Chapter 174 - 174: 10V1

Words : 1043 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

"I have done my best." Grey's calm declaration sliced through the stunned silence, yanking his friends from their thoughts as they stared at him in equal measures of awe and apprehension. His mana-charged sword—a swirling whirlwind of energy—had just carved a swathe through the battlefield, leaving behind only scattered ash and echoing disbelief. "Now it's up to you guys." Before anyone could respond, Grey propelled himself upward with the grace of a falling leaf, launching three metres back from the chaos. He folded his legs beneath him, crossed at the ankles, and closed his eyes in serene meditation. Around him, the air trembled faintly with residual power. 'It will take five to ten minutes to replenish my core,' Grey mused inwardly, so let's see how well they hold their own. On the battlefield, his teammates gaped at the scorched earth where Grey's Sky Cutter had struck—fragments of bat beasts smoldering in the dust. Their wonder, however, was abruptly shattered by a wave of ear‑splitting screeches. The remaining eighty bat beasts—ten of them marked by sickly green stains on their fangs—dove forward with terrifying speed. From between those stained fangs, streams of corrosive green goo arced toward the group, hissing in the air like acidic serpents. "Arthur!" Scarlet snapped out of her trance, her voice sharp as flint. "On it." With a focused clap, Arthur summoned a crystalline barrier that shimmered into being between the group and the acid. The slag-like droplets sizzled as they met the shield's surface, sending up plumes of acrid steam. "Acid?!" Greg exclaimed, arcs of lightning dancing across his knuckles as he braced for the counterattack. "This is the full eighty, right?" Raze called out, the heat of roaring flames flickering over his hands as he readied himself. "I think so," Jay added in a steady voice, the watery blade in his hand reflecting the chaos like a liquid mirror. "Fine—let's toast some bats," Scarlet declared. She thrust her palms forward; twin columns of fire erupted around her, their orange glow so intense that the specially reinforced hem of her robe rippled but did not burn. Just as she spoke, Arthur's barrier splintered under the acid's onslaught, shards of magic fizzing into nothingness. The smoky air filled again with the thunder of flapping wings as the remaining beasts swooped low. Searᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, two black forms appeared before Greg, their leather-thin wings slicing toward him in a blur. He ducked instinctively, his lightning magic surging to boost his reflexes. He sprang upward to evade a snapping bite and unleashed a jagged bolt of electricity—but watched in frustration as the creature spread its wide wings, absorbing the strike like a living shield. 'What?! My lightning can't break through their wings?' Greg thought, heart pounding. He zipped to the right, evading another vicious swipe, then summoned a spear of crackling lightning in his palm. He hurled the spear at one bat's wing, sending a spray of sparks cascading around it. Even as the beast staggered, another lunged at his legs. He stomped its skull with a gritty crunch, then slammed his crackling fist into a second bat's head—unleashing a point-blank bolt that burned a smoldering hole through its skull. "Yikes! That was rough," Greg panted, wheels of electricity dancing around him as he flipped backward to avoid a grazing wing. He fired successive streams and orbs of lightning, each shot illuminating the smoky haze. In a final surge, he shaped a sword of pure energy, slashing through the hard, resilient hide of the bats to carve a staggering path through the swarm. Meanwhile, Scarlet stood like a pillar of flame. Twelve incandescent spheres hovered around her, each ember glowing with snarling fury. With a graceful motion, she sent them arcing toward three charging beasts. The bats convulsed as their leathery wings blackened under the intense heat, stumbling backward in shock. 'I will show I'm not inferior to that peasant—I'm true nobility!' Scarlet roared in her mind. She rocketed toward the foes, her hands trailing molten fire. In one swift, brutal strike, she punched through a bat's skull, then leaped aside to dodge a clawed gauntlet. Without hesitation, she grabbed the shattered remains of its wing—its serrated edges biting into her skin—and hurled it like a javelin at another attacker. The collision erupted in a shower of sparks and shrieks. Scarlet barely had time to catch her breath before another wave descended. 'Fuck! I've only felled four, and I'm already winded. How did he take out seventy in two attacks? No wonder his core's spent,' she fumed as she charged into the next cluster of bats. At her side, Jay fought with balletic precision. Twin water blades shimmered in each hand as he parried and riposted. A horizontal slice met a wing swing, then he spun away and hurled a pulsating orb of water, forcing one bat to stagger back. One sword elongated into a jagged spear that he thrust through a wing, sending the creature crashing into rubble. He pressed on, sweeping his hands to conjure a surging wave that knocked another beast aside. When green acid arced toward him, Jay transformed his final blade into a makeshift shield—it melted on contact but bought him a precious moment. He channeled a nearby water ball, striking the acid mid‑air and transforming it into a living chain that coiled around a bat's torso. A snap of his wrist, and two water‑formed spears impaled the bound creature, ending its rampage. Sweat drenched Jay's brow as he dashed forward, whirling a new blade of water in a graceful arc—just in time to dodge a wing that sliced through his robe and drew a crimson line across his back. "Curses!" he growled, breath ragged, as ten more bats flapped before him—eyes glinting with murderous intent. Amid the clashing elements—fire licking the air, lightning crackling like drums, and water dancing in lethal arcs—Grey's teammates fought with every last ounce of skill and courage. Each knew that only their combined might could turn the tide against this onslaught.

Chapter 174 - 174: 10V1

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