Chapter 293 290: Sacrifice
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The relentless onslaught of arrows struck the solidified blood barrier with intense force. Each impact resonated with a dull thud, and with every arrow that t its mark, a web of cracks began to form, branching out and crisscrossing over the surface of the barrier.
The barrier was under imnse pressure. As the 988th arrow made its mark, the accumulated stress beca too much. With a resonating crack, the once-solidified tide of blood shattered, leaving Oliver exposed to the threats looming overhead.
Whoosh!
A dozen arrows descended directly towards Oliver simultaneously. Their sharpened tips glead nacingly under the sun, promising a fatal blow. However, just as doom seed certain for Oliver, a sudden and unexpected force intervened.
A torrent of invisible energy surged from the ground, eting the arrows in their downward trajectory. Each arrow was caught by this powerful energy and snapped cleanly in two halves as if they were re twigs. The remnants of the arrows were then blown away, scattering in the wind.
Throughout the land of Eldrich, the Ashtines were renowned for their heightened senses, which were said to be tenfold sharper than those of regular humans, but their tribe leader stood in a league of his own.
His senses were three to five tis more sharper than his fellow Ashtines!
While soul power remained invisible to his eye, the tribe leader could sense its existence, and thus, he traced the origin of the soul power polluting the air right back to Val!
Although he discovered the true culprit, unfortunately for this beast, a towering wall of flas separated him and the rest of his tribe of Ashtines from Val.
The inferno roared, and its heat was felt even from a distance.
Having witnessed the fiery demise of their comrades, none dared approach it.
Even the fearless tribe leader didn't dare, respecting the deadly power of the flas
However, he wasn't willing to give up.
"Attack him!"
He signaled towards Val's position, directing his archers to focus their assault there.
In response, a massive volley of arrows was unleashed, each one aid with deadly precision at Val. But Val, ever the strategist, had already anticipated their move. It was evident from the fact that he had already the flying broom out of his pocket dinsion. With agility and swiftness, he mounted his flying broom, ascending into the sky. The rain of arrows that was ant to be his doom missed him by a significant margin, striking the spot where he once stood.
Without pausing to weigh the loss of their provisions or the potential depletion of their resources, the tribe leader, undeterred by their previous failed attempts, shouted a command to his archers, urging them to strike at Val once more.
At his command, the sky swiftly beca a canvas of deadly projectiles. The horde of arrows took flight, each one directed with precision, with the intent to bring Val down. The sheer number and speed of the arrows showcased the Ashtines' commitnt to fulfilling their leader's orders.
Yet, Val, exhibiting not only exceptional control over his flying broom but also an understanding of the terrain and air currents, danced through the storm of arrows. He weaved through the gaps, soared to higher altitudes, and dived swiftly, evading every single projectile with the elegance and agility reminiscent of an expert witch from ancient tales.
A montary lull followed this intense barrage. Val, still airborne, noticed that no more arrows were coming his way.
'Seems like they've given up.'
He smirked.
"Why have you ceased firing?" The tribe leader scread at his archers.
One of the leader's subordinates approached, hesitating slightly before explaining, "My lord, the enemy has distanced himself too much. Our arrows can no longer reach him at that range. It will be a waste to continue attacking."
They all knew that, but their leader didn't as he was blinded by rage. They felt he was quite incompetent, and once they return, they would complain to the dinsion master that he was not fit to rule them and have soone else replace him as their tribe leader.
A growl of frustration rumbled deep within the tribe leader's chest. Taking a mont to gather his composure, he finally declared with resolute determination, "Gah! If that is the case, then it falls upon to avenge the dead. I shall take matters into my own hands!"
The tribe leader, in a final bid to halt Val, reached for the amulet that rested against his chest. The intricate piece of jewelry had been with him for ages. It was given to him when the dinsion was still a dungeon. He had challenged the dungeon boss for its position. But the dungeon boss sweet the floor with him. He though he would be killed but the dungeon boss gave him a way out. He accepted it and beca its subordinate, and that was when he was granted the amulet. With the two strongest monster of the dungeon working together, it grew faster and beca a dinsion. The dungeon monster evolved into the dinsion master, and he further enchanted the amulet of his subordinate, strengthening its effects.
It was strong enough to seriously harm the dinsion master, but it trusted him like family and thus gave it to him just in case.
He decided to use it here!
Without a mont's hesitation, he took it off and hurled the amulet with all the strength he could muster in Val's direction.
As it sailed through the air, the amulet began to glow, radiating a nacing red light. Then, in a spectacle of magic and might, it split apart, transforming into a thousand gleaming red arrows. Each of these arrows held a deadly intent, homing in on Val with unerring accuracy.
Val's instincts, honed through countless battles and encounters, scread warnings at him. He felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck and quickly turned to glance over his shoulder. The sight that t his eyes was nothing short of terrifying – a barrage of a thousand arrows, each promising imminent doom, bore down on him.
At this point, his sixth sense conveyed a clear ssage to him.
A single strike from any of these arrows would be fatal.
Desperate for an understanding of the danger, Val activated his 'Detect' skill.
The insight he gained was even more alarming.
These were not ordinary arrows! They were explosive arrows with imnse destructive potential, each packing enough power to obliterate mountains!
To make matters worse, they moved at an astonishing speed, faster than his flying broom, and were rapidly closing the distance.
With re monts to decide, Val made a split-second choice. He gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the broom's handle, and then, with a determined exhale, leapt off.
Boom!
The once serene sky erupted in a cacophony of deafening explosions. Every red arrow exploded with a force that lit up the sky in hues of fiery orange and deep red and rattled the very bones of the forest, causing animals to scurry in fear.
Val had escaped the very epicenter of this maelstrom thanks to his quick thinking and equally quick action. But he could still feel the heat and shockwaves as the arrows exploded, their powerful blasts manifesting as both sound and force.
He saw that there was only one casualties of this aerial assault. It was his Flying broom. It was caught in the very heart of the explosions, its wood and bristles disintegrating instantly, leaving no trace of its prior existence.
As Val plumted, mories of his adventures with the broom flashed before his eyes. The enemies he had killed by sneaking up behind them through the other side on the broom, and the serene monts when he would simply glide above the treetops, feeling the wind rush past him. The loss was personal, but with the imdiate peril he faced, there was little room for grief.
Survival was paramount.
With the ground fast approaching, Val's instincts and training kicked in. He channeled his soul power, spreading it all over his body in a unique manner. Almost imdiately, the gravitational pull he was subjected to began to wane. Val's expression beca a lot lighter. He had successfully pulling off the anti-gravity technique. Although he wasn't on Eldrich, the G force remained the sa.
His rapid descent turned into a slow, controlled drop. It was as if ti itself had slowed down, allowing him to navigate his landing with the precision and grace of a seasoned acrobat. He touched the ground, not with a crash, but as softly as a feather settling after a gentle breeze.
However, Val knew that the danger was far from over. The Ashtines, known for their persistence and ruthlessness, wouldn't be deterred by a re wall of fire for too long. He had to move, and he had to move fast.
While running, he looked back and saw that what he was worried about was already happening. The Ashtines had decided to continue the hunt for Val and Oliver under the aggressive command of their leader. They were taking the long way, going around the fire to go after them!
'I better speed up.'
Val activated the 'Blood Rush' skill, and his agility increased to the limit that his body could register.
His movents, already swift and precise, now beca a blur.
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