Chapter 978 Twist and Turn

In a sudden turn of events, the Hero of Nature seized an opening and launched a surprise attack. Sylvana, the Dryad Summoner, was caught off-guard, her usually graceful composure momentarily disrupted.

"Sage Arts: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

A deafening roar followed the incantation, and a furious deluge of scorching, torrential flames erupted from the colossal Maximus's gaping maw. The inferno surged like a tidal wave, leaving nothing in its wake but blistering and incinerating devastation.

"ARRRHHHH!!"

A blood-curdling, bone-chilling scream reverberated throughout the 10-kilometer-wide battlefield. For the first time, the once-silent undead Saints uttered a word, though it took the form of an agonizing and terrified cry.

Crackle!

Crackle!

Maximus's fire skill raged on, engulfing Sylvana in an unrelenting sea of flames. Her once-graceful form was now a charred and crackling silhouette as the blistering inferno consumed her. 

The intensity of the scalding and pulverizing flames was nothing short of devastating, ranked only below the likes of Amaterasu's fire and the mythical Dragonfire. It was the kind of fire that could only be defied by those with complete fire immunity like Kahn, a Royal Dragon with an innate affinity for fire, or the Hero of Fire themselves. Anything less, and their fate was sealed.

The relentless blaze could reduce even the hardest of metals to molten pools in a matter of seconds, leaving no room for escape or salvation. 

As the flames devoured Sylvana, the battle's dynamics shifted once more, leaving the remaining adversaries to confront a newfound level of dread and uncertainty.

[His mastery over the fire element surpasses even yours, despite Vildred's training.] Rathnaar remarked.

[That's not surprising, considering he's the Hero of Nature.] Kahn replied.

[Not quite true. The Hero of Nature I faced in my time was only half as skilled as he is. He's on par with the likes of Romulus and those Fireborne royals from the Vulcan Empire, such as Venessa and Havi.] Rathnaar praised, acknowledging the unparalleled talent of the Hero of Nature.

[Listen, kid, no matter what, try to build a rapport with him, even after you leave the Beast Empire. 

Having him as a powerful ally might be crucial in the event you ever find yourself forced to confront that Demon God.] Rathnaar advised without hesitation.

[Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. Even though I'm skeptical about trusting him too much, given his persona as a righteous hero with a savior complex, I'd still prefer not to have him as an enemy.] Kahn explained his concerns echoing the complexities of alliances and enmities in their perilous world.

As Sylvana was swiftly reduced to cinders, her body crumbling and turning into ash in a matter of seconds, Maximus revealed a hidden card from his arsenal. 

With a single, devastating fire skill, he incinerated a 1st stage saint, obliterating everything in its path.

The tide of the battle had shifted dramatically, now pitting Maximus against four formidable adversaries. 

The challenge lay in the fact that all of them were 2nd stage saint-ranked or higher. 

Without access to world energy or his domain, the odds were heavily stacked against Maximus. While he had proven his exceptional prowess, the task of defeating these powerful foes single-handedly was an arduous one, and the outcome of the battle remained uncertain.

[This… I'm running out of mana. Using one of my trump cards while being restricted to semi-saint rank has depleted a lot of my reserves.

I can hardly last for half an hour at this rate.] thought Maximus to himself.

As Maximus wrestled with his thoughts, his mana reserves dwindling due to the use of one of his trump cards while being confined to a semi-saint rank, he contemplated the grim reality. His capabilities were waning, and he estimated that he could hardly endure for a while.

However, just as the Hero of Nature grappled with his predicament, an unexpected phenomenon unfolded.

Swoosh!

BOOM!

Out of nowhere, four enigmatic figures materialized behind the remaining saints. They released a surge of formidable auras that captured the undivided attention of those on the battlefield. 

In a bold and brazen move, Rolakan, Speki, Conan, and Borat intentionally revealed themselves to the saints. While these saints had been aware of their presence all along, their focus had remained steadfastly fixed on Maximus, deeming the semi-saints as non-threatening distractions.

"Hey, half-naked bitch! Didn't your master tell you to catch and torture us first?!" shouted Borat, his words aimed squarely at Melisandre, who hovered in the sky.

