On a tall cliff over 40 kilometers away from Cain's group.
"Impressive, rather than run or hide, he boxed them all in and turned the demonic beasts' kill zone into his own, a shielder who can draw the aggression of everyone around him and persist long enough not to die."
"A heavy swordsman who willingly over-drafted himself to control the fight. A mage who seems to have clearly unconventional spells, and finally, a leader who can summon a 1000-strong clone army for a few seconds. They would have all died if they had even deviated a little from the plan."
The white-haired man in the red overcoat calmly analyzed; he was wearing a black nano fiber weave underneath his coat that could hardly cover his chiseled, muscular frame. The man known as Prometheus was showing an approving look as he looked at the mirage in front of him.
"HAHAHA, the boy is a f*cking lunatic! If even one of the Gremlords got out of the rock prison, they would have all died pitiful deaths. Instead of using the Shielder's skill to defend, he used it to make a roof.
Furthermore, he turned the mage's spells and the heavy swordsman's skills into battlefield modifiers instead of AOE spells. If things didn't work out exactly, his entire team would have died without even damaging the horde.
I am excited to see how this pup grows; anyone who has the balls needed to make such gambles is sure to be a force to be reckoned with."
Laughing uncontrollably, the handsome Beowulf in black had a wide grin on his face. His bloodlust rushed out of him in a terrifying tide of grey energy. Known as the [Shadow with a Thousand Arms], Gautam couldn't suppress his excitement.
As the two men were each thinking deeply, a 3rd melodic voice echoed.
"Let's make a toast today to the cruel fate and the system; it seems Lorelei has chosen well. I acknowledge him as my captain and believe he has what it takes to lead the wolves. There is no further need to stay. Let us return to the front lines."
As the armored beauty in the ponytail shared her thoughts, her brown mane flickered in the wind like a brown tail. A portal to a worldly forest opened beside her; she then walked through it without sparing the men another glance. Agreeing with her assessment, both men walked through the same portal after passing, the gateway to another world, and the mirage vanished without a trace.
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In the middle of the rocky formation, a black-haired shielder was covered in crimson blood as he was drenched by the rain of blood that had just occurred. He was in way better shape than most would think, even after considering he took the brunt of the demonic tides' assault. The other three were in various states of damage, with Cain incapacitated, Jin suffering from internal bleeding, and El suffering from force depletion.
"Enough. El, Abel didn't mean any harm. He couldn't stand the sight of you falling to the ground for Cain when he has the strongest body among us. Abel, the Shattering was a traumatic time for El, Cain, and me; please understand her outbursts. Cain was betrayed and treated like a criminal due to the event.
When his skill ended, thousands of his clones were either still in the air or lifting heavy objects to help the people underneath. So, when the clones disappeared, they inversely harmed many people who could have survived."
Jin calmly explained that even the noblest intentions, without sufficient strength, could only cause more harm than good. He slowly walked towards Cain and lifted him, putting the blond swordsman's free hand over his shoulder and supporting him.
"El, I'll take it from here; he is a 3-Moon ranked warrior. He will be on his feet in no time. Prepare the carcass for transport so that we can head back to base. Abel, go get the jeep; I want to be home tonight to tuck my kids to sleep."
Hearing this, El calmed down and prepared another spell, her glove glowing a shade of gold. She aimed to shrink the carcass of over a thousand Gremlings and the 16 Gremlords, or what was left of them, to fit in the jeep.
On the other hand, Abel remained silent and jogged towards the jeep outside. With El and him ceasing their spells and skills. The rocky formation lost its roof and the wall made of earth, restoring the wonder of nature to its original appearance. A gentle, melodious voice once again resounded.
"[Magna ut existat allá megálo den tha Bù zài shì varýtita kai dýnami na eínai ta chéria mou Yīqiè yīrán wúwèi in conspectu oculorum meorum] {Malleability}!"
A golden rain seemingly fell on the area surrounding her; El demonstrated the expertise to target only the bones, flesh, and skin that littered the place.
Numbering over 100 thousand pieces, each one floated 2 meters above the ground and was morphed and shrunk to a tenth of its size.
They were then quickly pulled towards El stopping in front of her. After she piled them up on one side, El walked toward Jin and Cain, only to see that Cain could now move his mouth and head.
She then noticed that Cain was looking at her with a slight grin. Causing a lovely smile to bloom on her face as the mage finally knew the worse had now come to pass. Regaining his ability to use his lips and throat, Cain, silent during the confrontation earlier, belatedly said.
"El, thank you for saving me just now. Even when I was left for dead in that forest amidst demonic beasts all those years ago, You and Jin were the only two people who tried to help me out of that predicament. I couldn't even move my fingers for a month back then.
Furthermore, you took care of me the entire time without a word of complaint. Even with all the suffering I had to endure during the Shattering, I am grateful to the heavens that I gained powers that day. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to save you."
Tears began falling from El's eyes as she slowly nodded. Only she and Jin knew what happened back then; The young boy, failing to save his younger sister, lost all hope and had hollow eyes that didn't move.
Not being able to speak and be understood, the child endured all the beatings and rage of the people he sacrificed so much to help. El personally slapped a lot of the angry townsfolk and got into fights the entire month Cain couldn't move.
Some fights got so bad multiple grown adults would throw themselves at El to restrain her just to beat the crap out of the silent Cain. They only genuinely stopped when Jin suddenly showed up to stand in front of what was left of El's house.
The events that transpired that month lay the foundations for her love and devotion to the blond swordsman. If one were to ask today, she was ready to die for him as many times as necessary.
As the tires skidded to a halt echoed in the area, Abel got off the jeep and approached the rest of the warrior team. The shielder intentionally took his time, checking the mood as he got closer. Once he confirmed there was nothing to worry about, he faced El, who was now helping Jin place Cain in the front seat, and said.
"Listen, El, I had no idea you felt that strongly about Cain using his ultimate; that was insensitive of me. I should have known better, as everyone has skeletons related to the Shattering. I apologize for making such an insensitive joke. Please forgive me for my transgression."
El, who was not used to seeing the handsome warrior acting so polite, was immediately flustered and started waving her hands as she quickly responded.
"No, it was my fault, Abel. I was just too sensitive. I know you didn't mean any harm, but I couldn't help but get angry. I have worked with you for a couple of weeks, and I know your jokes hold no malice."
She then got off the jeep and walked towards Abel, gently grasping his hands and softly saying.
"We are a team; you have saved my life more than I can count in these last few weeks. I know you only have my best interest at heart. I apologize for lashing out; that was unfair of me, as you only joined us recently.
It's just that the Shattering broke my trust in people, Cain tried so hard to save them, and they still turned on him. I was the same, so I want to defend his honor now since I see how hard our leader tries. I will do better; please forgive me.
And you still have blood on you. Let me clean you up."
El chanted a few low-level spells to douse the shielder in water and blow-dry him with a warm breeze. Abel stayed silent for a moment, nodding his head. The warrior looked at Cain and finally said.
"Damn Cain, you got yourself a mighty fine woman. When are you going to marry this lady and pop her cherry? Don't take too long; otherwise, she might leave you!"
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Proofread By: Pearl_Wang, ThePotatoKing
Edited By: WorthyAdversary