CHAPTER 156
HELL HATH NO FURY AS MINE (1)
Eugene took a step back unconsciously, Hans was staring blankly in some direction, where he could see nothing. His blood-thirst was similar to a veteran warrior back home. “So this is the ancestral blood of Imperials. I almost lost my shit there.” He controlled his palpitating heart and suggested, “Then let's form a connection.”
The unfamiliar suggestion caused Hans to unconsciously lower his intensity. A bit confused, he asked, “What connection?”
“With birthrights!” Eugene stated, his confusion was not any different than Hans’s. Both gazed at each other for a moment and then Hans broke the awkward silence, pointing to his head and inquiring, "Do you have one as well—”
"Every Parvian has it.” Eugene responded instantly, explaining, “It connects us to the God Osiris, and our contributions are rewarded with blessings.”
“You mean privileges,” Hans confirmed.
“Yes.”
“So can you do INGRESS?” Hans asked, curious.
"Woah!" Eugene waved his hands in denial. "That's for those with high, no, very high clearance level. To reach that point, I need to achieve a lot.”
“That’s not how mine works. Whatever. This is not a priority.” Hans shook his head and led Eugene and the others inside. "Listen up," he said, addressing his team as he pointed to the newly arrived Parvian team inside. "These good people will help us complete this preliminary."
He proposed to split up, with the Parvian team assisting them. However, when Concordia's team members appeared confused by the suggestion, Eugene tried to convince them in his own way. "We only came here as a formality, not to take part in it," he explained, adding, "I'll truly have indigestion for days if the mage tower or knight association wins this thing, downplaying your efforts. So, if you want to repay our favour, make sure to bury their heads in the battle later.”
Hans interjected, “I’ll be separating with you, leading at least half of them away. You guys, with half of them gone and increased help, you should be able to complete the task. Additionally, proctors have to watch out for the third-class beasts for their own safety, so it will make things a little easier for you, at least finding the beasts that is. Once you reach the required number, don't look back and return first. I'll follow you shortly. That's our plan. Rest up. We'll begin moving at first light tomorrow.”
"It's all good, but what if we reach the Checkpoint without you? Won't you be disqualified?" Richter asked.
"No, sometimes, team members get lost and separated from the group. It's the Proctor's job to find the missing ones. Meanwhile, if the team submits the required loot, all members qualify," Hans explained. "Those are the rules.”
Hans continued, offering them an excuse, "Just say that I got separated from the team." He finished, and no one asked any more questions. To ease the tension, Eugene suggested that they rest separately, and Hans emphasized that no one must harm any of his members, especially Chris. He issued a stern warning to Eugene, who agreed to comply. To confirm their agreement, Hans used SCAN to alleviate his concerns.
While they were resting, Chris finally let down his guard and approached Hans. "I'm sorry. I've doubted your decisions.”
"No worries; I'm doubting them myself. We only need 36 more hearts, and then we'll qualify," Hans reassured him.
"But what if," Chris asked with doubt, "we reach a hundred hearts, and those people backstab us? We're already at a disadvantage in numbers, and you are away… I just —”
"Chris, my friend," Hans said, patting him on the back, "I don't mean rub it on you, but those guys hate your dad for backstabbing them. They won't do the same, even if they want to. Their pride won't allow it, at least not in front of you. And I have a backup plan just in case, so don't worry."
“Haa…you are rubbing it…but I trust you know what you're doing," Chris replied. He left to get some rest, though he didn't show it, he was in severe pain and needed time to recover.
The anxious night passed, and the Concordia team felt renewed hope of completing this tumultuous event. Everyone was prepared to follow the plan. The two teams were divided into three parts: Cherrina and Chris stayed back with Delimira, while the remaining six followed the Parvian team into the inner ring of Heat Riddance. Hans, alone, sprinted towards the Proctors.
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As he anticipated, his arrival and the charge of the sixteen others into the inner ring caused the Proctors to split up. Hans muttered as he charged ahead, “You idiots wanna play with me, so let's play.”
~Beasnstalk~
A colossal tendril suddenly erupted from beneath Hans's feet, propelling him a great distance towards the Proctors
“Found you!” Hans yelled in excitement, his face resembling a beast ready to pounce on his food. “One, two, three,… fourteen. I feel honoured, you are more than half.”
~SeedBullets x3~
He fired three consecutive shots, each with incredible speed and penetrating power. However, not a single shot found its mark. The Proctors weren't mere onlookers; they were formidable elites of the Alliance.
