Chapter 296: Hybrids

Darion took a step backward. They can transform?

He watched one of the hybrids slam its fist into a nearby tree. BOOM! Bark exploded from the trunk. Darion’s expression became serious.

Seren fired an arrow. The hybrid moved. Too fast. It dodged the arrow. Seren’s eyes widened. Another hybrid suddenly rushed toward her. Darion immediately moved between them. His sword caught the attack. CLANG! The force pushed him several steps backward. Darion stared at the creature. That’s strong. Much stronger than the hunters were moments ago.

He looked at Seren. Then back at the hybrids. A realization hit him. If Seren had been alone... He didn’t finish the thought. She would have been overwhelmed. Even though Seren was an elite archer, these creatures were faster than the normal hunters. Once they got close, her advantage disappeared. And there were still several of them.

Darion’s expression darkened. So that’s why they were so confident. These people weren’t relying on ordinary human strength. They knew they could transform.

And Darion realized something else. We really don’t know what we’re dealing with out here. They hadn’t even reached Vrethka yet. They hadn’t encountered Vrethka’s soldiers. They hadn’t reached their territory. Yet they had already encountered something completely unexpected.

Darion knew exactly what he could do. He could summon his undead. One command. The forest would immediately be filled with undead knights and animals. The hybrids wouldn’t stand a chance. The battle could be over almost instantly. Darion’s hand briefly tightened around his sword.

Then he stopped himself. He looked at the monsters. He looked at Seren. Then looked back at his own sword. A strange thought entered his mind.

’Why am I always relying on my undead?’

There was nothing wrong with using them. They were literally one of his greatest strengths. His entire power revolved around necromancy. But Darion wanted to know something. How strong am I without them? Not as a Baron. Not as a Necromancer commanding an army. Just Darion.

He slowly raised his sword. "Stay behind me for a moment."

Seren looked at him. "You’re not summoning your Undeads?"

Darion shook his head. "No."

Seren stared at him. "Are you sure?"

Darion gave her a small grin. "Yeah." He looked toward the approaching hybrids. "I want to try something."

Darion knew this was dangerous. He wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate them anymore. But that was exactly why he wanted to fight them. He had relied on his undead for almost every major confrontation since becoming a Necromancer. This could be a personal milestone for him. Defeat an enemy stronger than normal humans. Fight multiple opponents. And win without summoning a single undead.

If he succeeded, he would know that his own combat ability wasn’t completely dependent on his army. If he failed... Well. He could always summon them.

Darion lowered his stance. Golden light began flowing across his sword again. The hybrids started moving. One charged from the front. Another circled toward his side. A third began moving toward Seren. Darion’s eyes sharpened. Alright. Let’s do this.

The first hybrid launched itself at Darion. Darion raised his glowing sword. BOOM! Their weapons collided. The force shook the surrounding trees. Darion slid backward through the dirt. He looked at the creature. It snarled. More hybrids began surrounding him.

Darion gripped his sword tighter. The golden light burned brighter. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Another hybrid charged. Darion stepped forward instead of retreating. The fight was far from over.

The first hybrid launched itself at Darion. He raised his sword, the golden light flaring along the blade, and swung. The creature barely avoided the strike, its body twisting in midair with a speed that shouldn’t have been possible for something so large.

Darion immediately turned and blocked another attack coming from his side. CLANG! The impact forced him backward, his boots sliding through the dirt.

His eyes narrowed. They’re not just stronger. They’re faster too.

The hybrids no longer moved like normal humans. Their bodies were heavier and more muscular, but somehow they had become faster rather than slower.

Their movements were difficult to predict. One charged from the front while another circled from the side. A third jumped onto a tree and used the trunk to change direction before attacking from an unexpected angle.

Darion kept himself between the hybrids and Seren. He didn’t want them getting close enough to overwhelm her. Seren kept moving backward while firing arrows.

She aimed at the closest hybrid. Thwack! The arrow hit its chest. For a moment, Darion thought it worked. Then the hybrid looked down at the arrow. It simply grabbed the shaft. Snap. It ripped the arrow out of its flesh. Blood came out, but the wound wasn’t enough to stop it.

Seren’s expression changed. "They’re tough."

She fired again. Another arrow struck a hybrid’s shoulder. It barely slowed down. The creature simply ripped the arrow free and continued charging. Seren’s eyes widened. How much can these things take?

She kept firing, but she was quickly realizing that arrows were only slowing them down rather than killing them.

During a brief opening, Seren looked toward Darion. He was still fighting with his sword, blocking attacks, dodging, counterattacking. But he was noticeably struggling to keep all the hybrids away.

"Why haven’t you summoned an undead yet?," she asked.

Darion blocked another attack. CLANG! He pushed the hybrid away with the golden-light sword. "Because I want to fight."

Seren stared at him. "Fight?"

Darion ducked beneath another attack. "Yeah." He swung his sword upward. Golden light tore across the hybrid’s chest. The creature was thrown backward. Darion took a breath. "I want to know what I can actually do."

Seren gave him a look that basically said this was not the time to be testing himself. Darion understood what she was thinking. But he still didn’t summon anything. His Golden Light skill gave him a massive advantage. His sword was significantly more dangerous than an ordinary blade. If he could land clean hits, he could hurt these things. The problem was getting those clean hits.