Chapter 154: Where Do You Want Us?
As the war inside the mountain kicked into full gear, Velmira was left with a difficult decision to make.
Lord Idriss told her one thing: Do as you like.
He knew that her situation was too unfavorable... Her troops were made up of newbies and Junior Daywalkers from other agencies.
Twenty vs three hundred... But in her eyes, it was barely ten vs three hundred.
"I know you are obliged by contract to remain in your posts and defend the entrance. But I am not cruel to order you to fight a losing battle," Velmira uttered sternly. "Anyone is free to leave..."
Then, she turned around and summoned Peanut, wanting to intercept the ambushing army upfront all alone.
In her eyes, Seraphis’s students were the future of the region, talented individuals with potential to break the toughest ceilings... It would be a shame if their life was extinguished here.
If she gave them a way out, she might as well give the others an out too.
Upon hearing this, the helpers glanced at each other; the flame of life was still burning bright.
Without an ounce of hesitation, they summoned their nightmounts and took off on the opposite side, running with hearts ripping apart.
Most of them signed up for this mission, believing that they could earn free coins without putting much effort, considering that it was Blood Hunters’ Raid.
Alas... This was the wastelands; only death was guaranteed.
As Velmira listened to the nightmounts’ footsteps pulling away behind her, she let out a faint exhale... Then, she smiled bitterly.
’This is for the bett...’
"Miss Velmira, where do you want us?"
Abruptly, Levi’s serene voice resounded behind her.
As she turned around, Velmira was stunned to find that all the students of Classroom C2 remained behind.
All of them had their weapons summoned, their expressions grim, nervous, but not an ounce of cowardice was seen in their eyes.
"You guys..." Velmira murmured, not knowing how to react.
"You didn’t expect us to leave our Instructor behind?" Nurah smiled.
"I can’t turn my back on my family," Rayan smirked, his retractable leg knives gleaming under the dim light.
"I am a Blood Hunter," Melissa said, straight to the point.
"They killed Selene." Kiera uttered coldly. "She was my only friend, and they are gonna pay for it."
The others nodded too... Although they kinda disliked Selene since she was the bitchy version of Demetris, none of them felt good about having her die like that next to them.
"I am from a military family; we choose death over desertion." Omar knitted his eyebrows sternly.
"Wherever my big brother goes, I follow." Arthur grinned, smashing his fist on his shield.
"A monk doesn’t run from fear, but they don’t chase trouble either... they just face what needs to be faced," Jojo added calmly. "Most importantly, the gorilla will make fun of me if I run away... Namaste."
"You betcha I will." Arthur laughed.
As Velmira gazed at them, she didn’t know what to think... She spent most of her life next to Daywalkers and knew that the majority had not an ounce of courage in them.
Or they did have it, but with more exposure to their contracted nightcrawlers’ thoughts, their courage died, replaced by cowardice masked under rationality and selfishness.
Although she was the one giving them a way out, she wished that none would take it... Their strength might not be much, but they could take out some of the army.
Alas, she knew deep down that it was wishful thinking.
"Miss Velmira, time is running out. Give us orders." Levi brought her to reality with a stern tone.
"Yes... Yes." Velmira’s expression swiftly turned serious. "I can deal with the Tier 4 nightcrawler, but the Tier 3 ones will finish me."
"I can handle a couple of Tier 3 nightcrawlers," Nurah said confidently.
"I will take two as well," Jojo joined.
"Leave the remaining ones for us," Omar said, backed by Melissa, Rayan, and Kiera.
Of course, they didn’t mean being able to kill them, but just hold them back...Though it might be different for Nurah and Jojo.
Only Demetris, Arthur, and Levi were left behind.
Demetris still hadn’t said anything at all. Everyone turned to look at him, their expressions mixed.
Some believed that he chose to stay because none of them left, and some gave him a chance, thinking that despite all his bad traits, he was still a serious Daywalker with great aspirations.
"I will hold back one on my own; I don’t need assistance," Demetris said cockily at last, leaving his classmates to chuckle, anticipating such an answer.
"Then, leave the army to me and Arthur," Levi uttered calmly. "We can deal with it if it were separated from the elites."
"Huh?"
"Have you gone mad?"
"Levi... That’s a bit too much; it’s three hundred nightcrawlers mixed with Tier 2. I know you possess powerful abilities, but this ain’t no Twilight Burrow."
Velmira frowned, not a fan of such a plan... Even his friends didn’t agree with it, knowing that it was way too dangerous.
"We have no time for argument." Levi glanced behind him at the golden and scarlet trees. "Instructor Seraphis can very well lose his fight, and we will have a furious monster on our backs... We can’t just hold them; we have to eliminate the entire army as fast as possible."
"But..."
"No buts, I know what I am doing." Levi turned to Velmira and requested, his tone steady and confident, "Put your trust in us."
’What do you think?’ Velmira asked her contracted nightcrawler.
She recalled what Levi had done to the nightcrawlers in the sky. Although this situation couldn’t be compared to what he did, it gave her a weird feeling that Levi wasn’t trying to look cool.
He meant business when he said they had it in them to deal with the nightcrawlers’ army.
’This boy is crazy, but I like him for it.’ Velmira’s contracted nightcrawler chuckled in amusement. ’Let them go for it. Whether they succeed or fail, they will be slowing their encroachment until you handle the elites.’
Velmira switched her gaze between the fast-approaching army, the two mature trees, Mountain Thurnak, and then, finally, it settled on Levi and the smirking Arthur.
