MM - Chapter 255 - THAT’S NOT HOW YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT!

After giving Pamalaiha separate orders to stay and observe from the shadows, Raine gestured for the core group to follow, leaving the seventeen thousand regulars to their fate. His boots found purchase on the scorched ground, the crunch of gravel and raw power in his legs exhilarating as he launched into the sky. 

The others followed in a tight formation, faces grim as they cut across the chaos. Below, a churning sea of chitin and fury ebbed and flowed, yet always surged toward The Wall. The unending ranks of Rabinoids, spawned from deep fissures, with clicking mandibles and razor-sharp limbs, created a frenzy of movement.

Streaks of incandescent energy screamed from the blast slits behind, hurling projectiles that crossed the vast expanse in mere heartbeats. They detonated in the distance with ground-shaking concussions, each Empowered Blast erasing dozens, sometimes hundreds of the creatures in flashes of white-hot light. The pressure waves washed over the group even from kilometers away.

From the front, even more insidious threats arced through the sky. Great, green globs of energy sailed from the hazy silhouettes of the largest Rabinoids. They progressed through the air with misleading slowness, their trajectories a perfect, deadly parabola aimed at the distant shieldwall. These were the Venom Shots, fired from the monstrous Siege Crandals that served as the Rabinoids' living artillery. 

If not intercepted by a 2nd-tier caster, the shots impacted in sickening splashes against the resilient elemental barrier, spawning corrosive blooms of acid that ate away at the wall’s defenses for several minutes. All the while, steaming, toxic craters were left wherever even a drop of their venom landed.

Varak’s elites followed to the best of their ability. Unable to fly, they could only take their time, murdering their way forward while maintaining a much higher level of caution. Raine had passed on all the gear upgrades, life-saving potions, and scrolls to them in an effort to ensure their survival.

Following his lead, the rest of the core group dodged and weaved through the air, respecting each shot, whether it came from the front or back. Their movements became a frantic aerial ballet performed between two opposing currents of annihilation. A quarter of the way across the divide, where the spawning of lower-level Rabinoids was thickest, Raine signaled a halt. They danced in place; the alterations in air pressure from the many overpowered projectiles whipping the wind hard enough to send them flying off course if they didn’t remain fully focused.

His voice ripped through the roar and thunder: “Stay here and thin out the rabble so our people aren't completely overwhelmed. Not too much, though. This is supposed to be hard. I’m expecting most of them to fail, and that’s exactly what they need.”

A round of nods was followed by the group splitting. Celeste remained airborne, a blazing valkyrie against the grey sky. She soared between the arcing Venom Shots and Empowered Blasts, the ends of her staff releasing a steady stream of zipping spheres that crackled with Elemental Power. Her Charged Blasts struck the ground and detonated, the resulting explosions ripping gaping holes in the chitinous tide. After the first wave, she shot Raine an annoyed glance. His presence in the raid meant they wouldn’t see a drop of Superiority for their efforts.

In opposition to his usual style, Rhino let out a guttural roar and dove headfirst into the fray. He landed with a solid thud in a thickened formation of bugs. His spear was a whirlwind of precise thrusts and sweeps as he moved through the stances Raine had shown him in the arena. Each slice and stab was both economical and deadly, and only grew more so as he used the press of bodies to refine his form. Fizgore landed beside him a moment later, a mountain of muscle and steel. The two fought back-to-back in a synergy of controlled technique and brute force.

Richtor’s team descended as a single unit. While roaring something about ‘payback for last time,’ TwistedReligion laid down suppressive Charged Blasts while Kevinsbakon and Deloralicious locked down the flanks. Richtor called out the potential 2nd-tier attacks while keeping their health topped off, and Milkdud sniped the Kamikaze Rabinoids before they had a chance to explode in the center of their formation.

A flicker of satisfaction flared, hot and brief. His people were honing their teamwork and individual skills against a relentless, unforgiving whetstone. And they were doing it without being told.

