NovelOnline Chapter 332: No Matter the Cost [4/5]
Chapter 332: No Matter the Cost [4/5]
Bang!
It was too close to dodge.
Far too close to perform any evasive maneuver. Thus, Solenne had only one option left.
Defend.
Without hesitation, she crossed her twin blades before her body and braced herself for the impact.
Boom!
The massive stinger slammed into her crossed weapons with terrifying force and a violent shockwave erupted outward. The impact sent her flying backward like a rag doll.
Her arms trembled violently. Every nerve within them screamed in agony. The force traveled through her shoulders and deep into her chest.
Her organs shook violently as though they were about to rupture. She crashed heavily into the crimson sand.
A mouthful of blood escaped from her lips and for a brief moment, both hands became numb.
Even gripping her weapons felt difficult. However, she refused to let go.
Letting go meant only one thing.
Death.
Solenne gritted her teeth and she bit down on her tongue and forced herself back to clarity. The sharp pain helped clear her mind.
The moment she raised her head; her pupils contracted sharply as a gigantic pincer was already descending from her left side.
Danger!
Her instincts exploded with warning.
Without hesitation, she rolled forward. Her body slid beneath the massive pincer just as it slammed into the ground behind her.
Boom!
Sand exploded in every direction.
The deadly attack narrowly missed her. However, there was no time to celebrate.
No time to rest.
No time to breathe.
The gigantic Bone Crushing Wyrm erupted from beneath her feet once again.
Its enormous maw opened wide. Rows of serrated teeth glistened beneath the crimson moons but this time, Solenne was prepared.
Whoosh!
She vanished from her position at breathtaking speed.
Her body became a blur.
A second later, she collided with the Greater Dune Scorpion.
Bang!
Bang!
Steel clashed against chitin.
Sparks erupted everywhere.
Solenne moved continuously.
She evaded.
She rolled.
She twisted.
She danced between life and death against two monstrous predators.
Each passing second pushed her closer to the edge.
Yet she endured.
She maintained her footing.
She refused to retreat.
Although she appeared steady, anyone observing the battle carefully could see the problem.
Her weapons.
That was her greatest weakness.
Her attacks were fast.
Her technique was exceptional.
Her timing was nearly flawless. Yet the damage she inflicted remained disappointing. Of course, Solenne had already realized this. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do.
Her weapons were merely Low Bronze Grade. They had once been treasures she was fortunate enough to discover within an ancient ruin.
Many Awakeners of her level still relied on Peak Iron Grade weapons.
Normally, her twin blades were more than sufficient. Today, however, they felt inadequate. The scales of the Bone Crushing Wyrm were absurdly durable.
The armor of the Greater Dune Scorpion was equally monstrous. Every strike left only shallow wounds.
Nothing more.
Still, Solenne refused to allow frustration to cloud her judgment. Her focus remained absolute. As the battle continued, she searched relentlessly for weaknesses.
A vulnerable joint.
An exposed nerve.
A blind spot.
Anything.
Yet the two beasts fought together with terrifying coordination. Whenever she pressured one creature, the other immediately attacked. Whenever she attempted a counterattack, another assault forced her back.
The battle gradually shifted. She found herself pushed into passive defense.
Sweat covered her body.
Her leather armor clung tightly to her skin.
Her purple hair had become disheveled, and her breathing grew increasingly shallow while her muscles burned.
Her stamina slowly dwindled.
’This cannot continue.’ Her mind raced frantically.
’If this continues, exhaustion will kill me first.’ She desperately searched for a solution.
A turning point.
A miracle.
Anything.
Unfortunately, every possibility ended the same way.
Death.
Her situation was becoming increasingly grim. Each passing second worsened her odds.
She could flee.
She possessed enough speed to escape temporarily. However, that option never truly existed.
Not for her.
Not while her guild remained behind.
Not while countless people still fought for their lives.
Not while Mantis Town stood on the verge of destruction.
Retreat was impossible.
Thus, she continued fighting, even if it cost her life.
***
Meanwhile, outside the town walls, the battle had become a nightmare. Large sections of the defensive walls had already collapsed.
Broken stone littered the battlefield. Human and Mantis Beastmen corpses lay scattered across the shattered fortifications.
Blood stained the walls crimson. It flowed through cracks and gaps like small rivers.
Severed limbs hung from broken bricks. Torn organs dripped fresh blood onto the battlefield below.
Fragments of bone covered the ground while mangled corpses piled upon one another.
The battle was savage.
Brutal.
Merciless.
Yet neither the humans nor the Mantis Beastmen dared stop fighting. Everyone understood the consequences. If they stopped now, everything would end.
Their homes would be destroyed.
The Mantis men would lose their families, and their town would vanish beneath the endless hunger of the Bleeding Desert.
Thus, this was a battle they had to win.
No matter the cost.
Even if most of them perished.
Failure was unacceptable.
This reality weighed especially heavily upon the Mantis Beastmen.
Humans still possessed another option.
A terrible option.
A dangerous option.
Yet it existed.
They could flee.
They could abandon their homes and attempt to reach another settlement. Many would die and some might survive.
The possibility remained.
The Mantis Beastmen however did not possessed such luxury. For them, the fall of their town meant extinction. This was the cruel reality faced by countless Beastmen races across the Bleeding Desert.
Expansion was possible.
Growth was possible.
Conquest was possible.
However, the core of their settlement could never fall.
Never.
Once destroyed, everything changed.
Their intelligence would slowly fade.
Their reasoning would disappear.
Their memories would crumble.
Eventually, they would devolve completely, and they would become ordinary beasts.
Mindless.
Savage.
Lost forever.
This was the fate every Beastman feared. Many humans often wondered why certain Beastmen races allowed human settlements within their territories.
The answer was simple.
Survival.
Long ago, Beastmen possessed overwhelming advantages.
Humans were weak.
Fragile.
Insignificant.
Yet time changed everything.
Each passing years strengthened the human race.
New talents emerged.
New powers appeared.
Meanwhile, many Beastmen races gradually weakened. Their numbers declined and their territories shrank. Their ancient settlements fell one after another.
Entire clans disappeared overnight. Countless Beastmen reverted into feral creatures.
The desert consumed their history.
Their names were forgotten.
Faced with extinction, many weaker Beastmen races adapted. They sought alliances. They opened their towns to human factions.
It was a symbiotic relationship. Humans gained safe settlements. The Beastmen gained powerful awakeners that would fight and defend their town.
Their survival became interconnected. If one side fell, the other often suffered the same fate. For countless years, this fragile cooperation endured.
It was imperfect.
Conflicts still occurred.
Greed still existed.
Hatred still lingered.
Beast tides still destroyed settlements.
Wars still erupted.
Entire clans still vanished. Yet despite everything, the partnership survived. And because of it, many Beastmen races continued to exist today.
Now Mantis Town faced its greatest crisis. The town stood upon the brink of annihilation.
How could the town dwellers hold back?
How could they surrender?
How could they abandon everything they had built?
They could not.
Therefore, every person fought with desperate determination. Every drop of blood mattered.
Every second mattered.
Every life mattered.
Outside the ruined walls, humans and Mantis Beastmen roared together.
Their weapons rose and fell.
Their bodies became drenched in blood.
Many died.
Many screamed.
Many vanished beneath the endless tide of monsters. Yet they continued fighting.