"Hey, you, Chimera bastard! My dog looks better than your ugly face!" Conan taunted with unapologetic provocation, his words intended for Chimera.

"Hey, blackie... why do you like metal so much? Do you use those rods to put it in your ass?" Speki spoke with irreverence, targeting Kaaldrum, the archer.

"Look at this giant bastard. How many houses did you eat this morning?" Rolakan mocked, his taunts directed at Zolvik, the gargoyle assassin.

One by one, the saints found their attention diverted to the members of the Hero's Party, drawn by the audacious and insolent remarks. The situation had taken a sudden and unexpected turn, leaving the saints momentarily disoriented and conflicted as to whom to target first.

"CATCH THEM ALL FIRST!"

A commanding voice, as if resonating from the very fabric of the realm itself, emerged with authority. It was Marcus, who had been overseeing the spectacle from somewhere within the realm. 

His previous orders had been clear: capture all the members of the Hero's Party and force Maximus to witness as his companions were mercilessly slaughtered. 

Now that these allies had daringly chosen to reveal themselves, the time had come for his orders to be executed.

----------------

Shing!

Shing!

All the 4 saints used their saint pressure and like plucking a bud from the plant, they pulled the members of the Hero's Party towards them respectively.

"Dammit!" cursed Rolakan as his bones shook and his mind was bombarded with the intense killing intent of a saint as Zolvik pulled the Basilisk-kin close to him.

His life now literally hung in the grasp of the 2nd stage saint who could kill the mage with just a single thought.

"Oh, fuck!" 

The same thing happened with others, all of whom now faced the same dangers as their fates rested in the hands of their captors.

"Let them go!" bellowed Maximus, his ear-deafening voice sending tremors in the desert.

And just like before, Marcus spoke again from places unknown…

"Haha ha ha. Look at you… already faltering at the first sight of your allies in danger.

Do you think I will end it so swiftly?" asked the 7th Hero of Nature.

"There's no swift death in my book. I will not only have them killed, but also turn them into my undeads and then make them fight you.

I want to see the look of despair and helplessness as your own subordinates take your life." proclaimed the Necromancer Hero.

Maximus revealed an incongruous expression due to this predicament. This was not going according to his previous command at all.

[What's happening right now? This was not the strategy I told him.

Wait… where is he?!] he thought.

But right then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind…

[Use the Strategy 37, now!] 

Maximus' eyes were shocked but without wasting another second, he suddenly raised his aura.

Sizzle!

Sizzle!

Suddenly, both of his glowing white eyes sizzled as if an enormous amount of energy was being charged inside.

And before any of the saints could react…

Shoot!

A massive laserbeam made of light element shot forward from his eyes, attacking and vaporizing everything that he looked at.

BOOM!

Rumble!

Maximus in his massive titan form was literally shooting lasers out of his eyes like Superman.

Bang!

All the saints had to summon and use their various defensive skills to protect themselves such as barrier and magic formations.

Being saints, this was the only form of protection for them to avoid getting critically injured by a chosen Hero like Maximus even if he was reduced to only a semi-saint.

Meanwhile, all of their attention was focused on the Hero of Nature to defend themselves as they caged his subordinates as their prisoners.

And right when all the captors were pulled closer as the saints defended themselves from Maximus' laser eyes…

Swoosh!

In the blink of a moment, 4 blue figures jumped off from the bodies of these captured semi-saint.

"Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherf*ckers!"

Before any of the saints could even register this sudden ambush by 4 identical figures of a blue fenrirborne…

Slash!

At the exact moment on all 4 fronts, Kahn as Atreus used the Dimensional Cut skill and slashed apart all of their necks at the exact time regardless of where they stood on the battlefield, killing them instantly.

"NO!!!!"

A harrowing voice resounded in the desert realm as Marcus's figure was revealed 5 kilometers away above a sand dune.

Crumble!

The yellow barrier he had around him shattered like glass and his figure fell on the dune.

"Blergh!" 

The 6th stage saint coughed up blood as he suffered an immensely painful and agonizing backlash.

"And that's how ladies and gentlemen…" spoke Atreus on all 4 ends in unison as he declared…

"You break the Necromancer Divine Ability."