Chapter 474 [Oathflame Helmsman]

"Rumble..."

Blistering heat waves surged outward. The sudden spike in temperature made the air blur with a faint white mist.

Fiery red, wavy hair thrashed like silk in the rushing heat. Catching the glare of the flames surrounding her, her brownish-red eyes looked as if they had been set ablaze.

The "Blade of Vengeance"—Lorraine.

This was the name of the team she was so proud of, forged through countless drops of blood and sweat. It was also the moniker that had spread among other adventurers during her years of roaming the Southern Archipelagos, wielding a scimitar in one hand and raging flames in the other. Moreover, it embodied her personal resolve and pursuit.

Now, with her team facing a terrifying monster...

As the leader of the squad and the one with the highest Class Level among them, how could she just stand by and watch?

While she might not excel in Perception, her incomparably resolute will—and the flames of vengeance instilled by her class, forever burning in her heart—allowed her to break free from the mental attack in less than five seconds. She became the third member of the team to recover her senses, right behind Xia Nan and Hein.

Flames burned.

Unlike other adventurers who took up Basic Classes like [Warrior], [Ranger], or [Monk]—paths that could smoothly progress from lv1 straight to the Transcendent Tier boundary of lv10...

Lorraine's chosen progression path was similar to Xia Nan's.

—lv5 [Scimitar Fighter] + lv2 [Oathflame Helmsman].

These two relatively niche classes combined to form her formidable total Class Level of lv7.

[Scimitar Fighter], as the name implied, was a class that primarily used the scimitar as a weapon.

To some extent, judging by the number of people who held this class, it wasn't actually that niche. It was only excluded from the mainstream Basic Classes because of its lv5 cap.

The origins of the [Scimitar Fighter] had been lost to time. Some claimed it hailed from desert natives in the endless wastelands to the northwest, while others argued it originated in the port cities along the continent's vast coastlines.

But with the expansion of trade routes and the migration of adventurers, this profession—born in the saddle and the alleyways—had spread across the entire Aifala Continent.

As a foundational Basic Class for Class Holders, [Scimitar Fighter] possessed no exaggerated special powers, nor did it have the distinct characteristics of a [Meteor Blade Hunter].

Functioning as a branch of the [Warrior] class, the [Scimitar Fighter] placed greater emphasis on the user's mobility. It excelled in close-quarters combat or fighting from mounts and vehicles, providing corresponding bonuses to Agility and scimitar-type weapon mastery.

On the other hand, the [Oathflame Helmsman] Advanced Class was undoubtedly far more obscure, and even carried restrictive prerequisites for acquisition.

The core elements were [Vengeance], [Flames], and [Leader].

Only those leaders who had lost everything yet refused to sink into oblivion, swearing a blood oath amid endless resentment and fury, could embark on this class path paved with hatred and hellfire—ultimately finding their rest in the wails of their enemies' burning souls.

Right now, facing the brutal beast wreaking havoc on the battlefield, the flames born of vengeance had thoroughly ignited the captain's heart.

"Fwoom—!"

Crimson fire erupted!

With the outrageous physical attributes of a Level 7 melee Class Holder, Lorraine's momentary explosive power made her so fast that she almost left behind a blazing afterimage.

She transformed into a rapidly extending thin crimson line, shooting toward the Shark Beast amid the crackling of fire.

Annoyed by Xia Nan's harassment, the humanoid shark was furiously chasing him when it suddenly felt a blistering heat surging from behind.

Before it even had time to turn around, the blue-grade blade forged by Dragon Breath flames—the [Scale-Fire Scimitar]—had already swept across its body, wrapped in a blazing inferno.

The curved blade, which had previously only sparked embers in the air, was now completely ignited with tangerine flames. This made the gorgeous, wave-like golden-red patterns on its surface even more dazzling as it continuously pumped heat into its wielder.

There was no blood.

The thick, foul-smelling liquid didn't even have time to ooze from the severed skin tissue before the blade's scorching temperature evaporated it, sizzling into pungent smoke.

Amid the flickering firelight, a gruesome, charred wound was left right in the center of the nearly four-meter-tall behemoth's chest.

Even the exaggerated healing ability intrinsic to monsters, granted by their robust physiques, was suppressed by the [Scale-Fire Scimitar]'s burning effect, preventing the wound from closing quickly.

"Roar!!!"

