Dora Tribelands, Kirkcour Woods.
2:15 pm. 14th Banem, 1092.
Tense silence pervaded the battlefield outside the centaur town as hundreds of blights and direwolves glared at the lone daeben warrior that stood between them and the town gate. Kashi whispered something into the ears of the black-coated stallion he rode upon, then cast his red, blood-colored gaze upon the monsters.
BOOM!
Gargantuan pressure exploded from Kashi's gaze and pressed down on the surrounding monsters like a sledgehammer! Hundreds of weaker direwolves instantly fainted in fright, and most others froze in place, knees shaking. However, even though their instincts commanded them to flee, the force controlling these monsters overrode that fear and forced them to remain on the battlefield.
The alpha wolves and the blights did not display any overt signs of being affected by the pressure, but if examined closely, the speed of their heartbeats would have been revealed to have tripled.
The monsters' fear was not without cause. Kashi often fought monsters tens of levels above himself. As a result, his Fighting Spirit was ridiculously high. In fact, so exponentially high that if he did not personally restrain himself, there were very few people in the world who could stand in his presence.
Kashi usually could not use this overwhelming advantage because he was either often fighting boss characters who were immune to its fear effects or battling weak monsters. It would not be fun to wipe them out without a fight.
This, however, was an important battle against hundreds of monsters. Even Kashi could not guarantee he would survive if he did not go all out. Hence, he instantly burst out with the full extent of his Fighting Spirit.
"Charge!" Kashi took advantage of the monsters' brief panic to spur Drixlia into a hard gallop.
Gelarios stared in shock as a dark aura burst out Drixlia's forehead and spread across its body to form a tight, dense black curtain. The stallion's mind-boggling acceleration forced the aura into the shape of a bullet as it crashed into the monsters' ranks.
The stallion's insane speed and Kashi's ability to instantly use the ki wall immediately after learning it notwithstanding were surprising in their own rights. Still, they weren't the reason for the shock in Gelarios' eyes.
The centaurs used their spears to create the formation because of the feedback each time the ki wall clashed against an enemy. If a centaur used their physical body to emit the ki, they would have to experience the initial backlash directly. It would be like slamming their bodies (although armored with ki) into the enemy forces. The point of impact was broad and hence not practical.
More importantly, however, the centaur would also be forced to bear the impact all around their body simultaneously, which would slowly damage them.
Early clan warriors introduced the spear to remedy this weakness. The sharp spear point streamlined the entire ki force into a single point. This made it much easier to pierce through the enemy forces and reduce the strain on the centaur.
The backlash was thus concentrated on their arm rather than the entire body. As long as a warrior sufficiently trained their balance and spear arm, the chances of accumulating injuries were low.
Kashi and Drixlia, however, were not obeying this principle. By using Drixlia as the 'spear-point' Kashi was forcing the horse to bear the impact of smashing into these tough bodied blights. Most animals would have died on the spot from such a task.
Kashi and Drixlia did not seem to care about any of this as they smashed into the blight forces with arrogant impudence. A massive explosion ensued as the first group of blights was blasted out of their path.
Drixlia thundered through the panicked blights, stubbornly grunting as it used his forehead like a battering ram to smash its way through the army and crushed stragglers underneath its powerful hooves.
"Excellent, Drix," Kashi praised as he patted the horse's neck. "Don't worry. It won't hurt much longer." Before Drixlia could process what the daeben meant, tens of blights around it suddenly exploded. Smoking arrows struck the earth behind the furthest beast.
Atop the defense wall, Gelarios' eyes bulged out of their sockets as Kashi shot dozens of arrows into the monster army and reaped their lives like wheat. However, what particularly drew his attention was the bow in the daeben's hand. Although it looked simple, the chief's heart involuntarily quickened each time Kashi drew the string.
Kashi grasped [Ferulic's Practice Bow] and unleashed hell upon the monster army. Each arrow sentenced three or more monsters to death, and the daeben's experience points began to climb at a rapid rate.
However, Kashi was not interested in his own growth as he could feel Drixlia's explosive growth. The stallion's gait stabilized, and its speed increased as time passed. This resulted from the massive experience points it gained from its status as Kashi's 'mount.'
In L.N.E, there were three ways for a monster or animal to increase its strength. The first and most common method was to kill and consume the flesh of other monsters and adventurers. The power gained was proportional to the strength of the consumed beast.
As could be expected, this did not apply to herbivores. A herbivore improved by feeding on high-level grass and plants. Unfortunately, this peaceful method meant that improvements were very slow. Usually, the effects would not show until the next generation.
The second method was to either awaken a hidden bloodline, somehow boost the current bloodline, or transplant a rare, high-level bloodline from a higher tiered monster to a weaker monster through special rituals.
These methods were unreliable as they could only be performed by very select humes, and even then, success was not always guaranteed. However, its benefit was that it increased the base strength of a monster.
