Refining the Heavens (炼天)

Chapter 18: The Berserker's pill

Compared to how nervous Edward is, the other Snowdrifts stood almost nonchalantly and completely defiant against Calculus' teams without any hint of fear.

In fact, Tommy and Jim are the types that become rearing to go while facing challenges. Out of their group, those two are the ones that enjoy combating the most, while Alan and Kairos are more level-headed and Edward is a pacifist.

This does not mean that the archer is a coward. More than so, he is a quiet but resolute soul. But even such a person has people important to him. And when facing things that threaten them, he couldn't help feeling the pressure, especially, since he is fighting with unfamiliar techniques and couldn't let the formation break from his side.

As powerful as a formation is, if one side is unable to match the speed with the rest of his team, the effects of the array would be disintegrated and possibly make things worse than fighting individually.

Imagine fighting in a group, surrounded by teammates who keep on blocking your movements. Even if you could dodge an attack, you might be shoved back and cut down. At that time, even if you want to complain, you can only do so in the underworld.

But when a formation is used correctly, it is exceptional in a group fight.

Fortunately, their team had reformed their ranks quickly enough, switching from the Gammadion Cross formation into the Bagua formation. The Berserker's Pill took effect far more rapid than anyone expects, and the young nobles roared with uncontrollable battle lust near them. If not because Kairos has made the Bagua formation into their core formation, and also the array they practised the most, they would not have the time to take position properly.

The Bagua formation is barely ready when some of Calculus' men already charged forth and mercilessly attacked.

At the outer most circle of their Bagua Formation, it is their eight strongest members that stood at the front, each facing in different directions, holding back their enemies.

Whenever they receive an impact, the formation acts like a rubber ball and absorbs the attack, then bounce back with greater force. The only criteria to do this is that those at the fore front must be strong enough to take the attack from the enemy.

The eight bore the brunt of the attacks, and soon cuts appeared all over their bodies, but because of the formation, they managed to endure. Instead, their foes had a harder time than them. Because of how compactly they fought their enemies attacked each other by mistake more often than them.

Under the influence of the Berserker's pill, it's hard to maintain one's thoughts. In addition, it also endangers the consumer. In exchange for an ungodly power, one will burn with an uncontrollable rage.

Even with a thin arm, strikes will become deadly because of the unbounded energy from the pill seeking to be unleashed. However, if they are unable to vent the induced anger with battle completely, their blood will reverse, and their Ki will rush into their hearts. And when too much power is accumulated, their hearts will burst, their veins will rupture, and their meridian channels will disintegrate until they die from an explosion.

If the battle ends before the wrath has calmed, even if the person had somehow survived, the leftover madness will burn away his potential, and in his lifetime, he will never reach the cultivation level of God's Way. Additionally, the longer they are under this influence, the more damage it will be on their bodies, cutting away greater the amounts of their future potential.

This anger seeps into their Ki a bloodthirsty blade, causing every attack to be enveloped by the powerful Ki from the user. When those Ki-infused attacks hit something, powerful energy will burst forth not unlike minor explosions.