NOVGO.NET CHAPTER 141: THE LAST NIGHT EVENT II
Kael and the others had a slight change in expression when they saw the soul weapon Elena summoned.
A violin appeared in her hands, its body carved from dark crimson wood and adorned with intricate golden patterns. Its four strings shimmered faintly under the light of the lightning bursting through the dark clouds, while an inexplicable pressure radiated from the instrument.
It was beautiful, elegant, and strangely ominous.
-HHRRRROOOOARRR!
The sudden ruckus drew Kael and the others' attention back to the long vertical crack that seemed to part the space two hundred meters away from what remained of the academy.
From the darkness of the space crack, a massive limb suddenly stepped out.
Kael gripped the hilt tighter in his left hand, the blue in his eyes intensifying as he watched a massive boar emerge.
The creature stood nearly four meters tall at the shoulder, its body covered in black hide, with thick muscles bulging beneath like coiled steel. Two enormous tusks curved outward from its snout, their surfaces glowing with a blue sheet of mana.
The enormous boar took steps that shook the ground beneath it, and as more of its kind emerged from the space crack, its crimson, bestial eyes, still retaining a bit of its intelligence, fell on the humans some distance away.
-HHRRRROOOOARRR!
A deep bellow escaped the mouth of the powerful boar, the others soon joining to announce their arrival.
The human survivors at the back of the formation trembled as they covered their ears, some already breaking down in tears.
Unfortunately for them, weakness would not be tolerated this night.
"Shooters to the front!" The Principal shouted the instant the boars bellows seized. "Quickly, aim and fire!"
Despite the fear that gripped their bodies, the survivors knew they had to contribute. That was one point the old man had made clear when they prepared their plan.
After his own experience in his trial, while his nature hadn't been changed in any way, he had still realized he couldn't continue to shelter these survivors. He would only be delaying their growth and making them even more dependent on his protection while condemning them to helplessness when they eventually had to face danger without him.
Nine students, out of which five were girls, moved to the front. The female teacher who Logan had been lusting after stood at the front of the group. As for the four now controlled by Rose, they stood at the sides, waiting for their master's command.
The female teacher raised the mana-enhanced weapon that resembled a AR-15-style rifle with shaky hands. Thankfully, the system skills were automatic; if not, many of those on the battlefield wouldn't be worthy of even standing there. Without the system's assistance, fear alone would have turned their hands into useless weights, making it nearly impossible for them to aim accurately, let alone fight.
-TATATATATATA!
Blue bursts of light flashed from the nozzles of the raised guns, bullets ripping through the air with blue streaks of mana.
Yet when they smashed against the hides of the big targets hundreds of meters away, they produced sounds of dull metallic clangs and muffled thuds, like rain striking an iron wall.
The sight was almost comical.
The boars at the front made no attempt to shield their bodies, nor did they activate any skill. Just their natural defenses were enough to effortlessly tank the barrage of bullets.
By now, over twenty boars had appeared, with more still arriving. They stood as walls of meat that seemed capable of swallowing the entire formation beneath their sheer numbers and size.
One by one, the survivors' hands fell in despair at the sight of their futile resistance, but a cry from the old man pulled them out before they could fall deeper into their abyss of hopelessness.
"Retreat!"
Quickly, they shuffled back to the rear of the formation, their faces pale and listless. By now, it was clear they wouldn't be able to cause any waves in the battle tonight.
Yet, just as the seeds of weakness and a feeling of uselessness were about to bloom within their hearts, a clear, soothing sound suddenly played into their ears.
Every eye fell on Elena, who had the small violin placed on her left shoulder and against her chin, while the bow held in her right hand danced along the strings.
Her movements appeared slow, yet strangely magnetic, as it seemed to draw their every attention. Every movement was graceful and deliberate, each stroke of the bow carrying a strange allure that made it difficult for anyone to look away.
Her golden hair fell behind her in waves that danced in the night air, the sound produced, the notes flowing together into a beautiful melody that seemed almost too pure for a battlefield.
Even the boars in the distance were entranced by her performance, and at that moment, it felt as if she was the only one on the battlefield, with a spotlight beaming upon her enchanting figure.
Yet when Kael and the others received the effects of her actions, the opposing sides showed two entirely different reactions.
Kael's eyes widened in surprise, the other humans mirroring his actions, as they watched in stupor the system message flashing before their eyes.
[You are under the influence of Elena's Soul Weapon: Mana consumption reduced by 20%. Mana regeneration increased by 10%. Fear is suppressed and courage is greatly amplified.]
Wow! Nathan's voice sounded in the telepathic network.
To Kael, this system message could as well be air to him, as the effects were useless on him. But to the others, the effects were nothing short of revolutionary.
While they were shocked by the buff they received under Elena's warm music, the boars in the distance reacted differently. Feeling the effects of the debuff that had suddenly fallen on them, the creatures bellowed in rage, the bestial light in their eyes swallowing the small hints of intelligence that remained.
Their massive frames suddenly glowed with crimson light that lit the world for a moment. Mana flooded their huge bodies in such a large amount that the roar of an ocean seemed to rumble within their bodies like a raging sea.
Then...
They charged forward, leaving massive trails of after shadows behind.