Chapter 1040 Willingness, True Protectors of the Night Lord's Revival?
Excluding Halls, Izroth knew that he was the only one who had any experience when it came to fighting against a shadahi. If he allowed everyone to engage in the battle with zero forewarning, the results were bound to be disastrous.
'Since their power is no longer being suppressed by the restrictions that exist in the Shadahi Realm, it's possible that they possess abilities unknown to me. But, at the very least, with my instructions, everyone shouldn't be caught completely off guard.'
Back in the Shadahi realm, the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers were only elite rank; however, with the restrictions lifted, they became a rank that Izroth had never seen before in RML—Unique Elite.
Because of this and his Energy Vision Sense not functioning at its potential, Izroth was unable to get a solid grasp on how much stronger the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers were compared to when he faced them in the Shadahi Realm.
At the very least, he could tell that they were not in the legendary realm. But due to the special nature of the shadahi, even if one had not stepped into the legendary realm, it did not mean that they could be underestimated.
The shadahi were creatures with an unparallel ability to adapt and grew stronger with every encounter they faced. Because of this, not only would the same things not work on them twice, but it was impossible to tell what they may already possess immunities to. Izroth believed it was for that reason alone they were classified as Unique Elites.
Lances glanced over at Izroth as he gave out the warnings. Those kinds of precise instructions did not come from someone who was merely on the same battlefield as a shadahi or saw them from afar.
The first thought on Lances' mind was that perhaps Izroth had a skill that allowed him to peer through the shadahi; however, the way he spoke, without a doubt, resembled someone who personally fought against them. But how was that possible?
To Lances' knowledge, the only shadahi outside the ones in front of them now was the monstrous existence in the Demilitarization Belt. Could it be that, during that time, Izroth actually confronted that creature and managed to escape with his life?
There were several questions that flowed through Lances' mind. But, right now, there were more important things to take care of. And so, with that, he made up his mind.
"5th Unit, listen up! From now on, Captain Izroth's orders are to be treated as my own! Those who fail to comply will have to answer to me!" Lances shouted as he returned his gaze forward.
The members of the 5th Unit seemed a bit taken aback by Lances' orders; however, no one protested. Since it was the Commander's order, they could only follow it and place their trust in his judgment.
'How unexpected.'
Izroth knew that even if he was the winner of the second team's selection, as a young talent of his generation with a powerful background, Lances had his own status to consider when out and about in the world.
Given Lances' position, Izroth did not think that he would willingly set aside his status and openly tell the 5th Unit to obey his orders as if they were his own.
The fact that Lances gave out that command while likely thinking of the men who served under him caused Izroth's impression of him to rise.
"I assume you have no problem with it, right?" Lances said without adverting his gaze.
"Not at all. It'll make things a bit easier for both sides if everyone is on the same page." Izroth replied calmly.
Rooooooooooooooragh!
Suddenly, the first of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers unleashed its battle cry as it charged forward at full speed, making its way to where Izroth and Lances were located.
Almost instantly after the first Lesser Shadahi Patroller made its move, the other creatures also rushed forth!
"Leave this one to me." Lances stated as the fire element around him became increasingly dense.
Wooosh!
Lances kicked off his back foot and dashed on a direct collision path with the Lesser Shadahi Patroller that was targeting him and Izroth.
While most of the shadahi who was struck by the heat wave just now suffered from 21:53
Crackle! Tssssst!
The temperature within the immediate vicinity of Lances soared as the fire on his flaming armor exploded outward in great quantity.
BOOM!
The Lesser Shadahi Patroller was sent flying back as it became swept up in the explosion of flames. Simultaneously, an intense heat wave pulsed out from Lances' position that wooshed past several of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers.
The heat wave itself did not inflict much damage; however, it applied the Burn status effect to all those it came into contact with.
"Hm?" Lances narrowed his eyes as he realized that something was off.
While most of the shadahi who was struck by the heat wave just now suffered from the Burn status effect, there was a handful of them that remained completely unfazed.
"Was there not enough power behind it? No, that's not possible. Even if I'm only borrowing the power of the Inferno Ruler's 8th Incarnation, it should still be more than enough. I deliberately overestimated them and put more power than usual into that strike. But, it turns out I may have still underestimated the sturdiness of these creatures." Lances said to himself.
Lances heard many tales and legends about the shadahi's terrifying innate ability to survive under virtually every harsh condition imaginable. Still, hearing about something and experiencing it for one's self were two different things.
Upon seeing the results of Lances' attack followed by the brief look of surprise that flashed through his eyes, Izroth saw that his previous thoughts were correct.
'I was hoping it wasn't the case, but... It's exactly as I thought. These shadahi have probably already evolved to a certain extent through their past battle experiences. The difficulty level just increased again. I guess this explains the rank of the quest I received.'
Having to fight a skounae Duke in the legendary realm and then confront a group of shadahi who have already adapted to who knows what—it was no wonder the Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm was an SSS-ranked quest!
'It's a shame that Sagarus and the other lightning soldiers were unable to cross through the corridor. Well, I suppose at the very least, if we receive any unexpected guests, they should be able to hold them off for a bit while we take care of things on this end.'
Izroth sped into action as he raced over to the first of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers who were immune to the Burn status effect from Lances' attack.
Woosh!
As Izroth moved, without halting his motion, he swung sideways and released a wave of sharp sword intent from the edge of his Sword of the Storm as he executed the skill Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides.
Immediately after he performed that action, Izroth swept downward with his Sword of the Storm and sent out an attack similar to his initial strike. This time, however, it was the work of his Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus.
Since the last sword skill he used was his fifth sword form, his sixth sword form mimicked its power and effects.
Izroth's Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides was only a B-ranked skill; therefore, its attack power was not all that high. However, the purpose behind his strike was not to cut the shadahi down in one blow.
'There is something that I need to confirm as quickly as possible.'
Phhhtk!
The first wave of sword intent reached Izroth's target, as it struck a group of three Lesser Shadahi Patrollers who were close to one another.
Woosh! Phhhtk!
Not long after the first wave of sword intent arrived, the second also made it to its target and swept past the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers.
Rooooragh!
The shadahis who were hit brushed the two attacks off and their HP did not fall by much. Additionally, they shifted their focus toward Izroth as he became their primary target.
'I see. So that's how it is.'
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In the blink of an eye, the three shadahi gained a large burst of movement speed and attacked Izroth simultaneously from three separate directions!
BANG!
The shadahis hands crashed into one another and canceled out their attack as Izroth was no longer anywhere to be seen.
Zeeeut! Swoosh!
Out of nowhere, Izroth appeared behind the shadahi who attacked him from the right side as he slashed in one quick motion at the creature's side.
Crack!
A cracking sound released as Izroth's strike successfully landed on the shadahi. The creature's feet left the ground, and it shot to the side like an arrow being released from its string.
The other two shadahi wasted no time striking out at Izroth, who once again seemed to vanish just before their attacks could connect.
Izroth was not using Primed Instantaneous Movement to teleport around the battlefield, but rather the skill Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death.