Chapter 173: Thunder Blade Raptormen
Ram spotted Lord Zhang standing in the middle of the battlefield. He was surrounded by chaos but remained calm as he unleashed a flurry of support spells that rippled across their forces.
The impact of his magic was immediate. Spells that increased strength, speed, and spiritual recovery spread through their side, while enemy soldiers were constantly under curses that drained their energy and focus.
The tide of battle began to shift. Exhausted soldiers suddenly found a second wind, attacks becoming faster and more precise as they pushed back against the enemy.
Korrin and his group of Half-Drows also joined the fight. Though they couldn't go toe-to-toe with the powerful Tier 5 Lords or other high-level opponents, they stayed at a safe distance.
Their fire spells rained down like an unrelenting barrage, with fire-enhanced recovery spells, giving the Goat-kin warriors a critical edge, especially those fighting near Lord Bae.
Lord Bae, at the forefront of the battle, seemed nearly unstoppable. Each swing of his massive war axe sent shockwaves as he fought against Skor with a grin.
However, near the Red River, one of the Blood Cursed Lords, unable to withstand the relentless assault of cloaked men, suddenly roared in frustration.
With a leap that sent ripples through the blood-red water, the lord retreated into the river, vanishing without a glance back.
Skor's eyes narrowed as he noticed the cowardly retreat of his supposed ally. His lizard face twisted in frustration, and his grip on his staff tightened.
The number of casualties on his side continued to rise, his forces crumbling under the relentless assault of Lord Bae and other lords.
"You fools! Hold the line!" Skor bellowed, but his voice held a tremor of unease.
His expression hardened as he clashed once again with Lord Bae, who was grinning wildly as if victory was already in his pockets.
"Ha ha-ha... Skor, your curses are as weak as your warriors!" Bae mocked, his booming laughter cutting through the clamor of the battlefield.
"Is this truly the best you can muster against me? Just these few cheap tricks, and you thought you could kill me?"
Skor snarled, his staff pulsating with dark energy. With a growl, he unleashed a wave of destructive magic toward Bae, who easily dodged.
"You think your brute strength will carry you forever? You got lucky this time, Skor sneered. "I can already see the day you kneel before me, begging for mercy."
Bae stepped forward, his axe gleaming as he slashed through another enemy soldier in his way. "Luck? Call it what you want, but you're the one running out of allies, Skor! Next time, bring a real challenge!"
Skor, retreating a step, raised his staff high. His voice, filled with venom, echoed across the battlefield.
"Fall back, all of you! Enjoy this fleeting victory while you can. The Battle of Gods is coming, and no one will save you when it begins!"
As Skor's soldiers scrambled to retreat, Lord Bae smirked, his eyes blazing with confidence. "I'll be waiting for you bastards," he roared, lifting his axe high.
With a mighty swing, he aimed at Skor, but the Shaman Lord was already disappearing into the distance, his form vanishing like a shadow amidst the chaos jumping back into the river.
The battlefield quieted as the enemy withdrew, leaving behind a scene of destruction.
Lord Bae turned to his men; his grin undiminished. "They'll be back," he said, his tone laced with anticipation. "And when they do, we'll crush them again."
From atop the wall, Ram observed it all through his Spiritual Eye, the ebb and flow of battle leaving him with a mix of relief and unease about the Battle of Gods that lingered in his thoughts.
Ram leaned against the wall, his Spiritual Eye dimming as he deactivated its ability to observe the fast-moving targets in the air. The chaotic energy of the battlefield had finally subsided, leaving the remaining murlocs to be cleaned.
His mind spun with thoughts of the fight, the power displayed by each of those Tier 5 Lords, "I only got less than five months," Ram muttered to himself, setting a firm goal. "I should at least upgrade to Tier 5 by then."
The battle had been an eye-opener. The Red River Domain was far more dangerous than he'd initially imagined, and he knew he wouldn't survive without growing stronger or need to reach Tier 5.
One by one, the Lords returned from the battlefield, their exhaustion evident, the battle didn't take long, but the overall intensity was high with each lord facing the other.
Soldiers regrouped and tended to their wounded, while others gathered the spoils of war.
Except for Su Xing, every Lord had suffered casualties among their soldiers. Despite the losses, the Source Power gained from killing the lizardmen and murlocs brought some consolation.
Ram's gaze shifted toward Su Xing, who was standing near the edge of the battlefield, an unnerving smile plastered across his face.
In front of him were the previous two cloaked men who came back, one of them holding a disfigured human figure in their hand.
Ram's eyes widened in shock as he realized what he was seeing. "Fuck, they actually caught one of those Blood Cursed Lords," he exclaimed, his voice a mix of disbelief and awe.
Su Xing glanced over and waved casually at Ram, his smile growing wider. "Hehe... This one's trying to escape like a rat down the river. Fortunately, my men caught him, sacrificing him to the Divine Spirit Tree should reward me with more than three to four thousand points of source power."
