Zane’s group did their best to kill all the mana creatures near the wall protecting the inn before moving toward the walls placed on the battlefield. The wall protecting the inn was the final defense. Therefore, it was best to remove all threats to it as soon as possible.
Removing the threats to the wall allowed the elven to take a breath of relief. However, they weren’t able to relax. The elven turned their attacks to the flying mana creatures rapidly closing in on the inn.
A quick glance up allowed Zane to see how the elven were handling the new threat. They had created green magic barriers that kept the flying mana creatures outside of the inn. Arrows and spells were sent toward the flying mana creatures from the top of the wall. The attacks were effective but there were some problems.
Not every arrow and spell hit the flying mana creatures. When the spells missed, they would weaken as they fell to the ground. When the arrows missed, they would gain strength as they fell to the ground.
Both the arrows and the spells had the potential to harm Zane and his team, but the group wasn’t too bothered by it. What they were bothered by were the bodies of dead and injured flying mana creatures that fell to the ground. There were multiple times when Zane had to choose between landing a finishing blow and dodging a falling body. The situation was very annoying.
Sophie wanted to step forward and create a barrier, but everyone refused her protection. Before they started helping the elven, Sophie had applied suitable buffs to everyone, and it required her to use a large portion of her mana. Everyone wanted to give her more time to recover, since she had fifty percent of her mana left and she already drank a mana potion.
Frank suggested that one of them could create a barrier, but that idea was quickly discarded. None of them could hold a barrier as long as Sophie. Instead of wasting energy blocking the falling mana creatures, it was better to quickly reach an area where less or no mana creatures falling.
Increasing their pace, the group pushed forward as they tried to slaughter the mana creatures on the ground as fast as possible. It took some time, but the group managed to leave the area where the flying mana creatures were falling. However, there were still many mana creatures in the air above them.
“Let’s keep pushing forward, we’re almost at the walls,” Brad mentally announced to the group as he fought.
“Why?” Britney asked. “I don’t think we have to worry about any mana creatures falling from where we are.”
“Yeah, but we still need to help the elves.”
“We can help them from right here. I don’t think we should go above and beyond for the elves. They don’t even deserve the bare minimum.”
“Britney’s right,” Zane agreed. “We’ve already dealt with most of the mana creatures threatening the inn. I think we should stay here and kill the few mana creatures that escape from the battlefield.”
Looking toward the battlefield, Zane could see around a dozen mana creatures escaped from the walls every few seconds. The mana creatures charged through the destroyed sections of the walls placed in different areas. By the time they arrived at where Zane’s group stood, more than half of the mana creatures fighting against Zane’s group would be dead.
Unanimously, everyone agreed to stay where they were. Moving would benefit the elven more than it would Zane’s group. They were killing mana creatures at a steady pace at their current location, and they would waste their energy by trying to do more.
Everyone in Zane’s group was relaxed, despite having fierce enemies charging toward them. They were familiar with the behavior and attacks of the mana creatures, and they knew the best way to kill them. Also, they were confident in the power that they gained over the past few weeks.
After some time passed, there was a change on the battlefield. Zane heard a roar that surprisingly sounded louder than the roars of the other mana creatures. All the mana creatures in the sky and on the ground paused for a moment before they continued charging forward with renewed vigor.
Zane’s team was surprised by the change because this was something they didn’t experience in the previous attacks. The change didn’t give the mana creatures the ability to harm Zane’s group. Everyone quickly adjusted and continued to kill mana creatures with the same proficiency as before.
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“Well, that was strange,” Jason announced.
“That, was a command from a mana creature that was a lot more powerful,” Zane replied. “I suggest we prepare to fight a mana creature that is at the pinnacle of the first tier.”
“No way!” Jason’s shocked exclamation was mimicked by a few other members of the team.
“I could be wrong, but it’s always good to-”
Suddenly, Zane felt a powerful presence from the walls on the battlefield. Zane saw the walls explode as a large figure charged in their direction. Without hesitation, Zane took out his shield, stepped in front of the group, and activated his skills. Weapon Durability. Block
Skill: Weapon Durability
Level: 21, 90%
Tier: 1
Effect: Defense +42. Half of a weapons durability will be added as defense. The weapon must be held or attached to the body. Constant usage of the skill can bring a weapons durability down to zero.
