Chương 130: Chapter 127: War in the Skies (1)

Next were the skills Lightning Bolt and Whirlwind. Stormcaller's Fury (Ancient) Unleashing the combined might of lightning and furious winds, Stormcaller's Fury allows the user to summon a powerful vortex of electrical energy that spirals outward, striking nearby enemies with arcs of lightning. Okay, this was very similar to Eye of the Storm, but the ability to push enemies away could be a game-changer, making it even harder to pin him down in a fight.

Next were his two strongest skills: Eye of the Storm and Lightning Bolt Barrage. Thunderous Eye (Legendary) Unleashing the fury of the storm, Stormcaller's Fury envelops the user in a powerful vortex of raging winds while summoning a relentless downpour of lightning bolts from the sky. When activated, hurricane-force winds surround the user, creating a protective barrier that deflects weaker projectiles and hinders enemy movement.

Within this vortex, lightning rains down from above, striking enemies in a wide area around the user. The combination of violent winds and unrelenting electrical strikes creates a chaotic battlefield, disorienting foes and dealing significant damage over time. The user can move freely within the storm, turning the ability into a mobile tempest of destruction. Upon deactivation or the end of its duration Okay, this ability was just broken.

Eagly now had two skills that could target wide areas and wreak absolute devastation on his enemies. The new skills would make it even harder to track him down in the storm. Such powerful domain skills would make him a pain to deal with, and when someone would manage to get closer, he could blast him away with stormcallers fury. Time to get moving and see what these newcomers were up to, Thalion thought with a grin. He couldn't wait to test his new skills.

Thalion launched himself into the air with Mistform to rendezvous with the other guards and scouts aboard the Skywarden Bastion, their strongest skyship to date.

"Good to see you all. What's the current situation?" Thalion asked Kaldrek, who stood on the deck behind the steering wheel. Maike and several council guards were also present.

"Five heavily armed skyships have encountered one of our scout ships and are now chasing it toward our position," Kaldrek reported grimly.

"We have our strongest fighters aboard the skyships, but I'm not sure we can win a battle. The scouts reported they have heavy cannons and magical weaponry on board."

"Do we have any information on their levels?" Thalion asked, though he wasn't overly concerned. After his recent power-up, he couldn't see how these newcomers could pose a real threat to him.

"Yes, most of their fighters are around level 75, but these are likely not their strongest," Kaldrek replied with a sigh, clearly not looking forward to the fight. Thalion scanned the assembled group, noting that most of his allies were around level 72, with some nearing level 80. All in all, their strength wasn't bad.

"We know nothing about their classes," Edrion added, his tone heavy with concern. He, too, seemed apprehensive about the upcoming battle. It was time for a grand speech to get his people in the right mindset. Thalion flew a few meters into the air and addressed everyone, including those on the two nearby ships.

"Listen up! We're about to be attacked by other survivors who aim to slaughter every last one of us. Those fools clearly don't realize who they're dealing with! You all look down, afraid to lose your lives. Let me tell you how I see this threat.

"We may only have three strong ships at the moment, but wait—our generous neighbors are about to deliver five powerful battleships straight to us, along with a bounty of experience and credits!" Thalion's voice grew louder with each sentence, amplified by mana and conviction.

"They think they can kill us? Let's show them how wrong they are! And I don't want a single scratch on this beauty here." He gestured to the ship.

"Set all sails—our destiny lies ahead!" Thalion landed back on the deck as the crew sprang into action, working hard to prepare all three ships for battle. Kaldrek, Edrion, and Maike stared at him with wide eyes. It seemed he had struck the right chord; many among the crew were now animatedly discussing how to divide the loot after their victory. Moments later, all three ships were speeding toward their destination, sails fully deployed.

Thalion sat down and began purifying his blood, pushing out impurities and refining it to new heights. The process came so naturally to him now that he could do it without the need for meditation. He was not back in the same shape before the crafting of his sword, but it was close.

"Uh, Thalion, how exactly are we going to fight those ships? Do we have a plan?" Kaldrek asked after about twenty minutes, his voice tinged with concern. It was a good question. Destroying heavily rune-protected ships would require some thought.

"First, tell everyone to stay away from me. I don't need any help," Thalion replied after a moment.

"I want as many people as possible on our larger ships, fueling the shields and weapons with power. Our elite fighters should circle the enemy ships, looking for openings. You just need to stall them while I take them down one by one." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Are you sure about this? I know you're strong, but their leaders might be close to E-grade—or even evolved," Kaldrek warned, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"Yes, I'm sure," Thalion said with unwavering confidence.

"The faster ones will distract them while the rest hold the line, firing every weapon and magic circle we've got. This ship will be under your command—maneuver it so not all of their ships can concentrate fire on one of ours." Such a fight would be perfect for harvesting more souls for his amulet, and Thalion wasn't about to waste the opportunity. Before he could start another round of blood purification, an archer at the bow cried out, "Ships ahead!"

In an instant, Thalion used a telekinetic dash to appear beside the archer and scanned the horizon. Five small black dots loomed in the distance, closing in rapidly. It was time for slaughter, and Thalion eagerly anticipated filling his amulet with souls. Transforming into his eagle form, he surged forward, activating Tempest Glide. As he approached, he saw that out of the five ships, three were absolutely massive, each boasting five thick masts.

The decks were packed with soldiers, all wearing identical armor adorned with a crimson emblem that resembled a demonic red eye.

