LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 131: Fenix was cornered
Even with one more enemy down, Fenix still faced four enemies, led by Old Yan. The old man had created a swirling mixture of Dark Poison that steadily thickened around Fenix, each inhalation burning his lungs.
In an attempt to trap him, two underlings, Fire and Earth, launched a flurry of coordinated attacks. Meanwhile, the Wind user channeled a vortex of black gusts, further choking off Fenix's mobility.
"Such a pity," Old Yan sneered, his lips forming a twisted smile. "You were strong—but arrogance is the downfall of many."
He raised his arms. Wisps of poison-laced shadows coalesced overhead, forming the shape of a monstrous, coiling serpent made of black and green miasma.
"Fall to my Serpent of Venom!" he roared, thrusting both hands forward. The phantom serpent shot toward Fenix with its jaws opened widely as its fangs dripped venomous sludge.
Fenix was aware that allowing something to hit him directly may be lethal. With a hoarse howl, he used Flareblade Technique to ignite both swords. The heat was so great that the air shimmered about them. With a mighty upswing, he attempted to cleave the serpent in half.
The clash was intense. Dark poison sizzled against Fenix's fiery slash, filling the air with acrid smells. Though the upper half of the serpent dissolved, its lower section splashed across the ground in a vile puddle, spattering Fenix's boots.
A sensation of numbness slowly spread up his legs. Black spots danced in the corners of his eyes as he coughed fiercely.
"Got you now!" yelled the Dark Fire user, who attacked in with a diagonal slash. Black-and-red flames burst around his sword. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire
Fenix raised his arm to block, twisting his blade desperately to parry. Although sparks flew, Fenix's armor was raked by the hit, resulting in another seeping wound on his side.
"End him!" shouted the Dark Earth user.
He slammed one foot into the ground, causing a new line of earthen spikes to shoot toward Fenix's ankles from behind.
In response, Fenix spun and smashed them apart with a Burning Slash, but the exertion ripped at his wounds, causing him to fall and spill blood on the broken stone.
Whoosh!
The Dark Wind user seized the moment, releasing a concentrated black gale that slammed into Fenix's chest, sending him back several meters.
Fenix crashed to the ground, skidding to a stop near a jagged outcrop. Cringing in pain, he attempted to rise but felt his legs wobble under the venom's creeping effect.
"This is it…" The Fire user advanced, lifting his sword for a finishing blow.
However, before the blade could descend, Anya erupted onto the scene. A swirling Foxfire Whip lashed out, coiling around the Fire user's arm and jerking it away from Fenix's body.
The man's eyes blazed with shock. He then slashed at the whip, trying to sever it, but the foxfire burned with intensity that was too strong for a simple cut.
"Get away from him!" Anya shouted, her usually soft voice edged with fury.
She clenched her free hand, creating a swirling Foxfire Explosion. With a crackling hum, the orb darted forward, crashing into the Fire user's sword. A mini-detonation shook his grip, nearly disarming him.
The Earth user and Wind user swiftly moved, launching dual attacks at Anya with stone spikes from the left and howling black wind from the right.
She crossed her arms in front of her face and braced, tearing her whip from the Fire user's arm. Around her, a half-dome of fire flames blazed as foxfire surged.
Clash!
Through the swirling foxfire, the combined blow hammered her shield, causing it to shatter like spiderwebs.
Anya grimaced, feeling her strength waver under the assault. Maintaining triple stats was a little bit draining, especially after so many powerful techniques.
Still, she endured, pushing back with a fierce cry. The foxfire shield expanded, briefly repelling the stone spikes and swirling darkness.
However, as she repelled those two, Old Yan appeared behind her, his fists encircled by a venomous aura. He intended to hit her in the rear, which may instantly paralyze or kill her.
Fenix, despite his tattered condition, saw the danger. He threw one of his swords across the gap between them, summoning the last of the adrenaline from his Ember Veins.
Old Yan had to veer to escape being impaled as it whirled end over end, wreathed in flames. His momentum was stopped as the blade brushed over his forearm, leaving a small line of blood.
This gave Anya the extra heartbeat she needed to counter the Earth and Wind users. She then charged forward, snapping her foxfire whip in an arc that scorched the Earth user's shoulder and forced him to back away.
