Chapter 266: Caelestra’s Disbelief

As the battle progressed, the group continued to gain the upper hand despite the overwhelming numerical odds stacked against them.

The curious reality of the confrontation was that their opponents were considerably weaker than their vicious and morbid appearances suggested.

Their individual strength was unimpressive, perhaps even inferior to that of other Rank One Netherytes they had encountered. Unfortunately, there were simply too many of them.

However, that numerical disadvantage did not ultimately prove to be the crippling obstacle it might have been. The cohort had begun unleashing a massacre upon the repulsive colony, and with every passing moment, the number of corpses littering the ruined temple increased.

While the others continued their merciless slaughter, the three Rank Two leaders watched from their respective positions, displaying no immediate intention of intervening.

Yet they were not the only ones observing the battlefield rather than participating in it.

Aelric had also refrained from joining the fight, leaving the cohort to contend with the lesser Ratchyrs themselves. To him, the entire confrontation amounted to little more than child’s play.

Also, if he decided to participate, there was little doubt that a single sweep of his sword would end the struggle for the ordinary members of the colony.

Even its leaders were hardly worth his attention. In his estimation, fighting creatures so far beneath his capabilities would be both dishonourable and embarrassingly unchallenging, rather like a seasoned swordsman boasting about defeating a group of children in a duel.

He had spent six years surviving the Nether Lands, and his experiences had left him with little patience for celebrating victories that demanded neither ingenuity nor effort.

Besides, the cohort needed the experience. They would never grow stronger if he constantly intervened whenever an inconvenience arose, although Aelric privately suspected that several members of the group would have preferred a more generous interpretation of mentorship.

Unfortunately, his intentions were not shared by the three leading Ratchyrs.

As they watched their kind being slaughtered in droves like vermin beneath a farmer’s boot, agitation gradually seeped into their bodies. Their large ears twitched independently, rotating towards the repeated impacts of weapons, the shrieks of dying companions, and the unmistakable sounds of their colony being dismantled.

Their claws scraped against stone, while their nostrils flared at the increasingly pervasive scent of blood.

One of them shifted its weight upon the fractured pillar, its tiny eyes following Regaleon’s halberd as the silver-haired Knight cut down another attacker.

Another lowered its head, tracking the movements of Caelestra’s coins as they streaked through the air. The third, still clinging to the archway, turned its scarred snout towards the battlefield, its jaws opening and closing with growing agitation as it tried to track Aureleah’s elusive figure across the battlefield.

Aelric noticed the changes immediately.

He had encountered enough Ratchyr colonies to recognize the distinction between leaders observing a confrontation and leaders preparing to intervene. Their movements were becoming more deliberate, their attention narrowing towards specific targets rather than the battle as a whole.

He knew what was coming next...

And sure enough, one of the leaders abruptly raised its head and released a piercing shriek...

SHRIKKK!!!

The sound reverberated through the chamber like a warning siren, causing several lesser Ratchyrs to momentarily falter before renewing their assault with even greater ferocity.

The Rank Two creature spread its enormous wings and launched itself from the pillar, diving towards the silver-haired Knight with its attention fixed entirely upon him.

Aelric’s eyes narrowed and uttered. "No, you don’t."

The words spilled from his lips with determination and in the next instant, his foot struck the ground, and his body surged forward with explosive acceleration.

Meanwhile, Regaleon was occupied with several Ratchyrs at the time, his Halberd tracing a vicious parabolic arc through the air as he swung it towards a cluster of advancing Netherytes.

The blade caught one across the torso, sending it tumbling into its companions, while the weapon’s momentum carried him into a smooth turn towards the next attacker.

Then he suddenly sensed the rush of wind approaching from behind, his instincts screaming a warning at him immediately.

Regaleon paused, twisting his head just enough to glimpse the enormous mass of charcoal-coloured fur and hooked claws descending towards him.

The creature’s crimson eyes glinted with unmistakable hostility, and its gaping jaws revealed incisors capable of tearing through his Soul Essence as though it were little more than softened flesh... Paper, would even be the more appropriate word.

For a fraction of a second, the battlefield seemed to slow.

He immediately abandoned his attack and attempted to redirect his weight, intending to duck beneath the descending creature. However, the Rank Two Ratchyr was already too close, and its speed left him with scarcely enough time to complete the movement.

However, just before disaster could strike, a figure appeared between them...

BOOM!!!

Aelric drove his foot into the creature’s snout...

The impact unleashed a shockwave that rippled across the battlefield, sending dust spiralling from the flagstones and causing nearby Ratchyrs to stumble.

The Rank Two leader was hurled backwards with a thunderous crash, its enormous body smashing into a group of lesser Netherytes that had been attempting to reach Kaeloris like a cannonball shot from a warship.

The unfortunate Rank One creatures had no opportunity to escape. The leader’s body ploughed through their ranks, thoroughly crushing several beneath its weight and scattering the rest across the broken floor.

