Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 240: Book 4: Chapter 5: Uneasy Delivery

Read chapter 240 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 4: Chapter 5: Uneasy Delivery Chapter 5 It was so painfully by-the-book Alex almost laughed. He half expected the guy to twirl a mustache he didn’t have. “Bandits,” Garret muttered behind him. “I was hoping for a boring trip.” Alex leaned back on the wagon seat, tilting his head at the bandit boss like he was watching an old western play out. “You rehearsed that line?” he called up. “Because it sounded real professional.” The bandit boss did a double take, clearly not used to banter in the middle of a hold-up. Alex smirked. “I’ll save you the trouble, friend. We’re not handing over a damn thing.” The ambush was basically over before it even started. The bandit boss’s shout, thick with bravado and desperation, filtered down to him. “Drop your weapons, and leave the wagons, nice and slow, and maybe I’ll let you live!” Alex almost pitied him. Almost. Kate was the first to move. She was a streak of color, a blinding line of motion and fire. Her rapier pierced forward through the air and the thrust exploded on contact with one of the bandits in a hiss of pressurized flame. He dropped dead less then a second later. The bandit closest to Kate tried get revenge for his fellow rootin-tootin outlow by attacking with his own shortsword. He never even finished his swing—Kate’s blade pierced his chest as well, and the following burst of fire threw him back into the dirt with enough heat to char his skin and leave his armor half-melted. “Get them!” Their would-be leader yelled out, and the rest of the bandits jumped into action. Selka blurred by just as quickly as Kate had, her two daggers flashing like silver in the sunlight. She had learned a bit from Holly and now also moved on the wind, literally, her feet barely touching the ground as she cut between three of the bandits. Each of them were cut down before they even knew that she had passed. Devon knelt behind the wagon, bracing his rifle against the wooden rim. It cracked out over and over as he switched his sights from foe to foe, leaving holes through their bodies with each pull of the trigger. Allie raised both hands to release both Light and Dark aether twisting around her wrists like threads. Her dual-element strikes hit at different speeds, the light beams fast and unstoppable, and blasts of darkness slow but inevitable. Henry, Peter and Garret all protect the wagons on the ground level. More of the bandits trickled from the rocks and tried to assault their position. But just like the women, the three men tore through the bandits with relative ease. Each of the bandits was mere late stage Mortal Tier. Only one or two early gaseous-stage Adepts at best. Alex watched all of it from the center of the wagon train. The squad didn’t need him to give any orders; between the Chimera Dungeon, many trainign session, and the Terraxum war, they knew how to move and fight together now. Every strike was coordinated. Then the bandit leader decided to make it interesting. He raised his blade, and the air around him changed. The dust on the ravine floor dampened in an instant as vapor condensed into ribbons of water, twisting up his arms. His grin turned feral as he activated a spell. “Let’s see how well you dance, soldier boy!” Alex’s lips curved. “Great. He’s got special effects too. Loving this performance, staging is so good.” The man leapt down, landing with a splash that sent ripples through the solid stone. Water flowed from and down his blade, swirling around him in the shape of something like a snake. His aura was unmistakable in Alex [Aether Sight]. Solid Stage Adept. Because of course he was. Alex rolled his shoulders, exhaling through his teeth. He could feel the thrum of his own aether reacting to the challenge of the guy in front of him. The air shimmered with heat as he gathered his own energy inside his body. Lacks-a-mustache man struck first with his sword slashing horizontally, a blade of water shot out after, cutting through the air with the speed of a cannon shot. Alex, s