Chapter 219 217-The Frail Monsters
Gazing at the oncoming Blue-spotted Rhino, Ethan remained serene, his expression unchanged.
In fact, he found the Blue-spotted Rhino to be quite feeble.
Yes, weak.
It wasn\'t arrogance on Ethan\'s part, he genuinely couldn\'t sense any threat from it.
"Could it be a ruse?" Ethan speculated subconsciously, his brow furrowing slightly.
Whether it was from Eileen, Lehman, or even Blood and Rock, all the information he had garnered pointed to the monsters being terrifying and difficult to kill.
"If that\'s the case, let\'s give it a try…" Ethan murmured, exerting force on his legs as Lehman started to warn him.
He leaped high into the air and, clenching his fist, swung it towards the charging direction of the Blue-spotted Rhino.
Thud!
A dull sound resounded, and the entire battlefield became quiet in an instant.
The charging Blue-spotted Rhino suddenly halted, and not just halted, its massive body exhibited wave-like ripples on the surface before exploding abruptly, sending chunks of flesh and blood flying in all directions across the battlefield.
"This…" Lehman was in disbelief, his eyes widened as he muttered to himself, "This... this... I must be dreaming. How could someone kill a Blue-spotted Rhino with a single punch! Even among the monsters, a Blue-spotted Rhino is known for its formidable defense!"
Apart from Lehman, the other soldiers were equally stupefied. Moments later, cheers erupted.
"So powerful! Such a powerful Blue-spotted Rhino was killed with just one punch!"
"No! It\'s not just that; Mr. Black Dragon didn\'t even use his full strength."
"If I could have such power, perhaps I could put an end to those monsters once and for all!"
There were those who admired, those who were excited, and those who yearned.
Yet, for Ethan, it wasn\'t like that at all.
"Too weak," Ethan voiced, tinged with disappointment. This monster couldn\'t even withstand a single punch from him.
Although Ethan\'s voice was low, he was standing atop the thick horn of the Blue-spotted Rhino, above everyone else, and many still heard his mutterings. Following which, a silence enveloped them all.
What kind of remark was that?
To think someone would find such a monster too weak — wasn\'t this too demeaning?
Yet, in the face of Ethan\'s demonstrated might, no one dared to voice any rebuttal; after all, from Ethan\'s perspective, these monsters were indeed pitifully weak.
As the murmurs gradually subsided, Lehman approached Ethan with utmost respect. "Mr. Black Dragon, you truly are…" For a moment, Lehman was at a loss for words to praise Ethan sufficiently.
Unperturbed by this, Ethan addressed Lehman, "General Lehman, we should hurry. If we delay further, many soldiers might fall at the hands of these monsters."
"Yes, yes," Lehman nodded repeatedly, issuing the order to move out once more.
In reality, the squad led by Lehman was already on the battlefield, albeit at its outskirts where only a few stray monsters that had luckily penetrated the main battle area were found.
Therefore, on their way to the epicenter of the battlefield, Lehman managed to rally a few retreating troops.
According to these troops, the heart of the battlefield had essentially turned into a slaughterhouse.
Countless invading monsters easily tore through the defensive lines.
Were it not for Eileen\'s timely arrival leading an elite team to hold back the monsters, it could be said that not a single soldier at the center of the battlefield would have escaped.
However, this meant that Eileen and her team were now in grave danger.
Learning of this, Ethan became somewhat restless. He said to Lehman, "General Lehman, I will go ahead first; you all must follow quickly."
Unable to object to Ethan\'s course of action, Lehman could only nod and say, "Alright, please be careful, Mr. Black Dragon."
However, Lehman\'s demeanor appeared exceedingly strange to those who joined the squad later on.
Yet, swiftly, this sense of strangeness transformed into astonishment.
Eager to reach the epicenter of the battlefield, Ethan had no time to deal with the minor monsters along the path.
Nonetheless, those monsters were insistent, obstinately throwing themselves in his way. The obstructed Ethan was not one with much patience.
Consequently, Ethan invoked the power of Thunder.
Having grasped the fourth emblem, the Language of Nature representing the soul, it seemed that the other three Languages of Nature had also significantly enhanced, deepening Ethan\'s understanding of them further.
At this moment, Ethan\'s entire body emanated electric arcs.
Patterns of lightning trailed along his body, maintaining a radius of ten meters around him.