"Are they blessed by a demon?" Thalion wondered.

"It's almost certain. Anyone strong enough to command such a fleet would likely have a blessing." Despite his approach, no long-range attacks came his way—evidence that they didn't see him as a serious threat. Big mistake. When he was close enough, Thalion unleashed a charged lightning beam at one of the smaller ships on the left flank. The ship's shields flickered and cracked in several places under the powerful assault, likely because there weren't enough crew members on deck to sustain them.

Still moving at high speed, Thalion zipped past the formation, hearing shouts and commands erupt from the enemy ships. Circling back, he observed the damaged ship from behind, keeping a safe distance. The shields weren't bubble-like barriers enveloping the entire ship; instead, they rose from the railings and could be adjusted to protect specific areas like the sails.

"Not bad," Thalion thought, studying the shields.

"But what's the best way to get onboard? Maybe diving under the ship and blasting a hole in the hull would work." With that plan in mind, Thalion dove underneath one of the enemy vessels and aimed a charged lightning beam directly at its hull. His body hummed with power as the electricity in his form surged to new heights, feeding off the energy from his horns. Time to see how strong both his enemies—and his newly fused abilities—really were.

Sadly, his attack didn't even leave a scratch, and he could hear shouts from above. He didn't have much time left before they sent a warrior down to deal with him. The good news was that, despite the strength of his attacks, he hadn't done any noticeable damage to the ship yet. This was likely why they viewed him as more of an annoyance than a real threat. When Thalion reached the space directly beneath the ship, he switched back to his human form.

Holding himself steady against the hull with vines from the sanguine thorn, he slashed upward. The blade—empowered by its recent upgrades—was now on a completely different level, easily triple the strength it had before. The force behind the slash was just enough to penetrate the ship's sturdy hull, creating an opening. Thalion shifted into mist form and slipped inside. Below deck, the ship was a hive of activity. It seemed they were preparing for a full-scale invasion, with hundreds of soldiers crowding the area.

Thalion couldn't tell how many levels the ship had, but it was clearly constructed for troop transport. The ceiling stretched over 50 meters high, although only thirty people were stationed on this particular floor. There definitely was some space manipulation going on. They all turned to him in surprise, but some reacted quickly, firing skills at him. Unfazed, Thalion unleashed his power, activating several skills simultaneously.

He met the incoming attacks with a slash from the Blade of the Blooded Templar, releasing a powerful red mana slash. The sword vibrated with such overwhelming energy that it was difficult to hold. Forcing him to switch to a two-handed grip to hold on to the weapon. At the same time, he activated blood harvest on the eleven fighters behind him. Three managed to resist the pull, but the others were drained of their blood, which flowed toward Thalion in crimson rivers.

His mana slash obliterated the incoming attacks, killing over eleven fighters in a single move. Thalion's speed and reflexes were too fast for the remaining fighters to react. He triggered mistform again, appearing between them and cutting them down in quick succession. Moments later, the last of the fighters on this level had fallen. He estimated there was at least one more level above him before he could reach the deck. An alarm blared throughout the ship, echoing through its massive interior.

Thalion, however, felt no fear. With his connection to the Outsider, his power and healing abilities had increased exponentially. The Outsider, described as a spirit of life and power, had clearly been aptly named. As the amulet around his neck absorbed the souls of the fallen, Thalion noticed something new: it no longer required him to be near his targets. Souls from across the entire level flowed into the amulet without any effort on his part.

Some corpses were over 50 meters away, yet the amulet claimed their souls effortlessly. A final activation of Blood Harvest drained the remaining corpses of their blood, and the Sanguine Thorn hummed with delight as it fed on it. Normally, Thalion would have charged up the stairs to kill the remaining crew, but a sense of danger stopped him. He could feel a trap waiting for him at the top. Instead, he turned his attention to the ceiling. Unlike the ship's hull, the ceiling wasn't nearly as robust.

Gripping his sword with both hands, Thalion prepared to test its limits. Channeling mana into a slash, he unleashed a mana slash with as much power as he could muster. The attack tore through the ceiling like paper, exposing the blue sky above. The strike was so powerful it even damaged the ship's mainmast, sending pieces of it crashing to the side. Satisfied with the result, Thalion didn't stop. He unleashed mana slash after mana slash, each one further devastating the floor above.

In total, he fired over twenty strikes, completely destroying the level above and creating several openings to the deck. The amulet pulsed as it absorbed more souls from the fallen crew members. Thalion halted his onslaught and activated blood harvest, drawing all remaining blood from the corpses above him. The sanguine thorn absorbed it all eagerly and wasn't even close to being satisfied. Using mistform once more, Thalion reappeared on the deck.

The captain, a woman clad in black armor, pointed at him and began to shout something. Before she could finish, Thalion activated the fear effect of his armor, combined with blood harvest and the vines of the sanguine thorn. The scream died in her throat as her blood was violently ripped from her body. Overwhelmed by the mental assault from his armor, she had no chance of resisting. Most of the crew on deck met the same fate, their blood drained in an instant.

Those who resisted were swiftly killed by the sanguine thorn's deadly vines. With the deck cleared, only a few fighters remained below deck. Thalion could feel his amulet growing in power as it absorbed the souls of the dead. Taking a moment to scan the surroundings, he saw that all five enemy ships had slowed to a crawl. Turning his gaze ahead, he quickly understood why. Five hundred meters away, his three ships awaited, bolstered by numerous light scouting vessels. The real battle was about to begin.