The passively enhanced searing pain radiating from its chest filled the Shark Beast with boundless fury, and it roared like a madman.

Ignoring the troublesome black wolf—which was harassing it from behind and had seized the chance to leave another hideous gash on its spine—it clenched its fist and smashed it toward the woman in front of it.

"Boom—!"

Beneath the knuckles packed with terrifying Strength, even the normally formless air seemed to be hammered out, crushed in a state of stagnation.

Lorraine did not specialize in defense. Even as a mighty lv7 Class Holder, if she took a punch like that head-on, she would likely be killed on the spot.

Yet her face showed no trace of panic.

Illuminated by the flickering flames, her expression held only the calm and composure born of rich combat experience and absolute confidence in her own strength.

Facing the massive iron fist crashing down diagonally toward her head, she remained unhurried. With a flip of her wrist, she fluidly raised the flaming scimitar—the very blade that had just carved a deep wound into her foe—to block in front of her.

At the same time, she inhaled sharply, her cheeks puffing out.

She looked just like the fire-breathing jugglers Xia Nan had seen on TV programs in his past life.

She exhaled.

"Fwooosh!!"

Starting from where Lorraine stood, covering a fan-shaped area nearly five meters in front of her...

The blistering tangerine flames acted like a miniature Dragon Breath. Using the scimitar as a medium, the fire surged violently outward along with her exhaled breath.

In an instant, it swallowed the Shark Beast's massive body whole.

Lorraine herself used the recoil from the flame breath to launch backward like a rocket, leaving the iron fist—which had forcefully smashed down through the agonizing burn of the flames—to strike nothing but empty air.

"Flame Breath Countertide"—one of the key combat techniques that had allowed her to acquire the [Oathflame Helmsman] class—had been raised to the Mastery tier many years ago.

Although it required a fire source as a medium, its powerful effect—akin to Evocation magic—and its ability to be cast at point-blank range without long charge-up times made this combat technique Lorraine's ever-victorious ultimate weapon.

After all, in close-quarters combat, who could possibly react to a blast of fire unleashed right in their face?

Once she trained "Flame Breath Countertide" to Mastery, it gained the added utility of short-distance displacement.

Relying on the powerful thrust inherent to the flame breath, it carried her body backward, achieving the effect of instantly opening up distance.

Without a doubt, Lorraine's actual combat prowess and her on-the-spot tactical decisions perfectly proved that her lv7 Class Level had been built upon battle after battle—she was a true pragmatist.

If she were facing an ordinary monster right now, this single combo would have been enough to inflict severe burns on it.

But before her stood the deformed Shark Beast—a creature capable of punching through a "Deflection Field" in a single strike. It was clearly not going to be taken down so easily.

Her pointy leather boots, which had briefly hovered in the air from the fire's recoil, barely touched the ground. She stumbled back a few steps, not yet having recovered her center of gravity.

The flames wreaking havoc across the Shark Beast's body were suddenly extinguished at an unusual speed. Thick, viscous fluid could vaguely be seen seeping from its rough shark-skin surface.

Aside from the massive wound just cleaved into its chest, the rest of its entire body only suffered some slight charring on its surface.

No... perhaps not its "entire" body.

The human remains fused into the Shark Beast's torso lacked the protection of thick, tough shark skin. Caught dead-on by the flames, it was now emitting shrill, agonizing wails.

Unlike the bizarre sound that had previously mind-controlled them, this time it unleashed pure, piercing static.

Invisible sound waves swept out, seeming to lightly distort the air and reveal the contours of the sonic blasts.

The screeching noise threatened to drill straight through the skulls of everyone on the battlefield.

Right at that moment, a melodious, soaring Lute melody abruptly rang out from the rear of the battlefield, instantly overpowering all the static and noticeably lightening the minds of everyone present.

They subconsciously looked toward the source of the sound.

They saw that the Halfling Alton had, at some unknown point, broken free from the mental control. He was currently hugging his delicate Lute, strumming with absolute focus.

It was a tune they had never heard before.

For the three people currently battling the monster, it quietly soothed the anxiety lurking in the depths of their hearts over being ambushed mid-mission, as well as their slightly fluctuating emotions caused by the terrifying pressure of a mighty monster. It allowed them to pour their complete focus into the battle, unswayed by meaningless distractions.

