Chapter 391: One More Chance

Everyone turned towards the source of the voice, all eyes focusing on Doyle Muneroe. A unit leader from division one led by Seth and a member of team alpha led by Lara Stidum.

Doyle turned towards Elder Lenny, a grin tugging at his lips, "We only need a sand sample, right?"

The elder, brows knitted, still nodded rapidly. Who knew this guy might have a pile of sand lying in his inventory after all, if so he would be a lifesaver.

Doyle’s grin widened as he waved a hand, "Good, if your skill really abides by that, then this should work," the evolver explained, summoning a pile of rough, dirty ore from his inventory.

Ores containing metals and minerals of immense value, in fact these were part of the materials gathered by Doyle and other members of team alpha on the request of Seth.

Materials meant to be used in the craft of their very own battlefields...

The uneven clumps clattered as they scattered onto the ground, everyone staring at the pile in confusion for a second.

The elder’s breath caught first...

Before understanding began to dawn like a rippling wave, nods spreading as the soldiers understood where Doyle was heading.

Uriel almost let out a loud chuckle as he walked forward towards Doyle, a big smile pasted on his face.

"You’re a genius, man," he praised, patting Doyle on the shoulder.

From behind, Elaine, whose shoulders had hung heavy since Dorian’s death, felt her chest loosen for a moment.

"May I do the honors?" Uriel asked Doyle while glancing down at the ore scattered before them.

Doyle nodded, stepping back, after all he’d rather leave such a complex task in the hands of someone stronger and more reliable.

Glancing towards the tree line beginning to rattle from the incoming stampede of corrupted.

Lucas’s voice came out tight, "Be quick with it, I don’t think we have much time."

With a firm nod, Uriel raised his hands, causing tendrils of energy to branch from his fingertips, coiling around the raw minerals and ores and lifting them into the air.

[Essence Unit: 014/900]

Uriel’s essence unit bar flashed red as he continuously used it to manipulate the essence, but he paid it little heed.

Pouring all his focus into his energy manipulation, as raw, pure essence sank into the energy-rich Tier 1 ores.

Sinking through the structure as the uneven clumps began to rattle midair, everyone unable to help but watch with rising tension.

The enemy drew closer and time was running out...

With Uriel’s fine control, he induced oscillation and dissection.

Within seconds the floating, rock-sized clumps were reduced into streams of fine, floating dust.

Forming grain-like particles, settling into sand...

Everyone stared at the finished product like it was the greatest creation to ever grace their eyes, yet it was just a stream of drifting sand.

The metal and mineral ores had been worn down, crushed and rearranged structurally to fit every definition of sand.

Everyone’s breath held as the stream of fine grain particles drifted through the wind, directed by Uriel’s own dwindling energy towards the elder.

Who cupped his hands and received the pile of fine sand.

Spines straightened, grips tightened around weapons, and the will to live began to recover.

A murmur rippled through the soldiers as they watched their way home reinstated.

Elder Lenny wasted no time, getting to work, activating his gene skill as the sand particles in his palms began to rise into the air.

Forming a small core, everyone held their breaths and watched as the sand from around the elder began to rise, spiraling over the concentrated mass.

Glyphs began to imprint themselves over the ground as more sand began to rise.

Now as much as every soldier hoped to watch the gate become complete without a hitch, they had other issues on their hands.

A storm cloud of dust and debris rose closer from the tree line as the rumble of numerous beasts stampeding became louder by the second, the enemy drawing closer.

Lucas, Elaine and Uriel, regardless of their fatigued and weakened state, rose to the forefront of the group, summoning their weapons.

As the soldiers readied behind them...

No words were exchanged, no orders were issued. But every soldier knew what to do...

The carriers holding the unconscious bodies of their friends were protected at the rear.

While the soldiers faced the incoming horde, bracing themselves for the inevitable clash.

Dorian had sacrificed himself to buy them time, and the situation had not allowed them to utilize it properly.

But now every soldier was ready to fight tooth and nail for one more chance.

This was it, they either died or escaped, there was no in-between...

The soldiers swayed on their feet, mentally and physically spent, even their binding trait stat stamina failing to sustain them against such a persistent onslaught.

Swords and spears, weapons of all kinds were drawn, charged with a weak flow of essence, the soldiers standing with their backs straight.

Breaths held and eyes squinted, as the cloud of dust finally reached them, revealing the ugly horde within.

Figures bursting with dense, concentrated abyssal essence charged, their frames drawing into black, blurry streaks lined by eyes of crimson.

War cries rang out, as the soldiers, undaunted, wielded their weapons and moved to engage the furious mob.

Claws meeting blades, and fangs clashing on armour...

What followed could only be described as desperate and brutal.

The humans’ arms shook, they were running on low remnant essence units, and fatigue plagued their bodies.

They were weaker, slower, their attacks carried less and less impact.

Yet the humans displayed an unbelievably cold efficiency in slaughtering the corrupted.

They used all they had, their teeth, poking their opponents’ eyes, anything to stay alive, anything to kill their foes.

The air thrummed with a concentrated intent to kill.

Those who ran out of essence burned their vitality with abandon, their adrenal matrix strained to its limits, flooding their systems with the fierce fueling agent.

Their bronze cell activity cranked to its limits as the humans unleashed hell.

Inevitably some died in the clash, but for each death suffered by the humans, ten more were taken from the corrupted.

Defiled, charmed beasts, it didn’t matter, the line between the two was blurred, as the humans engaged with a ferocity unseen before.

Meanwhile, behind the clash, the elder’s eyes burst with a deep earthen glow.

As the spiraling mass of sand particles before him began to clash, taking in energy from the concentrated mass fixed at the core a spatial connection was established as a Dune Rift began to form...