[06: 22: 06: 54]
…
Cassian’s eyes snapped upward, and the ceiling above was crawling with movement—dozens, no, hundreds of eyes glinting in the beam of his torchlight.
You got to be shiting me…
They dropped. Like fucking rain of monsters, talons outstretched, hissing and screeching as they fell upon him.
“[Expedite],” Cassian growled, instantly as he moved.
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 36/42]
[DING! RUN CARD ?EXPEDITE(DESTRUCTION SORCERY)? USED]
The crackling surge of raw energy coursed through his veins as the card activated, adrenaline spiking, perception sharpening. The world around him seemed to slow as his body accelerated. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as the world around him became a blur of snapping jaws and slashing claws.
Mentally commanding the system to only show important damage logs and notifications, he moved towards Dorian as the first wave crashed down upon him.
Two Kalrachs landed directly on Cassian, their talons slashing at him, but his Mana Shield flared, deflecting the blows. Cassian jammed his shotgun forward, pressing the barrel against the chest of the closest one.
BOOM!
The blast tore through its body, sending it hurtling back. The second creature reeled, momentarily disoriented by the shockwave. Cassian didn’t waste the opening.
With a sharp pivot, Cassian kicked, his boot slamming into the Kalrach’s skull with full force.
CRACK!
The creature’s head burst open like a watermelon, sending bone fragments and dark ichor spraying across the floor.
huh?… Holy I’m strong! No time to dwell on it. Cassy move… Dorian has no shield.
Cassian’s eyes darted toward his companion, who was already engaged in battle. Monsters swarmed him, snapping and lunging, yet Dorian moved like a whirlwind—twisting, ducking, firing. His pistol fired in rapid succession, each shot clean, precise, a kill. Even as he weaved between attacks, his footwork flawless, Cassian could see the strain setting in—wounds blooming across his skin, crimson streaks against the dim light.
When more and more Kalrach swarmed him.
Shit…! I would only attract more monsters to Dorian's side…
Cassian gritted his teeth. If he used Gravity Well, it would pull Dorian down as well. He needed another plan, and he just got one.
“[Stone Golem]”
[DING! RUN CARD ?STONE GOLEM(CREATION SUMMON)? USED ]
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 32/42]
A loud thud echoed as the massive form of the golem materialized before Cassian. Its stone body shuddered, eyes glowing with a dull, earthen light.
Protect Dorian at all costs.
Cassian didn’t even need to say it—the instant he gave the mental command, the golem charged.
Its colossal form barreling forward, limbs smashing into the horde with earth-shaking force. Kalrachs crumpled beneath its fists, shattered bodies flung aside like ragdolls.
His gaze snapped to Dorian, who was still locked in combat. Cassian's mind raced.
What if I use Expedite on him? Would it work?
He and Dorian had a bond—a connection. Maybe that was enough.
Only one way to find out. Cassian reached inward, tapping into his essence, and with a surge of will, he activated the skill.
"[Expediate]!"
A pulse of energy rushed outward, latching onto Dorian.
[DING! RUN CARD ?EXPEDITE(DESTRUCTION SORCERY)?USED ON YOUR COMPANION,… ]
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 31/42]
Cassian watched as Dorian’s movements suddenly sharpened.
Nice!
Cassian clenched his jaw. He needed to draw their attention—keep the fight on him before his essence ran out. Without hesitation, he turned on his heels and ran straight into them.
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Okay, let’s do this!
Tapping into his essence well, Cassian reached for his next move as he activated one of the new run cards.
"[Gravity Well]."
A pulse of energy surged outward.
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 29/42]
[DING! RUN CARD ?GRAVITY WELL (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)? USED, CHARGES: 9/10]
A crushing force spread through the area, distorting the air around him as the gravity around him increased. Within seconds, every Kalrach in a ten-meter radius collapsed to the ground, their limbs trembling as the sheer weight pressed them down. A cacophony of shrieks and hisses filled the air, their bodies struggling against the invisible force.
Without missing a beat he tapped into his essence, as he activated another card.
"[Firewave]"
The world ignited.
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 25/42]
[DING! RUN CARD ?FIREWAVE (DESTRUCTION SORCERY)? USED, CHARGES: 9/10]
A roaring inferno erupted from Cassian’s core, expanding outward in a perfect circle. The heat was intense, and searing, the flickering wall of fire consuming everything in its path. Kalrachs shrieked in agony as their flesh blistered and burned, their bodies reduced to charred husks within seconds without being able to resist. The scent of burning chitin filled the air.
Notifications flooded his vision.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
.
.
.
More. Dozens more notifications as he ignored them, focusing on battle and as the flames died down, Cassian saw the battlefield was still crawling with survivors—wounded Kalrachs dragging themselves from the wreckage, their bodies charred, but their hunger undiminished.
[Firewave] took a good chunk out of them…
He exhaled sharply, there were still too many of the monsters here.
Letting his shotgun drop, its ammo nearly depleted—he reached for his blades instead, the familiar weight of his knives as [A Knight’s Squire] card passive effects shone, calming him down and showing where he should strike.
C'mon Cassy, strike them while they are still burning.
