Chapter 39 True Reality #2
We didn't wait for the wolves to make the first move.
But neither did they. As we dashed forward, a swirling mass of fire formed right in front of the leading pack animal.
I barely had the time to register that what I was seeing was a fireball before it was flung towards my face.
The Mana around my heart flared, and I channeled it right into my legs.
A faint blue glow surrounded them for a brief moment, before the Mana exploded out from the balls of my feet, and I was thrown to the side.
Mana Step.
Heat brushed past my cheeks as the fireball smashed into the ground behind me. A loud explosion rang out, but I paid it no mind. I used Mana Step another time. The distance between me and the wolf was closed in an instant.
Its crimson eyes tracked me carefully, so I knew I didn't have the element of surprise on my side. Instead of opting for Snake Strike, I used Mana Strike. Mana flowed through my Mana Channels and condensed around my fist. I tried to shrink Mana Strike even further but it wouldn't budge.
My overhand was thrown with my whole body behind it.
I wanted to put as much power in it as possible.
But because of it, my attack was extremely telegraphed.
The wolf dodged Mana Strike with ease by sidestepping to the right.
I continued my momentum, and followed up with a kick.
I tried to use Mana Strike with my foot but it didn't work.
At least not fully.
Once again, my attack was thrown with everything I had.
The monster saw through it. I continued my onslaught.
A straight towards the monster's snout. A low kick towards its front legs.
The wolf dodged it all. Its intelligent eyes looked down at me in amusement.
But at the end of the day, it was still just an animal.
It fell right into my trap.
Around 50 feet behind me, Gerald crashed into the group of weaker wolves, with shield and sword in hand. Golden light illuminated the night, briefly followed by wails of pain.
The leader's amusement turned to horror as it tried to rush past me.
It was met with an overhand powered by Mana Strike to its snout.
I could feel the soft body part squish beneath my attack as the beast was flung back.
It bounced off the ground a few times before getting back on its legs.
It looked at me and growled as its pack was slaughtered behind me.
Divide and conquer.
I grinned, and the beast and I met head-on. Its attack increased in ferocity. The wolf clawed towards me as I punched out. Both attacks landed, but I was the one to come out worse as a giant gash formed on my arm. I ignored the pain and simply moved forward, hoping to catch the beast off guard.
Unfortunately, the wolf had the same plan.
Its eyes glowed with a red light before its paw lit up in a dark crimson flame.
The heat resonating off that attack made me rethink my decision of throwing a wild haymaker.
Instead, I used Mana Step again, to dodge the strike to the side.
Then as the flaming paw passed by me, my shin, coated in Mana, struck out and smashed into the monster's face.
Its bones cracked. But I didn't stop. I repeated the motion once again, this time truly making sure to use Mana Strike on my feet.
And to my luck.
It worked out—a notification acknowledging my skill.
The System has detected a Martial Art—Mana Strike [Uncommon]. Do you wish to turn it into a Skill?
I denied and put Mana Strike into Martial Forms right before my next attack landed.
The effects were devastating. My shin met the monster's head and crushed it like it was nothing. I could feel how my leg deformed the side of the wolf's skull before digging into its brain. Its eyes gouged outward as the brain inside was pushed through every orifice.
I watched the body hit the ground with wonder. I hadn't expected that much of a difference.
Did Martial Forms really strengthen my Skill that much?
I thought then the jolt of pain reminded me that I was still injured.
Looking at the blood dripping down my arm, I calmly applied a healing paste from the same pouch every person on this battlefield wore.
Then I slipped into meditation. I wouldn't heal instantly but meditation would help me to stop the bleeding.
Also, even though the fight looked like it was easy, it was not.
My Mana was drained. Not to the point where I had a headache but close.
Mana Step and Mana Strike were black holes when it came to consumption and so was the simple strengthening effect of Mana Manipulation.
But still, thanks to my fighting style, I was able to fight far above my level.
The cost being that I couldn't keep this strength up forever.
With Body Forging covering my other Stats, and my next Life Simulation being close...I guess I can put even more stats into mana. And 20 free points...I almost started to drool before Gerald pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Are you done meditating?"
I opened my eyes and turned to him. Unlike me, he wasn't injured. In fact, his armor didn't even look scratched. Sure it was covered in blood, but so was the battlefield behind him. None of it was his. I nodded.
"Then let's go."
I didn't move. Gerald just stared at me.
"You want to recover some more?" He asked, unsure.
I shook my head, and did a splitting motion. Seeing he still didn't understand I pointed towards the east, then at Gerald. Next, I pointed at myself and the west. Then it dawned upon him.
"You want to split up," he said. "That's not going to–"
I grabbed him by the shoulders, wanting to scream.
But I held back. My vocal cords would hate it if I did.
I pointed at the east, forcing him to look with me.
Monsters were running rampant amongst our soldiers.
Their dying screams traveled all the way over here.
Worst of all, it was the Stone Rank Monsters that were the ones that did the most damage.
Then I forced him to look west. I pointed out each and every Stone Rank Monster I could see.
There were a lot.
I grabbed him tighter and forced him to look into my eyes. Then with a hoarse and trembling voice that was barely audible, I said, "Our people...are dying."