OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 201: Unsung Hero

Chapter 201: Unsung Hero

?

Many of Jake's shots missed their mark as his enemy was still camouflaged, his footsteps getting further away.

The Ranger's intent was obvious.

He was attempting to hide and attack Jake when he was no longer seen.

Jake, understood that and didn't let up the chase, not allowing the Ranger a moment of respite.

Then after a few more steps, he realized something that he could take advantage of.

Something that flew over his head till now.

The Ranger couldn't yet use more than two abilities at once.

This meant that as long as he kept the pressure on him, their fight would come to an end.

Jake hunted the Ranger down, and his guns didn't relent until the man's augmented suit ran out of battery, causing its force shield to disappear.

In a last-ditch effort, the Ranger screamed:

"Rapid Retreat!"

He disappeared from his position and appeared some distance away avoiding the almost never-ending barrage of bullets.

Jake watched as the man aimed his gun at him, mouthing the words:

"Long Shot."

Jake didn't bother with any attempts to dodge and simply raised his healing right arm in front of his head; his left remained with his weapon, locked at the enemy.

Bang!

Ratatatatatatatatat!

Both of their weapons rang out, and Jake was hit first as his arm recoiled back.

His body was then flung to the ground at the strength of the shot.

????!

'Fuck!'

Jake realized that his augmented suit ran out of juice, similar to the Ranger's fate.

But what separated them was the fact that one was alive and the other was dead.

That was what Jake noticed when he had finally pushed himself up.

The man who hounded him to near death was now skewered to the bone, appearing to be a bleeding sponge with how many holes he had in him.

'I lived...'

Clang!

'Oh shit, Em!'

Snapping himself out of it, Jake quickly replaced his dead battery pack with a new one from his rucksack and joined the fray.

What met him was the sight of the incapacitated Brawler lying headless and Emma single- handedly pushing back the Knight and Blade Dancer.

The Blade Dancer attempted Flash Step multiple times, but Emma's constant use of Firewall didn't allow him a way in.

Ratatatatatatatatat!

Jake joined the battle, his bullets reaching their enemies.

The Knight opposing them recognized the dire situation and held his ground with his shield, protecting his comrade as best he could.

His two walls shimmered with Aether, absorbing the brunt of Emma's spells and Jake's bullets.

The battle's progress was halted as they faced a standstill.

The Blade Dancer, a nimble and agile warrior, dodged Jake's every bullet, his steps quick.

And when his blades neared Jake, the Arcanist would already be out of his attack's range. Then Jake would renew the cycle, using his guns as a counterattack.

This formed a limbo of bombardment and dodges, with no one obtaining the upper hand.

A war of attrition had started.

[Em, we need something big.]

Jake sent a telepathic message to Emma while keeping his focus on the Blade Dancer.

[I'm trying!]

Emma needed a well-coordinated attack to have any hope of breaking through their defenses -the impasse.

And just as the situation seemed to stagnate even further a 'brilliant' idea struck her.

Her experience as a Spell Weaver didn't allow her to weave complex spells, so she had been repeatedly flinging ice bolt after ice bolt.

That couldn't possibly change now, but her new plan didn't involve that.

She could simply shoot the spell once and store the other until she had enough to create something massive.

One of her usual cyclones would've been useless in this situation as she was fighting intelligent enemies, unlike the monsters before, who ate up everything she threw at them.

Many more attacks went back and forth, and now was the perfect moment for her to unveil her final move.

[Get ready, Jake. On my signal.]

[Ready when you are, Em.]

Emma channeled all of her Aether, her hands moving through intricate gestures that allowed her an easier time to manifest the spell.

She combined all the ice bolts that remained behind her and summoned an icy storm above

their enemies.

A small part of the sky's dark clouds began to swirl.

The Knight and Blade Dancer glanced up at the sudden change in the weather, confused by

this unexpected development.

[Now!]

With a synchronized motion, Emma unleashed her spell.

A torrent of ice shards rained down upon them.

And the sudden deluge caught them off guard.

"Aetheric Bulwark!"

The Knight, who moved his shields once again, struggled to maintain them against the

freezing onslaught, his Aether reserves dwindling rapidly.

The Blade Dancer was unable to Flash Step away, as contact with any of the projectiles at that speed would've ensured his death.

So instead, he attempted to dodge them, but the sheer volume of the attack made it nearly

impossible.

Amidst the chaos, Jake, who was a safe distance away, seized the opportunity.

He unleashed another barrage of bullets, aiming at the now-vulnerable Blade Dancer.

"Agh!"

The man's force shield shattered under the combined assault of ice and bullets, and with a

final shot from Jake, the Blade Dancer fell.

A bullet had turned his brain into a frozen mush.

And with that, the icy rain ceased as Emma exhausted most of her Aether reserves.

However, the fight was not yet over, the Knight, though injured, was not defeated.

He lunged forward at the Spell Weaver, his intention to cut through her with a heavy strike.

But before he could land the blow, Emma's quick thinking saved her.

[I'll kick.]

She sent a quick message to Jake, and the two of them executed a perfectly timed move.

Jake raised his remaining arm and fired at the Knight's sword just before it could gain full momentum in the swing.

Meanwhile, Emma channeled whatever Aether she had left into her right leg, casing it in ice.

She then delivered a powerful kick to the Knight's abdomen, sending him stumbling

backward.

The Knight planted his sword on the ground, stabilizing himself.

He proceeded to pull it out and dashed forward.

"HONORABLE DUEL!"

"AETHERIC BULWARK"

A sudden rush of Aether invaded the space at his roar.

The approaching Jake was pushed back by a massive barrier that blocked his path to Emma.

[JAKE COME QUICK!]

He knew the reasons for her rising panic all too well.

The palpable fear in her eyes spoke volumes, and it was clear that her Aether reserves had been drained, leaving her defenseless.

The Knight, cold with fury, charged toward her, sword raised high, ready to strike the final

blow.

Jake's shots punctuated the tense silence, each bullet a desperate attempt to shatter the barrier that protected the Knight.

Time slowed as the shield stubbornly withstood the onslaught.

In this heart-wrenching moment, the Knight gained a free pass.

A cruel gift granted by the unyielding barrier, to bring his massive sword down with all his

might onto Emma.

With a sense of helplessness, Emma, her iced hands trembling, mustered everything out of her empty reserves to shield herself.

Frozen tendrils of Aether strained to form a barrier around her outstretched hands, but it was

feeble and fragile.

The Knight's massive sword descended like a falling guillotine, the rush of air accompanying

the impending strike.

The world seemed to hold its breath, and then, with a gut-wrenching cry, Jake shouted:

"NO!"