Parallel Vol. 5

Chapter 34: Fur Displacement

Brackt! Lightning chains thundered across the battlefield, delivering divine judgment upon the sinful undead that dared defile their wielder's holy grounds. The undead desperately tried to chase after the dastardly Jade to end the judgment at its source.

Fortunately, no one was more aware of Jade's Glass Cannon status than the sorceress herself. She smartly enveloped her body in lightning, boosting her speed and agility. However, unlike most members of Hopeful Maggots, the young woman determinedly kept her distance from the undead. Instead, she dutifully fulfilled her role as a mage, obliterating the hapless monsters from a safe range.

"Are you Maggots watching!? Why the hell's our healer drawing so much aggro!?" A squad leader suddenly shouted when he realized that he, like so many other soldiers, was watching dumbstruck without helping.

Well, they could not be blamed. 

Most people knew about the Maggots' Kashi, Leila, Syel, and Shoko. Very few, even among the Maggots, knew that Lunette had capable fighting skills, and even less were aware of Jade's prowess. After all, the others' battle achievements massively overshadowed Jade's in the Battle of Aygorzi. Furthermore, while Shoko and Syel helped with monster hunting, Jade disappeared from the public eye to work on her experiments.

Seeing these two seemingly harmless women—a singer and a healer—dominate the battlefield so openly would leave anyone in shock.

However, being dumbstruck was one thing. The Hopeful Maggots were not so incompetent to leave both women to deal with so many undead. The undead's surprise attack ultimately failed. Having weathered the worst initial push, both Lunette and Jade were able to fall back as reinforcements rapidly poured in to consolidate their positions.

Lunette and Jade drank several mana potions to recover their lost mana, before returning to their previous stations. However, things were different. Lunette and Jade managed to lure in several high-ranking undead before eliminating them.

As a result, although the overall number of undead was not majorly affected, their quality experienced a steep drop. This gave the Hopeful Maggots' elite forces more freedom to bully the regular undead. Furthermore, with the orcs' incursion from the undead's rear, the battle situation began to look even more favorable for the coalition.

Never forget. The coalition's job was not to eliminate the undead but prevent them from reaching Oni Hill. They had been prepared for a bitter defensive battle. No one expected they would get a chance to go on the offensive like this.

"Tighten up, Cyanide! You're getting too far." Absalon did not let the battle's success get into the soldiers' heads. From his vantage point, he constantly recalled any Maggots who strayed too far into enemy territory.

The Maggots' greatest advantage was Oni-Hill's fan-like mountain terrain. If they pushed too far out, their meager numbers would leave many holes that the undead could exploit to get in behind them. Only a fool would do that.

With Absalon's firm grip over the overall situation, there was no chance for the undead to launch a reversal. At least, unless their leader intervened. With this thought, Absalon cast a wary glance at the distant forest where he felt several chaotic ki engulfed in battle. "Hang in there a little longer, Stryke. I'll come once the deadline passes."

***

11:40

Whoosh! While the battle raged on outside, an equally intense battle was in full swing within Oni Hill. After Gentle Breeze cleared the Sloth Floor, Rono cleared the Glutton in near-record time. The poor Primate on the Glutton floor barely had a second to announce himself before Rono's dagger pierced his brain.