He neither objected nor said anything. In fact, he would have been more insulted if his big brother hadn’t included him in their suicide mission.
A moment later... She nodded, "Have at it."
Before she could change her mind, Levi summoned Vyra and rode on her back with his brother. Then, he nodded at them, "I will come at the army from the back, and pull their focus on us. You just deal with the elites."
"Good luck, and don’t die," Velmira said sternly.
"Die? Nothing can kill the Larson Brothers when we are together," Arthur smirked coolly, just to have a palm smack painted on the back of his neck.
"Are you trying to jinx us?"
"My bad... My bad."
As Vyra took off to the skies, Levi’s scolding voice was heard from a distance, mixed in with Arthur’s foolish laugh.
With everyone on the same page, Velmira shared the plan with the rest... Then, she rode on her nightmount and took off towards the army, with the others following her on the ground closely.
’My lord... You heard everything, right?’ Demetris reached out telepathically to Lord Darius as he remained on the back of the party.
’Yes, I will have it handled... Good job, son. I knew I could rely on you...’ Lord Darius praised, his tone appreciative, akin to a proud father.
Demetris felt a delightful smile creeping up on his face, trying his best to keep it under control.
Unlike Mantis, Demetris was easily manipulated... Some kind words or praises here and there from a powerful being like Lord Darius were enough to flip the switch in his mind.
Although he knew that Lord Darius was part of the Duskbound Order, he no longer cared... He was going to live and prosper, achieving his dreams even if it meant pulling it off on the other side.
As for his morals and such? They died out the instant he saw the Hound explode pathfinders and Selene into bloody mist... For he realized that his ending would be the same if he kept on humanity’s side.
Demetris would rather betray everything if it meant avoiding having such a forgettable death, for he was no side character in his story.
’I am the man of my destiny.’ Demetris narrowed his eyes coldly as he gazed at the dark dot in the sky. ’You’re my first hurdle to greatness, and today is your final day... Levi Larson.’
In no time, Vyra took Levi and Arthur behind the massive, monstrous army, making sure to take a long detour to ensure no one saw them.
The army stretched for about a kilometer, with Rhy’tha and his elites at the far front. Levi used his echolocation to detect the distance between the elites and his party, wanting to calculate the best moment to make his move.
When he noticed that Velmira was a mere hundred meters away from the elites, Levi tapped Vyra’s neck, and she dove down rapidly, forcing Arthur to hold his brother tightly while screaming in excitement, hyping himself up before the big battle.
The instant she was a mere ten meters above ground, she slapped her wings together, releasing a powerful gale that sent tens of Tier 1 nightcrawlers flying, clearing a landing zone.
"Let’s go!"
Levi and Arthur jumped from her back and landed one by one, their backs facing each other.
Arthur was standing in front of the army’s tail, where no more than thirty nightcrawlers were around, while Levi was standing in front... His spiritual vision reflected a sea of nightmarish auras.
Kreee! Roaar!! Kraa!!...
The moment the nearest nightcrawlers noticed the rich sunlight within them, their eyes blazed with hunger. Rhy’tha’s original order to arrive at Mountain Thurnak was erased from their minds, replaced by their instinctual zeal for evolution.
Yet, Levi wasn’t satisfied with just this... He wanted the entire army to turn their backs on Rhy’tha, and he had already prepared a method for it... Totem of the Dayseed.
"Dayseed, awaken... Bloom through shadow... Shine, and let none hide."
Levi voiced the incantation as he threw the small totem in the shape of a brown seed between him and Arthur.
The moment he finished, the seed sprouted into a tree of light, illuminating tens of meters around him with a gentle, purified sunlight meant for absorption and possessing healing properties.
This was a ’C’ grade totem that Levi purchased the moment he knew he was participating in a Raid, understanding that it matched well with his innate ability, Death Chime Field.
Others used such a totem for the recovery of their mental, physical, and energy, but Levi bought it as a taunting skill mainly.
As expected, the moment the tree rose to about five meters in height, its delicious illuminating light covered about a hundred meters, shining brightly under the darkened, gloomy skies.
A beacon in despair, and the army of nightcrawlers wanted a piece of it.
ROAAAR...
In an instant, the rushing nightcrawlers came to a sudden halt and turned their backs on Rhy’tha, pouring on the opposite side, their eyes filled with nothing but desire.
"What the... Have they gone mad?"
Rhy’tha was left stunned after noticing the source of this disturbance to be two Junior Daywalkers. But when he tried to reinforce his authority over the army, he realized that he wasn’t in the best position to lose focus.
Velmira and her party were getting dangerously close, and he could see that every one of them was holding solar totems in their hands.
"Nul’veth, Kre’thex, get rid of them and destroy the tree."
He ordered, leaving the task to two of his Tier 3 elites while he focused on dealing with the real threat.
He didn’t even consider for a second that Levi and Arthur could deal with the army on their own.
Two Junior Daywalkers couldn’t handle twenty Tier 2 nightcrawlers, let alone about a hundred of them, plus two hundred Tier 1.
"They really went for it..."
Meanwhile, Velmira, Nurah, and the rest were left speechless at the sight of the nightwalkers’ army rushing backward. They knew Levi wouldn’t bullshit them in such a critical situation, but still...
As Levi and Arthur watched the charging tidal wave of nightcrawlers, they did a side fist pump and said simultaneously.
"I will block."
"I will attack."