“Varak, raid buffs now. Keep them running non-stop. Set up a defensible perimeter when you catch up. I’m going ahead, do not follow, no matter what happens.” A round of shimmering energy passed over Raine, enhancing his attributes.

[Positive effect received (Spearhead): Attack Power and Potency increased by 10% (Bonus 25% efficacy due to Premium Barracks buff) (Duration 4:59)]

[Positive effect received (Battering Ram): Defense and Physique increased by 10% (Bonus 25% efficacy due to Premium Barracks buff) (Duration 4:59)]

[Positive effect received (Acceleration): Finesse, and Acuity increased by 10% (Bonus 25% efficacy due to Premium Barracks buff) (Duration 4:59)]

[Attack Power: +12.5% (+321)]

[Defense: +12.5% (+189)]

[Potency: +12.5% (+132)]

[Finesse: +12.5% (+125)]

[Acuity: +12.5% (+103)]

[Physique: +12.5% (+118)]

It was a shame Varak didn’t have all of the raid buffs yet, but there was no reason to complain. After all, he was only level 50 and already had six total skills at the 2nd-tier standard. Usually, it was a challenge to afford even two. He definitely deserved the four-striped badge that marked him as having the potential of reaching the 4th-tier.

Raine added his own buffs to the mix:

[Guardians Embrace: (Completion - 45% Expert) Buff an ally within 10 meters for 5 minutes. Increases Defense by (250 > 112) + (25% > 11.25%) maximum CP (Cost: 30 > 47 CP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

[Guardians Comfort: (Completion - 47% Expert) Buff an ally within 10 meters for 5 minutes. Increases Resistance by (250 > 117) + (25% > 11.75%) maximum CP (Cost: 30 > 46 CP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

[Guardians Armament: (Completion - 51% Expert) Beginner: Buff an ally within 10 meters for 5 minutes. Increases all Attack Damage by (250 > 127) + (25% > 12.75%) maximum CP (Cost: 30 > 45 CP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

His gaze turned toward the center of the divide, to the colossal, insectoid silhouettes that spat death into the sky. His Skydrifter materialized around him, and he shot forward, a transparent streak accelerating into the heart of the storm.

The closer he got, the more terrifying the Siege Crandals became. They were twelve-meter-tall abominations, grotesque fusions of insect and siege weapon. Their heads were organic cannons mounted on thick, muscular necks, tracking their targets across the battlefield. As he crossed an invisible threshold, several of those eyeless heads swiveled in unison, locking onto his approach despite the invisibility offered by his drifter.

The air in front of them shimmered, and jets of superheated plasma erupted. These ‘shorter-range’ attacks were lances of raw energy that moved so fast they were little more than instantaneous lines of light drawn across the sky.

Instinct screamed. He wrenched the Skydrifter hard left. The first Plasma Lance seared through the air and nearly clipped him. Heat seared his lungs raw, the subsidiary damage alone bypassing his buffed 2,608 Resistance with unfortunate ease. [-868]

He held back on Healing Burst as another superheated jet followed, then a third. These didn’t come close to hitting as the incredible pressure and heat from the first Lance sent him hurtling to the side even faster than he could Lunge. Raine further angled his drifter to catch the ensuing waves of heat, forcing his flight into a barely-controlled corkscrewing dive. The battlefield became a blur of scorched ground and searing lights as more Crandals took note of him and fired.

The blood pounding through him ignited, a familiar fire of anticipation chasing away the cold knot of fear. A glancing hit from these powerful creatures would not wound him; it would vaporize him entirely. This was the challenge he craved, a dance on the razor's edge where a single misstep meant losing Bhima and possibly dropping his priceless equipment, which would undoubtedly be snatched by the watching Vaaterrans.

He could practically feel their eyes on his back and picture the drool leaking from their lips. To be this far into the divide at his level was ludicrous, and managing to survive a salvo of Plasma Lances could only mean that his equipment was exceptional. Of course, they were wrong. It wasn’t his gear or attributes that saved him.

