Cyclonic Disturbance.
So, this is what it actually is.
Whitlock blasted forward with help from the cyclones that formed around both his feet, he propelled himself very quickly.
Much more quickly than when we blasted into the Crypt with Wind Sorcery Circles.
The Devoid Oni were barely able to even react to this controlled speed and he proceeded to land a great blow on the guardian.
Right on his left shoulder. The large and muscular guardian yelled out in pain.
"Disrespect!!"
"Three hits." Whitlock said while hanging off the spear that was impaled in the guardian's shoulder.
"What?" The guardian interrogated in confusion.
"In the next three hits you will no longer live. you have a few options. The better one would be for you to leave before the third and final hit and return after I have my meal. Better yet, return to expel us when we get what we want." He said, still hanging from the beast soldiers.
"Outrageous Humans!! Get out!!" The guardian screamed and the Devoid Oni around him began rushing forward.
I and Anastasia took our battle stances, but the rest of the party just stood and watched.
"Ease yourselves, the battle is already almost over." My former assailant; Zane, said to me.
Then I looked before me, all of the Devoid Oni were fatally cut down in varying locations.
Some of them lost their heads, some lost their arms, and some were even completely cut in half, it was quite gory and shocking.
He just went through them once and a few seconds later they all got lacerated.
"Have it your way then." He pulled himself unto the spear and then used it as a foothold to leap off and swiftly pull it out.
[A/N: Talk about not having a plan B. Yunno what I mean]
Afterwards, he braced his palm for what seemed to be a strike, some wind began circling around his fist and after he thrust it forward a large cyclone blasted forth and connected with the large guardian's head.
I expected the guardian's head to fall off or get cut into little pieces of ground meat, but it was still intact as the cyclone kept on circling around his head.
"Weak!" The guardian tried to shout out, but it sounded merely like a whisper, and I instantly understood what was happening.
Or in better words, Athena explained it to me.
-{A Vacuum. He Is Quite Smart.} As usual I understood everything I could about what she meant, and I began to feel myself shudder.
"You should try to save your breath in there." Whitlock said as he spawned a singular cyclone that covered both his legs and he spun towards the opponent like a hurricane while wielding his spear all the way out and it tore into the chest of the relatively titanic guardian.
I was wondering why the guardian hadn't tried to attack yet but it soon became clear that he was probably all bark and no bite.
As soon as I had the thought, he began squirming around trying to swat Whitlock like a fly but he managed to dodge all the attempts.
"One." Whitlock said as he terminated the first attack and watched the blood spill from the jagged wound on the guardian's chest.
He then blasted toward the guardian again and even dove into the airless area around the guardian's head and plunged the spear deep into its eye.
It was losing blood and air.
"Two." Whitlock said as he leapt out of the vacuum cyclone he created and then slowly landed on the ground as though he was giving the opponent time to think and reflect.
The guardian's face was already turning to a ghostly pale color and his eyes looked as though they were about to pop out as red veins writhed and throbbed all around his head.
"I doubt there is enough oxygen in your brain for you to hear and understand this but. If you see Madam Death, say hello to her for me, okay?" He said the last sentence in his usual childish way and then he took a sprinting stance before he propelled himself towards the opponent's abdomen to deliver the finishing blow right on his gut.
At first it was like a regular blow but then he channeled his energy into the fist, and he burst right through him with a large gust of wind which effectively brought an end to the guardian.
"Three." Whitlock said as he hiked up its body to retrieve his spear from where it was lodged in its eye socket.
"Where are those barbequed Chiropterans!?" He yelled as he alighted from the guardian's corpse and glided to our location over all the Devoid Oni corpses, he was responsible for ending.
"T-They got cold, you blew around too much wind." Ashford replied.
"W-What!! No!"
"I could heat them up again." I said as I ignited my palm and raised it up to signal that I could help.
-{Now You Are A Cooking Stove!?} Athena yelled loudly then I dropped my palm quickly.
