Chapter 339 - Decisive

The change was subtle. If Reivyn had been more involved in the fighting going on, he might not have noticed it at all, much less right away. The effect of the Providence siphon was a metaphysical wind from the Mana being sucked away. It wasn’t anything that could be perceived physically, and Reivyn suspected all of the people below Tier 4 who couldn’t inherently use Mana couldn’t sense it at all.

One moment, there was the ever-present feeling of the Mana Wind, then… nothing. It suddenly stopped. Now that Reivyn paused to focus on it, there was also a noticeable dip in the Mana density from when they first arrived. It wasn’t so much that it would be reduced from a Tier 4 to a Tier 3 Region, but it was a marginal thing.

I wonder if that was on purpose, or if that’s just how it works? Reivyn thought. If that’s just how much Providence was required for their goal, then that’s one thing, but if they deliberately refrained from further damaging the Region by reducing it an entire grade, that actually kind of speaks favorably for the invaders… minus the whole killing and rampaging through the Region part.

Actually, now that Reivyn thought about it, he didn’t know if this particular invasion force even participated in wanton pillaging. His father had mentioned dropping into the middle of an invading force literally running civilians down on the road for “nefarious” purposes, and the enemy they faced in Vairo hadn’t cared all that much for the destruction of the cities and infrastructure. That being said, they didn’t massacre the populace, and they really only went out of their way to actually kill the defenders when they showed their fangs and tried a counterattack.

And then there was Drallo, too. They didn’t kill any of the civilians, letting them go free when they were done with their objective. They did kill the soldiers fighting against them, but that was normal combat. The invaders in Vairo were much more methodical and controlled. Most of the dead were from their side…

The invaders, in all instances that Reivyn had seen, had shown a complete lack of holding human life as any worth, but the more he critically thought about it, the more it seemed to only apply to their own people. He had just assumed they were bloodthirsty barbarians, though there was plenty of evidence to dispute that, as well.

There were clearly different Empires under the Tier 6 authority that ruled over them, and there would obviously be different personalities in the lords and generals in charge of the various armies. The one Refix dropped in on must have been one of the more brutish groups, but for the most part, they had actually been quite civilized when Reivyn thought about it more deeply.

Sure, they threw their own people in waves as human shields and didn’t care whether they lived or died, but neither did the people doing the dying. Then there were the higher Region soldiers, as shown by their tattoos, and they were obviously treated differently.

If I had to put a word to it, it sounds like a cult. Religious fanatics… That makes a lot of sense.

Reivyn shook his head and returned his focus back to the issue at hand. The Providence had been finished being sucked away, which meant the enemy forces had completed at least one major objective. He would have to wait and see if the enemy army focused more on purely retreating or a fighting retreat like they had been doing. It was possible this large-scale assault in the middle of the night had been a distraction for the completion of their siphon.

The fighting continued as the enemy soldiers continued to advance on the fortifications of the Mercenary company. On the other fronts that Reivyn could see, against the other companies, it was normal combat of two opposing forces lined up against each other. Reivyn had thought the others would adopt the Mercenary Corp’s habit of always building fortifications every single night, but they hadn’t. Now they were paying the price. Where the mercenaries had a wooden palisade to fortify against the enemy assault, the other companies were just out in the open.

Reivyn narrowed his eyes as he took in the whole battleline, letting his Rhythm of War Skill help him analyze the situation. The enemy soldiers weren’t pushing hard trying to displace the allied forces, which was normally the goal when advancing on a target. One typically wanted to occupy whatever location they assaulted, but that wasn’t what he was picking up from the enemy. It made him believe more firmly it was a distraction, but now he was wondering if it was for a different purpose. The Providence had finished up, and there was no change in the battle tactics of the enemy.

It could be possible they were just dragging out the time so that there would be more time between when the Providence siphoning stopped and the battle concluded so the allies would be less likely to put two and two together, but that wasn’t what Reivyn’s gut was telling him.

