Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 138: Book 2: Chapter 52: Traps

Read chapter 138 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 2: Chapter 52: Traps Book 2: Chapter 52: Traps The horns of Terraxum blared through the mist, sharp and triumphant. Drums pounded in rhythm with the soldiers’ march, their boots slamming the earth as the offensive surged forward. From the ridge, the Earthbreakers descended with the precision of predators, cutting through straggling defenders as they made their way toward the sprawling Aeralith warcamp below. The camp itself was chaos, soldiers scrambling to form ranks, commanders shouting orders, warbeasts chained and roaring against their handlers, yearning for bloodshed. Smoke curled into the air as spells arced like falling stars across the field. Alex led the push, his team falling into formation around him. They carved their path toward the camp’s outer wall, weaving through Aeralith’s defensive forces like a knife through cloth. Everything was going to plan. Until it wasn’t. They moved swiftly the squad in formation together, then the ground beneath Kate’s feet flared with sigils. “DOWN!” Alex shouted. She launched backward just as a jagged pillar of light erupted where she’d stood, searing the air with a deafening crack! The sigil didn’t fade, it pulsed brightly, Alex watched as fire aether was pulled in by the light, feeding on the lingering heat of Kate’s flames, before exploding again in a cascade of fire. Around them, more glyphs ignited, all of them were intricate, pre-laid patterns hidden under the mud and mist. Each one keyed not to random targets, but to their personal aether. Peter cursed, already forming light construct barriers. “These aren’t normal mines! They’re attuned to our signatures!” A wall of water surged toward them, conjured by a chain of triggered glyphs. Holly twisted it aside with wind, only for shadow-laced spikes to burst from the ground behind her. Eric deflected a blast aimed for Allie, his shield glowing hot from the impact, before the around him suddenly vibrated and crackled with lightning, forcing him to drop his shield and jump backwards with the help of his ring. The air filled with a storm of elemental traps, magic layered on magic, designed to hem them in and crush them. Alex’s mind raced. Whoever had set this had studied them, really studied them. Each glyph or enchantment that went off wasn’t random. The effects were too precise, counters to their moves, their affinities, their habits. “Pull back!” he barked, shoving Devon clear of another detonating rune and tossing up a [Shield] with his offhand. “This field is a trap, a damn death cage.” They fell back, step by step, fighting off the barrage with sheer reaction speed and luck. Aether burned in their veins, blades clashed against conjured steel, and the world roared with fire, wind, water, and shadow. When they finally broke free of the spell-laden ground, gasping and slick with sweat, the traps behind them shimmered one last time before sinking back into the earth like dying embers. Garret leaned against his barely recovered shield, his voice tight. “That wasn’t accidental. That was… for us.” Alex scanned the battlefield with careful consideration. Beyond the smoke and chaos, he could feel it, an intelligence at work, calculating and cold. “ Lots more traps out there. Now that I know what to look for, I can show you. ” Obby begin lighting up his vision, a red aura flashing over mine and other traps. There were dozens of them still. “They knew we were coming,” he said, his voice low. “And they want us to keep walking right into their plan. Dance to their tune.” The realization hung heavy, they’d been baited. He had no doubt who had done this. The only person he’d found on the opposing side that had out-shined him, in power, and now in strategy. The Soaring Heir, well played… He didn’t have to wait long for his suspicions to be confirmed. The ridge fell silent for only a heartbeat. The wind shifted, carrying with it the tang of iron and the scent of rain. Then six silhouettes emerged through the fog, descending the opposite s