Chapter 17 Part 3 of 5 (Patreon)

The armored man’s body drew in the fireball spell, it spiralled and turned around him, drawn into his body.

Body Like Iron? How did a guild member from the Fourth Realm reach this level. This is Fire Body!

The man opened his eyes, it took a massive amount to control such a transformation and release of power.

An Institute member seeing an opening appeared out of the shadows with his blades.

Fire appeared around the armored man, using the explosive force he turned into the oncoming blades, fire explosions crackled like fireworks around the man’s arm, going from stationary to swinging.

Fire pooled around the hammer doubling its size.

Time returned, the assassin was struck in the chest, sending him up in the air before he landed. A ripple of fire arrived, the armored man’s shield shot out, smashing into the assassin.

Nico cancelled his thorn spell. Unleashing his mana cultivation, the runes on his armor glowed green he ran forward, his blade directed at the armored man’s back.

Nico saw movement, he slowed and turned, to miss the attack. The wind rushed past him as a woman with a crazed look in her eyes passed him, the wind of her passing hurting his eyes.

Body like stone? Like you’ll get away.

One of Nico’s medallions flared to life, creating a personal mana barrier.

He was pushed back by a Tracking Force spell.

Nico waved his sword cutting through the dissipating mana, he raised his hand, the wood under the caster started to change.

Nico’s eyes widened as the armored man stepped out from the dissipating mana, his shield braced with both arms.

Power of Earth!

Nico braced, his personal barrier medallion activated again, a second defense medallion activated.

A wave of force blasted out from Nico.

The armored man was thrown backwards, he rode the force, stabbing his raised leg into the ground, halting his progress.

“My Adventurer Association isn’t some easy target! Unlike your Institute’s cities!” The man yelled out.

The guild members yelled in agreement, clashing with Nico’s people.

An Institute fighter hacked at a guild member, they grabbed onto the sword arm and dragged the fighter to the ground. Two more grabbed their shield arm. A fourth stabbed with her spear, crashing into their barrier.

Institute fighters tried to help but their opponents held them in place.

The spear made it through the barrier and armor. The Institute member looked at their wound in shock.

The spear wielder tore her weapon out, covering her armor in blood. Buffs rained down on her as she and her group moved to assist others.

Nico felt the air in the room had changed as cultivations were ignited, Body like Stone, half step Body like Iron, powerful mana cultivations reaching the Vapor stage, a few ready to form their cores.

Buffing spells landed on the guild members, mages in the rear watching over them, guiding them.

Nico yelled and rushed the armored man, they clashed, sword meeting shield. Nico called up roots to tangle the man’s feet. The man stomped the ground sending waves of stone under Nico’s feet.

Nico had to alter his positioning as he hacked at the man.

With his higher cultivation buffs I’m only slightly stronger. Damn this ground! He’s casting nearly instantly and without chants.

The stone became soft and hardened, trying to capture Nico’s feet.

The armored man swung his hammer, a stone spike whistled past Nico’s ear, he sent a cross slash at the shield, leaving a new scar.

“Thorn Rain”

Nico cast behind the armored man as the ground dropped. Nico stepped off of the ground, backing up as the man was hit in the side with the thorn rain.

He threw up a stone wall, but his right side showed dents and thorns that were lodged into the armor.

Nico backed off he felt the mana above come together, the spell formation in the sky finally activated.

The Institute members all backed up to the entrance of the hall.

A bloody scent filled the air as the spell formation activated, in the middle of a formation a sphere of darkness covered in red lighting, grew to the size of a basketball.

The colors changed, turning murky and then brighter. A humanoid creature was revealed. He opened his eyes, revealing red rimmed Green eyes.

It let out a scream that shook the guild hall, making parts of the ceiling collapse, half broken walls from the fighting shuddered and gave way.

The armored man let out a roar, using stone spikes and projecting stone shields to divert the falling debris.

The guild members grouped together attacking the falling ceiling.

Nico sneered as the beast on the other side of the sphere reached out their claw forward, a spell formation appeared on the other side of the sphere projecting a claw ten meters wide and twenty meters long. The air shook and the ground rumbled as the claw swiped at the hall. The wind turned into white streaks around the hand, the pressure of the attack left four gashes on the ground as black and red lightning extended from the claw as it hit the guild hall.

