Chapter 989 Unnatural Layout, Confirming Thoughts
At the same time, the wave of mana arrived before Ward.
Ward reacted fast with an anxious look on his face as he kicked off his back foot and unsheathed his weapon.
The weapon looked like a standard sword, except it lacked a proper guard, and its blade was pitch black. Additionally, its blade was extremely flexible—to the point that it resembled elastic more than it did actual metal.
The gloomy aura around Ward intensified and expanded outward as his facial expression darkened.
Just before the wave of mana could strike him, Ward swiftly stepped to the side and avoided confronting the attack head-on. However, despite evading the core of the strike, the wave of mana still carried with it a ferocious momentum that affected those in close proximity.
In the same motion, in order to count that momentum, Ward adjusted the position of his blade to make slight contact with the wave of mana.
As the unusual sword touched the wave of mana, it curved from its halfway point. When it bent in this manner, something strange happened to the wave of mana. It abruptly changed course and traveled upward toward the sky.
"So terrifying...! If I get hit by that, I'll definitely die...!" Ward muttered to himself as his hand trembled.
Ward only felt a portion of the impact generated by Menkar's strike; however, just redirecting it took a lot of effort and nearly numbed his hands. That kind of raw power was not something that could be received head-on without consequence.
Menkar narrowed his eyes as he lifted his battle axe and rested it over his shoulder.
"Oh? That gutless man actually withstood my Heavy Sand Graze? And that weapon... How is such a flimsy-looking toy able to redirect my strike?" Menkar said to himself.
Menkar's plan was to get rid of their leader in one strike to destroy any morale they may have and end this fight as quickly as possible. But, against his expectations, Ward managed to respond to his Heavy Sand Graze.
"Hmph, let's see if that was mere luck or skill," Menkar stated as he slid his right foot back.
Crrrack... Boom!
The earth around Menkar's feet shattered as he shot forward at incredible speeds with his battle axe in hand!
Based on his attack just now, Menkar determined that he had a sizable advantage in terms of overall power. Therefore, he knew that there would be no issue overpowering the man in front of him. But, the great warrior was no fool.
As someone who experienced countless battles and fought all kinds of opponents, Menkar understood the cost of letting one's guard down. So, he had no intention of staying his hand or taking it easy on his opponent—even if he did view them as a spineless coward. After all, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit!
When Ward saw Menkar's making his way over, he wasted no time and immediately started to retreat at full speed.
Menkar's rage grew as he witnessed Ward running away; he shouted, "Dishonorable coward! Face me like a man!"
Menkar continued his pursuit of Ward, who fell back into the main group that was in the middle of retreating.
...
A few moments ago, somewhere in the Nightfall Glades...
'This should be the place, but... What is this?'
After dealing with the Sandstorm Walkers, Izroth and Ranazrea made their way toward the place Izroth discovered earlier with his Energy Vision Sense.
From what he detected, the area in front of him should have been where a battle took place. However, there was something bizarre about the surroundings.
'There's no doubt about it. This is definitely the place. Not only is the mana in the atmosphere chaotic, but there are also faint signs of a clash. It's just that this layout feels too unnatural. It's almost like this specific part of the forest was man-made.'
When Izroth examined the trees in the area, he realized they were positioned differently compared to the rest of the trees within the naturally flowing layout of the Nightfall Glades.
Additionally, Izroth discovered traces of something that, to his knowledge, should not have been present in the Nightfall Glades.
'If I'm not mistaken, this should be the work of Nature Magic. And from the looks of it, one of extraordinary quality.'
Nature Magic was a rare magic used by members of the trephasia race.
Izroth had only seen it once before when it was used by the fifth princess Luxia to transport them to the entrance of the Secret Realm.
If not for his previous experience and the use of his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth would have never been able to discover that the layout of the surrounding trees had been altered.
"Didn't you say a battle took place here? Instead of the aftermath of a conflict, it looks like a perfect place to have a picnic." Ranazera commented as she studied the surroundings.
"It seems something rather interesting occurred here long before we arrived," Izroth replied casually.
"Hm... No matter how much I look around, I don't see it. Care to share your mysterious findings?" Ranazera inquired.
"There's something I want to check first. Wait here a moment." Izroth said.
"What do you-"
Before Ranazera could reply, Izroth soared high into the air.
"He's also capable of flight?" Ranazera said in a tone of disbelief as her gaze traveled toward the sky.
Izroth used the Sky Steps ability attached to his armor to take to the skies. Of course, this was not a true flying-type skill. Rather, it was closer to a movement skill that allowed one to "step" on air as if it were a solid surface.
Regardless, it was more than enough for Izroth to maneuver through the sky for a while.
When he reached the forty-meter limit of Sky Steps, Izroth came to a halt as he observed the layout of the Nightfall Glades. And it did not take him long to make an intriguing discovery.
'I see. So, that's how it is. If it's of this scale, then... Does she plan on burying all of the Pzenium forces in the Nightfall Glades?'
After confirming his initial thoughts, Izroth descended from the skies and arrived back on the ground.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Ranazera asked curiously.
"You could say that. For now, we'll keep moving. Our destination shouldn't be much further off." Izroth stated as he wasted no time resuming the journey onward through the Nightfall Glades.
"Hey, you still haven't told me what you were looking for around here!" Ranazera said as she hastily moved to catch up to Izroth.
"Before that, tell me, if you were faced with an enemy of greater number and you could not use might to overcome them, what would you do?" Izroth questioned.
"If it's an enemy that can't be defeated using power, then the obvious answer is to use one's wits. But even brilliant tactics have their limits in the face of an overwhelming advantage of strength." Ranazera answered.
"As expected of someone who has seen the battlefield. Your answer is not bad. Then, what would happen if the limit of tactics is reached? What would be your next move?"
"Hm..." Ranazera took a moment to ponder Izroth's question.
She then replied, "If might or tactics are no good, then the best choice would presumably be to retreat. Otherwise, even if you manage to hold out long enough, ultimately, it will be no different than watching one's self slowly bleed to death."
"And if you're unable to retreat?"
"This..."
Ranazera furrowed her brows with a thoughtful expression on her face. If one could not use might, tactics, or retreat, then the only thing left was for them to lie down and die. Of course, surrendering was also an option. However, there was no guarantee their enemy would show mercy.
"I'm afraid I don't have the answer." Ranazera sighed as she shook her head.
"Don't feel too dejected. The answer is actually rather simple. You just have to use their own might against them." Izroth revealed.
"Use their own might against them? Is that not simply another form of tactics?" Ranazera inquired with a frown.
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A carefree smile appeared on Izroth's face as he responded, "You're correct."
"You—are you toying with me?" Ranazera scowled.
First, he said tactics were useless and then suggested a tactic as the solution. What kind of logic was that?