Chapter 467: Decision
Sylas blocked a blow with his forearm, the clash causing his skin to deform and his bones to nearly crack. However, it was all under his control.
His skin almost rippled. With a step back, he dispersed much of the damage and sidestepped, unleashing a fist into the side of one of his sneak attackers.
He found himself having to hold back as the control he had over his body was quickly reaching frightening levels. If he killed these few too easily, then his plan with the Basilisk King might be exposed ahead of time.
However, these five, or rather the three that were attacking him for now, were only helping him.
Because of them, his "retreat" had come to a stop and he was now getting closer and closer to the front line of the Celestial Republic army.
On the surface, this seemed to mean that he was getting closer to a danger that he could no longer escape, and in reality, this was close enough to the truth. After all, the numbers he was facing off against were ridiculous.
However, it was also a calculated risk that he was willing to take.
A sword pierced toward his liver, leaving a streak in the air. Aether flashed, and it seemed to multiply.
Sylas frowned. He was finding that these people were far too unskilled. They should naturally have more fighting experience than he did, but...
'They probably spent most of their lives training with guns. This is as new to them as it is to me. That probably means that the government has some stashed elites who would have been training in the proper way long ago. They might even be working on bringing guns back into the fold...'
He let the sword pierce into him, although he could have dodged. But it passed through nothing but flesh, completely missing his vital organs.
By this point, he had retreated to the point where General Song was almost comfortable enough to launch a true all-out assault on him, ending things here. Even until now, he had yet to send in the two others waiting in the wings, believing that Sylas still hadn't noticed them.
However, it was also at this point that Sylas' connection with the Basilisk King was re- established, and a large amount of information flooded into his mind.
Memories of the Basilisk King's communication with Morgan pooled and solidified. And soon, Sylas knew everything he needed to know.
His first instinct was to frown because, as Morgan had thought, this information wasn't nearly as useful to him as he thought it would be. Had he done all of this just to figure out that they hadn't made much progress either?
'No... I'm missing something.'
Sylas clasped a hand on the sword that had pierced through him. Despite the strength he used, the sword was completely unable to rip through the Scorned Wraps.
Suddenly, he pulled.
BANG!
The head of the soldier shattered.
In the same instant the soldier died, the sword was torn to ashes.
<Arctic King's Domain>.
SHUUUUU!
Sylas' aura completely changed. A frosty energy spiraled around him with wild abandon as he pulled on Winter's Edge with his intention.
The region around him was instantly filled with a large pulse of Ice-Poison and spiraling sharp blades of snow. In that moment, the gentle and easily ignored snowfall above became the most lethal of weapons.
Winter's Edge, his Rune Soul, and <Arctic King's Domain> synergized with spine-tingling effectiveness. Now, it wasn't just blades cutting into skin, but poison leaving its mark behind as well, accelerating their race toward death.
However, he hardly spared it all a glance.
The moment the enemies around him retreated to protect themselves, he had already pulled Nosphaleen out of the Hibernation Realm, pressing a palm against her chest and activating Extricate.
This time, he was even faster than before. However, the moment he started, he realized that he would still need at least a minute. Although that was more than 1000% faster than the first time he had pulled the cancerous Gene out of her, in a battlefield situation like this one, it was far too long.
Still, he had his own contingencies.
ROAR!
A heavily injured Arctic Emperor Cobra used its body as a battering ram through the battlefield.
Everything was set and working perfectly. With this current pace, the Arctic Emperor Cobra would make it to him before they figured out a way to deal with his Domain, and then it wouldn't be more than a few seconds before Nosphaleen was up and going.
What Sylas didn't expect was that his plan would accelerate out of his control.
The moment Nosphaleen appeared, there was a mere breath of pause before the Great Celestial Wall trembled.
Several hidden etchings and wounds shook, and a feeling of danger swelled up in Sylas' heart.
Something big was coming.
Sylas made a split-second decision and scrapped everything. He pulled Nosphaleen back into his Hibernation Realm before he had even made it very far. Then he suddenly found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Basilisk King was to his back. The Arctic Emperor Cobra was in front of him.
He couldn't pull any one of them back in without touch, but if he moved toward one, the other would get further away.
According to his original plan, he would stay in place, the Arctic Emperor Cobra would manage to make it to him on its last breaths and stall everyone just enough for him to awaken Nosphaleen and have her save the Basilisk King. He knew that her movement abilities were far beyond his own thanks to her Skills.
But now, the situation was changing too fast. He had been locked onto by something he couldn't even quite understand, and now he had to make a decision between a beast of Legendary potential and a beast strong enough to help him right here and now.
Sylas looked back to the Basilisk King, who was using its intelligence to weave through the ground of beasts and play dead when it had to. However, by now, news of its existence had made it back to General Song, and now it had more eyes on it than just dumb beasts.
The Basilisk King seemed to sense Sylas' gaze and had already come to understand its master's decision.
Sylas turned away and bolted toward the Arctic Emperor Cobra.