Chapter 985: Lightning and Tendrils


    ?


    <What the...?> Richard was confused, and frankly even scared, because he could swear he felt Erik''s voice in his head.


    <I have telepathic abilities, Richard. Listen to me now. I will give you a chance; leave the


    battlefield. I can''t keep fighting like this, and I can''tpletely unleash my power if I have to keep you safe.>


    <If I do, all the attacks will be on you.> It was weird for Richard to talk to Erik this way, but regardless, he had to do it.


    <Don''t worry. Even if the situation isplicated, this is nothing I can''t take care of. But that is only if 122 people fight. The problem is that I can tell that at least 300 ckguards areing from the base. You must leave regardless.>


    [LEVEL UP.]


    Erik kept killing during the entire conversation.


    Thought-conversations were much faster than normal ones. This whole discussion was happening in a couple of seconds.


    Erik kept dashing around, but the fight was bing harder since Volkov was figuring out how to counter the mist and Erik''s invisibility.


    <All right... How do you n to give me the chance?>


    <I will make copies of you and... take off my invisibility.>


    Richard was seriously thinking Erik was crazy, especially because the illusions within the base were still keeping the ckguards inside away from here. Those thoughts, of course, went to him.


    <I''m not crazy.>


    <You heard it?>


    <Just get the hell out of here, Richard.>


    With that, Erik made the illusions and took off his invisibility, but the mist became much stronger than before.


    The effect of Erik''s invisibility dissipated, and he became fully visible to the ckguards. In an instant, pandemonium erupted on the battlefield.


    "There he is!" Volkov said. His shout directed all the attention toward the man. Lightning crackled as Volkov summoned another bolt, aiming for Erik.


    Erik''s muscles tensed, and he leapt to the side. The lightning bolt struck the pir of ice behind which Erik hid.


    Zakir didn''t wait, either. His tendrilsshed out. He wanted to snare Erik and get his revenge for the humiliation he faced three years before.


    Erik dove low, rolling to avoid the grasping appendages. One tendril skimmed past his ear, and he twisted his body to dodge another that came sweeping in from the left.


    Erik''s senses heightened as he sidestepped a sword thrust, the de whistling past his ribs. He pivoted, evading a heavy mace swing aimed at his head.


    "Fuck, this is harder than I thought."


    Volkov was growing impatient. It looked like Erik Romano was ying with them-123 ckguards and the most powerful man in Frant, him. "Surround the fucker!"


    Erik''s eyes darted around, assessing the situation. He had to keep moving and keep the pressure off Richard.


    He spotted a group of ckguards converging from his right and dashed left, slipping between two attackers.


    One swung a spear at his back, but he dropped to the ground, sliding beneath the weapon. Then he avoided aser bolt.


    The ckguards couldn''t use them at this point since they would only kill theirrades if they did. That was also true for some kind of brain crystal powers.


    Erik knew that, and he was taking advantage of that fact. But of course, the ckguards could always make it so that he ended up in a ce where ranged attacks became possible.


    A ckguard lunged at him with a dagger, but Erik spun on his heel, dodging the strike and delivering a swift kick to the guard''s knee, making him fall.


    He heard the crackle of lightning again and threw himself behind another ice pir, which absorbed the strike meant for him.


    In the meantime, Zakir attacked him, using his tendrils to move in impossible and weird ways and whip at him at the same time.


    Erik jumped back as a tendril whipped past his face, then dove as another came from above. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a third that aimed for his legs.


    "He''s too fast!" Volkov grimaced. "Destroy those fucking pirs, you morons!"


    Erik nced toward Richard''s position, seeing his illusions in action. Multiple copies of the old man moved through the mist.


    The real Richard moved among the crowd. But it wasn''t easy for the older man. He still had to fend off those who saw him, and they weren''t a few, nor were they weak.


    Erik took a deep breath, focusing again on evading the swarm of attacks. A sword arced toward his neck, but he bent backward, the de missing by a hair breath.


    He straightened, blocking a punch with his forearm and countering with a swift elbow to the attacker''s jaw.


    Volkov unleashed another surge of lightning. Erik created a quick ice barrier, but this time, the electricity split and arced around it, forcing Erik to dive to the ground.


    He then rolled to his feet, sprinting toward a group of ckguards, using their bodies as shields against the lightning. He turned, seeing that the ckguards had destroyed many of


    the pirs.


    "Fuck."


    He channeled mana again, and then he made some new ones, but his mana dwindled. Volkov looked at him with fury zing in his eyes.


    Zakir lunged at him again, his tendrils extending.


    Erik jumped, flipping over the tendrils, andnded in a crouch, hurrying to avoid the next


    attack.


    His instability brain crystal power red because he heard the thoughts of a ckguarding from the inside of the prison.


    <They are almost here.>


    That distracted him a little, because a ckguard he didn''t notice swung an axe at him, and he ducked, the heavy de burying itself in the ground. Though, he almost got hit.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    <Fuck, I can''t get distracted.>


    Erik then sidestepped a spear thrust, then kicked the weapon from the guard''s hand. A tendril whipped toward his face, and he leaned back, feeling the rush of air as it missed him.


    <C''mon, Richard!>


    <I''m almost there!>


    Erik''s heart pounded as he evaded another lightning strike, then spun to avoid a pair of ckguards who tried to nk him.


    He kicked one in the chest, sending him crashing into hisrades.


    "GET HIIIIM!"


    Erik turned to look at Richard. He was having too much trouble getting out.


    "Shit!" Erik channeled mana again and increased the amount of mist inside the courtyard. Visibility was almost zero at that point.


    He heard a frustrated roar from Volkov as another lightning strike was absorbed by an ice


    pir the man didn''t see.


    <I''M OUT!>


    "FINALLY!"