Wind swirled around Suna as he blasted air from his feet, propelling himself upward. One hand gripped his brimhat as he let himself fall, then kicked the air again, launching himself straight onto the island.
None of the Shieldnites had any means of ranged attack. They instead split into three groups, with Jack and Suna each facing two of them.
Dua, meanwhile, was content to wait, shielded by two Shieldnites.
Dua’s green bubbles hung in the air—about two dozen of them. As the world shook in his vision, those spells launched at him.
Suna approached the ground quickly, and two Shieldnites waited for him. He kicked his feet again, jerking his body up from a falling state as wind pushed him upward. He quickly tapped the ground to use Gale Backstep. Wind rushed around him, his body hovering in a small tornado that spun around him, forming a protective shield.
With Gale Bow in hand and an Emberwind Arrow drawn, he aimed at the Shieldnite. However, he didn’t have time to shoot. The Shieldnites charged at him with their bulky armored bodies. Suna took a gamble and turned to face Dua’s magic.
The green bubbles flew at him, and Suna discharged his arrow after he flint-drew it. Red streaks of flame burst forth, blitzing toward the green bubbles; however, his arrow exploded when it hit the sixth one, causing a clash of energy that emitted dark smoke.
He shielded himself from the aftershock. Suna took a quick glance at the Shieldnite; it was closing in, but he still had time. He reached into his normal quiver and drew his Sootroot arrow. Three magic bubbles survived the blast, and Suna met each with a quick release of an arrow. They collided, causing another burst of energy.
With that taken care of, he turned to the Shieldnite, only to find a huge piece of steel swinging at him. Suna dodged back, lurching on one foot, but another Shieldnite caught him off guard, bashing him mid-charge.
Suna tried to smash his Gale Bow into the shield, but as the spell bow connected—the Shieldnite’s weight overpowered it—splaying the wind and crushing Suna’s stomach. A crushing pain stole his breath, and he coughed blood from the sudden attack. He was about to tap his foot for Gale Backstep, but the other Shieldnite struck, this time with the sharp edge of its tower shield.
His golden chain mail rattled, and Suna’s chest bulged with overwhelming heaviness. In an instant, the Shieldnite blew him away, sending him rolling into a crumpled heap. The world spun in his vision.
When he skidded to a stop, he reached into his pocket for a Health Potion. But, a sudden green rope appeared, lashing toward him like a circus master’s whip. Suna drew Umbralline and intercepted it before it could hit him.
Umbralline cut the lash; however, part of it still managed to strike Suna’s shoulder just above the blade. A blistering pain flared in his right shoulder. The moment the spell was cut, it was reborn as a new lash.
Dua, the undead Lantern Mistress, whipped another while holding two in her hands; one was aimed at Suna. The lash extended and extended, stretching twenty meters from him. Suna quickly sheathed Umbralline and dashed away from both Dua’s lash and the charging Shieldnite—he wanted to see how Jack was doing, but he didn’t have the luxury. He had only one red potion left out of his two.
Suna stepped back, eyes intent on the lash.
It tried to smack at him, and Suna sped to his left with Galestep. He quickly uncorked his potion and drank, letting a healing sensation bubble around his right shoulder.
The lash, however, rose again and lurched straight at him.
There will be no parrying that, Suna thought.
Again, Suna used Gale Backstep; this time, he faced the two Shieldnites charging at him. With a sudden jerk, he propelled himself backward further, letting wind carried him. Suna held Gale Bow and Emberwind Arrow ready and aimed—decided not to use it on the Shieldnite; instead, he steadied his grip and turned.
Suna faced Dua, and realization dawned on her as she adjusted her own hand in a hurry.
Suna lifted himself up, dodging the lash’s strike just beneath him.
He flint-drew, and flame flared across his spell arrow’s fletching. Suna focused his fire into a single point, zeroing in on Dua.
He released it, and air hummed around him, leaving heat in its wake as it blitzed forward.
A Shieldnite covered Dua, taking his arrow head-on. The Emberwind Arrow crashed into the Shieldnite’s tower shield, searing the steel and blackening it where it hit. But it didn’t have the power to pierce through.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Suna clicked his tongue. He quickly drew Umbralline and cut the forgotten lash. Dua lost control of it the moment she couldn’t see him. He dispelled the spell and quickly turned to face the charging Shieldnite.
This was never-ending…
He needed to find a way to deal with the Shieldnite defense, which was why Suna decided to take the two behind him first.
Dealing with Dua would have to wait until later.
He kept his eyes on the Undead Mistress, he needed to watch for the spell…
Dua ran along with her two Shieldnites toward the cabin.
Suna’s eyes widened in fear. She would start to revive her sister. But according to Jack, it would take quite some time. Could he handle the Shieldnites on him and then confront Dua?
The clash of steel echoed far away from him. Jack was in combat with the two Shieldnites.
The Runebearer should be able to read the situation better than Suna, and Jack still decided to fight the Shieldnite first.