As for the Barbarian Aken and the Tabaxi Sasha, who were still struggling to break free from the mental control, this melodious Lute music carried some sort of will-fortifying effect.

The two men, who had been trembling violently under the mental control, suddenly stilled. Their furrowed brows also began to relax.

Then, almost simultaneously, the last two members of the Blade of Vengeance Squad finally regained their senses.

"Ah!!!"

This was Aken's furious roar.

He was supposed to be the team's vanguard, standing at the very front to create tactical space for the teammates behind him when encountering enemies.

Instead, he had become a burden, forcing his teammates to stall for him.

This made the Barbarian, hailing from a remote island tribe in the Southern Archipelagos, feel incomparably ashamed and furious. Almost the instant he woke up, he descended into a state of absolute frenzy.

For an ordinary adventurer, such violent, surging emotions would undoubtedly cloud their judgment and weaken their combat power.

But for a Barbarian—whose core strength was anger and who drove his body with Rage—it provided a massive boost to his combat capabilities.

His brawny body, covered in all sorts of tattoos, seemed shrouded in a layer of red light as it violently swelled several sizes larger.

Looking like a tank made of flesh and blood, he swung his Anchor Greataxe with both hands and charged straight toward the Shark Beast.

On the other side, the Tabaxi Sasha moved even faster than him.

Holding his short swords in a reverse grip, he leaned forward and kept his body low to the ground, like a leopard on the hunt.

With an agile and weightless posture, he drifted toward the enemy like a phantom.

It was only then that Xia Nan truly realized just what kind of results a high-level Adventurer Squad—one with seamless teamwork and a balanced composition—could achieve against a single enemy with overwhelming individual strength.

"Swoosh!"

With his Rage blazing brightly, the fearless Barbarian Aken showed not a shred of dread or hesitation on his face. Holding his Anchor Greataxe—a weapon larger than an average man's torso—high above his head with both hands, he met the creature head-on with a leaping cleave.

It was a courageous strike packing all of his Strength. Even with the Shark Beast's physical toughness, it didn't dare block the blow directly and instinctively backed away to dodge.

"Ooom—"

The radiant light of magic quietly took effect.

At some point, the relatively solid ground behind it had completely turned into a thick, sticky mire.

Its short, thick calves sank the moment they stepped in, causing its entire center of gravity to tilt backward. It nearly fell over.

Perfectly seizing this prime opportunity when the enemy was leaning backward and unable to exert force, Lorraine and Sasha struck at almost the exact same time.

The sharp scimitar, wreathed in tangerine flames, incinerated the air, leaving behind a scorching afterimage as it slashed diagonally toward the Shark Beast's vital neck.

Meanwhile, the two short swords rode a fierce gust of wind in a Straight Stab aimed at the Shark Beast's soft lower ribs, intending to deal maximum supplementary damage.

The four of them coordinated perfectly, their movements interlocking seamlessly.

For a moment, Xia Nan—who was prowling the edge of the battlefield, patiently waiting for an opening—couldn't even find a chance to strike, afraid that a rash move on his part would disrupt their strategy.

He had thought that even if such a combo didn't end its life on the spot, it would at least leave the Shark Beast severely wounded.

To his surprise, the corpse-pale human appendage on its body seemed to sense the imminent danger facing the main host.

It violently threw its head back!

Its vacant, lifeless eyes widened to their absolute limits, looking as if the eyeballs might pop out, while two trails of bloody tears trickled from the corners of its eyes.

Its mouth gaped wide open toward the sky, the corners of its lips tearing apart.

"Ooom—"

This time there was no sound. Instead, it was replaced by a massive shockwave that blurred the very air.

Centered on the human torso, accompanied by splattering mud and sparks of flame being squeezed and repelled, a semi-transparent shield could faintly be seen rapidly expanding outward.

The scimitar slashing at the neck, the short swords stabbing at the ribs, and the greataxe just pulled from the mud were all violently deflected in an instant.

Like a bomb detonating in place, the captain, the Tabaxi, and the Barbarian—who had surrounded the enemy in a triangular formation—were blown backward by the incoming shockwave before they could even react.

Xia Nan stood a short distance away, his pitch-black energy coalescing into the shape of a wolf. He looked exactly like a Winter Wolf observing its prey.

Seeing this, his cold, abyssal eyes quietly fell upon the human torso embedded within the Shark Beast's body.

Murderous intent filled the air.