Vacuse felt a flash of fear as he saw Serenthar so close by with his inhuman face. ’...what is this bastard trying to do!..’
Serenthar’s other hands reached up and gripped the shield that appeared above the carriage. One hand began to tap it to make the shield show up continuously while the other ones began to weave above it.
Vacuse’s eyes widened in disbelief. "He’s trying to undo the runes! To alter the formations!"
He was understanding him better now. Serenthar must have knowledge about runes and formations. Maybe he was also the one that’s making his constructs by himself.
But that only made Vacuse feel a flash of cold inside, because that meant that Serenthar might be able to undo all the defensive protections that were put on the carriage.
A voice rang out and everyone stiffened.
It was a familiar voice.
Serenthar turned with absolute shock on his face and Vacuse glimpsed what he was staring at. A wave of relief washed through him.
It was the Captain all right.
She was covered by glowing purple light that shone with frightening powers. The light was layered on her like an oversized armor. "Do you honestly think you can kill someone of my ranks with something like that?"
"Are you looking down on the fourth rank of Advancement Stage?"
Serenthar quickly recovered from his shock. "I guess you are right. You are costing me a lot of money, bitch. I’m really going to feel a different kind of satisfaction after killing you!"
Strings lit up all around him, thick strands that connected from him to the sky above.
Then, they all felt it.
Vacuse felt the powerful wave of pressure that came from above just as the massive construct came into view.
It was a massive thing of silver steel as big as two houses.
"Is that... a flying ship?" Ragna asked in awe.
Their faces were pressed close to the window.
Vacuse narrowed his eyes. "That’s a warship. But... it’s a lot different from all the ones I’ve seen. Just what is this mad fellow planning?"
The ship rumbled above them, the runes flashing with different colors, the silver steel squirming and then forming. One by one, the human-sized constructs began to drop down as the ship broke into different smaller shapes.
"The puppet master. The master of the battlefield," Vacuse said. He’d counted about twelve constructs already and more were still dropping.
It was apparent why he was sent alone. That was because Serenthar himself is worth a hundred Soulbearers.
The last construct finally fell.
About twenty-four of them in total.
They surrounded the carriage and Vacuse understood what Serenthar was planning. He wanted to buy time so that he could deal with the carriage and then get away with Vacuse.
And from his calculations, Vacuse realized that he would be able to pull it off. He felt a chill. "I think... we have to get out of here!"
But before the others even understood what he was saying, the fight had already started outside.
Captain Mera raised her hand. "All units! Disengage, move back. I will deal with this all by myself!"
Then he remembered what Mera once said, that she was also known as a master of the battlefield.
He sat back down calmly. "I think I’m going to enjoy this."
Captain Mera began to walk forward confidently towards Serenthar and his constructs. As she walked, the air around her rippled and a beast appeared.
The beast was like a shining purple puddle, shapeless and formless. The Captain opened her mouth and directly swallowed the shapeless beast.
Her body changed, her flesh rippled and then seemed to stretch and wobble. Each step made it look as if she would pour like liquid.
She raised her two hands and more of the beasts appeared around her. Each time a beast appeared, a human counterpart that looked like the Captain appeared beneath it.
They appeared all around, all of them walking towards Serenthar and his constructs.
"What is this?" Serenthar asked in a surprised voice.
Each of the Captains opened their mouth and said in a unison voice, "I am Captain Mera."
The next moment, each of the Captains were flooded with purple light that molded around them like steel. Then, pulsing with power, they shot forward like purple lightning bolts, covering the distance in a blink.
The constructs rushed forward as well, and the two forces clashed with a thunderous boom that shook the ground.
Vacuse watched with a captivated expression. He had seen a lot of fighting in his past life but nothing like the one he was witnessing.
Two battlefield masters.
Just two people and they were turning the tide of the battle singlehandedly.
’....Drenvar kept a talent to himself... I must find a way to get her to my side...’
Clashes of different lights lit up the air, bolts of thunderous roar and beams of cutting hot purple. The screech of metal.
Every other person gave them space as the two sides clashed again and again.
Serenthar ran across the battlefield, swapping places with his constructs as he made his way toward the carriage, but a Captain Mera was always there to block him, shooting blasting beams to keep him away.
Again and again he made moves to reach the carriage, but he was blocked each time. Serenthar stopped trying and threw himself into the fighting.
But Vacuse wasn’t fooled. ’...he must be planning something... no way he’s going to give up like that...’
Suddenly, every construct there opened their mouths wide, runes flickering wildly around their opened mouths as if they were ready to blast out beams of power.
But the next moment, what came out of their mouths wasn’t beams of light but small constructs like bees. The bee constructs poured down like smoke.
"Oh... fuck," Vacuse muttered as he saw them flow upward like a devouring wave.
The wave of flickering constructs turned one way. Towards Vacuse’s carriage.