One of them retorted, "Do you honestly think you can take us on? Now we have every legitimate reason to fight back.”
“So you weren’t mute.” Hans countered, anger lacing his words, “Where was your voice when we were under attack from the dispellium?”
Another Proctor responded, "There was no such thing. You got your ass handed to you by two teams working together. There was nothing wrong with it.”
Hans remained silent so another one added, “If you have any qualms file a complaint to the organiser…we can’t help you so— ”
“Oh, you are misunderstanding something. I’m not here to talk.” Hans emptied his pockets, stressing, “You better have some wealth in stock.” His eyes glinted in a golden hue as he added, “A prepared mage is dangerous, and a prepared me is a nightmare.” He snickered, “And who says I’m alone? ”
~WoodGolem - Hydra~
The ground trembled, its vibrations unsettling the Proctors. They were utterly perplexed by the unfolding events, sensing an ominous presence slithering beneath them. Then, a serpent's head, as massive as a towering pine tree, burst forth from the earth, swallowing a Proctor whole.
“What the fuck? He killed!” one of the proctors shouted and the next moment he faced the same fate. The same thing kept repeating and four succumbed to the same fate while five barely got away with their lives. All were left in sheer horror as they witnessed an astonishing spectacle, a creature summoned by a boy of twelve — a colossal nine-headed serpent, crafted from wood and stone, with razor-sharp fangs and each head equipped with distinctive magical abilities. There was one that breathed fire, another that conjured thunder, and a third that controlled water, among others.
"Kill the boy," one of the Proctors ordered, but the nine-headed serpent, raging like a berserk beast, proved too formidable for them to approach. Hans remained frozen in place, channelling his every effort into controlling the Hydra. It was one of the two trump cards he had prepared for the Glory Wars, but his heart was bleeding, using this much wealth on settling some annoyances.
“I should be glad these bastards don’t have dispellium with them.” He thought as the horror continued.
They managed to sever three of the Hydra's heads, but it came at a high cost. They had depleted a significant amount of mana and aura. Hans was not faring well either, the Hydra possessed a devastating power but it didn't possess infinite mana like him, nor could it regenerate on its own. The creature was weakening as its mana stones were rapidly depleting.
Hans muttered as he frantically searched the corpses of the fallen Proctors. "They better have some mana stones." He managed to scavenge a meagre amount. "It's not much, but I can manage with this.”
The Hydra was crumbling, and a glimmer of hope crossed the exhausted faces of the Proctors. One of them shouted, "Let's kill the brat now —swoosh!" but before he could finish his sentence, a SeedBullet pierced through his head, silencing him forever.
“Shut the fuck up. I'm just getting started.” Hans declared. A whirlwind of mana already spiralling around him, and he took a step forward, shouting.
~ManaStorm~
It was a two-step mana discharge, not powerful enough to take down the well-trained knights and mages, but it served his secondary plan. The VeganBind began to ensnare them, a delicate but effective hold on each and every one. As they focused on blocking the massive mana discharge, they overlooked the tiny vines latching onto them
“That’s it for today.” Hans declared, vanishing from sight and allowing the exhausted survivors to catch their breath. "Don't celebrate just yet; I'll be back soon. That darn Hydra drained everything out of me. Controlling it was no joke. I'm not doing nine heads again.” He shook his head as he shivered.
Hans obscured his presence, blending seamlessly into the surrounding vegetation. He was determined not to be found easily, especially not by those who had risked their lives moments ago. Sighing, he observed them from a distance. "I knew you lot would do this. So predictable.” He smiled as everything happened as he thought.
Hans hoisted himself up, his vines aiding his movement as he traversed the terrain, much like an Evil Monkey leaping from tree to tree by gripping the long vines hanging from them. He was shadowing the Proctors on their way to the Checkpoint.
“As I thought, These bastards want to tattle, as if.” he mused. His eyes landed on a seemingly lifeless figure beside him, a person who should have been a corpse. It was the knight he had shot with a SeedBullet. The projectile hadn't breached his aura defence, but it had certainly knocked him out cold. “I feel bad for you. Those bastards didn’t even think of checking on you…well, I can understand…I was after their lives… and it's a pretty big deal, you know.” Hans remarked. Placing his hand on the knight's swollen forehead, he called out.
~SugarDrain~
A thin web of fine threads cocooned the unconscious knight. It began to siphon his vitality and transfer it to Hans, rejuvenating him. As the process concluded, Hans rose to his feet a new, his once-throbbing headache gone. He clenched his fist and murmured, "Time for round two.
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