The final, and perhaps the cheatiest method of all, was to become the pet of a Summoned. Summoned could share some of the 'experience' they got from killing a monster with their pets or mounts as long as the beast joined them in combat.
Kashi and Drixlia had not had many chances to fight together, and the stallion's development had stalled as a result. It was getting to the point where Kashi's running speed was nearing the stallions top speed. Kashi knew this problem and sought a method to increase Drixlia's bloodline as there were not many opportunities to fight on horseback.
Who could have guessed that an army of high-level monsters would deliver itself to the daeben's doorstep? Even better, Darian had inadvertently taught Kashi how to cover his biggest weakness: Drixlia's safety.
Poor Drixlia was so low-leveled that a single strike from any of these monsters would have been enough to kill it ten times over. However, now, it was those very beasts who were causing the stallion's level to skyrocket at an impossible rate. Kashi had long since muted the system's notifications as the windows informing him of his mount's level were beginning to block his entire vision.
Drixlia neighed in excitement and sped up, turning itself into a mobile battering ram. No one was more aware of its increasing strength than the beast itself. It had always felt a lingering fear that it would soon be abandoned as Kashi got too powerful for it. But if it got strong enough, why would it have to fear? Kashi would definitely bring it out to explore the world more often!
Die For Me!
BOOM!
Massive blue-colored ki exploded out of Drixlia's body as it resolved to kill as many of these blights.
"HAHA! You feel it don't you!?" Kashi roared with laughter as the beast's roiling ki brushed past him. "Okay, then! Let's slaughter them!"
Neeigh!
Drixlia neighed in excited agreement, and more ki surged out of its body. Its ki roiled and mixed with Kashi's dark ki. The blue and black ki surged and morphed into a black horse's silhouette with flaming blue hooves, mane, and tail.
Kashi and Drixlia were hidden with the lifeform as it smashed through the beasts. The only evidence of their presence were the life-reaping arrows that flew out of the ki construct.
"Horse and Man as One," Gelarios muttered as he stared at the silhouette that crushed its way through the army with a calm expression. Why was he calm? Simple, the old chief nearly had a heart attack when ki exploded from Drixlia's body. If he kept being surprised by everything the daeben did, how long would he have to live? It was much better to see the daeben as a monster. That way, everything would make sense.
"Monster. Yes, monster." Gelarios tested the word on his lips and was not surprised to find that it fit perfectly. "Mhmm. He is a monster. Bring down the moon if you want. This old man won't flinch."
"Chief?" A young soldier called as he walked up to Gelarios. "Should we send reinforcements to the other walls?"
"No." Gelarios shook his head. "Take a few men from the other walls to help Darian clear out the vermin in the city. When the city's safe, bring all the spare men to this gate. We will reinforce the daeben."
The soldier's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sir? It seems the daeben can handle it."
Gelarios shook his head. "It might look impressive, but it's ki he's burning. Ki! You must remember: the charging formation is meant for short calvary bursts. No matter how strong he is, he will soon run out of k it. i at this rate. The only reason he is holding on this long is because of that stallion."
The soldier passed on Gelarios' order to a subordinate then turned to the chief. "I don't understand. What's special about that stallion?"
"It's weak," Gelarios stated. "It's so weak that a single hit from these monsters would have instantly ended its life."
The soldier was even more confused. "How is its weakness a strength?"
Gelarios sighed. "It's so weak that it's leveling up at an impossible rate. Remember what happens when you level up?"
The soldier's eyes widened as realization dawned. "Your mana and ki refill to the peak."
"Exactly," Gelarios muttered. "Right now, the stallion is burning the majority of its ki before the next level up to reduce the daeben's burden. Look, the formation is changing color." Just as Gelarios stated, blue overtook the majority of the ki-formed stallion's coat. Curiously, however, the head and legs of the image remained black. "The daeben is smart," Gelarios praised. "He reduced the overall amount of ki he put in and concentrated on the legs and head since those determine the overall force of the beast."
Gelarios sighed as he watched the rampage. "The young will truly surpass the young. At least, this should be the extent of his abilities. Nothing else can surprise me."
As if on cue, ten thousand arrows shot out from ten portals that suddenly appeared around the horse formation and decimated the enemy troops. However, to the centaurs' shock, at least four thousand of those arrows shot to the walls. Before panic could even begin to set in, Gelarios saw a small portal appear in front of him.
"Get down!" The old man screamed in fright as four thousand arrows converged on the portal. Unfortunately, the mana-enhanced arrows were far too fast. Gelarios' heart stopped as a dark mass consumed his entire vision.
Luckily, [Homing Arrow] was as effective as advertised, especially on a stationary target. The arrows zipped into the portal and smashed into the remnants of the monster army.