Ram approached cautiously, his eyes fixed on the Blood Cursed Lord, who hung limp in the cloaked man's grip, tied by chains made up of concentrated lightning energy all over his body, giving him no chance to escape.
Ram's Spiritual Eye activated instinctively; his gaze focused on the Blood Cursed Lord to analyze him.
[ Name:
????
]
[ Race:
Human/cursed creature
]
[ Profession:
Mad Acolytes-Blood
]
[ Physique:
???
]
[ Spirit:
???
]
[ Description:
Mad believers, having made a pact with a mysterious alien god, were transformed into monstrous beings with blood manipulation abilities.
]
[ Skills:
[Blood Rain]:
Summon a torrential downpour of blood that harms enemies or heals allies depending on the caster's will.
[Cursed Blood Aura]:
Enemies within a 30-meter radius experience a reduction in vitality and stamina by 20%.
[Sacrificial Rebirth]:
Sacrifice a portion of their flesh to the alien god, causing a horrific transformation that boosts physical abilities and regenerates wounds.
[Blood Resonance]:
Can manipulate their blood, controlling it as an extension of their will. Can weaponize their own blood or use it to control low-level cursed creatures.
[Curse of the Unseen God]:
Grants the ability to invoke madness in others, driving them to the brink of insanity or bending them to the worship of the alien God.
]
"He's dangerous," Ram muttered, his expression serious. "Even in this state, his regeneration could make him a problem if those chains broke apart. You sure you've got him locked down tight?"
Su Xing chuckled, gesturing toward the cloaked men. "These chains were crafted with suppression seals, unless he suddenly grows another tier of power, he's not going anywhere."
The Blood Cursed Lord lifted his head slightly, his cracked lips twisting into a grimace. "You... insignificant worms," he croaked, his voice hoarse but filled with twisted laughter.
"Do you think this changes anything? The Blood Cursed Court will drown you all soon, nobody can escape us hee-hee..."
Su Xing tilted his head, dismissing the words, with a nonchalant wave of his hand, he stowed the Blood Cursed Lord into a small leather pouch that was tied to his waist.
The faintest ripple of energy passed through the pouch as the Blood-cursed Lord's body completely disappeared from their sight.
Ram blinked, his eyes "This?" he asked with doubt, looking at the pouch as the Blood Cursed Lord seemed to vanish entirely before his eyes.
Su Xing, clearly unfazed, gave him a grin.
Lord Zhang, who had been quietly observing the exchange, spoke up, "That's a storage pouch that can store living creatures. It's a rare artifact and very difficult to come by."
"It's also thanks to this pouch that he was able to bring those two Tier 5 creatures without spending any source power." He cast a glance at Su Xing, his gaze filled with envy. "To have something like that... it's quite the asset."
Su Xing grinned widely as if enjoying their attention. "I must say, it has saved me quite a lot of source power so far," he said, clearly proud of his convenient little artifact. He gave the pouch another affectionate pat as if it were a priceless treasure.
Ram's lips pressed together in thought, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Hehe, this fatty was so excited about just a small pouch that can store five creatures. I don't know what face he'll make once he finds out I have a whole square kilometer of space."
He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, but he didn't express his thoughts aloud. Instead, he shifted his focus toward the two cloaked men standing silently behind Su Xing.
[ Name:
Krytak
]
[ Race:
Thunder Blade Raptormen
]
[ Level:
Platinum (Tier 5)
]
[ Quality:
Lord(pseudo)
]
[ Physique:
???
]
[ Spirit:
???
]
[ Racial Characteristics:
[Hyper Agility]:
Increases agility by 125% permanently, with an additional 75% boost during combat.
[Pack Tactics]:
Gains a 5% boost to attack power and speed for each ally within 15 meters, up to a maximum of 50%.
[Storm born Physique]:
Immune to low-level lightning-based attacks and absorb 20% of incoming thunder energy to regenerate Spiritual power.
[Flash Step Predator]:
Can teleport up to 10 meters during combat, leaving behind a residual electric shock.
[Overload Frenzy]:
Gains a 50% increase in power and speed when health drops below 30%.
]
[Skills:
Thunder Blitz, Sky Breaker Slash, Volt Fang Strike, Arc Strike, Chain Lightning Barrage, Lightning Spiral, Electro Raptor Dance...
]
"Raptor?" Although Ram still couldn't see their features through their clocks, his eyes narrowed as he analyzed the Thunder Blade Raptormen, this was a Pseudo Lord quality, Platinum-tier creature, a real monster on the battlefield, and there were two of such beside Su Xing.
Hyper Agility, Pack Tactics, and Overload Frenzy—it had a lethal combination of speed, power, and resilience that would make it hard to face.
Now, he realized why the Blood-Cursed Lords stood no chance against them.