He continued to observe the fighting, both looking for clues as to what they were doing and keeping any eye out for any special units attempting to flank them or take advantage somewhere. Most of the enemy special squads had stopped harassing the Mercenary Company, but Reivyn didn’t know if that was because they had wiped them out or if they had simply relocated their efforts. For them, it didn’t matter that much, but every detail of the enemy he knew could help.

Reivyn felt Mana spike in the distance, further toward the center than what he could easily see from his vantage. It was like a light had suddenly intensified in its luminosity to his senses. There were Mages on either side flinging Spells about all up and down the line, but this was different. A variable.

The Mana continued to spike higher and higher, surpassing even the crescendo Reivyn expected from such a move. It was obviously something different than a devastating Spell from the enemy, as that wouldn’t require such a large amount of Mana.

A thought struck him, and he turned to his Party members.

“Do you all feel that?” He asked. The others nodded in response. “I think they’re summoning a portal for their retreat. It makes sense in context.”

“What do you want to do about it?” Refix asked.

Reivyn shrugged.

“Not really anything we can do about it, and I don’t see the point in even relaying that information to the other commanders. It’ll become apparent once the Portal arrives, and isn’t that actually what we all want, anyway?”

Refix tilted his head in a gesture conceding the point.

“That’s just my guess, though, so we’ll still have to wait and see. The fighting isn’t slowing down at all like we’d expect from a retreating force, though, so we’ll have to keep on our toes.”

The Mana spike began acting in a similar fashion as the Providence siphon, though fundamentally different. Reivyn noticed the Mana from the Spells being flung back and forth, and the lingering Mana from completed Spells, begin to be drawn toward the Mana spike, furthering adding more fuel to whatever was being done. The ambient Mana itself wasn’t drawn, and Reivyn couldn’t feel the pull of Providence, but there was definitely something going on. It was like a ritual Cast, but they were stealing the Mana instead of coordinating it.

The Mana finally reached a Zenith, and a bright light flashed in the predawn darkness, briefly turning the night to day. Reivyn quickly shut his eyes to retain his night vision. Even with Skills to help his perception and assist with seeing in the dark specifically, there was a noticeable difference when he lost his night sight.

Once he noticed the blinding light dissipate through his eyelids, he opened his eyes to once again survey the field. The soldiers on either side had temporarily backed off, not having received any warning and losing their ability to see well enough in the dark, but that wasn’t what caught Reivyn’s attention.

A huge aura filled out and suppressed the entire battle line like a blanket. Reivyn could feel the anger and bloodlust in the aura. Many of the soldiers on both sides of the battle staggered under the pressure. He swallowed as he shared a look with his father. The two nodded to each other.

Reivyn turned to one of the Mercenaries doing a valiant job of holding up under the oppressive aura.

“Run and tell the Captain that something came up. He doesn’t need to personally worry about it and should continue with his command, but I and the others are going to go check it out.”

The mercenary stared at Reivyn wide-eyed for a moment before the words clicked in his mind. He offered a brisk salute.

“Yes, sir!” He replied, immediately taking off toward where the Captain could be seen issuing orders already.

“Let’s go,” Reivyn turned back to his father. Refix had already told the other Party members to prepare themselves. He squeezed Ameliyn’s hand in encouragement, though his face remained stoic. The aura wasn’t as terrifying as the meatball monster they had faced, but it was still above anything else they’ve faced before.

Reivyn quickly led the Party out through the rear of the fortifications, running behind the line of soldiers from the other companies. Reivyn could see other high Level individuals detaching themselves from the companies and head toward the center, obviously with the same idea Reivyn had. He just hoped it wasn’t all of the commanders abandoning their men. That could lead to some unfortunate circumstances of the chains of command suddenly lost a lot of the key commanders.

Reivyn just trusted that they commanders would understand their duty and simply sent adjutants or left other capable leaders behind in place. He was focused on the aura that continued to press against everyone on the field. It felt a bit familiar…

With their high Stats, it didn’t take long for them to spot the fierce combat in the distance. Tremendous Skills and powerful Spells were being flung about in the center of the field, the soldiers in either army having backed off from each other for a considerable distance. A large no-man’s land was created in the very center where blurring figures could be seen engaging in a deadly dance.

