Chapter 226: A Storm Of Shards


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    With a flick of his wrist, Chase unleashed a storm of ice shards that pierced through the undead, each shard embedding itself with a sharp crack. "Ice Shard Barrage!" he shouted, the sound of ice shattering echoing in the air as the undead staggered backward, frozen in ce.


    "Impressive!" Xaiver called back. "Keep it up, Chase!"


    Chase pushed further. He thrust his hand forward, causing sharp ice spikes to spring up from the ground. They shot up like spears, impaling any undead that stood where they emerged.


    "Ice Spikes!" he yelled, gritting his teeth in concentration. The spikes erupted from beneath the feet of another group of undead, catching them off guard and freezing them solid in an instant.


    "Damn, that''s awesome!" Mia shouted as she used her wind maniption to propel herself into the air, dodging an iing swing from a rusted sword. "Keep those spikesing, Chase!"


    With a nod, Chase continued to create ice spikes, maintaining a steady barrage while his teammates engaged the undead. One particrly agile Undead Dragon Kin charged at him, sword raised, past the multiple ice shards he hurled at it. Chase simply narrowed his eyes, seeming unfazed. Once it was close enough, Chase summoned a spear of ice and hurled it.


    "Ice Spear!" he shouted, the spear piercing through the undead''s chest before erupting in a burst of frost, freezing it solid.


    The team pressed on as they adapted to the chaos. Derek stepped up, manipting the earth beneath his feet.


    "I''ll create some cover for us!" he shouted, raising a wall of stone between the team and the oing undead. The wall erupted from the ground, blocking several undead from reaching them.


    "Nice one, Derek!" Lisa shouted, swinging her mede to catch an undead off guard, slicing its neck clean off. mes slowly emerged around her as she struck down another creature, their bodies engulfed, embers swirling around her. "Let''s turn up the heat!"


    As the wall crumbled and the undead began to break through, Xaiver charged around the iing monsters, his speed allowing him to evade effortlessly. He spun and shed, taking down more and more monsters.


    "Keep pushing! We''re doing great!" he encouraged, ncing back at his team as they rallied together.


    The undead charged forward, their decayed limbs jerking with speed as they swung rusted swords and ws. Chase stepped back, his arms raised, summoning another wave of Ice Spikes. His hands trembled slightly from the intense mana drain, but his movements were not sloppy yet.


    As the spikes erupted from the ground, they impaled several undead, freezing them in ce with loud, cracking ice.


    Mia darted through the air, her light frame lifted by swirling gusts of wind beneath her feet. With her Wind de, she shed horizontally, sending a sharp arc of wind that sliced through the legs of the undead, causing them to copse in a heap.


    She twirled mid-air, dodging a w swipe from another as it tried to leap at her, its ragged body barely missing her as she soared higher.


    Below her, Derek stood, his feet nted wide as he manipted the earth beneath him. He thrust his hands forward, sending a Stone Fist from the ground-arge chunk of earth that smashed directly into an undead Dragon Kin warrior, shattering its bones and sending it flying back.


    As more undead pressed closer, Derek raised his arm, creating a Stone Shield that deflected a powerful swing from one of the rusted swords, the impact sending tremors through the stone, but it remained firm.


    Lisa moved in close to the frontlines, her mede ignited brightly. She took a deep breath, her legs shifting into a ready stance as she charged forward, her sword cutting cleanly through a charging undead. She twisted her body to the left to avoid a sword swipe from another undead, then shed upward, severing its arm with a quick flick of her wrist.


    Embers could be seen around her as she struck again, mes leaping to consume the remains of her foes.


    "Behind you, Lisa!"


    She swiftly turned around to see a particrly massive undead bringing its fangs down on her.


    VOOM.


    Before it could touch her, Xaiver zipped past her, his sword shing in the dim light. He ducked under an iing strike from an undead''s sword, his knees bending deeply before he countered with an upward sh, cleaving through the creature''s torso.


    As it fell to its knees, he delivered a killing blow by slicing its neck.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He straightened his back, whipping his head to check the rest of his team before darting toward the next threat.


    Chase breathed heavily, his breathing out as a cold mist around him. The mana drain was getting to him, but he pushed forward.


    An undead broke through the ice wall he made, rushing straight for him, but Chase was ready. He twisted his wrist, summoning a spear of ice. With a swift throw, the Ice Spear pierced the undead through the chest, freezing it mid-stride before shattering into shards.


    To his left, Karl let out a roar as he charged into a group of undead, his heavy body plowing through them. His massive war hammer swung in wide arcs, crushing skulls and shattering bones with every strike.


    He ducked under an iing de, nting his feet firmly on the ground before swinging his hammer upward, lifting an undead off the ground and sending it flying back into the horde.


    "Good work everyone! Keep the pressure up!" Xaiver shouted, his movements bing a blur. He was nearly everywhere at once, cutting through undead with swift, clean strikes. He pivoted on his toes, narrowly avoiding a w swipe before countering with a downward sh that severed an undead''s head from its shoulders.


    The wave of undead began to thin, their numbers dwindling as the team worked in perfect synchronization. Lisa twirled her sword, mes licking the air as she cut down another two with a quick double strike. Mia swooped down, using her wind to throw off an undead''s bnce before slicing through its back with a sharp, focused wind de.


    Derek raised both hands, summoning a final Stone Fist that crashed down on a remaining undead, smashing it into the ground with a massive...


    BOOM.


    The few remaining undead stumbled forward, their movements sluggish and weakened.


    "Almost there," Chase muttered, his voice strained from the exertion. He summoned onest wave of Ice Spikes, sending them shooting from the ground, impaling the final undead in


    their path.


    As thest of the undead fell, their bodies crumbling into dust, Xaiver raised his hand, signaling the team to halt. "Everyone, hold. We''re clear... for now."


    The team gathered in the center, their breathing heavy but relieved. "Rest for a moment," Xaiver instructed, his tone steady. "But stay on your toes. This dungeon won''t give us much


    time before the next-"


    "Graahaaaa."


    The air was suddenly pierced by a massive roar that echoed through the city. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and a chill crept down their spines.


    "W-what was that?" Mia gasped, her eyes wide as she looked around.


    "Everyone, stay alert!" Xaiver shouted. The team instinctively turned their heads toward the


    source of the sound.


    In the distance, against the backdrop of the dark sky, a massive bluish glow could be seen approaching in the clouds.