Not only were the Crandals’ Lances near-instant, but watching their bodies didn’t at all help in predicting when or where the attacks would come. The monsters moved their heads, sure, but the angle of release for their beams was roughly an 8-degree cone, meaning that from far enough away, they barely had to be pointed in the right direction to instantly strike their targets. There was no ripple of muscles, tightening of jaws, or narrowing of eyes. If Raine didn't know just what to look for, he would be dead before realizing why. The only reason he was willing to attempt this suicidal endeavor was that he knew exactly where to train his attention: the tail.

To counter the incredible force from such fast and powerful attacks, the Siege Crandals dug their tails deep into the soil. By angling toward them from just beyond 8 degrees, they were forced to subtly shift their tails in proportion to their bodies. And while said bodies often blocked LOS on the tail, it was easy enough to see the dirt being displaced as they tensed.

By splitting his attention between the four aiming for him, Raine made agonizingly slow progress, gaining meters in the brief windows between volleys of deadly plasma. The Crandals adapted with chilling intelligence, staggering their shots to deny him a moment’s rest. The one he was aiming for rapidly retreated with vast, steady steps. Soon, their attacks were perfectly staggered so that the second he dodged one, another was already on its way, forcing him into an ever-tighter flight pattern to maintain speed.

Then, the ground erupted.

Hundreds of buried Rabinoids burst from the soil. These were the kamikaze variants, their bodies little more than biological rockets. They launched themselves into the air from all directions, converging on his position like a swarm of angry, laser-guided missiles. Their shrieks filled the air, a high-pitched counterpoint to the deep thrum of the plasma cannons.

Raine was a fly caught in a three-dimensional spiderweb of death. This was why few dared to cross the divide on foot, why the kingdom relied on the range and power-boosting arrays of the blast slits. Closing with these beasts was a suicide run.

Forced to abandon his drifter, Raine flooded his body with Discipline and Lunged for all he was worth. His directionality changed three times per second, stunning the pants off the now-distant Celeste and Mel, who knew how impossible what they were witnessing was. There was no room for error or hesitation. His brain’s functions stretched further, empowered by just enough Discipline to not tick away at his health. His focus was absolute, every fiber of his being devoted to the singular task of not dying.

With every successful evasion, the Primal Belt of the Phantom Thief gained a charge of Spectral Slip. The three charges he needed to trigger Phantom Disengage were stacked in less than a second, and he vanished, appearing ten meters closer to his targets. He left behind a hovering image of himself that taunted the nearest Rabinoids, wasting their life-giving payloads. At the same time, the Cloak of Amanesh sucked at the nearby light, turning him into a dark splotch against the clouds.

The Crandals had no issue tracking the real him; only one of their plasma jets struck the wrong target. Yet in that brief moment of respite, he Lunged ahead multiple times, bringing him close enough for the Eyes of Amanesh to deliver their verdict.

[Siege Crandal (Raid Elite): Level 75 (HP 19,025,000)]

[Highest Attribute: Elemental Power 27,811]

[Average Attribute Score: 2,525]

[Unique Skill Type: Accuracy Enhancement]

Now that's a real glass cannon. There's no need for speed, Defense, or Resistance when you have enough health and damage potential to kill whatever's coming at you before it gets halfway there.

The monstrous Elemental Power—over double Raine’s base health—confirmed the lethality of his situation. Only Unassailable Aegis would allow him to survive a direct hit. However, its five-minute cooldown made it utterly unreliable as a defense, which is why he had another fraction equipped.

Out here, surrounded on all sides by much higher-level threats, there was only one path forward: perfect evasion, absolute attention. He had to remain untouchable.

Bloodlust heeded Raine’s call. He atomized it, spinning the raw mental force into a fine, crimson mist. It flooded outward, beyond the confines of his body. The air became an extension of his senses. He could feel the pressure shift and murderous intent of a Plasma Lance arriving, and the vibrations of a Kamikaze Rabinoid preparing to launch from below. He evaded both, then triggered Phantom Disengage again, followed by another round of rapid Lunges.