Any monsters rushing towards Ethan that entered this domain were instantly pierced by lightning, instantly turned to charred corpses, emitting a repugnant stench of burnt flesh.
This scene once again left Lehman and others dumbfounded.
"Mr. Black Dragon, he\'s almost like a deity!" Lehman exclaimed with awe, a sentiment met with strong agreement from the soldiers under him.
These soldiers were no strangers to powerful individuals, but they had never seen someone as potent as Ethan, dispatching monsters with such ease.
It was unprecedented, perhaps even unrivaled in the foreseeable future.
On Ethan\'s end, utilizing the force of lightning, the monsters could no longer hinder him.
Ethan\'s speed surged once more, resembling a streak of silver-white light rapidly plunging into the heart of the battlefield, leaving behind a vacuum strip devoid of monsters in his wake.
In the heart of the battlefield, an uncountable swarm of monsters roiled and writhed.
Eileen wielded a large sword and held a shield, guarding the soldiers behind her.
The soldiers at her back, faces smeared with blood, pleaded, "Captain Eileen, please retreat first. There are too many monsters here; we will cover for you."
Yet Eileen rejected the soldiers\' suggestion.
"Retreat is the action of cowards!" she roared in fury, her arm swinging to fend off a monster that had approached too close.
She still remembered the decisive courage exhibited by the soldiers in the previous battle, laying down their lives to rescue her.
This time, she wouldn\'t allow such a thing to happen again.
Knights do not retreat; they die in battle!
This was Eileen\'s conviction, a creed she abided by throughout her life.
Seeing that persuading Eileen was futile, the soldiers reluctantly relinquished their attempts, uniting to resist the monsters.
But the monsters were simply too numerous, many of them possessing formidable abilities, unleashing grotesque skills, and some swooping down from the sky, inflicting heavy casualties on Eileen\'s team.
Every passing moment saw injuries sustained and lives lost.
And it was not only Eileen\'s small unit experiencing this; other groups found themselves in a similar hell.
It was a life-and-death struggle, a war devoid of mercy.
Although the monsters lacked intellect, it was in their very nature to be ferocious.
"This won\'t work, we can\'t continue like this, we must break through!" Eileen, now surrounded by monsters, realized in her heart.
Her armor was heavily damaged, riddled with claw marks from various monsters that easily tore through the metallic armor, slashing skin and muscle, causing bright red blood to flow.
Yet, Eileen paid no mind to the pain.
Her eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, searching for an opportunity amidst the monsters, until at last, she spotted a weak point.
"Follow me, charge!" Eileen commanded, lifting her greatsword high as she yelled to her soldiers.
That area had fewer monsters, providing the best opportunity for a breakout.
With that, Eileen leapt high, raising her shield before her and slamming it down hard onto the ground.
The earth quivered instantly, many monsters were repelled.
Seizing this chance, Eileen swung her greatsword violently, working with her soldiers to behead the monsters, quickly clearing a monster-free zone.
These battle-hardened soldiers promptly vacated their prior positions.
But the monsters were too numerous; before they could finish clearing the area, new monsters surged forward, filling the gap.
"Now that it has come to this, there is no other way," a streak of determination flashed in Eileen\'s eyes.
She lifted her greatsword once more, a dazzling glow enveloping it, drawing the attention of numerous monsters.
"Sword of Banishment!"
Eileen whispered, subsequently abandoning her shield, holding the greatsword with both hands as she ferociously struck down upon the monsters on the ground.
This was her most powerful skill, a technique that channeled all her strength into the sword, creating a massive wave of sword energy capable of slaying her enemies.
But the price to pay was substantial.
Following the release of the Sword of Banishment, Eileen would plunge into a state of weakness.
In such an environment, the consequences of weakness were unimaginable.
Sssshhhk!
Almost simultaneous with Eileen carving out a path using the Sword of Banishment, the rapacious sharp claws of a green demon pierced through Eileen\'s back, protruding grotesquely from her lower abdomen.
Before she could even register the pain, Eileen\'s consciousness began to fade.
"Am I dying...?"
Eileen murmured softly, a deep sense of unwillingness engulfing her heart.
The soldiers on the ground cried out in anguish: "Commander Eileen!"
But at that moment, the soldiers had no choice but to suppress their pain, hastily taking the path Eileen had cleared to break through.
If not, Eileen\'s sacrifice would be in vain, and everyone would perish here.
Just then, a bolt of silvery-white lightning shot from a not so distant place, accompanied by the pungent smell of charred air.