing with hunger.
Dusken's heart skipped a bit as his expression fell. Ahead, six or seven beastmen lurked, their positions seen by the shadow sent to scout.
On his right, a group approached from a few dozen metres away. The same occurred on his left. Behind them, tens of beastmen closed in.
They were completely surrounded.
Death was a certainty.
Lillian stopped running, her black hair fluttering in the soft breeze as she surveyed the situation.
"You are mere variant humans, and yet you dare to stop us?" Her voice was cool and calm as the last rays of sunlight faded.
The beastmen halted, their archers ceasing fire. A figure from the Naga clan stepped forward.
Dusken recognised it by its blue scales—distinctive of the Naga clan, as opposed to the Nura clan's pig-headed hybrids.
The beastman laughed, its voice filled with ridicule.
"Humans are so arrogant. No wonder your internal strife has made us stronger. One day, we'll crush the humans and reign supreme. Young girl, watch as we teach you a lesson and send you to the afterlife!"
Its words were accompanied by laughter from the surrounding beastmen.
Dusken's eyes blazed as night descended, the growing darkness amplifying his senses.
Lillian stepped forward, her tone brimming with confidence. "The afterlife? I doubt that."
'What is she doing? Buying time?' Dusken frowned, puzzled by her actions.
They were encircled with no apparent escape. Fighting was their only chance for survival.
Lillian's voice boomed again, addressing the beastmen with piercing clarity.
"Life is like a continuous cycle of pain and suffering. Death is no more than a jagged, lonesome iceberg. Yet, every being in this world deludes themselves into believing they stand at the top. We humans reign supreme, but our faults have made us weaker.
The powerless - those who make up the majority of this world - fail to see that this is not solely our fault, but the fault of all entities in nature."
Her words, laced with reminiscence, silenced the laughter. The beastmen grasped the hidden truth in her statement.
Humans had once reigned supreme, casting beastmen aside.
Yet the faults of humanity had allowed beastmen to grow strong enough to rebel, though they remained suppressed.
Dusken's eyes burned with a cold light. His gaze locked on Lillian as his mind raced with thoughts.
'What she just said—that's the speech of Nale from 40th-century Earth, from my past life.'
The realisation sent a chill through him. For Lillian to know those exact words couldn't be a coincidence.
'So… I was right. However, this doesn't make sense,' he thought, contemplating deeply swirling in his mind.
His musings were cut short by an immense force erupting from Lillian's location. Huge trees were blasted apart, and several beastmen thrown backward.
'So, she was indeed buying time,' he thought, summoning his cards.
"Attack!" a beastman roared, inciting the others into action.
The swarm closed in on Dusken and Lillian. No more arrows fell; friendly fire was now a risk.
Night fully descended, but Dusken's vision remained as clear as daylight. He summoned dark flames to coat his blade, sharpening its edge and amplifying its ferocity.
In the darkness, a complex realm unfolded before him. With his mind, he could manipulate both the darkness relatively easily.
'Hehe, time for slaughter.' Excitement coursed through Dusken.
A beastman lunged at him, claws swiping toward his head. Dusken moved right, narrowly evading the strike.
At his will, his sword slashed forward, cleaving through the air at terrifying speed.
Before the beastman could react, the blade accelerated, slicing cleanly through its skull.
Instant kill.
[You have slain a level one awakened beastman.]
[Your Abyss Within grows darker.]
Dusken suppressed the wave of negative emotions surging through him.
He sidestepped another attacker's strike and countered with a reverse grip, driving his blade into its skull.
[You have slain a level one awakened beastman.]
[Your Abyss Within grows darker.]
Again, negativity clawed at his mind. His momentary distraction allowed an arrow of a nearby beastman to graze his arm, sending a jolt of pain through him.
Gritting his teeth, he pressed forward.
And so, the killing spree began.
[You have slain a level one awakened beastman.]
[Your Abyss Within…]
[You have slain a level one awakened beastman.]
[Your Abyss Within grows stronger.
You have slain…]
[Your Abyss…]
[You have slain…]
[You have received a material card.]
The battlefield was a blood-drenched nightmare. Dusken paused, panting for breath.
Around him, the ground was stained crimson, the air heavy with the stench of death. Blood sprayed across the trees like grotesque art.
Glancing at Lillian, he saw her surrounded. The beastmen focused their efforts on her, her abilities drawing their full attention.
Though she slashed with her claw-like weapon, the relentless assault began to push her back.
Another shockwave erupted from her position, sending beastmen flying. Blood drenched her figure, yet her gaze remained cold.
"You forced me into this," she said, her voice steady. "Be proud to die by my hands."
Her eyes met Dusken's briefly, a cunning light flickering within.
She raised her hands, and everyone—excluding Dusken—flinched.
But instead of another shockwave, something unexpected occurred.
Golden particles swirled around her like a divine radiance, and a gold portal materialised before her.
She reached into the portal, quickly withdrawing two cards as it collapsed. Without hesitation, she threw one forward.
"Spell card activation: Doom Battlefield Annihilation."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lonely_Apex
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