Reivyn was able to pick out the Elders of the local Empire fighting against a group of robed powerhouses from the enemy side. There were more enemy powerhouses than Elders, and they were clearly a half-step above the locals in power. Reivyn could see at a glance that it was a losing fight. The most powerful enemy soldier on the other side hadn’t even bothered to participate. He was just standing there with another robed individual behind and to the side.

The fierce aura was coming from the man standing still on the far side of the no-man’s land. Spells zipped by and detonated in the air all around, splashing harmlessly off of a Mana Shield from the man. If those Spells were concentrated on him, it wouldn’t be so effortless, but just the strays were incidentally attacking the man, so he had no problem ignoring them with his defense in place.

The pieces finally clicked into place in Reivyn’s mind.

The aura felt familiar because it belonged to the one who had responded to the death of the one robed powerhouse at the Teleportation depot. These additional powerhouses were the ones that Kefira had trapped in the void.

Reivyn turned to Kefira. She gave him a knowing look.

“It would seem they did, in fact, summon a portal… but it wasn’t to retreat,” he said.

Everyone had a grim expression on their faces as they took in the scene. More and more high level Classers arrived on scene from the various allied forces, though only a couple of them were even at Refix’s Level. Most of them were somewhere between Reivyn and Refix, and Refix himself was under the strength of any of the robed powerhouses, much less the leader.

As they drew closer, Reivyn saw the man standing behind the leader snap his head in their direction. He leaned forward to say something in the man’s ear and pointed right at Reivyn and the others. The leader’s head slowly turned toward them, and Reivyn felt the man’s gaze as his eyes fell on him.

The oppression from the viscous aura suddenly increased a dozen fold, almost buckling his knees. He could almost taste the hatred in the man’s aura. A conversation Reivyn had with the commanding general of the mountain fortress flashed through his brain.

Nepotism… That guy at the Teleportation depot was someone important to this man… crap.

Until now, the enemy had never shown a care for the life or death of any of their people, but Reivyn also realized they hadn’t lost any of their robed powerhouses. There was one close call when Teilon had slit a man’s throat, but they had seen him healed up and in top condition not long after that.

The robed powerhouses were obviously a cut above everyone else. One didn’t have to understand the intricacies of the enemy politics to see that with their own eyes.

The solitary man casually retrieved a sword from his spatial storage and immediately broke into a run directly toward Reivyn and the others. He wasn’t so fast that he arrived as if he teleported or anything like that, but he was way faster than anyone in Reivyn’s party, and his figure blurred to his perception as he quickly closed the distance.

There was enough time for everyone to react, but just. Reivyn pulled out his sword and shield combo, bracing himself behind his shield just in time to feel a tremendous blow knock him back several steps. He used all of his various Skills to retain his footing an balance.

The others reacted a split second later. Refix’s ethereal arsenal began bombarding the man’s Mana Shield as Refix stepped forward with a blinding strike toward the man’s vitals. Reivyn couldn’t see the man’s face, but he could feel the surprise flash through the aura at Refix’s retaliation. He hadn’t expected such a fierce defense, but he still managed to parry the blow.

The man’s Mana Shield appeared to be designed to only defend against actual Magic and Skills, not solid, physical attacks like Refix’s actual sword. It made sense to Reivyn as it wouldn’t interfere with the man’s own attacks. He clearly had the Skills to not have to rely on the bubble for defense.

Kimberly was right next to Refix, on the other side of Reivyn, thrusting her spear at the man’s exposed side. The enemy simply shifted his body, swaying with the attack as it simply passed right past him. The spear Kimberly used had a blade meant for slashing attacks, but her piercing attack had gone beyond the man’s body, taking it out of consideration. She didn’t have enough leverage in her position to effectively use the blade for a reprisal upon pulling the spear back, unfortunately.

Teilon seemed to materialize out of thin air, brandishing his pair of daggers as he aimed for the man’s kidneys. The man must have some sort of Spatial Perception Skill like Reivyn, as he casually swiped his off-hand against Teilon’s daggers behind himself without looking, knocking the blades off course. Teilon quickly pulled back, retaining his balance and preventing a counterattack from the man.

