Empire Of Souls - Chapter 188

The Cuirassiers on their Scarab mounts collided into a wall of enchanted shields and pikes with extreme ferocity. The pikes pierced through the hard shells of the Scarabs, sending them reeling. Although the pikes pierced the Scarabs, not all of them died. The pikes went deep into their bodies and they screeched in pain sending their riders flying. Many Cuirassiers were thrown from their mounts and set upon by soldiers who were awaiting for this to happen.

Of course, it wasn’t so simple as that. Many of the Cuirassiers got back on their feet quickly and engaged in deadly combat while the impaled Scarabs wreaked havoc everywhere. Behind them, more Cuirassiers came bearing down on them, colliding with those in front and the shield wall, sending many flying. It was a gruesome sight and the fighting instantly became both deadly and vicious. Although the shield bearers and soldiers holding pikes did their best to hold back the Cuirassiers, there was only so much they could do in the face of such power.

Lenia’s auras suddenly radiated outwards, giving her soldiers power that was beyond their level. She also rushed into battle, smashing into both Scarabs and Cuirassiers alike. Her small body compared to the size of the Scarabs was in stark contrast to the damage she was doing. Everywhere she charged, enemies were sent flying whether they be giant scarabs or the Dark Elves that rode them. Using her sword and shield, she massacred the enemy which had come stampeding down on her formation,

Everywhere along the defensive line there was intense fighting. The slave army had been reinforced by the feudal armies which had now decided to act in tandem with the cavalry charge. Lenia’s army partially buckled under the pressure, but eventually started to push back. The central formation especially held firm, crashing against the Dark Elves and their slaves and forcing them back. Lenia’s presence on the right flank bolstered the defense there and they quickly reformed the line while engaging the Cuirassiers who had been unable to smash through. A volley of ballista like arrows came crashing down on them, causing Lenia to shout as she used her strength to smash away many of the arrows.

“Shamans! Summon the beasts now!” She shouted fiercely as she smashed her shield into another Scarab, sending it crashing to the side.

She leaped and stabbed her blade downwards, piercing deep into the body of the scarab killing it instantly. The Cuirassier on its back was dazed for a moment before exclaiming in shock. It’s shock didn’t last long before Lenia made quick work of the Dark Elven rider. Despite the initial success of the shield and pike wall, their line was eventually fully pierced through as thousands of Scarabs continuously smashed into them. They charged straight through the right flank and continued to rampage as they made their return charge.

This wasn’t the end of Lenia’s plan though and soon the heavy cavalry that Lenia had prepared charged straight at the Cuirassiers. They weren’t a match in a straight up charge, but the Cuirassiers who were preoccupied with breaking through the infantry line for a second time, were hit soon after charging back through the front. This collision caught them by surprise and though Lenia’s heavy cavalry weren’t their match and were small in number, they succeeded in distracting them and giving time for the Shamans to summon their beasts. Soon, thousands of beasts came leaping towards them.

The sound of roars from the beasts was deafening as they charged into the Cuirassiers. They savagely attacked, leaping atop the giant scarabs and going straight for the riders on their backs. This wave of beasts continued until they reached the rangers who were providing support from quite a distance away. The rangers fired volley after volley, killing many of the beasts, but there were too many and eventually they were forced to fall back.

The slaves and feudal forces who had been holding back, now charged in to provide support for the Cuirassiers retreat. Using this chance, the remaining Cuirassiers retreated as their reinforcements swarmed in. Lenia continued to fight, but most of her senses were cautiously surveying the area. She knew it could be any moment now before her true opponents made their move. There was no way they would continue to let her rampage on the battlefield. It wasn’t long before a lightning fast whip smashed down towards her which she blocked with her shield. It was a powerful attack, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle with her extreme defensive ability.

Through the swarm of enemy soldiers, a wide pocket of space soon formed and four sinister and beautiful looking Dark Elven women stepped lightly towards Lenia. Each had dark unblemished skin that made them look much younger than their actual age, and their hair was wild and kinky in stark contrast to their distant cousins the Elves. Elves had straight hair that resembled silk, but this did not take away from the natural beauty the Dark Elves exuded in any way. The beauty of the Elves was ethereal, but the Dark Elves had a wild and uninhibited beauty which was equally mesmerizing.

Where these four Dark Elves walked, it was like a pocket of calm in a sea of chaos. The powerful auras which were being released from these four Dark Elves naturally kept everyone away from them. No one dared come near them and their eyes were only locked on to Lenia as they smiled sinisterly.

“It is about time, I thought you would never come out of hiding. I was beginning to grow bored of killing these useless flies.” Lenia spat with anger.

Many of her soldiers had been killed and she was furious. She was waiting for an opportunity to finally release her pent up anger and four such opportunities had happily stepped forward as volunteers. The other Matriarch was not a Legendary being, but she was still a powerful Master class being. This was not a fight she could take part in though and instead she was commanding the feudal forces from somewhere else.

One of the Legendary Matriarchs chuckled gently, “Oh, were you waiting for us? How kind of you to deliver yourself to us. Once we take care of you, this battle will be over and we can go back to enjoying our luxuries. Why not surrender now and save us the trouble?”

Lenia scoffed, “Do you really think I would foolishly step onto the battlefield if I didn’t think I would win? You Dark Elves are truly arrogant.

Another one of the Matriarchs laughed at her words, “Do you actually believe you can walk away alive? Even if you somehow survive the four of us, our goddess is watching. She is only allowing this farce to continue because she fancies you for some reason. Personally, all I see is a disgusting wench, but it is the will of our goddess.”

