Chapter Forty


    Like roaches exposed to the light, Leshi poured out of the gaping hole exposed by the trees uprooting. Noelle roared her fury, and with it came a surge of lightning that burned and electrocuted any Leshi and wolves close by.


    Flashing claws threatened to tear Ambrose’s flesh, but a twirl of Akaroth ended the threat. As he fought, Ambrose sent ropes of wraith-like chains coated in black fire swirling around him.


    His [Infernal Sanctuary] wrapped around many of his foes, making it easy for him to end their lives. Noelle ended them with lightning-wreathed claws.


    It wasn''t just wolves that poured into the area from the surrounding forest; there were insects and even a giant grizzly bear.


    Its growl of wrath shook the ground, and its eyes held a wild light within them.


    Akaroth sparked with arching lightning, and he blasted, slashed, and hacked any enemy that got close.


    Within the mele, he found a rhythm.


    His father used to call it “The Song of Battle” and spent many hours trying to get Ambrose to feel it. More than the clarity of focus, notes of could be felt more than heard. His heart added its own beat, and his rushing blood gave it all depth.


    The sounds of rending flesh, roars of rage, and splitting air became like the rift of a natural guitar. Movements in time added an ethereal beauty to the carnage.


    Hanging over all of them was the weight of the Old Man''s shadow, for he waited to use his scythe once again.


    Attacks and unknown skills sought to end the Infernal Paladin, but his [Infernal Aegis] infused his armor, protecting him as the skill caused his armor to shed smoldering sanguine amber light like lava come to life.


    He tried to use his spirit to suppress his enemies, but something met him every time. It wasn''t the spirit of a single foe, but more like the collected spirit of every Leshi present.


    Ambrose didn''t have time to wonder how that was even possible as the bear engaged him.


    Grizzlies were fierce and huge. If that wasn''t enough, this one was being enhanced somehow. Lightning that should have ended the animal''s life then and there did nothing.


    The bear just did not care.


    Its massive paws batted at Ambrose, who flowed like liquid fire underneath the attack and slashed out with Akaroth as a counter.


    Guts and blood should have been spilling from the animal after that, but yellow glyphs lit up the beast''s fur, and his attack glanced off as if striking armor.


    Ambrose furrowed his brow. He took a breath, and more spectral chains lashed out at the bear, wrapping around it. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Roaring in defiance the bear struggled against the chains, but it was no good. If not for the glyphs, the bear would be dead already.


    At least, that was Ambrose’s initial thought.


    It was quickly disabused as Leshi began to flow towards the bear. A mass of bark, vines, and branches pierced the grizzly bear as it howled in pain.


    Muscles undulated, and sick popping sounds came from the bear''s bones as its form elongated and grew.


    Before long, what stood before Ambrose was an abomination of tree and bear. The bear had become a titanic tree monster twice larger than before.


    To Ambrose, it looked like a vaguely bear-shaped tree ent. Spirit poured from it like water from a hydrant.


    He used [Retributions Gaze] to get some idea of what he was dealing with.


    [Leshi Bear Horror Level 195]: Altered by the collective will and mana of the Leshi, this bear is now a titan of their race. It defends its home from intruders.]


    It''s almost level two hundred, fuck! Ambrose almost let the thought shatter his focus. The battle rhythm shook, and he nearly fell out of tune with it.


    Lifting a massive leg covered in fur, bark, and lime green vines, the bear horror tried to stomp on him.


    In response, Ambrose opened a portal that he intended to step through and reappear behind the beast.


    Except it didn''t work out that way. A vine lashed out, pulsing with acidic mana, and cut through his portal, shutting it closed in a burst of embers and falling ash.


    All of his training came to bear to keep him focused and not in absolute shock at what had just happened.


    Instead, he flooded more mana into [Infernal Aegis] so his spiritual skill would better protect him. Just in time as the massive limb descended with the inevitability of a crashing building.


    He was smashed into the ground, and if it weren’t for his quick thinking, he would have experienced what an empty soda can experienced in a trash compactor.


    Dirt exploded around him as if he had fallen from orbit. Infernal mana infusing his armor flared as the limb lifted off him, allowing moonlight to shine on his currently prone form.


    The limb lifted up once more, and Ambrose knew he probably couldn''t withstand another attack like that.


    Pale chains like molten silver and starlight painted with a brush of twilight flame, wrapped around the limb and yanked to the side.


    Pulled off its intended trajectory, the Leshi horror roared as it was sent falling. Vines burst from its back, holding it upward and preventing its massive fall.


    It was enough for Ambrose to stumble upward.


    Hefting Akaroth, the sky above turned, churning with dark clouds of gray and blue. Thunder detonated with an almighty boom across the vast sky, leaves rippling from the surge of air.


    From the wingbeat of a dragon comes a storm! Akaroth roared in his head as lightning answered her call.


    Noelle’s form was a shadow of the storm as she leaped onto the bear, tearing fur and bark flesh and sending lightning pulses into the creature.


    Acid light popped through the night like a bubble from the horror as it howled, vines wrapping around Noelle and flinging her into the air.


    Ambrose unmanifested her before she could impact the ground and the Arcane Tiger sent him a wave of anger at the action.


    Glyphs lit up along the creature’s form as lightning struck it. Opening its maw, acidic liquid poured from it in a tidal wave headed straight for him.


    Using [Hellfire Manipulation], Ambrose created a shield of fire that he placed in front of himself. Acid met dark carmine flame, and the air warped and shook with power as the resulting explosion of sound added to the cacophony of the storm and chaos around them.


    Some droplets still managed to touch him, sizzling as they burned away. His skill kept him safe, but a whole wave of the stuff might have gotten through.


    This was why he was worried as the bear monstrosity unleashed another wave of acidic liquid towards him.


    His fire flickered, and Ambrose put more mana into it, gritting his teeth. Vines from the forest struck out toward him like striking vipers.


    Lightning collided with the vines, turning them into charred remains. But the grizzly wasn''t done.


    Like a rising tide, the acid flooded over the fire and directly towards Ambrose’s head.