Novels2Search

SS:S Ch. 17 - The Fight is On

The raging tempest engulfed the arena as the two teams clashed in a violent maelstrom of weapons and abilities. The wind howled, whipping up dust and debris, creating a chaotic vortex at the heart of the battlefield. Amidst the swirling chaos, Calvin's eyes locked onto the Skull Reaper leader, a towering brute clad in jagged bone armor wielding a wicked axe. The leader's malevolent gaze met Calvin's, a silent challenge passing between them. Electricity crackled along Calvin's spear as he charged forward, his feet pounding against the ground, his Resonant Charge building with each step.

Amy's Venomous Miasma billowed out, a toxic cloud of nanites that spread rapidly across the battlefield like an all-consuming fog. The poisonous fog seeped into the Skull Reapers' armor, finding the gaps and weak points, corroding it and inflicting searing pain. The Skull Reapers hissed and snarled as the miasma ate away at their defenses, their movements becoming more erratic. Freya's storm powers whipped the miasma into a frenzied cyclone, concentrating it around their foes, creating a suffocating maelstrom of poison and lightning.

Calvin dashed through the swirling vortex, his spear leaving trails of lightning in his wake, illuminating the battlefield in strobing flashes. He unleashed a barrage of swift strikes at the Skull Reaper leader, his Storm Brand marking his target with an arcane sigil. Each blow sent jolts of electricity surging through the brute's body, amplified by the storm raging around them, causing the leader's muscles to spasm and twitch involuntarily.

The Skull Reaper leader retaliated with a mighty swing of his axe, the wickedly sharp blade cleaving the air with a whistle. But Calvin activated Stormwalk, momentarily phasing through space, his form becoming ethereal and intangible. He reappeared behind his opponent in a burst of crackling energy, plunging his spear into a gap in the bone armor. The leader roared in pain and fury, the sound reverberating across the arena, as he whirled to face Calvin, his eyes blazing with malice.

Undeterred, Calvin pressed his assault, his spear a blur of motion as he unleashed a Chain Fury attack. Lightning arced from the spear's tip, leaping from one Skull Reaper to the next like a deadly game of connect-the-dots, the damage diminishing with each subsequent strike but still delivering a punishing blow that left the warriors reeling.

The bone-clad warriors closed in around Calvin, seeking to overwhelm him with their sheer numbers, their weapons raised to strike. But Calvin stood firm, his stance unwavering. With a fierce cry that pierced through the howling winds, he slammed his spear into the ground, activating Storm Legion. Three towering storm legionnaires materialized around him, their translucent forms crackling with energy, casting an eerie blue glow. They wielded massive shields that absorbed the incoming attacks, the bone weapons shattering against the arcane barriers, protecting Calvin from the onslaught.

Calvin refocused his efforts on the Skull Reaper leader, engaging him in a deadly dance of blades and lightning. The brute's axe cleaved the air with terrifying speed, a blur of motion that promised instant death. But Calvin matched him move for move, his own weapon a counterpoint to the leader's brutal strikes. He ducked and weaved, his spear deflecting the axe's razor-sharp edge with showers of sparks, the clang of metal on metal lost in the roar of the tempest.

Seizing an opening, Calvin lunged forward, his spear aimed at the leader's chest, the tip glinting with lethal promise. The brute managed to partially deflect the blow, the spear's edge skittering across the bone armor. But the spear's tip still found its mark, piercing the bone armor and drawing a gush of dark ichor that splattered across the ground. The leader staggered back, his axe dropping to his side, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Calvin pressed his advantage, unleashing a flurry of strikes that drove the Skull Reaper leader back, each blow punctuated by a crack of thunder. Each blow sent shockwaves rippling through the brute's body, the electricity from Calvin's spear overloading his nervous system, causing his limbs to jerk and shudder uncontrollably. The leader's movements grew sluggish, his reactions slowing, his once-mighty axe feeling like a leaden weight in his hands.

With a final, devastating thrust, Calvin's spear punched through the leader's chest plate, the crackling energy erupting from the spear's tip and engulfing the brute in a blinding flash of lightning. The Skull Reaper leader convulsed, his body wracked with spasms, electricity arcing across his form in jagged bolts. He crumpled to the ground, smoke rising from his charred armor, the stench of burnt flesh mingling with the ozone tang of the storm.

Calvin stood over his fallen foe, his spear raised in triumph, the weapon thrumming with residual energy. The storm legionnaires around him shimmered and vanished, their purpose served, fading away like ghostly apparitions. The fallen Skull Reaper vanished as the arena's safeguards teleported them away for healing.

Amy's Venomous Miasma continued to spread, the toxic cloud sapping the strength from the Skull Reapers, leaving them gasping and choking. Freya's storm raged on, lightning bolts streaking down from the swirling clouds to strike the weakened warriors, the thunderclaps drowning out their agonized screams.

Amy darted through the chaotic battlefield, her lithe form a blur of motion amidst the clashing warriors. Her keen eyes locked onto her targets - the two robed figures at the back of the Skull Reaper formation. She knew they were likely the enemy mages, and taking them out was crucial to securing victory.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The silent order's mission echoed in her mind: defeat the backline before two minutes elapsed. Amy glanced at the countdown display in her peripheral vision. The numbers ticked down relentlessly: 1:45... 1:44... 1:43... Each second felt like an eternity as she raced against time.