Taking a deep breath he dashed into the horde, The blazing remnants of [Firewave] still smoldered, filling the area with heat, smoke, and blood. His blades moved like extensions of his arms—slashing, stabbing, severing. He ducked low under a swipe, drove his knife into a bloated abdomen, and tore it open in a spray of darkened gore.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
Another lunged. He sidestepped, slashed upward, and split its jaw in half.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
He only focused on the monsters in his line of sight letting the mana shield intercept claws and teeth. He took the blows head-on, trusting his shield to carry him.
[DING! MANA SHIELD SATURATION — [40] DMG ABSORPTION REMAINING]
One knife buried into the temple of a crawling beast, the other slashed across a thick neck as he pivoted, ducked, twisted, and stabbed again.
[DING! MANA SHIELD SATURATION — [32] DMG ABSORPTION REMAINING]
A monster lunged at his flank his instincts flared as he shifted his weight and slammed his elbow back, shattering the Kalrach’s jaw before driving his blade through its open throat.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
Another one dropped from above, teeth bared and claws spread wide. Cursing Cassian ducked low and rolled forward, then sprang up behind it and rammed both blades into its spine, pulling them free with a wet, snapping sound.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
His body moved faster than his mind could track. Since his Ascension, something had awakened in him—every muscle responded like it was tuned to violence, speed, and death. He felt the strength in every kick that shattered ribs, in every punch that crumpled skulls.
Still, that didn’t mean he could fight forever. Claws raked across his chest—his shield took the hit.
Argh Damnit! Can you not attack for a second, I’m trying to breathe…
[DING! MANA SHIELD SATURATION — [8] DMG ABSORPTION REMAINING]
Cassian channeled a stream of essence into the shield, the moment he saw it was running low.
[DING! 2 ESSENCE FED INTO MANA SHIELD, MANA SHIELD SATURATION —[28] DMG ABSORPTION REMAINING]
[DING! MANA SHIELD SATURATION — [21] DMG ABSORPTION REMAINING]
Da fuck!… damn it these fuckers are everywhere.
He dashed his boots skidding on blood-slick ground as he saw more than ten kalrachs running up the stairs snarling, their talons raised.
Ohh cmon! You know what take this.
"[Lightning Bolt]."
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 23/42]
[DING! RUN CARD ?LIGHTNING BOLT (DESTRUCTION SORCERY)? USED — CHARGES: 13/25]
"[Lightning Bolt]."
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 22/42]
[DING! RUN CARD ?LIGHTNING BOLT (DESTRUCTION SORCERY)? USED — CHARGES: 12/25]
Crackling bolts of lightning exploded from Cassian’s outstretched palm, arcing like divine wrath through the swarm of Kalrachs. The lightning hissed and snapped as it tore through them, jumping from one monster to the next creating a chain lightning effect.
Their screams were ripped away by the raw violence of the spell, drowned beneath the crack of electric force. Smoke curled into the air, heavy with the acrid stench of scorched meat.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
.
.
.
Not letting them recover he reupped [Expedite] and leapt into the fray, unleashing [Gravity Well] the moment he landed.
[DING! ESSENCE WELL: 19/42]
[DING! RUN CARD ?GRAVITY WELL (KNOWLEDGE SPELL)? USED, CHARGES: 8/10]
The air rippled. With a sound like the world itself groaning. The surrounding monsters were already afflicted with burn and lightning when the gravity increased, crushing them down.
The already weakened Kalrachs—half-burned, their exoskeletons cracked from lightning were suddenly pinned under an invisible force. Bones splintered, limbs buckled, and several collapsed outright with sickening crunches. The stairs became a spot for meat grinding.
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
[DING! YOU HAVE KILLED A KALRACH (FEEDER)]
.
.
.
Every time the notifications blinked in the corner of his vision—kills, shield status, essence expenditure—he ignored them, focusing only on the next kill. And the next. And the next.
…
He stepped over bodies, panting his vision swimming from the exertion.
Only a few to go…
Just when he was about to move he saw his golem crashing into the remaining Kalrachs like a runaway train.
He paused, chest heaving, and took in the scene.
A bloody graveyard.
The entire stairwell and gate corridor had become a mountain of corpses—twisted limbs, shattered chitin, burned flesh. Blood had painted the walls, and entrails coiled like ropes across the floor. Flames still licked the edges of the room where [Firewave] had scorched the path. The gore piled up the steps like a sick parody of a red carpet. He couldn’t even see the floor anymore—just corpses and their twitching remains.
I’m gonna be sick from all the blood…
Only a handful of Kalrachs still remained now, and the golem was making short work of them. Behind him, boots splashed in the blood.
Dorian approached, limping slightly, still holding his sidearm
“I have no idea what just happened, Cassian…” he muttered, letting out a dry, disbelieving laugh. “Talk about crazy shit… I haven’t gone up against this many even in War…”
Cassian gave a crooked grin, panting, his face smeared with ash and blood. He swiped his forearm across his face, wiping the worst of it away, then spat to the side and chuckled.
“Yeah… it sure was intense…phew~ glad it's over” He tilted his head at Dorian. “But don’t say you didn’t enjoy it. I saw you, bro.”
Dorian let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head. “Says the one soaked in gore... you should see yourself”
Cassian smirked, finally lowering his blades. “Yeah... okay. Maybe a little… It was as fun as it was dangerous”
...
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