Chapter 12 Part 3 of 4 (Patreon)

Derrick cast an ice spear ahead of the beast. The beast impaled itself on the ice spear, sending the rider forward, captured by his stirrups he was thrown backwards afterwards.

Derrick used the Blade Rush technique, he seemed to appear behind the beast and rider, the rider’s head no more as two tombstone’s appeared.

Derrick was running, wincing with his foot as riders rushed him. Derrick cast enhanced agility and elemental blade on both of his weapons, coating them in ice while the spell Armor of Lightning covered him in sparks that ran across the surface of his armor.

He disappeared in a rush appearing next to one rider. Their movements stiffened and stopped as their breath came out in a mist. Derrick disappeared again. A rider screamed out as they lost their arm, lightning surged through their body as ice crept up their armor.

Derrick dodged a fire blast but it hit the ground close to him, pushing him to the side, he had to struggle to bring his blades in front of himself, blocking a halberd swing.

The impact forced him backwards, riders turned and moved to circle him.

Derrick grunted, flashing out of the encirclement he stored his swords, drawing out a heavy repeater.

Heavy bolts shook the wooden machine but Derrick’s aim was flat and controlled as he sent lightning into the heads of the arrows.

The riders smashed away more of the bolts but found them discharging lightning through their bodies, weakening and slowing their reactions. Their beasts slowed as they pushed towards Derrick.

Derrick cast explosive shot on the bolts, the riders slow reactions weren’t enough to stop them from the sea of fire that washed over the group.

Derrick lowered the repeater before storing it and taking out his blades. He ran towards the guild members that had pulled together, fighting off the riders that were coming through in larger groups.

Derrick cut down the riders between him and the group, he could only watch as a rider group ran past his guild members. Their spears were glowing with Earth and Fire mana as they blasted past the group, sending several guild members flying and breaking the ad-hoc position. Other charging riders altered their course to finish off the easy targets.

Derrick threw power through his legs, surpassing his own incredible speed, to others he was little more than a shimmering shadow as he channelled ice into his balde. He appeared in front of his guild members that had been tossed cutting his sword through the air, releasing a massive ice blade that shot out above the ground.

It cut into the beast’s legs, causing them to falter and collapse.

Mages attacked them.

“Get up! Back in formation!” The armored woman’s voice snapped through the air.

Derrick saw groups in the dust. Two or three people at most. They looked simple but their movements were deadly.

One took a blow, using his shield to throw the rider back in his saddle, a show of immense strength as his feet were planted deep in the ground.

His ally ran up towards the beast and jumped off of a piece of rubble, her axe cutting through the riders neck before she landed again, a mage shot a green bolt past her. It struck the ground, turning into roots and thorns, ensnaring a group of riders.

They were from the close protection details and the elite groups within the guild.

The group Derrick was with pulled together. He could see others, wounded, pulling themselves out of the rubble.

He winced seeing a rider run up on one and stab them through the back with a spear before rushing towards the rear.

Derrick opened his map and his communications channel.

“This is Echo. Our defense is broken! We’re scattered and falling apart, we need support!” He looked at the map and then at the area before putting it away. We’re too close, the lines intersect, to call in artillery  it’ll tear apart our people before it gets to the enemy.

“Understood, we have been watching the situation support is on the way.”

“Time?”

“Four minutes,” The controller replied.

“Got it. Echo out.”

Derrick grabbed his sword, riders were circling their group. Some charged in from a different side.

Ranged fighters killed one, but the remaining nine struck the outer edge.

They plowed through the outer edge, leaving dead guild members behind before they rushed off.

The Third Realm guild members were only an inconvenience to the Fifth Realm fighters now they’d lost their defenses and support.

If we run we’ll be cut down as we do so. If we stay here we’ll be bled off. Hopefully we can keep as many of them here as possible for those in the rear to reorganize behind the stables.

A group of riders turned and charged at Derrick’s side.

Derrick waited, holding his swords, being stuck in one place he felt hemmed in.

“Come on,” Derrick muttered, waiting. Just as the riders were lowering their long weapons Derrick released the ice spell he had been holding, the ground turned to mirrored glass, the beasts skidded as they tried to find their grip. Derrick grit his teeth, feeling the mana fatigue creeping into his bones.

Lightning coated his  ice blades as he hacked at the riders, striking three of the five . One rider got his beast under control and stabbed out with his spear, wind and ice turned into an ice storm that ran through the group.

Guild members screamed out, cut apart by the furious winds and razorblade ice.

The last rider was pierced with spears, but his beast went wild, jumping on a man, breaking the formation as he tore him apart with fangs and claws.

A hammer struck the beast’s head, breaking its neck and hurling it back.

Another rider group struck another side.

“Hold your positions!” The armored lady yelled out. Derrick looked at her, she sensed his eyes, looking back at him before focusing on the battle.

Derrick grit his teeth feeling ashamed to put the responsibility on her.

“Another coming in!” She yelled, her arrow was met with a red shield.

Protection formations. Derrick clicked his tongue, the formations were rare and expensive, but they were worth their weight in mana stones for their ability to save one in the middle of a fight.

They slammed into a corner of the rounded defense, taking out more guild members. Their numbers were dwindling rapidly.

Derrick felt a change in the air as mana was being drawn in a massive amount.

He looked in the direction it was coming from.

“Mages!”

Three riders were sitting on their mounts away from the battle. Spell formations appeared in front of them.

Flame arrows, ice spears and mana blasts struck out at the group.

Derrick felt all the hairs stick up across his body as they splattered against a mana barrier. Derrick looked back to see the mana barrier formation in the middle of the group. The staff had been planted into the ground and was covered in grime, but its uncovered formation runes were shining bright as it fought against the tide of energy.

“More coming in, focus!” The armored woman yelled.

A rider group that had just cleared the wall, rushed towards the small group. Ranged attacked them, only to have their attacks met with a mana barrier as well.