Chapter 617: Going for the kill
Sugar roared, swelling with adrenaline. Both heads howled as he hefted his massive war hammers, their steel heads etched with menacing glyphs. Muscles bulging, he charged Valeria directly, ignoring the smaller cultivators at her side. A thunderous impact reverberated when their weapons clashed, sending shards of molten rock and flame-touched metal flying in every direction.
Norman rushed forward, his shield shimmering with protective runes. He bashed aside a spear thrust from one of Valeria’s subordinates, countering with a swift sword strike to the man’s shoulder. Sparks flew as steel met steel, and the cultivator stumbled backward, blood trailing from a jagged wound.
Tyron, meanwhile, manipulated arcane sigils that hovered in the air around his fingertips. Each rune glowed a different color, weaving together to form an intricate magical matrix. With a grunt, he released the spell in a crackling burst.
The resulting shockwave hurled two of Valeria’s allies off their feet, sending them crashing into a broken statue. Even from a distance, it was clear that the runemaster’s cunning could keep powerful foes at bay—at least for a time.
But Valeria and her subordinates held the numerical advantage, not to mention a clear upper hand in raw power. Her azure flames were practically alive, swirling around her in a burning vortex. With each flick of her blade, she launched new arcs of searing energy at her opponents.
Sugar’s dual war hammers landed heavy blows, but defending against the sizzling arcs left him battered and scorched, his skin blistering from the magical heat.
Norman dove in front of a lance of flame intended for Sugar’s flank, raising his shield in desperation. Though the dwarf’s runic ward partially absorbed the impact, the force still drove him to one knee. Tyron managed to repel one cultivator with a blast of energy, only to be blindsided by another flanking him with a vicious staff strike that left him gasping for breath.
As each second passed, it became increasingly clear that Sugar, Norman, and Tyron could not hold out indefinitely. They were skilled, but the relentless onslaught was wearing them down.
Valeria spotted an opening in Sugar’s faltering defense and dashed forward, her speed enhanced by swirling flames. She aimed a lethal thrust at the ogre’s chest, where the thick muscle had been burned away to reveal raw flesh.