Chapter 208: The First 3rd Echelon Falls, Elara Becomes a 3rd Echelon

This time, Cain did not send any toward Aurelia as Fifteen of the Lances turned toward Elara’s group.

The other ten remained above him.

The 3rd Echelon commander looked upward, his expression became increasingly ugly.

"You..."

Cain wiped the thin line of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"What?"

The commander’s voice became colder.

"You truly believe you can fight me while protecting everyone else?"

"I think so?" Cain chuckled as he shrugged.

The commander didn’t respond as he immediately disappeared.

Cain’s expression tightened.

This attack was faster than the previous ones.

The saber struck before Cain could fully reposition, forcing him to barely intercept the blade.

BANG!

Pain shot through his shoulder as the impact drove his arm backward.

The commander’s free hand immediately followed and slammed into Cain’s chest.

Cain was launched away once again.

One of his ribs cracked from the blow, but the Undying God Body had already begun repairing the damage before his body even reached the ground.

He landed roughly and coughed.

His situation was clearly getting worse.

But that was fine, since Elara’s side had finally reached the moment they had been waiting for.

Cain raised his hand.

All fifteen lances launched.

Across the battlefield, the 3rd Echelon commander facing Elara’s group had only just recovered from Jack’s attack.

The Nether armor covering his chest had not completely reformed.

He sensed the approaching danger and immediately turned.

His expression changed when he saw fifteen fused lances crossing the battlefield toward him.

An enormous amount of Nether energy poured into his sword.

The dark power thickened around the blade until the weapon became almost completely hidden beneath it.

The commander turned his waist and swept the sword toward his back, a huge crescent of Nether energy erupted outward.

The first lance collided with it.

BOOM!

Golden-white energy exploded across the street.

The crescent continued forward.

Another projectile struck it.

Then another.

Each collision weakened the Nether attack further as Solar energy and condensed Nether power tore into each other.

Repeated explosions swallowed the street between them.

By the time the final few lances arrived, the dark crescent had already lost much of its original strength.

The fifteenth projectile struck.

BOOOOOOM!

Both attacks disappeared together.

The 3rd Echelon commander finally released a breath.

Then he heard the bowstring.

Nathan had already prepared three arrows.

An enormous amount of Wind Mana gathered around each of them.

The energy was far denser than what he normally used for a single shot, and the currents surrounding his bow had become violent enough to visibly distort the dust around his feet.

His arms trembled faintly beneath the amount of Mana being forced through the weapon.

Nathan ignored the strain as he released the bowstring.

Twang!

The first arrow disappeared.

The commander barely saw the projectile before it reached him.

He raised one hand.

Shhk!

The arrow pierced through the remaining layer of Nether energy and buried itself directly into his palm.

The force carried it deep enough that the arrowhead emerged through the back of his hand.

The commander’s eyes widened.

The second shot arrived before he could properly react.

BANG!

The arrow struck the damaged section of armor near his stomach.

Metal cracked violently.

The commander staggered backward.

The third projectile came immediately afterward.

BANG!

It struck higher along the center of his chest, another fracture spread through the armor.

By the time the commander recovered his balance, a long vertical opening had appeared across the protection covering his torso.

Nathan slowly lowered his bow.

His breathing had become noticeably heavier as those three arrows had consumed an enormous amount of Mana.

Yet despite everything he had poured into them, the attacks had barely injured the 3rd Echelon beneath the armor.

"Elara!"

Jack shouted.

She had already moved.

The moment Nathan’s second arrow struck, Elara had begun gathering Mana.

The atmosphere surrounding her changed as Cold Mana spread across the battlefield as frost rapidly covered the broken street beneath her feet.

Dense pale-blue energy gathered along the edge of her sword.

The 3rd Echelon sensed the danger and turned.

Elara was already closing the distance by then.

His sword immediately moved toward her, but Jack stepped between them.

The blade crashed against his gauntlets.

CLANG!

Jack grunted as the force nearly drove him down onto one knee.

The difference between their Echelons was simply too large for him to completely absorb the attack.

Still, he held it well enough and that was all Elara needed.

She passed beside him.

Everything she had deliberately conserved throughout the fight flowed into her sword.

Ice Mana compressed together with sword force until the temperature around her dropped so sharply that frost began appearing across the exposed flesh and broken armor covering the commander’s chest.

His eyes widened.

Elara swung his sword as she used her strongest skill—Frozen World Severance.

A pale-blue line crossed the battlefield.

The cold reached him first.

The exposed flesh across his chest froze.

White frost covered the broken edges of his armor, and the Nether energy circulating around the damaged section visibly slowed down.

Then the sword force arrived.

SHHK!

The slash passed directly through the vertical opening Nathan had created.

It continued through the commander’s body.

For a brief moment, the 3rd Echelon remained standing.

Then a thin line of blood appeared along his body before the two halves separated and collapsed in opposite directions.

Dark blood spilled across the frost-covered ground as both halves crashed down.

Silence settled over that part of the battlefield.

Jack stared at the corpse.

Nathan slowly lowered his bow.

Even Elara remained motionless for a moment as the pale-blue energy around her sword gradually faded.

They had actually done it.

Three 2nd Echelons had killed one of Serath’s 3rd Echelon subordinates.

For several seconds, none of them moved.

The difference between the 2nd and 3rd Echelons was not small. They had felt that gap throughout the entire battle.

Jack had barely been able to withstand several direct attacks.

Nathan had exhausted a large portion of his Mana merely creating an opening.

Elara had been forced to conserve almost everything for one decisive strike.

Yet the corpse lying before them proved that the difference could still be overcome.

Not by overpowering him individually, but by creating one opportunity and making sure it was not wasted.

Cain saw the two halves fall from farther away.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’That’s one.’

The commander in front of him noticed the brief shift in his attention and immediately rushed forward.

Cain barely raised his sword in time.

CLANG!

The impact pushed him backward again, but Cain’s smile did not disappear as his plan was working smoothly.

Elara’s breathing became heavier.

Even though she had carefully conserved Mana throughout most of the fight, Frozen World Severance still consumed an enormous amount of energy when released at full power.

Then a notification appeared before her.

Her expression immediately changed.

She did not need to explain anything as everyone knew what was next.

Cain saw the Mana around her begin stirring.

"Retreat!"

Elara reacted without hesitation.

She immediately moved away from the corpse.

Jack followed and positioned himself between her and the remaining enemies, while Nathan retreated alongside them without ever allowing his attention to remain fixed on only one direction.

His bow was already raised again.

The moment Elara reached a safer distance, she sat down and focused inward.

Cold Mana began circulating around her body.

Jack stood nearby with both fists raised, ready to intercept anyone attempting to approach her.

Nathan had already turned toward Aurelia’s battlefield.

Before anyone could even ask for his help, another arrow left his bow.

On the other side of the Central Base, Serath had also noticed the death.