The familiar ache of mental over-exertion bloomed behind his eyes, a welcome pain. This was the workout he craved, a crucible of his own, to temper the strength he’d forged in his clash against Nero. The world slowed. The crisscrossing paths of plasma and the swarming bugs devolved into a complex but readable equation.

It took another thirty minutes to catch the nearest Crandal. Its retreat had turned into a scuttling withdrawal as it no longer took the time to plant its tail, aim, and fire. By the time he was almost within striking distance, the battlefield had shifted. The Crandals immediately to the sides of his target had perfect, unobstructed angles of fire. However, their massive bodies blocked the line of sight for the beasts further down the line. While the total volume of fire he faced decreased, the two still attacking were close enough that their margin for error was almost nonexistent.

His Spectral Slips were saved for chain uses of Spectral Integration—each granting a quarter-second of intangibility. Two back-to-back uses were enough to completely ignore a plasma lance.

At a hundred meters, the Crandal revealed its next layer of defense. Its chitinous torso shuddered, and two of the large spikes jutting from its carapace blasted across the distance. They detonated before reaching him, each releasing a bomb of shrapnel that created two waves of impossible-to-dodge projectiles: Spineburst Bloom.

The next seconds would determine if he made a mistake coming to this place.

The Gauntlets and Legguards of Amanesh blazed over his limbs as he curled into a ball. Five hundred Discipline per second was crammed into his arms and legs, further enhancing his defenses. It was not enough. The first wave peppered him with four impacts that blasted his thoughts into oblivion. [-3,105] [-2,761] [-2,955] [-3,019]

Raine's health was instantly reduced to less than a quarter as agony swallowed him. The force of the blows sent him hurtling into the ground at a tremendous speed. He bounced hard, and before his HUD could even begin to flash in warning colors, the next wave of shrapnel was upon him.

Thankfully, he’d evaded enough shots by restricting his profile to reach the maximum three charges of Spectral Slip. His form flickered into the ethereal, and the next wave passed harmlessly through him, peppering the ground and releasing a huge cloud of dust. Yet, the following pair of Spineburst Blooms were already in the air, closing in at near-invisible speed.

There was no point trying to heal in any typical fashion after losing so much health. The ring finger of his right hand flashed with a brilliant jade glow that leaked from beneath his gauntlet. [+41,058] The Soul of Reformation did its intended job, tripling his maximum health before restoring it to full. Raine closed the distance with another Lunge before the coming shrapnel tore into him.

He slipped through the first bloom and soaked the second, taking another thirteen thousand damage. The following Lunge canceled the force of the blows. A boosted Healing Burst flashed over his torn flesh, ejecting lodged projectiles and closing the holes they left behind. [+8,594]

[Healing Burst: (Completion - 46% Expert)]

His poor completion rate put the skill on an over one-minute cooldown. He swapped to the Fraction of Solidity, giving him access to the Aegis and 20% more Potency. He was only fifty meters away now, and the two Crandals on either side of him unleashed another pair of lances. A final Phantom Disengage dodged both, and he at last arrived.

However, the true battle was only beginning. From hidden pores all over the Crandal’s carapace, a swarm of tiny Rabinoids burst forth. They crowded its body like parasites, a living armor of spitting, snarling beasts. Half were ranged variants, and they immediately filled the air with a dense cloud of miniature acidic projectiles. The shots weren't instantly lethal like the Plasma Lances. Still, each impact would be a jolt of pain and force that could easily shatter his concentration or send him bouncing into a more dangerous attack.

He was faced with a wall of steel, a storm of plasma, a swarm of kamikazes, and now, a field of debilitating static fire. Any sane person would have turned back, they would have recognized the task’s impossibility, and cursed themselves for coming this far only to die at the end.

A feral grin pulled hard at Raine’s cheeks. He opened the throttle on his Discipline and it raged through him as he dove directly into the fray.