Chapter 270: Echo Shriek

Because Aelric was intimately familiar with the abilities of Ratchyrs, he understood their capabilities as well as their limitations. The reason the first leader had been able to bite through his crescent strike was its Extremity, its incisors, working in conjunction with its Impulse, Stour Gnaw.

Stour Gnaw, despite its rather rugged name, was an insidious and exceptionally troublesome ability.

Through this Impulse, Ratchyrs could reinforce their incisors with Aether, transforming their already formidable teeth into weapons capable of biting through virtually anything.

Therefore whether they were tearing through flesh, crushing bone, or attempting to penetrate the protective properties of a Soul Essence, their reinforced incisors possessed a terrifying degree of destructive potential.

However, Stour Gnaw went a step further than merely strengthening the creatures’ bites. It also enabled them to sever and absorb Aether itself, allowing them to consume certain Aether-based attacks and utilize the energy contained within them.

In other words, attacking a Ratchyr with Aether was not necessarily the wisest course of action.

The ability was particularly troublesome because it exploited a fundamental difference between Etheryeans and the creatures that inhabited the Nether Lands.

Etheryeans cultivated Aether primarily through absorption. The pores of their skin served as conduits through which they drew ambient Aether from their surroundings or absorbed the concentrated energy contained within Aether Cores.

Once absorbed, the energy would be processed within their bodies, gradually strengthening their Aether Veins and supporting their advancement through the various realms.

Animas and Netherytes, however, possessed a different means of cultivation.

Rather than relying exclusively on the pores of their skin, they possessed specialized Extremities and Impulses that served particular functions in the absorption, processing, and utilization of Aether.

These biological features varied considerably between species, granting each creature its own distinctive advantages and, naturally, its own set of weaknesses.

Some possessed organs capable of drawing Aether directly from the atmosphere, while others relied upon specialized bodily structures that could extract and refine the energy contained within their prey.

Certain species even possessed abilities that allowed them to manipulate the Aether around them in ways that ordinary practitioners could only imitate through carefully developed techniques.

The Ratchyrs were no exception.

In their case, the combination of their incisors and Stour Gnaw provided an efficient means of absorbing Aether from their environment. By biting into a concentration of ambient energy, they could separate the useful Aether from the surrounding atmosphere and draw it into their bodies.

Within the Nether Lands, where the ambient energy was predominantly Nether, this process allowed them to replenish and strengthen their Nether reserves.

Consequently, when the first leader had crushed Aelric’s crescent strike between its teeth, it had done more than neutralize an incoming attack. It had also absorbed a portion of the Aether that constituted the technique, using that energy to reinforce its own Nether reserve and make them denser and more substantial.

For the Ratchyr, it had been a rather profitable exchange. Aelric, on the other hand, had effectively provided his opponent with a meal.

Also, although absorbing ambient energy through specialized Extremities and Impulses was relatively stable and secure, the process was ultimately slow.

The amount of energy a creature could extract depended on its biological capabilities, the concentration of ambient Aether, and the efficiency with which its body processed the absorbed energy. Even a species with an exceptionally effective method of absorption could not indefinitely accelerate its cultivation through this process alone.

Furthermore, ambient energy was not always readily available in sufficient quantities, and absorbing it required time that was not necessarily available in the middle of a battle.

This was one of the principal reasons Etheryeans, Animas, and Netherytes alike frequently killed one another to obtain Aether or Nether Cores.

The concentrated energy stored within such cores provided a much faster means of strengthening their respective energy pools than relying solely on the atmosphere.

Of course, the process was not without its dangers, and acquiring a Core from a sufficiently powerful opponent was often considerably easier to describe than to accomplish.

Nevertheless, the temptation remained.

After all, cultivation was a competition in which every advantage mattered, and few practitioners were inclined to refuse an opportunity to become stronger merely because the acquisition of that strength involved a little bloodshed.

After all, in the Nether Lands, such considerations were rarely enough to dissuade anyone...

In the meantime, the first Rank Two Ratchyr had barely finished consuming the remnants of his previous attack when the second leader seized the opportunity to strike.

Its claws glowed with an ominous crimson light as it activated another of its Impulses, Frenzied Slash.

Concentrated Nether gathered around each talon, forming razor-sharp edges that extended beyond the creature’s natural claws. The energy pulsed with a violent intensity, giving the impression that the very air surrounding its forelimbs had become sharpened into invisible blades.

Then the Ratchyr swept one forelimb through the air and a crimson claw-shaped strike erupted from the movement and shot towards Aelric’s chest...

WHOOSH!!!

Like a devastating talon from the depths of hell, the attack tore through the chamber with astonishing speed. Its passage left thin, distorted trails in the air, as though an enormous invisible claw had raked across the fabric of space itself.

The crimson light illuminated the surrounding dust, casting fleeting red shadows across the fractured pillars and broken statues.

The attack was swift, vicious, and clearly intended to tear through whatever stood in its path.

Aelric, however, did not panic.

Just as the claw strike was about to reach him, the green-eyed youth shifted his sword to intercept it. He sidestepped with measured precision, allowing the edge of the incoming attack to brush past him while he brought his longsword around in a countering motion.

Blue Aether surged along the blade and the two attacks collided...

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion erupted between them, its sharp report resembling thunder splitting the heavens...

Blue and crimson light burst outward in a violent flash, illuminating the ruined temple before the shockwave swept through the chamber.