She sprinted forward, her Phased Steel blades glinting with an otherworldly sheen in the flickering light of the battlefield. The nanites infused within the metal allowed her daggers to pass through solid objects, making them deadly against even the most heavily armored foes. The air whistled past her ears as she charged, her heart pounding in rhythm with her rapid footfalls.

As Amy closed in on the mages, a group of Skull Reaper warriors moved to intercept her, their bone armor clattering and their weapons raised. She didn't break stride, instead activating her Stinging Swarm with a thought. With a flick of her wrists, she hurled a flurry of six blades at the approaching enemies. The blades carried the toxic effects of her poisons, spreading out in a wide fan before converging on the warriors like angry hornets.

The Skull Reapers howled in pain as the blades found their marks, puncturing armor and flesh alike with sickening thunks and squelches. The toxins began their insidious work, sapping the warriors' strength and slowing their movements as it coursed through their veins. But Amy didn't have time to admire her handiwork or watch her foes writhe. The clock was still ticking, each precious second slipping away.

1:30... 1:29... 1:28...

She pressed forward, her Miasmic Shroud enveloping her in a cloud of toxic nanites that swirled around her like a ghostly cloak. To the Skull Reapers, she seemed to vanish, only a faint shimmer betraying her presence as she slipped between them like a phantom. Amy wove through the enemy ranks, her shroud slowly draining the vitality of those she passed, leaving them weakened and disoriented in her wake.

The mages came into view, their dark robes swirling with eldritch energies that made the air hum and crackle. They were chanting in a guttural language that grated on the ears, their hands weaving intricate patterns in the air that left glowing afterimages. Amy knew she had to disrupt their casting before they could unleash their foul magic upon her allies. She hit the nearest one with Creeping Rot. The mark took hold, pulsing with sickly green light and began spreading its corruption to the second nearby mage.

1:15... 1:14... 1:13...

Amy lunged at the nearest mage, her Phased Steel blades poised to strike, glinting hungrily. But the mage was quicker than she anticipated. With a gesture, a shimmering barrier sprang up around him, deflecting Amy's attack with a discordant chime. The force of the impact sent her stumbling back, her shroud flickering like a guttering candle.

The second mage seized the opportunity, unleashing a bolt of crackling black energy at Amy that sizzled through the air. She twisted aside at the last second, the bolt grazing her shoulder and sending a jolt of searing pain through her body. Amy gritted her teeth, refusing to let the pain slow her down even as the acrid scent of burnt cloth and flesh filled her nostrils.

1:00... 0:59... 0:58...

Desperate, she opened her palm, producing a small, spherical object. With a precise throw, she lobbed the Flash Bomb at the mages' feet. The device detonated with a blinding flash and a deafening bang, the shockwave rippling out and bowling over nearby foes. The mages staggered, disoriented by the sudden assault on their senses, buying Amy precious seconds.

Amy capitalized on the distraction, activating Death's Door with a thought. She vanished from sight, fading into the shadows, only to reappear behind the first mage an instant later. Her blades flashed, finding the gaps in the mage's defenses and biting deep. The robed figure crumpled to the ground, his barrier flickering and dying as his lifeblood spilled onto the trampled earth.

0:45... 0:44... 0:43...

The second mage whirled to face Amy, his hands crackling with dark energy that made her hair stand on end. He unleashed a barrage of eldritch bolts that sizzled and popped, forcing Amy to weave and dodge desperately. She closed the distance, her blades seeking the mage's flesh, thirsting to end this fight.

But the mage was a formidable foe, his magic allowing him to keep Amy at bay with walls of force and homing projectiles. Bolts of energy sizzled through the air, singeing Amy's cloak and hair, filling her nose with the stench of ozone. She danced around the mage, looking for an opening, but time was running out, each second an eternity.

0:30... 0:29... 0:28...

In a desperate gambit, Amy activated her Blight Bloom toxin, coating her blades with the virulent poison that dripped and sizzled. She lunged at the mage, her daggers finding their mark, parting cloth and flesh. The toxin began to spread, the mage's skin bubbling and blistering where the blades had struck, eating away at him like acid. Vile blooms growing from the bubbling wounds.

The mage screamed in agony, his concentration faltering, his spells fizzling. Amy pressed her advantage, her blades a whirlwind of steel and poison, striking again and again, each blow weakening the mage further as the toxin ravaged his body. The coppery scent of blood mixed with the acrid stench of the poison.

0:15... 0:14... 0:13...

But the mage was not yet defeated, clinging to life with hateful tenacity. With a final, desperate surge of power, he unleashed a wave of dark energy that sent Amy flying backwards like a ragdoll. She hit the ground hard, the breath driven from her lungs, stars exploding across her vision.

Amy struggled to her feet, her body battered and bruised, her muscles screaming in protest. The mage loomed over her, his hands wreathed in shadow, his face a twisted mask of pain and fury. He raised his arms, preparing to unleash a final, devastating spell that would end her.

0:05... 0:04... 0:03...

Amy's hand closed around the hilt of her dagger, the metal cool and reassuring against her palm. With a burst of speed, she lunged forward, her blade aimed at the mage's heart, the point unwavering. The mage's eyes widened in surprise as the Phased Steel passed through his barrier as if it didn't exist and pierced his chest with a meaty thunk.

0:02... 0:01... 0:00...

The mage crumpled to the ground, his magic dissipating into the air like smoke on the wind, his lifeblood pooling beneath him. Amy stood over him, her blades dripping with blood and poison, her chest heaving as she gulped down air. She had completed her mission, with not a second to spare.