Parallel Vol.2 [Legacy Edition]

Chapter 6: Battle for Riven (Part 3)

The heavens exploded with drums of war, the soldiers below dancing to the damning tune. 

The streets of Riven piled with bodies of the damned as the war raged on, growing fiercer by the second. The Kertan soldiers, vitalized by the promise of victory, fought like men possessed, ripping through enemies they'd found terrifying. 

In return, the drakul roared defiance as they morphed to hulks. Their blows mashed metal and bone, reducing the Kertans to naught but bloody mush. 

Into this maelstrom of madness and blood walked a hooded mage clad in red armor. In his left hand he held a red staff crafted from ancient wood. His name was Absalon, and like the man he was named after, he was a creature of war.

Three drakul charged the newcomer, weapons at the ready.

"Worms," said Absalon as he raised his right hand.

The drakul fell to the ground as a magic symbol formed beneath them. Two others attacked from his left, but their strikes landed on a magic circle. 

Absalon looked out the corner of his eyes at the dumbfounded drakul. "《Repel》"

An explosive force blasted them through the walls of a nearby building. 

Absalon returned his attention to the drakul trapped on the ground. They watched helpless as debris levitated off the earth, hovered over, then fell, burying them. Through the smoke zipped spears of ice, but he watched unfettered as they shattered few feet from him. 

In retaliation, he tapped the earth with his staff. 

Weapons dropped by the fallen hovered around him, as a host of drakul burst through the smoke. 

He side-stepped the first attack, tapping the drakul with his staff. He half-assedly parried the blow of the second, causing it to stagger forward under the lack of resistance. He spun around and hit its back, then struck the third in the stomach with the butt of his staff before it could bring down its sword. As it doubled over, he righted it by smashing its chin upwards. He rubbed a circle on its exposed mid-riff as cries from behind alerted him to the two he had sidestepped.

"《Implode》" Absalon chanted. The drakul froze in place as magic circles appeared on their bodies where he had tapped them. The third was blasted into the onrushing drakul as the circle on its belly exploded. 

It tripped the first wave, but three brutes wielding large axes jumped over and swung down at him. 

Sparks shot out as the weapons crashed against an invincible shield. 

The red mage eyed them. "Kneel."

The weapons fell from the hands of the brutes, crashing to the earth with a force much higher than their size implied. The brutes followed suit, falling to a knee as they struggled futiley to stand.

Absalon took one of the swords hanging beside him. He stepped forward and slowly sunk the blade into a terrified brute's heart. An eerie smile corrupted his features as he watched their expression twist from fear to realization. He repeated the motion with the other two, unchallenged by the other drakul paralyzed by fear.

"Bastard!" They cried as three mages shot out concentrated streams of mana at him. The bursts hit his shield as arrows from archers tried to penetrate. 

Absalon regarded them with eyes devoid of interest. "Enough. This is no challenge."

With a flick of his finger, the hovering weapons shot forward. The drakul cried out as the projectiles tore through them. 

Absalon tightened his fist and the weapons exploded within their hosts. He alone emerged from the fog of smoke and dust, eyes scanning the battlefield. "'This is not the pressure I felt. Where are you?"