The explosion rocked the area. All of the people near the convoy felt the ground shake due to the force. A crack had appeared in the barrier above. Their invisibility wore off, revealing the caravan.
"To arms!" Turd roared from his position.
Weapons were quickly found, mostly guns and energy blasters. Jina and Myrrh nodded to each other before going their separate ways. The elf scientist wasn't a fighter. It would be safer for her to guard the ore with magic traps. The red haired woman hid herself in a vantage point and took out her futuristic rifle.
The weapon transformed in her hands, resembling a type of sniper. She peered through the scope to find the enemies. It didn't take long for her to find Shu. The sword demon was moving through a group of red cloaked individuals, cutting them down with ease. There was only one problem though.
BOOOOM
One of the corpses exploded. These people were suicide bombers! Kamikazes! The young samurai paused for a moment. He could see the surrounding cultists donning their weapons. Every single one of them used chakrams. They glowed with an orange radiance. All of them seemed to be made of energy.
A chakram is a weapon used for close and ranged combat. They formed a circular shape, with sharp blades covering the edges. It was a glaive that could be thrown and would return to the user. The handle was in the middle of the disk. Each hooded figure had one in both hands.
Shu realized that he'd have to change his fight pattern. This battle would be one of speed and evasion. Technique would take a backseat here. Especially since the corpses exploded after. The blast radius was dangerous.
"...A bit crazy are we?" He spoke while sheathing his katana.
Distorted grins could be seen on each of their faces. It was unknown who the leader of the group was, since they all looked the same. There was unity in their movements.
"The starvanium will be ours."
"Our lord has deemed it so."
"There is nothing crazy in our actions."
"Dying here will only return us to the embrace of our god."
"You should meet the god of death. He accepts all!"
After each of them said their own piece, the battle began in earnest. Some of the fanatics leapt into the air, flipping with incredible acrobatics. The chakrams were thrown toward Shu at an incredible speed.
The sleepy man vanished from his position. Instead of responding to the previous attack, he appeared in the middle of the cluster of enemies. His thumb slightly unsheathed his katana. Shu quickly spun around in a full circle, utilizing his quickdraw.
SLASH
At least 15 of them were cleanly bisected. Ever since the lazy swordsman had synchronized with the golden ring, his strike zone had been constantly increasing. One slash could now reach almost thirty meters. Shu didn't need to be directly beside his enemies any longer. Before the bodies even dropped to the ground, he disappeared like a ghost.
BOOM BOOM
Several corpses detonated, causing the ground to fracture. The cliff was beginning to dismantle. It would fall down onto the caravan soon. Shu had decided to use iaijutsu for this battle. Quickdraws only.
As soon as he appeared beside the next group of enemies, a chakram whizzed toward his face. The young samurai leaned back slightly and dodged with minimal movement. These cultists were predicting where he would appear!
"You aren't fast enough, hehe." The cultist who just threw his chakram exclaimed.
"........" Shu didn't respond. These idiots had no idea how fast he could really be.
Another figure lunged toward him. The cloaked man twirled like a spinning top, his bladed disks slicing through the air. Shu crouched down and drew his blade. It was a clean stroke, the man's legs disconnecting from his body. The sword demon quickly sheathed his katana again.
At that moment, the chakram that Shu dodged earlier returned. It would cut through his back if he didn't move. Luckily, a voice suddenly called out from afar.
"Keep your eyes open, Sword Demon!" It was Glem, the armored mercenary.
The man dashed with strength, the ground beneath him cratering. Appearing at Shu's side, he slashed the disk with his glowing axe. There was a beautiful shine, the green energy being used as a blade for the weapon.
"...Mnn." The lazy swordmaster only grunted in response.
"Another one joins the party! Welcome to this beautiful dance of death!" One of the cultists exclaimed with glee.
Shu frowned. It was only now that he realized that their numbers were increasing. There were only about thirty of them at first! Now there were almost fifty! Something wasn't adding up. He needed to find the leader soon.
…
…
…
Inside the barrier, the dwarves were blasting away at more red cloaks. It was unknown when they had appeared near the carriages. Turd could be seen dashing through enemy lines, slashing them with his dual tomahawks.
Jina lined up a shot as plasmic energy channelled through her weapon. Once it was fully charged, she released the trigger. The energy blasted from her railgun.
BANG
A large bullet pierced through the air. It beamed through its enemies, a trail of unstable plasma left in its wake. There was a massive hole full of molten heat where the bullet passed through.
Unknown to anyone, something was happening in the carriage containing the starvanium. Another red cloak had just evaded the magic traps in the room. He stared at Myrrh with a smile on his face. This fanatic was different. Gold trimmings could be seen on the edge of his cloak and hood. It was the leader.
"Nice try. Unfortunately, this isn't enough to send me to my lord." He cackled. The elf scientist frowned.
"You won't get what you came here for. We aren't defenseless." She spoke coldly.
"Are you sure? I can see the beautiful ore no matter which direction I look! Ah, the beautiful glow of these shining materials. I want these crystal ores all to myself!"
Myrrh was backed against the wall. The evil fanatic slowly approached. It was now or never. The stakes were too high. With a quick breath, she dived toward her work desk. Her destination was true. The cold elf landed under the table and reached for her secret weapon. She had created this herself!
An all black briefcase was now in her hand. There wasn't a shred of hesitation. Myrrh vaulted over the table and dashed toward the waiting cultist. He only watched with a smile.
"Underestimating me? Good." She muttered.
In an instant, she was before him. Her briefcase swung toward him with force. The man only raised his hand to catch it. At that moment, barrels jutted out of the briefcase. Multiple crackles resounded as mana and plasma swirled together on the edge of the weapon. It left a trail of energy, lopping off the man's arm.
It was an understatement to say the cultist leader was surprised. She had turned a briefcase into a weapon for god's sake! It was like a molten weapon that could cut through anything due to its heat.
Myrrh continued her assault, twisting her body for peak momentum. The briefcase swung towards his face once more. It seemed that the elf scientist really did know how to fight. Unfortunately, her strength wasn't adequate.
The fanatic finally grew serious. He dodged the swipe without effort and kneed her in the stomach. The force was so strong that she crumpled to the ground. An aura of Supreme was finally being emitted from his body. His detached arm floated back to him and reattached itself.
"Kuhak!" The blonde elf vomited all over the floor. Involuntary tears dripped from her eyes. That single attack had rendered her useless.
"I really enjoy taking my time with my enemies. I really do, trust me. I'd love to see what else you had in store for me, but I'm on a tight schedule. Laria won't destroy itself…I need that starvanium." He began to monologue. Myrrh was unresponsive, struggling to regain her air.
"The kingdom is corrupt…but I will be the one to fix it. A nation ruled by the holy church is disgusting. Ky the Warrior King is only a puppet! Isn't that insane?! There needs to be an agent of change…We shall become that agent." He continued.
The fanatic grabbed the elf by the throat. His arm began to shine with black and red energy. It was as if the energy would devour her whole.
"Kffftt!" This whole time, Myrrh couldn't regain her breath. Her legs kicked frantically.
"I will make it quick. Worry not, child."