Chapter 404 - 388: Reversal

Chapter 404: Chapter 388: Reversal

Duraga gasped for breath. His War Axe, forged from refined steel, once again hacked at the slippery flank of a Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish, only to be met with a dull thud and a violent jolt that shot up his arm.

He watched helplessly as the invisible Force Field effortlessly negated the Power of his blow—a strike that could have split rock—without leaving so much as a scratch.

All around him, his valiant clansmen were desperately holding on.

Yet whether it was the cleaving of a War Axe or the crushing blow of a warhammer, every attack that landed on these ancient creatures seemed utterly futile.

The ghastly white Energy Beams were like the scythe of the Death God. Each flash brought the fall of another Gray Dwarf Warrior.

Their once-solid battle line was now in tatters, the roars and war cries replaced by pained grunts and dying groans.

The Shadow of defeat and death washed over them like a cold tide, rapidly overwhelming every survivor.

A profound sense of powerlessness clutched at Duraga’s heart.

He instinctively clenched his right fist, feeling the cold touch of the Iron Glove.

’If only the Power of the Sacred Artifact had fully awakened... I would never fear these weak Demons!’

’Did I just reclaim the glory of our people, only to lead them to their graves here? To die at the hands of... these ancient vermin?’

At this thought, his gaze involuntarily shifted to the other side of the battlefield, toward the figure struggling to dodge through a web of intersecting Energy Beams.

’A pity... The real ’him’ has lost his memories and his Power...’

’If the complete Rudolph were here, he would have torn these monsters to shreds with that Longsword of his, as easily as cutting vegetables!’

Duraga snapped his head around, casting one last, longing glance at the nearby Shell Ship, the symbol of his people’s future. A flicker of grim resolve shone in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, as if to force all his regrets and frustrations down into the depths of his lungs.

Then, with all his might, he let out a roar like a wounded beast, his voice overwhelming the clamor of battle.

"Rudolph! Go! Take everyone who can still move and get out of here!"

He swung his War Axe, desperately parrying an Energy Beam aimed at his flank. The spray of corrosive Energy singed his beard.

"I’ll hold them off!"

"You saved my life back then... Now, it’s time to repay..."

Before he could finish, a lethal threat was upon him.

Several ghastly white Energy Beams struck like vipers. With a roar, Duraga swung his War Axe before him, creating a whirlwind of steel.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

With two sharp clashes, he barely managed to split the first two beams. Searing fragments of Energy splattered across his breastplate, leaving scorched marks behind.

He threw himself sideways at the same time, narrowly allowing the third beam to graze past his pauldron.

However, the assault was far from over.

In that split second, his old strength spent and new strength yet to be gathered, a fourth, even thicker Energy Beam struck the flat of his War Axe with pinpoint accuracy.

"KREEE!"

With a piercing metallic screech, the steel War Axe was torn from his grasp, sent spinning through the air before it crashed onto the ground in the distance.

The webbing of Duraga’s thumb split open, and his entire right arm went instantly numb.

But he didn’t even have time to feel the pain before his vision was filled by even more of the pale beams.

They wove together into a net of death, sealing off any chance of escape and aiming straight for his head and chest.

’I can’t believe it’s ending here... in such a humiliating way... The Shell Ship... our people’s future...’

A sense of despair, mixed with intense frustration and profound powerlessness, flooded his heart.

Duraga acted on pure instinct, raising the arm clad in the Iron Glove to shield himself in a last-ditch attempt to block the attack.

Not far away, the Gray Dwarves who witnessed their leader’s desperate plight let out heart-rending roars of fury.

They fought desperately to break through, but more Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish swarmed them, leaving them to watch helplessly as the dense web of deadly light threatened to consume their beloved leader.

Every pair of eyes was bloodshot, filled with rage, and...

bottomless despair.

Just at that critical moment, Duraga heard an extremely brief, sharp humming sound.

The sound didn’t travel through the air; it felt more like a vibration directly inside his skull.

Then, something incredible happened.

The pale beams, just inches away and woven into a net of death, suddenly disintegrated before his very eyes. Like smoke scattered by the wind, they silently vanished into thin air.

He blinked, almost thinking he was hallucinating.

When he focused his gaze forward, the scene before him left him utterly dumbstruck.

The few Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish that had been elegantly swaying in the air, surrounding him as if toying with their prey, now looked as if they had all been simultaneously hit by some form of invisible Heavy Strike.

Their massive bodies began to convulse and twitch violently.

Their numerous pairs of long, cold eyes instantly lost focus, becoming vacant and lifeless.

The near-perfect, invisible Force Field surrounding them flickered and fluctuated violently, as if about to collapse at any moment.

A few of the weaker ones even plummeted from their hovering positions, crashing heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

Their viscous bodies trembled slightly, apparently having lost all ability to move.

What had happened?

While Duraga was still reeling in shock from his narrow escape, a sharp cry boomed in his ear like a clap of thunder.

"Duraga! Now! Attack!"

It was Roland’s voice.

Duraga snapped back to his senses, instantly understanding the cause of this sudden reversal.

An indescribable wave of ecstasy and battlelust instantly scattered the gloom from his heart.

"Well done, Rudolph!"

He let out a deafening, exultant roar. With a nimble roll, he snatched his War Axe from the ground, his eyes immediately locking onto the nearest Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish, which was still convulsing in agony as it hovered low in the air.

This time, things were completely different.

He charged forward, his heavy War Axe carrying all his pent-up rage and Power as he brought it down in a straightforward, brutal chop toward the Demon Fish’s pale head.

There was no invisible Force Field to block him, no piercing clash of colliding Energy.

"SQUELCH!"

A dull, wet tearing sound echoed.

Like a hot knife through butter, the sharp axe blade sank deep into the slick, tough hide without any resistance.

It continued on with unstoppable force, cleaving through the flesh and bone underneath as viscous, foul-smelling, dark purple blood gushed out.

The Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish didn’t even have time to let out a wail. Its massive body convulsed violently once, then completely lost all signs of life.

It crashed heavily to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and moved no more.

The being that had rendered all the Gray Dwarves helpless, that had seemed invincible, now seemed so utterly... beneath Duraga’s axe.

Fragile.

Duraga pulled his War Axe free, savoring the tangible sensation of the blade tearing through flesh and bone. He looked down at the corpse of the Demon Fish, which was rapidly losing the luster of life, and an indescribable satisfaction surged through him.

He snapped his head up, his bloodshot eyes scanning the other Demon Fish still struggling under the effect of Roland’s mysterious attack. Then, he let out a triumphant roar.

"Haha! Now it’s our turn! Kill every last one of these ugly bastards!"