It took Gelarios a moment to process what just happened. The old centaur nearly pissed himself in fright as his life flashed before his eyes. The embarrassment and fear exploded in the form of rage, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME, BOY!?" Gelarios roared and had to be stopped from jumping down from the wall by his tribesman. "DON'T HOLD ME! I Must Teach This Boy A Less—"
Thunk!
The threat died in Gelarios' throat as an arrow stabbed into the battlement in front of the chief. The old man noticed a note at the end of the arrow, and weakly pulled it out. He unfurled the dry parchment and paled when he saw the note was written in blood. However, that momentary fright instantly turned into incredulous laughter when he read the contents.
[Please Help. I've Run Out of Arrows.]
Gelarios handed the note to a subordinate as he surveyed the battlefield. Only a few dozen monsters remained on their side of the battlefield, and the daeben was picking off these unlucky survivors. The chief knew the time was ripe for a counterattack.
"Chief Gelarios, the village is clear!"
Gelarios looked down and saw Darian below the wall with the assassins that had accompanied him into the city.
"Chief, the troops are ready!"
Hundreds of warriors gathered below the gates, eliciting a huge grin from the chief. Gelarios trotted down the battlements and stood in front of the city gates. "Excellent! We can't let these kids take all the glory! Let's show these monsters the power of the Dora tribe!"
"OOH!"
The ground shook from the collective roar of the centaurs as Gelarios gave the order. "Open the gates!"
A few centaurs pulled the gates open, and the centaur army frantically charged out of the enclosure. Gelarios led the army and met up with Kashi and Drixlia, who had collapsed the formation. Gelarios had plenty he wished to say to the impressive youth, but there was no time for that. He instead motioned to a group of centaurs who came forward with a massive crate. They dropped the crate on the ground and opened it to reveal thousands of arrows. Gelarios stated with a smile, "Here are the arrows you requested."
"You have my thanks. I'll pay for these later." Kashi grinned as he dismounted and unceremoniously put the entire crate in his inner world. He climbed onto Drixlia's back and looked at Gelarios. "Which area do you want to attack first?"
"We'll split into two squads and attack both sides," Gelarios stated. The Dora tribe's town was built with its back to a large stream, so there were no threats from that side. The village's wall was constructed in a semi-circular form with no real edges, so it would be very easy for the monsters to ambush the army from behind if they chose to focus on one section of the wall. "The first squad will go with you and attack the east, while Darian and I will raise hell at the west. Whoever finishes first will reinforce the other."
"I'm afraid I cannot agree with that strategy," Kashi refused with a shake of his head. "No offense, but you've seen the way I fight. I won't be as effective in large-scale battles if I'm in a group."
"I understand your zeal, but you should not be too hasty." Gelarios shook his head. "I saw the exhaustion on your face when you unleashed that move just now. It must have consumed all of your mana. You at least need time to recover."
"Oh, do not worry about that," Kashi said. "I've already recovered most of it during this talk."
"Yes, you should be worrie—I'm sorry, what did you ju th st say? You've almost recovered?"
Kashi nodded. "Yes. I should be back at my peak in another thirty seconds."
Gelarios' heart tumbled, and his face turned red in embarrassment. "Y-yes, that may be so, but your formation is currently depending largely on your horse. Impressive as it's been, its level speed will soon slow down to the point it won't be able to burn as much ki as it's been doing so far. Do not underestimate the formation's ki cost. You might just find yourself without ki in the middle of your battle."
"Ah, don't worry about that either," Kashi reassured the chief. "My ki regenerates faster than the formation absorbs it."
Gelarios began to doubt his worldview. Was there such a large gap between the Summoned and Residents? "B-but I saw you reduce your ki to only the formation's head and legs."
"You noticed that? As expected of a chief," Kashi praised the chief. "I did not see why I should waste my ki on the entire body when I could have it concentrated on the forehead and legs."
Gelarios finally understood. Kashi did not 'reduce' the amount of ki he poured into the formation. Instead, he gathered all that ki to strengthen the construct's critical regions. The chief began to feel like if he stayed around the daeben any longer, he would begin to doubt everything he knew about the world.
"I will take the army east," Gelarios conceded. "Please join us when you're done."
"Do not worry. I'll be quick," Kashi promised. "I also want to see how the centaur battle." Kashi spurred Drilxlia into a light jog as he headed to the western corner of the wall. He suddenly recalled a critical matter and called over his shoulder before Drixlia broke into an aggressive sprint. "Please see if you can keep capture some of the Direwolves alive. There's something I want to check."
Gelarios watched as ki blossomed around the charging pair and morphed into the horse formation. He turned his head to look at his men with a challenging grin. "Do you want to be outdone by that brat?"
"NOOO!"
"In that case, let's clear out these bastard monsters, and show that daeben what we're made of!"
"OOOH!"