Dust rushed across the flagstones in turbulent waves, while the already-fractured pillars shuddered beneath the force. Loose fragments of masonry broke away from the ceiling, tumbling down among the rubble.

Several lesser Ratchyrs caught within the outer edge of the blast were thrown violently through the air, their wings flailing as they crashed into the temple’s broken architecture.

The impact was severe enough to disturb even the air surrounding the combatants, sending a powerful gust sweeping through the chamber.

Yet Aelric remained firmly planted where he stood.

His feet did not slide across the flagstones, and his posture barely changed. His tunic fluttered around his legs in the turbulent wind generated by the collision, while his longsword remained steady in his hand.

He looked as though he had just endured a particularly inconvenient breeze rather than intercepted an attack from a Rank Two Netheryte.

If anything, the only visible indication that the exchange had required his attention was the faint narrowing of his emerald eyes.

The two Ratchyrs, however, were not prepared to give him time to recover or launch a counterattack.

The instant the second leader completed its assault, the first exploited the distraction.

Its enormous ears spread outward as its jaws opened, revealing the reinforced incisors that had already demonstrated their ability to consume Aether. This time, however, it did not attempt to bite its opponent or intercept another sword strike.

Instead, it released an Impulse known as Echo Shriek.

The Ratchyr’s exceptional hearing and echolocation were among its most valuable natural advantages. Although its eyesight was comparatively poor, it could perceive its surroundings through the subtle vibrations produced by sound, allowing it to navigate confined spaces and detect movements that might escape the notice of other creatures.

Echo Shriek weaponized that very capability.

The creature compressed its shriek into a piercing burst of sound, unleashing a concentrated wave that hammered the air around Aelric.

Rather than spreading its cry indiscriminately throughout the chamber, it directed the force of the sound towards a specific target, intensifying the vibrations until they became a direct assault upon the senses.

And the resulting noise was more than a mere shriek.

It was a violent storm of discordant frequencies, an assault designed to disrupt balance, overwhelm hearing, and interfere with the mind’s ability to interpret its surroundings.

The sound seemed to penetrate the skull itself, rattling the senses with an intensity that ordinary ears were never meant to endure.

The air vibrated violently.

For a brief moment, the entire temple seemed to tilt beneath Aelric’s feet.

Unlike a physical blow, which could be evaded by shifting one’s body or intercepted with a weapon, Echo Shriek attacked through a medium that was far more difficult to avoid.

The sound travelled through the surrounding air, and its vibrations could reach a target before that target had any opportunity to recognize the threat.

Even closing one’s eyes would accomplish little.

The attack did not depend upon sight, nor did it require the Ratchyr to land a physical strike. It assaulted the senses directly, disrupting the delicate mechanisms through which the body maintained its balance and the mind interpreted the world.

For someone caught within its effective range, the consequences could be devastating.

Nausea surged through Aelric like a violent wave, and for a fraction of a second, the edges of the battlefield seemed to blur.

The ruined walls, fallen pillars, and scattered rubble appeared to crumble into one another, their outlines dissolving into a disorienting mixture of shapes and colours.

The crimson gloom seemed to ripple before his eyes, while the floor beneath him appeared to shift despite the fact that the ancient flagstones had not moved at all.

Honestly, the sensation was profoundly unpleasant.

It was one thing to face an opponent whose attacks could be anticipated and countered through physical ability but it was quite another to have one’s senses assaulted so thoroughly that distinguishing the battlefield from a distorted illusion became a struggle in itself.

Even Aelric, whose cultivation surpassed that of the two Ratchyr leaders, was not entirely immune to the effects.

His sword remained in his grasp, but the world around him had become considerably less reliable.

And he was not the only one affected.

Although the other members of the group were not the principal targets of Echo Shriek, the attack was powerful enough for its vibrations to spread throughout the chamber.

Those nearest to Aelric felt the ground beneath their feet seem to sway, while an incessant ringing filled their ears and drowned out the surrounding sounds of battle.

Kaeloris winced, momentarily lowering his Scroll as he pressed his lips together in an effort to endure the unpleasant sensation.

His spectacles had slipped slightly down his nose, but he made no attempt to adjust them, evidently deciding that keeping his balance was more important than maintaining his usual appearance of scholarly composure.

Nearby, Aureleah tightened her grip on her daggers. Her expression remained controlled, yet the slight tension around her eyes betrayed the discomfort she was experiencing.

Even she could not entirely ignore an attack that seemed to vibrate through her bones.

The lesser Ratchyrs were affected as well, although their reactions differed considerably. Some shrieked in response, adding their own cries to the already chaotic noise, while others stumbled across the flagstones or beat their wings erratically.

The combined sounds transformed the ruined temple into a chamber of discord, where every cry and collision seemed to amplify the confusion.

Clearly, the attack had disrupted the battlefield without distinguishing between friend and foe and that alone made it a formidable ability.

However, the two Rank Two leaders appeared far less troubled by the surrounding chaos. Surprise, they had chosen their moment well.

The first leader had attacked Aelric’s senses while the second remained poised to exploit any resulting weakness. Their earlier failures had taught them that charging recklessly towards the green-eyed youth was unlikely to produce a favourable outcome.

This time, they had combined their abilities, attempting to undermine his control before delivering another decisive strike.

It was a considerably more intelligent approach than their previous attempts.

And if even those standing at the edge of the attack were experiencing such disorientation, then one could only imagine just how Aelric was feeling...