The rest of the squad spread out to surround him but he moved with an unnatural grace always seeming to just dodge or deflect the attack It was as if there was something inevitable about the Ghosthound’s victory As if the entire world was twisting itself to make sure that he won
But Decklan knew in his heart that wasn’t the case From below the smallest edge over time will come to seem an impossible mountain All it took was a single man to step upon the summit and then
Almost if Alec had been following that train of thought he roared a red light forming around his body as he activated the skill Battle Lust The Ghosthound’s eyes narrowed and a Phantom Onslaught rumbled forward dozens of attacks rushing to put Alec down in that few seconds as the Battle Lust took effect
It was undoubtedly a powerful technique that boosted physical capabilities for a short while But there was a short time of vulnerability as your body was changing gears as it were Most of the warriors chose not to use it for that reason Alec was probably the one in Donnyton with the highest skill level and his required about 2 seconds to activate
Even though that was more than enough time for the Ghosthound to defeat him he did it anyway gambling on the boost he would obtain from the skill
After all in this instance he was not a man He was a member of the squad
Their voices rising in support the 4 other people stuck on this side of the wall threw themselves in the way of the Ghosthound’s attack blocking and deflecting those they could handle using their bodies to soak up the damage from those they couldn’t But the Phantom Onslaught of the Ghosthound was not something that any of them could come close to equaling in terms of speed and power it was unmatched It was as if he could unleash 20 Phantom Thrusts all at once in a specific duration
But those 4 did their best In the end only a single attack ripped forward as they fell away all of them sporting multiple broken bones And a hand rose to meet it curled into a fist
The fingers shattered and then the palm and then the wrist but the force at that point was dispersed Alec’s left hand was useless but his eyes burned red a fiery energy overtaking him And behind him healers rushed forward to help as 3 fireballs smashed forward as covering fire
Snorting the Ghosthound rushed forward around Alec but to his surprise Alec moved more quickly than he had previously repositioning himself in front of the Ghosthound spinning his axe Then he began to swing with a wild abandon smashing around with surprisingly precise strokes with his axe
That moment that the Ghosthound was forced to pause was enough to change the course of the fight
Entangling Roots The dedicated mage bellowed and roots curled upward from the ground to grip the Ghosthound’s legs This seemed to incense him and with a single step he ripped the bindings to shreds But that step put him right in the way of a swing of Alec’s where there was no time to deflect He was forced to block directly and his pole snapped into to pieces broken by the force
Roaring victoriously Alex swung again but he met nothing but air
Blinking he spun around because the Ghosthound was already behind him the healer and mage incapacitated their guards knocked to the ground
Alec paused the vicious redness in his eyes urging him onward but something in the Ghosthound’s stance told him that something had changed The Ghosthound turned gazing at Alec with burning emerald eyes
Chapter 103
He is not invulnerable but he’s good at almost everything Decklan turned surprised to find Lyra standing next to him She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear in a motion that was so human that Decklan was chilled to the bone She looked at the Ghosthound thoughtfully for several seconds and then said He’s also packing a lot more firepower than he’s currently letting on which is the real trouble with bringing him down If you push him he will push back hard
Decklan nodded slowly doing his best to seem casual Everyone had heard about Lyra’s death but her continued presence took the bite out of that somewhat for most people Fortunately or unfortunately Decklan was not most people During the chaos of the previous day Decklan had quietly reached Lvl 30 and earned himself another class skill Instincts of a Killer
And right now all they were saying was that the thing standing next to him speaking was dead
Using your new status as town Spirit to cheat Decklan asked surprised by how unnerving he found her Even a Tier II Raid Boss didn’t give him hibigeebies like she did
No Her eyes burned violet for a brief moment This is an old skill
Decklan turned back to the arena as the aggression from Alec’s skill overpowered his caution and he charged forward axe raised All at once the Ghosthound blurred springing into motion so fast that Decklan could barely believe it Decklan had some tricks too and knew how to fool the eye into losing sight of him but this
This was a pure difference in skills
A Roundhouse Kick struck a confused Alec in the temple knocking him senseless The Ghosthound slowly stood turning to the group of watchers
The 3rd Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares fill the gap
There was a long silence before anyone spoke Then tension rose as Squad III was dragged off of the arena by the healers and their wounds were repaired Decklan remained still waiting All the defeated squads sat looking at them with serious eyes Although they had each individually failed against the Ghosthound they had hope that Donnyton’s best could grasp victory They hoped not that their guardian angel would fall but more that the town would succeed That they had finally reached the point that they could stand on their own without relying on him
The Ghosthound waited brooding silently Decklan had heard Dozer and Donny’s theories about why this was happening and perhaps there was merit to it There could be no doubt that the Ghosthound had returned from Franksburg with more of an edge to him
But ultimately this was a battle that was about the fate of the town On this day they would decide whether they would live forever in the shadow of the Ghosthound or Almost on cue Donny stepped forward his head raised high The First Raid Party of Donnyton dares
He really had come a long way this past month growing into his role as leader Only intermittently would the teen that he really was show through and then it was only in forgivable slightly comical doses Gone were the days of bluster and cowardice Now his shield was always the first thing an enemy would see before battle was joined
With an even stride he led the 50 individuals who would be taking part in this final battle out onto the arena They had debated heatedly but at the end they reduced their squads to only the most necessary the best of the best in terms of stats and skill levels Against the Ghosthound there was nothing else they could do He would rip through weak links
Do you truly wish to come with so many The Ghosthound asked seemingly bored
Annie stringing her bow raised an eyebrow Scared
Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they moved into position as if Annie hadn’t spoken They did feel slightly guilty throwing everything at him but
Yes Donny answered coolly drawing his sword This is Donnyton’s full strength
The Ghosthound just smiled
Randidly closed his eyes breathing in and out Although he would do his best to avoid inflicting anything that would kill any of them he would hold nothing back He would crush them as best he could
They had to learn helplessness Only then could their resolve be firmed and they could reach forward towards strength
Randidly opened his eyes and scanned the crowd Donny Dozer and Decklan were obvious inclusions in the Raid Party The leaders of Squad I and II were also there Ptolemy and another healer stood at the back surrounded by a thick wall of bodies Annie stood at the back as well sticking her tongue out him which almost made Randidly grin
Looking away Randidly scanned the crowd Lyra would of course be watching but not likely somewhere he could see