Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 198: Book3: Chapter 50: A New Enemy (Pt1)

Read chapter 198 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book3: Chapter 50: A New Enemy (Pt1) Chapter 50: A New Enemy You have Slain Primal Chimera, Soldier! + 955 Experience +375 Dungeon Points Once more, the notification confirmed to Alex that these current enemies were just the Hive's soldiers. Their overall strength was rising, but it wasn't close to the peak. They had to do better. He didn’t have the breath for words, just the hiss of air tearing through his lungs and the drumbeat of his own pulse in his ears. The chimera’s twitching legs gave one final spasm before collapsing fully, blood pooling dark against the cracked stones. He stood over it, his fists trembling, knuckles torn and bloody, while his aura still flickered around his frame like an afterimage. His body screamed at him, every nerve ablaze from the punishment of [Bloodwrath] and the burning aura of his Martial Art. For a moment, he swayed, his vision doubling. Then the roar of battle behind him broke through his stupor. The others were still going at it, their spells and shouts echoing through the coliseum as the last of the insectoid guards were hammered down. Alex spat blood, forcing his spine straight and lifted his head. Garret’s shield crashed against another chimera while Henry attacked from behind, splintering through its armor with weapon and spell combined. Kate’s blade lit the dark in a lance of fire and Holly’s wind sliced precise openings for the others to exploit. The air was alight with steel and spell, a storm of color and violence. Alex flexed his bruised hands, feeling the ache deep down even in his bone marrow. Not done yet. He stepped forward, ready to throw himself back into the fray. Because if his fight had proved anything, it was that these things weren’t going to go down easy. And if he was going to keep his team alive through this hive, he’d have to break himself again and again until there was nothing left to break. “Alright… round two.” *** From the moment the squad ventured into the hive’s cave mouth the tunnels pressed in around them, air filled with a damp musk and the sharp tang of chimera shit. Their feet sank into churned earth as the squad descended deeper, the hive walls glowing faintly with veins of energy. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the sensation became. It was like walking down the throat of some vast beast. Alex’s [Aether Sight] painted the labyrinth in threads of light: lines bending, folding, doubling back in maddening patterns. He could feel the presence of the hive pressing all around them, consciousness brushing against his like whispers just out of earshot. A hiss echoed through the passage. Then another. Then a dozen. “Shields up!” Eric said. The front ranks locked in. Henry and Ghrukk braced shoulder-to-shoulder, halberds flaring with spellpower. Garret plopped his shield down with a grunt, metal screeching as the ground vibrated beneath it. Behind them, runes shimmered into place as Doran etched quick glyphs across his shield rim, each mark glowing brighter than the last. Then he set his shield in place next to Garret’s. The attack hit a moment later. Chimera soldiers poured from the tunnels. Their bodies moved with terrifying synchronicity, limbs striking stone as if the entire hive had been trained to kill as one. The tanks took the brunt. Claws screeched against shields, the sound piercing in the narrow tunnel like a siren. Sparks burst from impact points as Henry pushed back with sheer muscle power, his biceps bulging and sweat slicking his brow. Ghrukk yelled out as shadow-fire aura flared around his skin, creating an aura to burn the enemies even as they attacked, turning claw swipes into molten ash. “Attack!” Eric ordered. Spells and steel lanced over the tanks in a coordinated barrage. Holly’s air gales compressed into blades, slicing antennae clean from skulls. Kate darted through gaps, her sword igniting mid-swing, every strike leaving a streak of burning light across chitin. Devon tossed glowing glyph-bolts which detonated mid-air, piercing