Subsequently, she turned with astonishing speed and threw a Foxfire Explosion toward the whirling whirlpool of the Wind user. The orb detonated in midair, dispersing the black gale with a hiss of colliding energies.
Boom!
Anya stood with her hairline drenched in sweat and her chest heaving. She looked at Fenix, who was gasping for air close to the outcrop.
One of his swords lay out of reach, while the other was clenched tightly in his bloodied hand. His face was pale, and he coughed wetly. Yet he gave her a nod of gratitude.
They experienced a brief, silent moment of relief from one another—a breather in the midst of chaos.
Meanwhile, Old Yan ground his teeth in frustration. A trickle of blood ran down his arm where Fenix's thrown sword had grazed him. "You worthless fools! Surround them again!" he snapped at his men. "Don't let them regroup!"
Driven by Old Yan's rage, the Fire and Earth users circled around Fenix again, aiming to finish him off for good. The Wind user started channeling a fresh torrent of black air, and Old Yan himself advanced like a serpent, poison swirling menacingly around his fists.
But one man was still reeling from Anya's earlier onslaught—the chain-wielder had been killed, and the robed illusions user was out of the picture.
Anya understood that, given Fenix's condition, leaving all four alive any longer was a surefire way to end things. They could have a chance if she could remove even one more.
She then flared her Energy as she stretched her foxfire into twin swords again and sprinted for the Dark Wind user, the one so crucial to the group's battlefield control.
He turned just in time to see her coming, raising both hands to launch a razor-sharp gust of black air. Anya countered with a forward thrust of her right-hand blade, creating a wedge of foxfire.
The wind sliced against the flame, sending sparks and gusts flying. For a moment, the two energies clashed in a dazzling standoff, whirling flames and black dust swirling overhead.
Anya took advantage of the situation and cut with her left blade, moving laterally to get over the wind barrier.
The Wind user's eyes widened. He tried to dodge, but her tripled agility was too much for him. His torso was deeply cut by the foxfire sword.
A scream ripped from his throat as he staggered backward and his swirling wind dispersed into random gusts.
Not letting him recover, Anya slammed her palm against his chest, creating a Foxfire Explosion.
Boom!
As the explosion knocked him off his feet, his chest cavity burned and he gasped on his own air. He was flung through the air by the crash and landed in a limp sprawl. Smoke twisted from his motionless body.
In the span of heartbeats, Anya had removed yet another enemy from the fight, leaving Old Yan plus the Fire and Earth users as the only foes standing. A hush settled momentarily, broken only by the crackle of dying flames and Fenix's strained breathing.
Anya let out a shaky exhale. Her limbs trembled from exertion, and her foxfire flickered unsteadily at the edges.
Old Yan's composure cracked for an instant, the corner of his mouth twitching in anger. "You… filthy… fox…" he snarled. He glared at his two remaining underlings, who exchanged anxious glances.
They had never seen their squad decimated so quickly by just two opponents, no matter how powerful. Fear gnawed at them even amid their loyalty to Old Yan.
Fenix, breathing heavily and covered in blood, forced a small smile. Despite the venom in his veins, he forced himself to rise up, clutching his only surviving blade. "You're next, old man," he spoke in a shaky but adamant voice.
Anya then moved to Fenix's side, placing one hand on his shoulder and foxfire fluttering around her free hand as she steadied him.
Despite their weariness and wounds, they faced Old Yan and his two battered comrades together with a glimpse of victory burning in their eyes.
The tide of conflict was shifting. Old Yan was losing the benefit of overwhelming numbers, but they still had to deal with his deadly poison and sinister synergy. Old Yan's face had the tiniest trace of desperation.
With Anya having just killed the Dark Wind user, only three of the enemy remain: Old Yan, the Dark Earth user, and the Dark Fire user.
Although Fenix is badly injured and Anya is nearing her limit, they have reduced a once-overwhelming squad of six to a trio.
A faint wind stirred the scorched clearing, carrying the stench of burnt flesh, ash, and poison. Fenix stood with one sword in hand, trembling from venom coursing through his veins, blood staining his armor.
All three enemies radiated grim resolve, though each sported burns, cuts, or bruises from the furious clash.
Old Yan appeared particularly angry, with his robes frayed and a faint line of blood running down one arm. As he looked over the battlefield, where three of his teammates were dead, every muscle in his face trembled with rage.