Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 228: Book 3: Chapter 79: Dance Floor

Read chapter 228 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 79: Dance Floor Chapter 79: Dance Floor The Shadow Queen emerged from the treeline like a nightmare, her carapace so black it seemed to drink in the very light around her. Her wings whispered with every twitch, carrying a sound that made the air itself feel thinner and caustic to the lungs. Tendrils of shadow wriggled and spread across the ground, writhing like snakes searching for prey. Garret’s knuckles went white around his shield strap. He’d promised himself, had promised Alex, Selka, and Cole, that he’d be the wall here. Nothing was getting through him, not this time. Henry stood to his left, his halberd planted like a stake in the earth. Greenish-blue essence wound down the large man's arms, pooling into the dirt. Already the ground trembled faintly as roots stirred below him, answering his call. He glanced sideways at Garret once, their eyes meeting. Henry gave him a sharp nod, Garret returned it silently, no words were needed. It was the bro-code way. Eric paced forward a half-step ahead of them, his hands were already showing arcs of lightning crawling around them, sparks dancing between his fingers. He didn’t look back at Henry or Garret. But without even looking, he trusted that they’d have his six. And behind them, Myrae stood with both hands raised and light aether spilling from her palms in waves. She didn’t throw light beams or bolts at the Queen like Allie would have, not yet anyway. Her task was harder than that. The shadows were her target. In the immediate area the darkness was almost a living thing, stretching and thickening as the Queen spread her influence around them. Myrae’s job was to do the opposite, her light poured into the area, burning the shadows away wherever they crept too close. The effort left sweat beading on her brow within seconds, and the fight hadn't even truly started yet. The Shadow-queen clicked her mandibles once, releasing an almost dissapointed sound, before slinking forward. Garret brought his shield down, slamming it into the dirt as he braced. The following impact rattled him to his bones, and he felt her claws scraping deep scratches across the reinforced metal. Yet he held. Henry’s vines erupted from the ground in answer to the Queen getting too close, thick cords of plant life and wood wrapped around her legs. They tightened like shackles, bark creaking under the strength in her limbs as she pulled against them. She snapped one vine with a twist of her claws, but two more lashed up to bind her arms. “Now!” Henry shouted. Eric was already moving into position before Henry uttered a syllable. Lightning surged down his body, the charge so strong his hair would have stood on end, if he had any. He blurred forward, his form a white-hot streak. His palm strike contacted the Queen’s shoulder, sending a spray of black blood into the air. The Queen chittered a pained cry in response, retreating a step from Eric. It was the first blow and they had already drawn blood. It was a good sign. With that exchange, victory seemed possible. But the shadows hissed their response. The darkness erupted from her body in the shape of multiple long thin spears stabbing outward. Garret stepped in front of Eric as the dark aether lances rushed towards them, shield raised high. He gruntrf as the hardened aether hammered into him again and again. Each impact made his teeth rattle, but he refused to drop his shield. Behind him, Myrae’s voice rose higher and higher in a spell-chant. “Lux— purga! ” Her light erupted even brighter, a golden-blue radiance banishing the immediate shadows in front of them. The attacking lances shattered into pieces, and then began dissolving into smoke, giving Garret the breathing room he needed. The Queen’s head whipped toward Myrae. She screeched and the shadows surged toward the light mage instead. Myrae staggered backward, hands shaking as she flung light aether into the tide of darkness, keeping it back for a moment. Henry’s vines burst from the ground agai