Chapter 183 Volume IV - 28: In the Midst of Destruction
Chapter 183 Volume IV - Chapter 28: In the Midst of Destruction
I threw myself with all my strength behind the building closest to me. The bullets from the gun in the robot's arm suddenly started riddling the place where I had just been standing and turned toward the building. They shattered the glass and even pierced the concrete.
My eyes widened when I saw this.
If a single one of those bullets grazed me, it would definitely take the place it touched with it...
I quickly got up and started running in the opposite direction. I came across a group of soldiers who were clearly hostile, they opened fire on me as soon as they saw me.
I used the Mana Barrier and quickly ran behind some more rubble and then something caught my eye, something good.
Mana traveled through my body, I felt my muscles fill with power and I jumped. I grabbed onto the side balcony of a tall skyscraper that was completely on its side and went inside. I hid myself and looked at the city again.
What had happened was literally a one-sided massacre. What I saw on the streets was nothing, the real thing was happening in the heart of the city. Bodies and severed limbs were everywhere, there was almost nowhere to step. Bullets were flying through the air, some even hitting each other. The soldiers charged with protecting the city were fighting for their lives, waiting for reinforcements.
When I saw them struggling, I couldn't help feeling a little sad, but it was only a thought. A minimal concern, at most.
Because no matter how hard they try, they will not succeed. Caleuche is waiting where it is, even if it's far away. Even if it does nothing, even if it just stands there, it's here, and that's enough. That alone could be enough force to dominate all of Lunerra, and maybe it really is...
Except for a few things.
There are a couple of reasons why the South Holar would not try to take over the North Holar right now, let alone Lunerra, with such a ship.
First, the Caleuche can't stay aloft for long periods of time, so if they launch a large-scale attack and the ship has to land, they will lose.
Second, they are afraid of another weapon in the hands of the North Holar. It is not known whether the weapon is fully ready.
Thirdly, apart from the war, the South Holar is directly going through a civil war. The people are not very happy with this war that they are fighting as Southerners with the Northerners. Because the South Holar is ruled by a kind of dictatorship. Yes, there is a president, but this person is a bit... troublesome.
The fourth reason is that the barriers in almost all the cities of the North Holar are really strong. Even Caleuche can't get through that barrier for as long as it can stay in the air, so they take over the cities one by one and plan a big offensive at the end.
And they succeed, at least in the game. And what I am trying to do... is change that.
I asked Sith about the situation outside and the answer was not encouraging. The situation was bad, retaking the city was next to impossible because even if reinforcements arrived, the city had already fallen.
The Northerners were already retreating. I would be trapped inside the city at this rate, and with the dwarves' technology, it would only be a matter of time before I was captured.
I need to act, I need to find someone, someone who is in this city now, someone who has a more optimistic view of those outside his race. A general, a general who I think will be of great help to me in this war.
'Sith, we'll be heading out soon. In the meantime, I want you to look for a dwarf, he should be wearing armor that looks more technological than the others, he is also a general. His eyes are blue, his hair brown. He's a bit bigger than the other dwarves. As soon as you see him, he will catch your eye.'
Sith nodded quickly and I took a deep breath. I braced myself and imagined first of all a sword, a black sword with purple runes on it.
It was the sword I had gotten from the dungeon I cleared with Alex.
Immediately after my thought, a white glow appeared in front of me. The glow distorted around it, slowly taking the shape of a stick, and then details began to form. The tip of the stick tapered, became thinner and a little longer, and slowly a hilt began to form.
After the stick took the shape of a sword, the glow slowly disappeared and a sword fell into my hands.
I quickly poured mana into it, my mana traveled through the sword and the runes on it suddenly glowed. The shape of the sword trembled, it grew a little longer and the hilt changed to fit my hand. Then the runes faded again and I received a notification.
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You have bound yourself an artifact!
Name: Runic Obsidian Sword Type:
Weapon Grade: C
A sword shunned by its creator, seen as a failure for not fulfilling its purpose as intended. It did not get a name because it fell far short of its potential, yet it is still much better quality and sharper than the average sword.
Thanks to the runes on it, it uses the mana transferred to it much more efficiently and effectively.
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I gripped tightly the first sword in the world that belonged to me and me alone.
The weight, the balance, the length... everything was perfect for me.
I took a deep breath again, started channeling mana into the Absolute Mind and my mind cleared slowly but steadily. Then I looked outside with this mind.
What was happening around me suddenly came into my mind much clearer, much more real than before. Dwarves dying in the distance, soldiers slaughtering them. The desperate Northerners trying to resist, and the Southerners advancing against this resistance as if it were nothing...
I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and started running in the opposite direction to the huge ship Caleuche.
As I said, the city had already fallen. The Northerners were aware of this and had begun to retreat, so I was more likely to find the person I was looking for there.
Luck did not smile at me this time, though.
I met a group of soldiers, they were looking directly at me, and our eyes met.
I suddenly felt time stop, and with that, the barrels turned toward me.
I held my breath, cursed, and activated the Mana Barrier so that the first bullets hit the barrier, causing it to crack.
After cursing a few more times inwardly, I turned around, but this time I was facing another group of soldiers. As their barrels once again turned toward me, their faces emotionless, I felt like I was the only one in the whole world.
Nevertheless, I didn't give up. I clasped my hands together and swung them quickly to the sides, and a gust of wind pushed me upward. The barrier below me broke, I saw the momentary surprise of the soldiers, they hadn't expected me to be thrown into the air at once. Yet they didn't stay still.
Since I was in a moment when I had to think about every detail, instead of thinking about the spells, I cast them with simple movements, directing my mana with my hands.
I quickly pushed my hands in front of me, and the wave of wind that had lifted me into the air blew in front of me this time, and I was thrown backward, landed on a building, and quickly entered it.
Some of the soldiers were entering the building. I don't know why, but they were specifically targeting me.
I gritted my teeth and looked for a way out of the building without being noticed.
There was one, but as soon as I approached one of these gaps, a huge shadow suddenly fell over the area. A huge, black blotch that blocked out the sun. A machine approaching here, scanning the entire area.
Caleuche.
I involuntarily grimaced.
Is it already exceeding its flight limit? No, the war hasn't started long ago. Most of the city had already fallen, so they didn't want to waste too much energy?
I shook my head quickly because I was thinking nonsense.
I have to run, I have to be fast, every second that ship gets closer to me, the risk of getting caught increases.
So, I prepared to step outside, and just then I paused again. A footstep sounded behind me, and then… the room lit up for a split second. Something, a bullet, grazed my arm and lodged in the wall I was facing. Immediately afterward, a mocking voice echoed in my ears.
"Turn around slowly."
Haaa… I guess they'll never leave me alone.