"Oh, that's useless. When their skin gets sizzling and bubbling, if it is let to get too cold it would become so disgusting that it's inedible." Ashford replied to me.
"Dear Madden, care to get more? I have no idea how you kill those things so fast without harming them so I can't do it myself." Whitlock said to Madden while he stabbed his spear's sharp end into the ground.
She simply pointed to the ceiling, and we all looked up as well.
There was nothing to see since it was so dark.
I ignited my palm and rose it up and it illuminated parts of the ceiling and we saw all the abyssal Chiropterans had all vanished.
They seem to have taken off due to the battle and this upset Whitlock very much and he just sat cross-legged on the floor while folding his arms.
"Cyclonic Disturbance. What a skill"
…
Since we finished off the guardian there wasn't too much trouble.
The remnants of the Devoid Oni were scattered all around and it was easy to kill them off since they weren't in big mobs.
We eventually got to all the 'good stuff'; as Ashford put it.
But it seemed it was recently explored so the treasures we found were nothing but a few leftovers, but it was a great sight to see, nonetheless.
We collected a few red and green stone like objects, and we took our leave, Madden harvested bones from some huge Devoid Oni, and she took nothing else.
…
"You want a weapon?" Whitlock asked me as we loaded our loot onto the wagon.
"Hmm?"
"These Ores are at least good enough to forge a decent weapon. My spear is forged from high leveled Ores that help with easier movement of my Energy around my body. These Ores aren't of that quality but are good, nonetheless. I wonder what they can do, I can't wait to reach the Blacksmith." Whitlock squealed.
"Whitlock, Madden says there is this unexplored one a little over there." Ashford popped up and interrupted me and Whitlock's conversation.
He seems to be the only one that I'm sure talks to the weird Madden.
"Really!? How valuable?" Whitlock replied with great eagerness.
"Most likely Tomb Level." Ashford replied.
"Yay! I'll get even better loot."
I just got off the wagon and left Ashford and Whitlock to complete their discussion.
Anyway, where is that short brat? I haven't even heard her speak for a while now.
I can't believe I may be craving to hear her voice. Well, I have gotten quite used to her.
"Anastasia." I said as I walked around the forest surrounding the wagon looking for her.
I found her sitting on a boulder that was in the middle of a pond of sorts.
I quietly sat and observed her, her eyes were closed, and she sat in my meditation position and gathered energy.
I could feel her getting ever slightly more powerful.
Her mere breaths were affecting the waters around her in soft and almost unnoticeable ripples.
I realized this was something she was doing voluntarily, and it wasn't just the effect of her gathering Energy.
She eventually seemingly sensed my presence and then she opened her eyes, the left yellow eye glowed in a not so bright yellow color.
"Any problem?" I asked curiously as I sat at the edge of the pond where I could stay perfectly dry.
"You know they aren't the best group to align ourselves with, right?" She replied.
I was a bit confused.
This would mark the second time I would be warned about the Cryptic Zephyrs or Group No 2667.
They seemed legit enough to me, but I felt it was irrational to think that everyone was wrong, and I was right.
Athena was probably some Omniscient god of sorts.
In fact, thinking about it now, I feel very stupid for doubting Athena.
I didn't want to make Anastasia as angry as me as Athena was originally so I actually took her warning to heart and thought it would be safe to be on guard around the party.
"I don't know." I replied to her.
"Whitlock seems dangerous. There is this weird way he acts that just feels off."
[A/N: She just found out after bro just folded a giant.]
"Have you seen Madden!" I asked a sarcastic question that I was sure would convey my thoughts perfectly.
"A quiet and truly weird being that can kill beasts by flicking a wrist. Nah, she isn't dangerous at all, the child-like Whitlock is the problem here." I continued with my sarcastic remarks just to make sure the idea sunk in perfectly.
it was true, Madden seemed so dangerous to me that each time I thought of her it made my skin crawl.
I felt as though she was continually observing my every move.
As though her eyes were everywhere I went, as though I couldn't escape her maddening gaze.