B3 - Chapter 55: Offer

Seth surged into the cloud of frost mixed with the rain, Beastmaster Rage still coursing through his body and filling his muscles with power.

Dusk Scythes manifested once more around his forearms; the chase through the forest had bought him enough time for the ability's four-minute cooldown to pass. He slipped through the enemy's counterattack, constituted of three arrows and a crackling bolt.

Then the second volley reached him. Dozens of projectiles of fire, ice, and lightning—far too many for him to dodge in an open terrain—so Seth activated Shadow Step. His form vanished, and the barrage tore through the empty space he left behind as he reappeared in the enemy formation.

One of his shadowy blades reaped through the back of a staff-wielding soldier and cut through his flesh. Seth didn't know whether the man was an Elementalist or a Priest—and he didn't care. The soldier collapsed before he could even scream.

Colossus seized the occasion to emerge from the teardrop necklace. The giant scorpion wasted no time and unleashed Chitinous Taunt, drawing all the attention while Desert Aegis wrapped both him and Seth in hazel barriers.

Seth activated his Distortion Rod almost simultaneously, and the suppressing field expanded, preventing the enemy from using any scrolls. Then he dashed toward his next target.

Nightmare struck from the opposite flank, pouncing into the enemy formation, though, since Twin Mirage was on cooldown, the direwolf was alone this time.

The rest of the squad joined the fray seconds later.

Devus, Brandon, Henry, and the surviving commoners of Squad 48 crashed into the enemy front line to lock them in place. Marine, Elena, Selena, and the highborn Priest launched spells and arrows from the rear while providing a steady stream of healing support.

Seth didn't summon Lumi right away. He was too far and too exposed, so bringing her out now would only place her in unnecessary danger. Instead, he dove deeper into the enemy ranks, fueled by Beastmaster Rage.

Imperial Warriors raised their weapons and charged to stop him, while Elementalists cast elemental spells and the two Priests boosted their allies and healed the injured soldiers.

None of it mattered since there wasn't a single Guardian close enough to intercept Seth.

With no restraint, Seth tore through their ranks like a predator until he reached the two Priests. Finding exposed flesh wherever he looked, he surrendered to the demands of his inner beast.

He wove between slashes and mistimed spells as though they barely existed. Every dodge flowed into another strike. Every opening became another death.

The battle felt no different than the fight around the Stabilizer Obelisk. The gap between him and the soldiers was simply too vast.

It was like facing Coppers when he had been Low Iron. No amount of coordination, spells, or tactics could bridge the difference in attributes. He carried a Legacy of unknown grade and two Seeds, on top of possessing absurdly strong spells of Flawless or near-Flawless quality.

This was not a fight among equals.

Even the Spirit floating in the sky was probably disappointed by the spectacle. Compared to the razor-thin victories of previous battles, there was little to no suspense here.

The enemy simply lacked the means to be able to win.

Seth continued to tear through their collapsing ranks as the remaining soldiers desperately tried to slow his advance even if they knew they couldn't stop him.

Then one of them shouted at the top of his lungs: "Immobilize him at all costs!"

The surrounding soldiers responded right away, and spells began forming across the surrounding area. Elementalists, Guardians, and support casters coordinated their efforts to pin Seth down.

Seth never gave them the opportunity.

The moment he saw aether gathering around the throats of two of the Guardians, he surrendered himself to that powerful urge within his chest.

Consume.

Aura of Insatiable Hunger erupted outward.

A wave of pure Null aether surged across the clearing and devoured every particle of energy within its reach. The pulse tore into spells before they could fully manifest, ripped the aether inside, and snuffed them out.

At the same time, the energy flooded back into Seth, Nightmare, and Colossus to refill their Wells.

The soldiers stared at Seth in disbelief, though it didn't make him slow down.

He lunged forward and carved through the chestplate of a dazed soldier while the devouring aura continued to strip away the energy around him.

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When Dusk Scythes faded from his arms, Armored Phantom Fists surged up to take their place.

His assault never wavered.

One target fell. Then another.

Less than a minute remained on Beastmaster Rage, and Seth intended to make every second count.

When Aura of Insatiable Hunger faded, the Empire used their chance to launch a counterattack.

A storm of elemental spells tore through the rain toward Seth's position.

The barrage descended from every direction, but Colossus was already moving.

The giant scorpion rushed to Seth and cast Sandstorm Dome. The vortex of grit erupted around them to intercept the incoming spells, shredding into sparks, steam, and shattered ice before they could ever reach Seth.

Nearby, Nightmare pounced into the blood-soaked melee, slipping in and out of invisibility as he supported Henry, Brandon, Devus, and the remaining commoner soldiers.

In the rear, Elena unleashed spell after spell. Spears and arrows of ice hammered the imperial formation, while Marine and Selena ensured no enemy could break through to reach either her or their lone Priest.

Together, the squad tore through the enemy ranks.

Bodies fell one after another into the rain-soaked mud.

Yet even combined, the nine members of the party could not match the devastation wrought by Seth, Nightmare, and Colossus with Beastmaster Rage.