Cost: 20 stamina per second
Skill: Block
Level: 24, 4%
Tier: 1
Effect: Allows the user to gather their internal energy to fend off powerful blows. Defense increases by 240 - 360
Cost: 60 stamina
Item Name: Earth shield
Item Type: Weapon
Tier: 1
Level: 52
Durability: 205/405
Grade: Epic
Description: An ordinary shield imbued with the power of the earth.
Abilities: Defense 125-135, Str +12, End +23, Skill: Earth shield
Requirements: Level 52
Less than a second after Zane activated his two skills, he felt something impact his shield. The force was powerful enough to push Zane back over a dozen meters. Once he stopped moving, Zane could see his feet dug two parallel lines into the ground. Zane used Analyze as he physically observed the enemy that hit him.
Wind Dire Snake Lvl 70
The wind dire snake was covered in light green scales and had yellow eyes. Laying on the ground, its head slightly taller than Zane’s waist. The snake started to hiss as it started to rise up and towered over Zane.
“It’s tier two,” Zane announced.
Glancing at his status, Zane saw that he lost approximately one hundred points from the snake’s attack. Alarmed, Zane immediately warned everyone. Zane had the strongest physical defense and the person with the second strongest physical defense, Brad, had a defense that was few hundred points less than Zane.
The wind dire snake glared at Zane and prepared to strike. However, it was struck by a few spells before it could attack. In anger it turned its attention to Jason and charged at him. Activating Weapon steps Zane arrived before Jason and used Block again.
Skill: Weapon steps
Level: 24, 99%
Tier: 1
Effect: Each step is as quick as a blade. Each step is as heavy as a hammer. Increases dexterity by five points per skill level. Increases strength by one point per skill level.
Cost: 25 stamina per second
Once again, Zane was pushed back as the snake’s head smashed into his shield. Jason was forced back as Zane crashed into him, but they both quickly recovered within a few seconds. As they were being pushed back, they saw that other members of the group continued to attack the snake.
Frank and Whitney had continued to cast spells at the snake while Shane stood in front of them for protection. Old Saber and Brad were charging toward them from behind on opposite sides. The rest of the team were attacking the mana creatures that continued to come from the damaged battlefield walls.
Brad and Old Saber jumped forward and slashed at the snake’s body. Brad’s attack left a shallow wound, but Old Saber’s attack cut deep into the snake’s body. The snake hissed in pain as it shook its body. The shaking stirred the wind and blasted Brad and Old Saber away.
Suddenly, the mana of the snake started to surge. Zane saw a crescent shaped blade of wind start to form near its mouth and its head was aimed at Shane, Frank and Whitney. Magic Barriers were quickly created as Shane entered a defensive stance with his shield.
Instead of rushing to help them, Zane focused on analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their new enemy. He was confident that Shane and the two mages would be able to defend themselves since they had time to prepare. The blade of wind destroyed the magic barriers and forced Shane back a few steps. Otherwise, the trio were unharmed.
Watching the snake, Zane noticed its fast recovery speed. The shallow slash from Brad was almost healed and the deep cut Old Saber gave it was rapidly healing. At the snake’s current rate of healing, it would only take a few minutes for it to fully heal itself.
Going over what he saw a frown appeared on Zane’s face. Capable of casting spells, accelerated healing, superior movement speed, powerful physical defenses and powerful attacks. The only disadvantage Zane could easily see was its poor intelligence.
The snake didn’t focus on attacking isolated enemies like Brad and Old Saber or focus on killing one group of enemies before moving on to the next. Instead, it focused its attention on whoever attacked it last. The poor intelligence would allow Zane and the others to easily manipulate the snake. However, the snake had plenty of strengths that would allow it to withstand the assault of Zane’s group. Zane shared what he observed with the group, and they all mentally prepared themselves for the difficult battle to come.