Chapter 1022 Explosion? A Bigger Explosion!
'I have to avoid using Molding Earth. Something in the environment is increasing its mana cost severalfold. It's unfortunate, but I also can't rely on my Primed Instantaneous Movement in this place. If that's the case, I'll just have to return to the basics.'
Everywhere Izroth stepped, he left a flickering silhouette lingering behind. At the same time, with every movement, a burning inferno print was carved into the ground thanks to the Earthly Inferno passive of the Scorched Inferno's Fang.
Varokin reacted swiftly as he clapped his hands together and rapidly gathered a heavy dark mana around him.
Woosh!
Just as the mana started to build up around Varokin, Izroth's spear shot right past his neck.
Crack!
'It's still not enough.'
Izroth was able to break a part of the protective barrier that guarded Varokin's neck as his spear slid against it. However, after his strike, Izroth did not pull back and continued to press the attack as he rained down a barrage consecutive of blows.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Varokin was bombarded by a flurry of strikes that gave him no time to respond. The worst part about this was that every time Varokin did attempt to launch a counterattack, Izroth vanished and he would be met with a flickering afterimage; only to be then attacked from his blindspot.
As a result, the skounae Marquis was forced to rely on his already crumbling Veil of Darkness to defend himself.
Phhhtk!
All of a sudden, a thin wound appeared on the right side of Varokin's neck and a bit of blood trickled down.
Pssssst!
The moment Varokin was wounded, the thin aura of darkness around him began to dissipate.
In the blink of an eye, his Veil of Darkness had been completely destroyed!
Varokin's gaze turned cold. He was taken aback by the collapse of his Veil of Darkness in its ideal conditions.
At this point, there was no doubt in Varokin's mind that the person he was facing had to be a powerhouse among the younger generation of humans.
"This human must not be allowed to grow any further. This sacred place shall become his grave..!" Varokin thought to himself.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive surge of energy exploded from Varokin's location, causing Izroth to fall back in order to escape its range.
'I guess it's not too surprising that he still has a few tricks up his sleeves.'
Just now, Izroth used the Linked effect of his Dual Wielding skill to apply pressure on Varokin with attacks that had no delays in between them. This, paired with the natural increase to his overall swiftness due to Flickering Steps, Izroth was able to quickly chip away at Varokin's HP.
Initially, Izroth planned on not letting up on his assault on Varokin. After all, while the contribution points for eliminating a Marquis of the skounae were quite good, Izroth had not forgotten about his goal for entering the Night Lord's Crypt.
However, just now, Izroth's Soul Sense went off and warned him of the danger contained within the explosion.
The blast itself was not all that powerful and had been limited to a small area. But Izroth could see with his Energy Vision Sense that there was a bizarre "flame" mixed in with Varokin's mana in the explosion.
Tssssst!
The numerous inferno prints Izroth left on the ground through his constant movement lit up the surrounding area well enough for him to see with his eyes.
'Hm?'
Something immediately caught Izroth's attention as he saw what appeared to be grayish slime spread throughout multiple sections of the ground.
At a glance, there was nothing special about the slime. However, Izroth noticed that when the slime came into contact with the inferno prints he carved into the ground with his steps, an unpleasant pungent odor was released.
'I want to conserve as much of my strength as possible. But I also can't afford to waste too much time here. I'll have to end this fast.'
Sooooou!
A torrent of black needles abruptly fell on Izroth's location as he swiftly evaded it.
"Perish, human!" Varokin scowled as he prepared for his next wave of attacks.
...BOOOOM!
Without warning, an earth-shaking explosion occurred as every last one of the inferno prints on the ground was detonated.
Since most of the inferno prints were right around Varokin because of Izroth's previous attack, it acted as the epicenter of the blast and formed a towering pillar of flames that momentarily lit up the entire area.
...
A few seconds earlier...
...BOOOOOM!
Swoosh!
Guan Yu swung his guandao downward with a mighty force, cleaving the Undead Night Marcher before him in two.
"What was that explosion just now?!" Guan Yu said with furrowed brows as he waved his guandao sideways and knocked back three of the Undead Night Marchers that charged towards him.
"No idea, but we don't have time to worry about that right now!" Halls said as he blocked an incoming strike from two Undead Night Marchers with his shield.
The next moment, both of the creatures were sent soaring backward by Halls' Rebound skill.
Currently, Halls and Guan Yu were still fending off the waves of Undead Night Marchers. However, there was something different from the time before Izroth's departure.
"Aim for their mouths and lower joints! Those are their weak points!" Niflheim's yelled as he intercepted an attack from a nearby Undead Night Marcher.
Niflheim, along with many others of the 9th Division and 5th Unit who were under the effects of Varokin's Tranquil Night Hysteria, had returned to their senses.
No one knew how they were able to break free all of a sudden; however, those like Halls and Guan Yu figured that it definitely had something to do with Izroth's disappearance.
Thankfully, the 9th Division and 5th Unit had not suffered a single loss in the process. This was largely due to the combined efforts of Lances, Jol'Kil, and Zel'Kan.
The three of them kept the majority of the Undead Night Marchers at bay while Halls and Guan Yu focused on handling any that slipped through the cracks to ensure that no one accidentally perished.
Once everyone snapped out of their trance, they quickly collected themselves and greeted the Undead Night Marchers with an extreme show of force.
"Zel'Kan!" Jol'Kil called out.
"I already know! I will leave things here to you!" Zel'Kan responded as she melt through a group of the creatures on her path and sped forward at full speed towards the direction that the explosion came from.
"Captain Noir, I leave the 5th Unit in your hands!" Lances stated as he, too, took off in the direction of the explosion.
"If it's that guy, I'm sure there's no need for concern; however, it's better to be safe than sorry." Lances thought to himself.
...
Meanwhile...
'Every time I see it, I'm reminded of why the system has class requirements in place for certain weapons.'
At the moment, Izroth stood before a devastated area that spanned tens of meters. This was caused by the Eruption effect attached to his Scorched Inferno's Fang.
A weapon like the Scorched Inferno's Fang, in particular its effects, was meant to be used by heavy armor or light armor players—not by someone like Izroth, who possessed an incredible level of consistent mobility.
The more one moved, the greater number of inferno prints they spawned on the ground. And, since the damage of the inferno prints could stack, when the Eruption effect was activated, it created an attack that was, damage-wise, likely on par with an SSS-ranked skill!
That being said, even after he unleashed the devastating attack, Izroth did not let his guard down. That's because something was off.
'How strange. I can't sense his presence anymore with my Energy Vision Sense. But I still have yet to receive any alerts from the system. Did he escape in the chaos?'
Izroth inwardly frowned as he continued to scan the area for Varokin with no success.
'No, even if he was able to escape, it doesn't explain how he's suddenly able to avoid the detection of my Energy Vision Sense.'
Izroth heard the sounds of rapidly approaching footsteps coming from the direction where the 9th Division and 5th Unit were located.
'Forget it. It's just a Marquis. Searching for him now would lead to too much wasted time. We have something much bigger to deal with.'
"Young master!" Zel'Kan called out.