The hall collapsed under the attack, torn apart by the massive force of the attack, four lines continued through the guild hall, the hand faded. The guild hall and surrounding buildings were turned to rubble.

Survivors were standing up from under rock and wood. Some covering one another with their bodies.

The armored man’s shield had been torn apart, his helmet had come apart and there were rents in his armor.

“Kill!” The spell formation dissipated, the Institute fighters charged with Nico across what had been the guild hall.

“Healers!” The armored man yelled out. He had a nasty cut on his right brow, blood running into his eyes.

Mages forced out healing spells.

The Institute members killed those on the ground and charged into the depths of the Association’s shambling fighters.

Nico sent out slashes, the man defended but he was slower and weaker than before, not charging forward.

The man was breathing heavily, following his movements.

Nico let out a cold laugh.

“You ignited your cultivation, pushing past your body’s limits but now your strength is failing and you’re weakening!”

The battles were once again changing as the guild members were weakening, without the endurance to keep going.

“Sir, we have guards approaching, from every direction!” One of the Institute members Nico had left outside said through his sound transmission device.

The man showed a smirk despite his injuries.

“My job was to just defend.” He laughed as Nico saw beasts flying towards the location.

We should have fifteen minutes before they respond, it has only been a few minutes!

Spells appeared on the ground, more appearing by the second.

Tentacles reached out from the spells and attacked the Institute members while the Association members’ injuries healed before their eyes.

Nico attacked the armored man wildly, he broke what remained of the man’s shield, pushing him back.

“Earth blade!” Nico’s sword released another blade that cut under the armored man’s guard, slicing across his lower ribs, it dented the armor, cracking ribs but didn’t penetrate.

“Earth’s blessing!”

Nico’s speed increased, he dodged the man’s stone spikes, launched from his hammer.

“I’ll have your head!” Nico cut down the next two spikes, he slid to the side, raising dust and kicking out.

The armored man bent with the kick, grunting as more bones were broken with his dented armor, but he wasn’t shifted.

“Earth’s entrapment!” Vines rose from the ground to wrap around the man’s legs.

“Fire body-” The man opened his arms wide, bringing them together as the surrounding area heated up, his dulled magma veins pulsing with power. “-Lance!”

Nico only raised his sword barely, unable to get it between him and the man in time.

Nico was hit in the chest, protective medallions activated and cracked as he shot back out of the guild halls’ grounds. He skittered across the ground before tumbling back up.

He coughed with the force that was transmitted into his body by the attack.

If it wasn’t for my protective medallions I would have been destroyed.

Nico got to his feet.

The man collapsed to his knees, his arms shaking to stay up. He was covered in wounds, blood covered his eye, stained the provocative smile on his face, dripping onto his dented and broken armor.

Nico moved forward.

“Lord Tolentino we need to go!” Another Institute member from his clan said. “The guards are nearly here!”

Association members lay dying across the ground. Institute fighters seeded among them rarely.

Still they were fighting in the rubble of their guild hall. They were broken and battered, but they worked in groups against single Institute fighters.

Nico felt danger, ducking out of trained response.

An arrow nailed the man to the ground.

Mana was gathering from the surroundings in dangerous quantities.

“Run!” An Institute member yelled. The group fled through the guild’s gates.

Nico heard a laugh that came from the depths of hell.

The armored man coughed up blood, his eyes locked onto Nico.

“I was just the delaying tactic. You don’t realize just who you’ve pissed off.”

Nico dodged as a spell shot out of the sky, hitting the ground. Nico could see them now, the aerial undead with soldiers riding on their backs.

“Go!” He turned and started running, pulling out his mount and jumping on its back.

The members that had been waiting, jumped onto their mounts and rushed after him.

They left the guild hall, the other guild’s all guarded their entrances, watching them.

Nico led them towards the gates, using illusion spells they hid their appearance.

The party arrived in different groups, people were checked entering the city but only cursory as they left.

Nico let out a breath as they left the short walls, passing the traders entering and leaving the city.

How do they expect their city to remain standing with such a small wall and these odd boxy buildings?