The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 193: Forest Clearance Mission 2

Damian stood with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, given to him by Vidalia—The Runic Blade of Eldoris. Which, was a complete scam. Why would anyone call an enchanted blade "runic"? That was false advertising at its finest.

Einar and Yovan approached from the edges of their unit, where Damian had sent them to take charge. Sam was with them, of course.

"Where are they?" Einar asked, standing beside him and following his line of sight toward the distance.

"They're waiting for us in that small clearing, about 20 meters from there. That's where their spell range likely ends," Damian replied. "They're not exactly hiding. They know we can see them."

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"What are we waiting for, then?" Yovan asked, gripping his staff.

"We'll charge them. Yovan, use the mages and long-range fighters to shield us from their spells. Einar, protect the mages when their soldiers rush to break through. Once you've dealt with them, join the main assault," Damian laid out the plan simply. He then retrieved three old rusty spears from his storage and planted them in the ground one by one in front of him.

"Uh, you know we can't see them yet, right?" Sam asked, confused.

"You will soon. Now, get into position," Damian replied with a grin. He gestured to the soldiers behind him to follow Sam's lead and stay ready, handing Sam his horse as he positioned himself ahead of the group with a rusty spear in hand.

"Charge when I give the word," Damian said, carefully drawing explosive runic circles spell on each of the three spears.

When everything was in place, Damian casually stretched his arm back and hurled the first red-flashing spear with such force that it would have shocked even the best archers. No one could have expected its range.

Before the first spear landed, he had already thrown the second and then the third, each targeting a different part of the Ashenvale forces—about 250 to 300 soldiers split into two groups, hoping to trap them in between.

The first spear struck at right side of their ranks and in the thick of it no less, it was just too fast to stop, exploding into a cloud of smoke and blood. The explosion revealed the soldiers in sudden, chaotic motion. Many survivors scrambled to escape the heat and smoke. The second spear landed next, repeating the devastation in the center of their formation.

The left side, seeing the third spear on its way, broke ranks and fled, trying to outrun the explosion, exposing themselves with their invisibility gone with sudden motion. Soldiers screamed in agony while their leaders frantically ordered them to reform ranks.

"Charge!" Damian roared.

Sam led the charge on horseback, sword raised high as he echoed Damian's cry. The soldiers followed with their own battle cries, rushing forward as mages and long-range fighters unleashed deadly spells and arrows on the already panicked Ashenvale forces.

Some enemy soldiers broke away from the main group, charging toward the mages, hoping to escape the spells' range. But they didn't know the mages weren't alone.

Damian saw Einar standing at the front, his red-glowing aura blade humming like a living flame in his hand. He had already mastered aura blade, that was bloody impressive. As the Ashenvale soldiers charged, he moved with the grace of a dancer, every step precise and flowing. His sword cut through the air in arcs of crimson light, slicing through armor as if it were silk.

Damian was lost in the flow of his sword and footwork, now that was a damn art.

With each swing, the aura flared brighter, trailing red ribbons of energy that lingered for a moment before dissipating. His movements were a blend of pure beauty and savage lethality, as if each strike were part of an elegant but deadly choreography.

Protecting the mages behind him, Einar's calm focus never wavered, leading his group with the authority of his never stopping trail of blood red sword.

'Should ask him lessons on aura blade later.. That looks cool as hell..' Damian made a mental note, returning his gaze to Sam and rest as they finally met with the enemy head on.

Sam leaped off his horse after cutting down a few soldiers foolish enough to rush at him. Handing the horse's reins to a nearby soldier, he dove into the enemy ranks alone. Arrows and spells flew everywhere, but Sam's instincts and reflexes were sharp, dodging and weaving with an agility that would put even seasoned second-rankers to shame.

Streaks of blue lightning trailed from his body as he moved faster and faster through the disoriented soldiers. By the time they realized he was among them, it was too late—limbs and heads fell before they even saw his shadow. When Sam finally reached his destination, his sword was drenched in blood, yet not a single scratch marred his skin.

'That bastard..! Lightning speed is one thing but when the hell did he became a master of swordsmanship..? It looks even better than mine now..'

The enemy soldiers, now aware of Sam's presence, turned to face him. With a mischievous grin, Sam pointed his Runic Blade of Storms toward the sky and shouted, "Lightning, heed my call!" Doing a pose that looked straight out of a Shonen manga. Damian couldn't help but cringe—it looked ridiculous, yet somehow, also incredibly cool.

Then Damian saw something that made him blink twice in disbelief. The runes on Sam's sword glowed faintly purple, and through Damian's Eyes of Truth, he witnessed a large white runic circle emerge from the sword's surface. The circle split in two, the smaller inner circle part rising into the air, slowly filling with pitch-black energy laced with blue lines.

The outer rim of the circle descended to the ground near Sam's feet, turning red and rustic with a hint of brown.

'A spell that splits in two..!? And has five different elements..!! Who the hell made that sword..?'

As the spell activated, both circles flared with intense light. The air crackled with raw energy. A sudden boom echoed as lightning exploded downward, a violent arc of raw power splitting the sky. The bolt—purple, threaded with electric blue and black—slammed into Sam like a thunderclap.

His body convulsed as the lightning struck him, but instead of harming him, the energy coiled around him like a serpent, sinking into his skin. His muscles tensed, veins glowing with streaks of purple and black, while his eyes ignited with stormy bright blue light as he absorbed the chaotic force of the lightning.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, witnessing the gorgeous scene of fury of the heavens descending into Sam's body.