Serilla lunged in from the other side of Refix, a step behind Refix’s own attack, aiming for the man’s side opposite of Kimberly. Kimberly’s spear thrust passed by her side, but their teamwork was well enough that it was expected, not phasing Serilla in the least. The man’s arm blurred, and his parry of Refix’s attack continued down and intercepted Serilla’s strike in a smooth transition.

Spells from Ameliyn and Kefira joined Refix’s barrage and slammed against the man’s Mana Shield. It flared in the places were it defended against the Spells, not noticeably weakening, yet. Reivyn had no idea what kind of Mana pool the man had, but it was probably considerable. It would take some time before they could overwhelm his Mana defenses, but there was no reason to relent just because it would take some time. The Spells continued to pound into the shield.

Disturbingly, the man had successfully fended off all attacks sent toward him, and he had done so without taking his gaze off of Reivyn the entire time. Reivyn, having maintained his footing with some difficulty even with all of his Skills, stepped forward, brandishing his sword. He could practically feel the man’s response to Reivyn’s sword strike before he made it. He suspected there was some sort of Transcendent Ability at play, like a counter to his True Strike.

Instead of of attacking the man with his sword though, Reivyn simply tenses his muscles, feinting the attack. Sure enough, the man’s perception was enough that he could determine what was coming and from where just from the muscle twitches, and he moved his free-hand back to the front in response as his sword was still completing the parry of Serilla’s attack.

Reivyn let the man swish his hand through empty air, and a fraction of a second later, he simply bashed his shield into the man’s face. Surprise once more flashed through the man’s aura before it was subsumed by increased fury. Reivyn didn’t think the man could get any angrier, but he had been wrong.

The others continued their assault on the powerhouse, and he continued to fend against them almost off-handedly as his attention bore down on Reivyn. The man moved so fast and precise, it almost looked to Reivyn as if the man had four arms. He continued to subtly shift out of the way of thrusts made by Kimberly and Serilla while parrying the attacks from Refix and Teilon.

Other than having his head snap back a little from the shield bash, the Party was unable to make him move even half a step from where he stood. That changed though as the man stepped forward toward Reivyn. Reivyn likewise watched the man’s muscle twitches for clues, but he had the added benefit of his Divine Sense giving him perfect clarity. The robes couldn’t hide the man’s intentions.

Reivyn brought his shield up to intercept the blow aimed at his neck in-between parries. A loud gong rang out as the sword crashed into Reivyn’s shield, knocking it back into Reivyn’s face. His head snapped back almost identically to how Reivyn had attacked the man, the vibrations from the blow flowing from the shield into his body. The vibrations had the potential to do internal damage despite successfully blocking the blow, but Reivyn utilized his Qi to direct them away from his organs and down his legs and feet into the ground. He acted almost like a lightning conductor, except for vibrations.

The powerhouse smirked at the reversal, his basically the only thing visible on his face under the hood of his robe. Reivyn replied with a thrust of his own toward the man’s chest with his sword. He had acted perfectly without telegraphing his move, but the man was still too fast. While his sword returned to parrying Refix and Serilla, his off-hand swooped in and batted the sword aside. Reivyn noticed the man had metal lining the gloves to add protection against blades, though they weren’t fully metal gauntlets.

Reivyn couldn’t pay attention to the other Party members as they continued to attack the man. He had to focus all of his attention, Divine Sense included, on just the powerhouse as they exchanged blows, pushing Reivyn back step by step.

If Reivyn had been alone, he would have been overwhelmed almost immediately. As it was, his Party was just competent enough to hold the man off. He couldn’t use any elaborate Class Skills, either, as he had to focus so much on defending against the others. That didn’t mean he couldn’t use any Class Skills, though, as his attacks occasionally held something deeper in them like Reivyn’s old Devastating Blow. Reivyn could see the Skill activation with his Divine Sense, though, so he was able to continue to fend the man off.

The problem was the man was so strong that even with successfully blocking and parrying attacks, Reivyn’s Health was still slowly declining over time. It was a meagre fraction, and his Regeneration was able to keep up, but it was still a bad sign.