"Seth, watch out!" came a shout from Devus.

At that exact moment, Sandstorm Dome finally collapsed beneath the relentless barrage of enemy spells.

Three spells of concentrated aether screamed toward Seth's head.

Yet Shadow Step's cast was faster. They never connected.

The massive skeletal fist encasing Seth's gauntlet then slammed into the man's ribs and shattered the bones with a sickening crunch.

The man's lung collapsed underneath.

Before he could even scream in pain from the impact, a second punch crashed upward beneath his chin. The impact snapped his head back so violently that his body went limp before it hit the ground.

Then Seth felt it.

The grooves of Shadow Step had strained, and the spell was on cooldown—yet now a surge of invigorating energy raced through them.

The cooldown was reset. Alpha's Resonance had once again carried over the passive effect of Nightmare's Seed.

A grin spread across Seth's face.

With his Well still half full, he activated Shadow Step a second time and reappeared behind his next target.

In no time, the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.

Elena's frost spells and Marine's wind arrows tore through the clearing, punishing every enemy who exposed themselves for even a fraction of a second.

At the front, Devus, Brandon, and Henry fought shoulder to shoulder with the other members of Squad 48 as they anchored the frontline. The Priest cast golden healing arrays on them from the back, sealing wounds the moment blades inflicted them.

The Empire's men crumbled. By the time Beastmaster Rage finally reached the end of its duration, there was only a handful of bleeding imperial survivors in the clearing. One of them turned and fled, sprinting in the undergrowth.

Seth didn't hesitate to give pursuit—he had no intention of letting the man escape.

Whether the man's goal was to bring reinforcements or simply save his own life didn't matter. A survivor was still a survivor.

Seth released Lumi from the teardrop necklace and gave a quick nod toward his beast companions. "Heal them, Lumi."

The otter rushed toward Colossus and Devus, her tiny paws already glowing with light. Before anyone could stop him—or even say a word—Seth burst into the foliage.

Branches whipped both his leather armor and face as he tore through the forest.

Only a day earlier, he had been chasing Elysha through these same woods to stop her from harming his friends.

But this time was different: Seth felt no threat from the man fleeing ahead. The enemy soldier was just frightened prey trying to survive after realizing he had wandered into the wrong predator's domain.

Even without Beastmaster Rage, Seth didn't doubt what the outcome would be. His Toughness had dropped, and the spell's boost was gone, but his attributes were still way higher than those of his opponent.

In only a few seconds, the distance had closed just enough for Seth to pounce.

He crashed into the soldier's back and drove him to the ground. As they both rose to their feet, Seth lunged in. His first strike shattered ribs. His second broke a collarbone. The third left the man reeling and barely conscious.

The soldier lashed out and swung his blade without even looking.

Seth activated Shadow Step to reappear beside the man, and his fist crashed into the soldier's temple.

The impact sent him hurling into a nearby tree trunk. The man's head struck the bark with a dull thud, then he collapsed into the mud, motionless.

Seth stood over the corpse as the sounds of the forest gradually returned.

Rain pattered against the leaves above, while water dripped and splashed onto Seth's head.

He wiped blood from his cheek before speaking throughLink, 'Are you guys done over there?' he asked, directing the question toward Nightmare and Colossus.

'Yeah. Nobody on our side got hurt too badly,' Nightmare replied. 'And Emergency Ration will patch them up without any trouble.'

'Don't call her that,' Colossus chided.

'Why not? I call you Small Bite all the time,' Nightmare replied with a mental shrug. 'What's the difference?'

'Maybe she doesn't like it,' Colossus retorted. 'We don't know yet.'

Seth remained silent as the two beasts bickered with one another. Colossus was inherently defending others—especially Lumi—way more than he did for himself, while Nightmare remained as arrogant and unapologetic as ever.

Some things never changed.

Shaking his head, Seth stepped around some ferns and walked toward a fallen log.

The moment he was about to climb over it, every instinct in his body flared. His core screamed a warning.

Yet before his mind could fully process it, cold steel pressed against his neck and Seth froze.

The blade rested on his pulse but didn't cut into his flesh. It simply remained there, promising nothing but a quick death.

Seth slowly turned his head.

A figure stood in the shadows behind him. Kaelen.

The Dark Assassin held the dagger against Seth's throat as the two men locked eyes.

Silence stretched between them while rain kept drumming through surrounding leaves and the forest's floor. Neither man moved.

Seth stopped himself from grimacing. The situation was bad. The resulting Toughness loss of Beastmaster Rage left him far more vulnerable than usual, and after the prolonged fight, most of his abilities were still on cooldown.

"Kaelen," Seth said at last, eyes subtly tracking the surrounding shadows. If the assassin attacked, Seth might still be able to activate Shadow Step.

"Seth," the assassin replied.

"To what do I owe the restraint?" Seth asked with a glance at the blade at his neck.

Kaelen's expression remained unreadable. "I have something to offer you."

Seth raised an eyebrow. What does he—

"A way to get back at your king."