A few were reduced to bloody pulp, while others shrieked and writhed beneath the wreckage of their fallen companions...

Kaeloris, who had been preparing to engage his Scroll, stared at the spectacle with his mouth slightly open.

He had been about to defend himself against a handful of Ratchyrs with his Essence Rune, Law Script. Instead, a Rank Two monster had been delivered to his vicinity like an exceptionally unpleasant parcel...

In the meantime, Aelric landed lightly upon the flagstones, his expression carrying the mild irritation of someone whose afternoon nap had been interrupted by an unnecessary disturbance.

Regaleon glanced at him, momentarily taken aback by the sheer casualness of the intervention. Aelric had crossed the distance with such speed that the Forgotten Knight had barely registered his movement, much less the attack itself.

Before Regaleon could offer any acknowledgment, however, a silver streak suddenly flashed through the air...

WHOOSH!!!

The projectile pierced the injured leader’s leg, erupting from the opposite side in a spray of black blood. It continued along a graceful arc before returning to its owner, who stood with her Treasure Chest open.

Caelestra had seized the opportunity.

The silver-haired Merchant’s eyes shone with calculating intensity as she observed the fallen creature. Recognizing that the impact had left it disoriented, she had immediately launched one of her Earl Tier Coins towards its exposed body.

The projectile had struck with the velocity of a speeding bullet, piercing the creature’s limb before it could regain its bearings and this particular action caused another howl of pain to erupt from the creature’s throat.

Hundreds of silver Coins revolved around Caelestra in an intricate formation, their surfaces gleaming beneath the scarlet illumination.

They moved like a constellation of metallic stars, each one following a carefully controlled trajectory as Caelestra directed her Soul Essence through the battlefield.

For a brief moment, the sight was almost beautiful, then the wounded Ratchyr snarled and attempted to rise.

Caelestra’s expression hardened. She extended her hand, and several Coins immediately broke away from their orbit, accelerating towards the struggling leader in an attempt to pin it down before it could recover.

Unfortunately, she had overlooked one rather inconvenient detail; the lesser Ratchyrs had noticed their leader’s predicament.

And the moment they detected this anomaly, their behaviour changed almost instantly. The creatures’ eyes ignited with a maddening crimson glow, and their shrieks grew sharper as they abandoned their previous targets.

In a frenzy that was even more insane than before, they surged towards Caelestra like a tide of ravenous beasts, their claws clattering against the stone while their wings churned the dusty air.

The silver-haired Merchant clicked her tongue in disgust as she took in the touching sight unfolding before her.

She immediately abandoned her attempt to finish the wounded leader and redirected her attention towards the incoming horde. Her brows furrowed as she raised her hand, sending a fresh volley of Coins streaking through the air...

WHOOSH!!!

At first, the projectiles caught the Ratchyrs off guard. Several creatures were struck across their heads and torsos, their bodies tumbling backwards as the coins pierced their flesh.

Others attempted to evade the incoming attacks, only to find their movements intercepted by the sheer number of projectiles.

Yet the advantage did not last.

As the volley continued, the Ratchyrs began anticipating the Coins’ trajectories. Their enormous ears twitched in response to the faint whistles cutting through the air, and their heads shifted with unnerving precision as they tracked the approaching projectiles through echolocation.

A silver glow trailed one Coin as it shot towards an unsuspecting Ratchyr. But just before impact, the creature’s ears flicked.

It tilted its head by the slightest margin, allowing the projectile to whistle past its cheek. In the same instant, its jaws snapped sideways with astonishing speed, catching the Coin between its incisors...

CRACK!

In the next instant, there was a crisp, sharp metallic crack and shockingly, the Earl Tier Soul Essence shattered between the creature’s teeth...

Caelestra’s expression froze...

The Ratchyr spat out the broken fragments before immediately resuming its charge, seemingly unimpressed by the fact that it had just destroyed an object that would have represented a considerable investment under ordinary circumstances.

Unfortunately, it was not alone.

Several more Ratchyrs began intercepting the incoming coins, using their incisors to catch and crush the projectiles before they could strike their bodies.

Their movements were not perfectly coordinated, but their sensitivity to sound allowed them to anticipate the Coins’ approach with startling accuracy.

And just like that, one after another, Caelestra’s attacks were neutralized.

The silver-haired Merchant stared as another of her Coins disappeared between a Ratchyr’s jaws, its metallic body collapsing under the pressure of those repulsive incisors.

For a woman who regarded her Treasure Chest as an extension of her personal wealth and ingenuity, watching her Soul Essence being treated like scraps of food was nothing short of sacrilege.

It appeared that she was about to experience the same unpleasant revelation Regaleon had encountered when his Count Tier Armour was bitten apart.

And judging by the expression of sheer disbelief spreading across her face, Caelestra had never imagined that the situation could become quite this troublesome...