If they charged, they would just be caught in a pincer instead. Without magic to support them, Suna could finally start to poke at the undead defense. He resumed using his Gale Bow, facing the two steel hulks. Green eyes gleamed dimly beneath their bucket-like helmets, through the narrow slits. Suna charged forward to meet the Shieldnite.
They rushed at him with their shields raised—Suna dashed aside, keeping his body between them. He flint-drew an Emberwind arrow, and flame danced at his fingertip.
The Shieldnite quickly raised its shield to guard. Suna kept running, his spell arrow trained on them, searching for an opening—preferably their heads.
But he could not find a bloody opening.
Suna played with the idea of threatening to blow up the cabin Dua had entered, but one Shieldnite stood guard, ready to intercept his spell arrow.
Not knowing what else he was supposed to do, Suna decided to brute-force it.
He stood his ground, and his passive skills lent him strength. Suna kept a considerable distance and let fly his Emberwind Arrow. It blitzed straight at the Shieldnite, only to be caught and deflected.
That was fine with him. What he was after were his Hissing Volley, Still Form, and Drill Arrow—two of which required him to remain still.
Suna volleyed a dozen arrows, sending them at the Shieldnite. At first, it might have looked like a useless attempt, but his passive would stack up, and each arrow grew stronger.
As seconds passed and he kept firing his Sootroot Arrows, he felt his drawing speed had increased, and the arrows—the way they left his Arcane String and caught the wind’s force—felt sharper. He shot a Sootwood Arrow, and it blitzed forward, knocking the charging Shieldnite back slightly.
This should be enough.
Suna summoned his Emberwind Arrow and poured more mana into it. A tail of flame blossomed from its fletching, and he exhaled a hot breath as the heat rose around him again.
His Thermal Instinct told him where his earlier arrow had struck. He could make out the faint sear on the leading Shieldnite; they were closing in fast, and Suna would rather not move, he needed to maintain his passives.
Intending to take these hulks head-on, Suna let his magic rip—blasting straight at the Shieldnite’s shield. Bursts of flame erupted as they connected. The explosion sent dust scattering, yet the Shieldnites still stood, their bulwark of armor unbroken.
Suna licked the corner of his lip. He drew again and fired another spell arrow, shooting it straight at the same spot on the Shieldnite’s shield. This time, a crack resounded through the air. The shield broke apart, and the frontmost Shieldnite staggered back.
Good. If he could handle their shields, then he could break their armor. This just needed repetition. Still, it consumed his passive and required more mana than he liked.
Suna ripped his Arcane String back, fusing his Emberwind Arrow with the Gale Bow’s power. Flint flickered to his shoulder, and he released the blazing arrow—it tore through the frontmost Shieldnite’s shield like red plasma, piercing straight into its armored chest.
The Shieldnite behind it tried to cover its ally, but Suna had already drawn and released another arrow, blasting straight into the first Shieldnite’s armor. A flash of red surged around it, and Suna continued, this time aiming for the second one.
He vaporized its shield in two Emberwind Arrows, splintering what was supposed to be a stout shield. A wide grin spread across Suna’s face, unnoticed by him. His hand thrummed the Spell String, energy rushing through him as he welcomed another Emberwind Arrow. He let it streak through the dust that still shrouded the Shieldnites.
Suna couldn’t see them as smoke still billowed around. But his Thermal Instinct told him where the melted steel was. He ignited the air between himself and the undead with more Emberwind Arrows—it was as if he were sending firework after firework like an eager child.
His right hand surged in ecstasy, summoning more and more spell arrows—adding to the smoke and letting explosions of steel and fire howl across the island.
Suna finally stopped and drew a breath. His mind was still reeling from the thrill, but the fact that he could no longer see his prey dulled the excitement.
So he let the smoke fade away.
What greeted him was almost a tear-jerking sight. One of the Shieldnites stood firm; smoke rose from its blackened armor. That strong steel was fading into dust, exposing the creature’s flesh to the [Flintwind Archer].
A huge fracture split through its armor, especially around the chest.
Suna opened his right palm.
Light appeared, and it took shape into a spell arrow.
He nocked it and slowly pulled it back to his ear.
Suna didn’t bother with a Flint-Draw. He discharged the Emberwind Arrow, and it sank into the Shieldnite’s chest.
[You Have Slain Undead Shieldnite. Lvl 35]
His arrow tore a hole into the Shieldnite’s chest, causing it to collapse onto its brethren below in tatters of steel.
The Undead Shieldnite struggled, tapping at the ground and trying to push itself up. Suna shook his head and made his way toward it. He let go of his Gale Bow and drew an enhanced Sootroot Arrow from his Grave Vine Quiver. Suna crouched, the [Flintwind Archer]’s head inches from the Undead’s cracked helmet.
The Undead tried to lunge at him, but his eagle eyes stared it down. The clash of steel still resounded in the distance; Jack was still fighting. It was not the time for this.
Letting go of his curiosity, the [Flintwind Archer] aligned his enhanced arrow at the fractured helmet. The Undead tried to make a sound, but the [Flintwind Archer] silenced it by impaling it through its cracked armor.
[You Have Slain Undead Shieldnite. Lvl 35]
[Level Up]