It had only been less than ten seconds since the robed man had attacked them, and they had already exchanged dozens of moves against each other. The robed man who had pointed Reivyn out entered Reivyn’s Divine Sense range, causing Reivyn’s brow to furrow. If that man entered the fray, the balance would shift sharply in their opponent’s favor. Reivyn noticed the man who pointed him out was the same man who had shown up and fought against him that first time the Special Unit had attacked behind enemy lines from the mountain fortress.

Luckily more people entered his Divine Sense as several high-Level Classers from the allied companies intercepted the robed man. This particular powerhouse had demonstrated his ability to flee from the local Elders time and again, but this time, fleeing wasn’t the objective. The allied commanders were fighting a losing battle against the lone powerhouse.

Reivyn quickly flashed his gaze across the wider battlefield, noting that it wasn’t just these newest combatants who were fighting a losing battle. The various Elders and the other Classers entering the exclusive combat were all slowly being whittled down.

Reivyn was beginning to get worried. He wasn’t succumbing to despair, but he was having a hard time finding a way out of this predicament. There was no way they were going to suddenly turn the tides against this man and defeat him, and the same seemed to be true for everyone else as well. They were simply outmatched.

They had been out maneuvered by the enemy commanders. Reivyn had thought too simply, having written the powerhouses banished to the void off as being lost forever. He should have known better, knowing that the enemy had Mages with Space Affinity, at the very least. It wasn’t like the void was absent of air, having traversed it himself, and with spatial storage, one could conceivably have years of resources to survive. He wasn’t sure what they could have done differently to prevent them from rescuing the powerful enemies from the void, but they could have at least been better prepared for it.

The powerful man attacking Reivyn noticed his gaze and he sneered.

“You’ll pay for killing my brother,” he said, his voice a deep rumble. “I don’t care that the princess wants you alive.”

Reivyn’s eyes widened in surprise at the announcement. He knew what the man was referring to, obviously, but he hadn’t expected some random powerhouse out here to recognize him.

Ahh, that’s why the other powerhouses seemed to not take fighting me seriously, Reivyn realized. They really were trying not to kill me.

The powerhouse continued his assault while talking, not letting up even a fraction as he continued to press Reivyn and the others.

“I see you understand what I mean, but it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die. Here. Today.”

The man’s sneer transformed into a wicked grin filled with malice.

“Oh? Is that so?” A familiar voice interrupted their fight.

The powerhouse frowned at the sudden question, turning a curious look towards the source. Reivyn was equally surprised. His Divine Sense had been focused mostly in front of himself with only a little bit left to extend to his rear. Just outside of that perception, though, Reivyn stole a quick glance to see two of his mercenaries standing there.

Gulley and the girl in his squad who had joined with him stood there nonchalantly. They had no weapons drawn, and they appeared to be completely at ease in the tense situation. Reivyn quickly recalled all the questionable points he had against Gulley, feeling a bit vindicated for his paranoia, but it hadn’t been Gulley who spoke.

“Who are you?” The powerhouse asked, backing up a step as he narrowed his eyes at the intruding pair.

Gulley continued to stand impassively to the side as the girl took a few steps forward. She took off her helmet, shaking her blonde hair tumbling out in a ponytail behind her. Kefira stared daggers at the girl as she continued to step forward, her hair, face, and height slowly transforming until Aeriella stood just a few steps away from Kefira.

“That’s not the right question,” Aeriella said, shaking her head side to side in a vain attempt to gain control of the few strands of hair not cooperating after having been suppressed under her helmet for so long causing her ponytail to swish back and forth behind her. She was completely at ease and hardly even paying attention to the enemy powerhouse as she gave up the futile attempt and resorted to patting her hair down with her hand.

All fighting on the battlefield had stopped, and the world descended into silence at the question. The allied forces were obviously perplexed, not understanding what was going on while still recognizing that it was important. The robed powerhouses, on the other hand, finally recognized the girl as she confronted their leader.

She suddenly shot a venomous glare at the powerhouse, causing the man to subconsciously take a step back as he gulped.

“The real question is: Who do you think you are?”