the era of calamities-Chapter 106: Hold Until Death (2)

The confrontation seemed uneven to anyone watching.

A giant tarantula, its size rivaling that of a building, and a swarm of immortal mites both Marquis-ranked Calamities had joined forces to fight a single, poor Master.

There was little chance that Renard would survive such a two-on-one battle. And even if he somehow did, another formidable enemy still remained. Though that presence had yet to reveal itself, Renard knew it was there, perhaps even watching him at this very moment.

He did not know why the lord of this duchy had not personally stepped in to put an end to their futile resistance. Nonetheless, he welcomed it, because every second that attention was focused on him was time his people could use to escape farther away.

"I have to hold on... just a little longer... until the very end," Renard told himself.

His body ached.

The blows from these Calamities were no joke, and staying strictly on the defensive meant the situation wasn’t improving.

Renard wanted to go all out, to activate Sigma Mode and pour every ounce of strength he had into each strike.

But he didn’t.

He could feel his ether reserves draining faster than usual.

"No... it’s not that I’m spending more energy. Even now, when I’m not using coating or any techniques, I can feel my strength slipping away." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Unfortunately for Renard, his limited knowledge of Calamities prevented him from recognizing one of the passive consequences of standing within a Calamity’s territory.

The city of Orion and its surroundings had already been integrated into Exa’s domain, placing all the ether within it under her authority. At her whim, she could deprive someone of environmental ether.

What Renard was feeling wasn’t his strength leaving him, but rather the fact that his reserves were no longer being replenished.

Under normal circumstances, the human body naturally absorbs ambient ether.For Renard, a Master, the amount his body absorbed was so great that as long as he didn’t chain together his most energy-hungry and destructive attacks, he could fight for hours without worrying about running out of power.

But now that his supply had been cut off, there was no recharge. Fatigue set in much faster without even mentioning the poison he was still struggling to suppress.

And to worsen his misery, he was fighting Calamities , beings that used ambient ether directly. In other words, beings with hypothetically infinite energy.

As if to demonstrate that excess, Yorb shaped three gigantic fire orbs in the air using ether, each one as large as himself.

<< Authority of Fire: Radiant Orbs >>

The three spheres fell toward Renard like snowflakes.

Sensing the danger, he activated his << coating >> , his speed surged, allowing him to dodge the first two orbs.

However, in doing so, he placed himself directly in the path of the last one.

A crushing wave of heat struck him head-on.

"Tsk... no choice."

<< Sigma Mode >>

Stigmata instantly spread across his entire body. Raising his axe overhead, he brought it down with all his might, generating a shockwave powerful enough to split the fiery orb in two.

A violent explosion followed, before the flames finally died out.

But scarcely had the fire been extinguished when a swarm of mites lunged at Renard from every direction, seeking to engulf him.

"I won’t be able to dodge them all," he thought.

Deactivating Sigma Mode, he coated his axe and began spinning it wildly around himself.

He put so much force into the rotations that he felt his joints begin to dislocate.

Grinding his teeth, he endured the torment and continued.

His movements executed at inhuman speed and strength generated violent gusts of wind that sent the surrounding mites flying.

Still, one slipped through a blind spot and forced its way between the gaps in his armor, delivering a sting that made him scream in agony.

The pain was unlike anything Renard had ever experienced. It was so intense that he dropped to one knee, tearing off the upper part of his armor to reveal a mite burrowing into his chilled flank.

Without hesitation, he plunged two fingers into his right side, grabbed the mite, and ripped it out with all his strength, crushing it into dust in his palm.

"Fuck..." he spat, feeling the poison inside him surge once more.

"I need the injection," he realized.

But before he could reach for it, Yorb attacked again. With a single leap, he positioned himself above Renard and tried to flatten him with his massive legs.

"Ahhhh!" Renard screamed as he strained every muscle in his body to avoid being crushed beneath the weight. With a sudden burst of strength, he managed to push back.

<< Authority of Fire: Radiant Orb >>

A deafening boom followed as the fireball struck him head-on.

---

When the flames died out this time, Renard lay on the ground. His clothes were charred, and half his body was covered in burns.

---

"Is that enough, Your Highness?" Yorb asked.

Helion did not answer. With slow steps, he approached Renard’s unconscious body.

He looked down at him, expressionless.

("There is no honor in striking down an already defeated opponent. But honor has no place on a battlefield only victory matters.")

With that resolve, his eight legs already regenerated rose above Renard’s body.

Without offering a final word or even the slightest insult, they came down one after another like blades, poised to end his life.

Or rather, they almost did.

Six of Helion’s legs had already seized Renard’s arms and legs, two more pinning his torso. Just before the last two could reach his heart and brain, Renard’s axe lying on the ground shot into the air as if guided by an unseen will and shattered them.

At the same time, Renard leapt backward, regaining his footing.

His body was now covered in blood from the wounds he had just sustained, yet he remained standing driven by something Helion could not comprehend.

"Is he... still human?"

Author’s Note

Hi, just a quick reminder.

Coating: a common ability shared by all Awakened who have reached the Intermediate rank. It allows the user to manifest the ether contained within their soul to reinforce their body or their weapon. (Awakened cannot manipulate the ether present in the environment; only Calamities can.)

Sigma Mode: named after the stigmata it causes to appear on the user’s body, this is a state of harmony in which the body and ether become one. (It can only be acquired at the Master rank.)