The four Matriarchs surrounded Lenia, but still kept a good distance from her. There were four of them, but they were still wary of her strength. As the battle raged on all around them, these five were in a world of their own that seemed to ignore the chaos around them. They didn’t realize it yet, but Lenia had already foreseen this exact situation and had ordered her army to slowly retreat from the defensive line while pretending to be pushed back.

Battles between Legendary beings were extremely destructive and she didn’t want to cause too much collateral damage among her army. It would be better to have them continue to retreat in order to get out of harm’s way as much as possible. In reality, the real battle was here between the five of them. It didn’t matter if her army fell back as long as she won here. Lost ground could be reclaimed, but lost lives would never return.

Lenia eyed the four Matriarchs that surrounded her cautiously, and outwardly she appeared concerned. This was just an act, because she already knew that nearby Nelay was hidden and was only waiting for the right opportunity. Lifting her shield before her and preparing her blade in her stance, Lenia’s aura poured out. This was an aura that was not only for the purpose of identifying her as a Legendary being, but also empowered her with buffs. Auras were different in their nature and effect, depending on the class and chosen abilities. Her aura abilities provided various benefits to her and those under her command. Her aura also had some negative status effects it inflicted on enemies, but those wouldn’t have any effect on these four.

The four Matriarchs were the same, and their auras also were released. There was no obvious way for Lenia to know what their auras did however. Nonetheless, whatever negative status effects they might have aimed towards her were negated. There was no way that they would be able to impact Lenia due to her being a High Legendary being. The oldest of the Dark Elves was surprisingly a Mid Legendary being, but the others were only Low Legendary beings. All four were a threat to her, but individually they were too weak to defeat her.

Each Matriarch wielded their own style of weapon and each was unique. One had a whip that looked like the vine of a voracious plant, another wielded a club that looked as if it had been carved out of a tree and was haphazardly shaped. As for the remaining two, one was holding a mysterious glowing flail, and the other a jewel encrusted chakram which shouldn’t be underestimated as purely decorative. Two of these weapons were clearly for close range while the other two could be used at a distance for support. It was a deadly combination and one which Lenia would surely lose to if she were in fact by herself.

Sinister grins were on the voices of the four Matriarchs as they attacked in unison. Lenia was a literal bulwark as she blocked their attacks with her shield and sword. She was the eye of the storm in the center of a hurricane. The attacks of the four Matriarchs fell on her just as strongly, but her defense was almost impenetrable. It was clear she was at a disadvantage, but her vitality drained slowly as each attack only caused minor damage. Her armor and shield took the blows without causing her too much strain. She only needed to create one opportunity and she was patiently waiting for that moment while she took on the attacks of all four Matriarchs.

One aura after another pulsed from Lenia’s body increasingly raising her power as she prepared to make her move. Knight’s aura and Warlord’s aura combined to form Lenia’s ability Guardian Shield. This combined the bonuses from both Knight’s aura and Warlord’s aura and provided additional defense, boosting her PHY ATK by 10%, PHY DEF by 20%, and MAG RES by 10%. In addition to that, she activated her Domain of War aura which was her personal Legendary aura. This boosted her Guardian Shield by an additional 15%. Her increase in power was astronomical and the four Matriarchs who were seeing this first hand were growing somewhat despondent.

“Dammit!” one of the Matriarchs screeched, “Our attacks are barely scratching her. How strong is she really? This is ridiculous!”

“Just keep up the pressure. There is no way she can keep up all of these auras for long. It must be draining her vitality significantly. Keep attacking and don’t hesitate!” replied the eldest of the group.

Lenia smiled, it was a smile as bright as the sun, but the four Matriarchs could only see it as the smile of a devil. They grew much more cautious seeing her sudden calm when she was previously acting as if she was in a dangerous spot. However, they couldn’t let up their attacks and they continued to attack.

“Damn wench! Everytime I hit her with my flail, it stings!”

“Same with my club, she must have an ability that reflects damage. How troublesome! She is much more powerful than we thought, but she shouldn’t be able to last much longer.”

Although it wasn’t much damage, the reflected damage was still painful and a distraction which made them uncomfortable. As for Lenia, she just shrugged off their attacks and continued to defend while looking for an opportunity.

“You!” Lenia pointed her blade at the Matriarch holding the Chakram.

She had finally decided on her target, or at least that was what she wanted them to think. Noticing that the Dark Elf who was wielding the Chakram was the slowest of the four, she activated her ability War God’s Expeditious Charge and flashed over to her like lightning. Hundreds of blows were released almost instantaneously in flashes of light that caught the Matriarch off guard.

It was similar to hundreds of copies of Lenia attacking simultaneously. These attacks were powerful and overwhelmed the Matriarch. The other Matriarchs were also caught off guard, not expecting such a vicious attack. They moved quickly, attempting to help their fellow Matriarch defend against Lenia’s attacks. This was the moment Lenia was waiting for. The Matriarch with the Chakram was not her actual target and she quickly activated her unique ability Ethereal Slash on her real target. Her true target was the Matriarch who was a Mid Legendary being, the one who wielded the strange, but powerful flail.

Lenia aimed her Ethereal Slash at the eldest of the Matriarchs catching her by surprise. This was an extremely powerful attack that could only be used once per battle and cost a huge amount of vitality, but it was well worth it. The attack completely ignored PHY DEF and did twice the damage of a critical attack. This wouldn’t be enough to kill the Matriarch, but it was at that same moment that Nelay chose to attack from the shadows. She slid through space like a serpent, striking at the same exact moment that Lenia’s Ethereal Slash landed on her target.

Nelay, who was completely hidden in stealth and was in her Rogue’s Offensive stance, activated both her Double Strike and Backstab abilities for a staggering amount of damage. Not only had she ignored 50% of her target’s PHY DEF, but she also struck twice, dealing a critical blow to the almost completely undefended Matriarch.