Chapter 503: Inferno Cauldron
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
As Guan Dongyang turned on his soul energy protection s.h.i.+eld, he rammed into Nihlathak with abandon.
Although the damage output of the Mastery was high, the humans had a high defense against mastery attacks. It was particularity the case for level twenty warriors such as the Hammer.
Since this was not a spar, both of the fighters wanted to finish off their opponent as quickly as possible.
Lie Xuan was worried for the safety of Guan Dongyang. The Hammer had entered level twenty many years ago, and Guan Dongyang had just recently advanced into level nineteen. The difference in their power showed up in the way the battle was playing out. Nihlathak was able to either dodge Guan Dongyang"s mastery attack with ease or shatter the attack before it could reach him. Even those attack that were able to land on Nihlathak were not even able to make a scratch on his super METAL.
The higher level a warrior was at, the more capable they were in defense. Survivability on the battleground was the number one priority of any fighter.
"Captain, if we get stuck in a stalemate for too long, we are going to lose. Their morale is getting higher" Lie Xiu announced. He could tell that the tide of the battle was turning in favor of the Battle Wolf.
"I know what you mean. But, do you really think morale would play a role while they are outnumbered ten to one? Nonetheless, I agree that we did a terrible job in collecting intelligence. Why wasn"t I told that Guan Dongyang had access to a soul energy s.h.i.+eld?"
Marcos suspected that House Lie was behind this costly equipment, since no one else would have such deep pockets. As Marcos lamented on Guan Dongyang"s luck, he realized that it was still too early to order his forces to charge. He had chosen the course of actions a few months ago when Guan Dongyang ostentatiously took away the loot from his camp.
Marcos prided himself on his instinct, since it had saved his hide many times. This time, his instinct told him that there was something fishy inside the Battle Wolf"s camp, something powerful. He wagered that it would be safer to order a full-on a.s.sault on the city once Nihlathak was done with Guan Dongyang. Otherwise, they would be struggling on both fronts.
Seeing that the Thunder Fire did not attack, w.a.n.g Tong ordered everyone to take position and wait for orders. Both sides then waited patiently, as if they were not here for a war but to enjoy a show between Guan Dongyang and Nihlathak.
Everyone had a good idea about the power of a level twenty METAL warrior, since there had been many such powerful warriors, and their abilities were well known. However, it was not the case for a level nineteen mastery caster. The power of the casters differed drastically from individual to individual even when they were at the same level.
Luo Jiali, the lieutenant of the mastery unit in Thunder Fire, who was a level seventeen caster, watched Guan Dongyang"s precise and elegant movements with awe.
So far, neither of the warriors could get an edge on their opponent. Nihlathak remained calm even though the fight was progressing much slower than he had planned. He reckoned that Guan Dongyang would soon use up his bag of tricks. Although Guan Dongyang had demonstrated his deadly area of effect spell that decimated an entire Zerg Army, the Hammer wagered that it would be useless against a single target that was at level twenty.
"Dongyang"s Battle Qi is waning," Hamir said worriedly. He knew Guan Dongyang"s strength very well, and knew that Guan Dongyang was one of the very few casters could fight one on one with a METAL warrior.
Ye Zi swallowed down her nervousness. She believed that Guan Dongyang would turn the table sooner or later. If w.a.n.g Tong was not convinced that Guan Dongyang would win, he would not let him partake in the fight.
While his comrades worried and prayed for him, Guan Dongyang was dealt a second blow to the chest. Thanks to his fluent skill in the instant cast, he was able to boost the energy s.h.i.+eld right before the blow landed; otherwise, the blade would have pierced through his flesh.
Thus it was, a mastery caster without the ability of instant cast would be nothing but a piece of dead meat on the chopping block while fighting a METAL warrior at a high level.
Although Guan Dongyang was slowly losing his ground, his spirit did not waver. The attacks from a level twenty warriors had forced his mastery spells to the next level. He clearly felt the natural energy flowing through his system, interlocking with his soul energy. The sensation was exhilarating.
Nihlathak delivered another blow at him, but Guan Dongyang didn"t evade and jerked his body forward to meet the attack.
w.a.n.g Tong felt some awe in silence. He knew the fight was challenging for Guan Dongyang; however, he was able to grasp any opportunity he got to fight back.
Last time at the tournament, w.a.n.g Tong had already noticed a fatal flaw in the Hammer"s technique. The real damage of the Thunder Hammer technique came from the explosive effect after the blade had landed on its target. Therefore, one should be able to counter the attack before the explosive effect kicked in.
That being said, even without his powerful technique, Nihlathak was a force to be reckoned with due to his high level. Guan Dongyang"s move was still risky.
"KOM!"
Nihlathak"s blade pieced through Guan Dongyang"s defense and into his flesh. However, this was only the onset of the real blow, and it was not fatal. Even as Nihlathak challenged soul energy into the blade to create the explosion at the blade-tip deep in Guan Dongyang"s flesh, Guan Dongyang started a mastery attack.
"Mastery Tornado!"
As he used the instant cast ability, a tornado appeared around Nihlathak in a blink. He gave up his attack and hurried to safety with the tornado hot on his trail.
When the Hammer was finally surrounded by the wild gale once again, Guan Dongyang unleashed the energy fused in the wind towards Nihlathak. The whirlwind disappeared, but Nihlathak was unharmed thanks to his super METAL.
"Haha… Guan Dongyang, is this your new blow dryer?" Nihlathak"s laughter was laced with contempt and arrogance.
"Hehe. I see that it is not enough for you. Let me spice things up a little for you."
Guan Dongyang tapped into an energy crystal to draw more soul energy into his system, and a whirlwind appeared around Nihlathak again.
"Infinite Fire Drake!"
Thousands of fire drakes rushed into the wild gale. Having absorbed the fire energy, the tornado grew in size, and in a blink, it was big enough to devour a small village. Then, the pale gray wind started to turn orange and then red as it shrunk to its original size.
w.a.n.g Tong was deeply impressed by Guan Dongyang"s ingenuity. w.a.n.g Tong had only brushed over the concept of blending two elements together with him, and Guan Dongyang had adopted this idea to create his own spell.
"Inferno Cauldron!"
Guan Dongyang shouted as he sealed the opening of the spinning tornado, turning it into a ball of a flaming whirlwind.
Guan Dong was most comfortable with the fire element, and therefore, he had decided to use the fire element as the main ingredient in the hybrid spell. In a blink, he had released over a hundred fire drakes into the churning current; the combined effect was so deadly that it could melt through any defense.
Nihlathak felt that something was not right when the first fire drake fused itself with the tornado. But, when he wanted to get out of his cage, his only escape route was shut, and he was trapped.