Chapter 234 - 233: Failure is a Matter of Course
"ROAR..."
Intimidated by the will contained within Marcus's Fighting Qi, the Bone Centaur slowly turned around.
It had no choice but to abandon its attack on Zelir. It had to eliminate this nuisance first.
'Such a nuisance...'
The Bone Centaur let out a savage, low roar.
The scarlet light in its eye sockets grew cruel and cold.
As if completely enraged, even the black aura surrounding it grew thicker.
The Long Halberd swung, whistling through the air!
It began with an upward slash. Marcus raised his Shield to block. With a loud "CLANG," a deep gash was carved into the shield's lower edge!
Then came a straight thrust.
If this strike landed true, it would pierce through the Shield and impale Marcus's body.
Marcus could only turn sideways, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The Long Halberd changed direction and began a vertical chop from overhead!
Facing the Bone Centaur's suffocating offensive, Marcus could only squeeze out what little Fighting Qi he had left to desperately resist.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The clash of weapons was accompanied by deafening bangs and dazzling sparks.
Tremendous power surged through the Shield in waves, repeatedly battering Marcus's defense.
Every slash left a new, irreparable gash on its surface.
Finally...
"CRACK!"
Like a cold glint of light falling from the sky, the Bone Centaur's Long Halberd tore through the air and smashed down.
Marcus's Shield could finally no longer withstand the blow and was brutally cleaved in two!
His Composite Shield, which had been with him for so long, was completely destroyed.
Now, Marcus could no longer use his Shield to maneuver, leaving him completely exposed.
Maki's figure flashed out from the side and rear, launching a surprise attack!
"AHHH!!!"
He roared to bolster his courage, his Heavy Sword striking out in a Vortex Slash!
But the Bone Centaur's combat instincts far surpassed Maki's imagination.
It seemed to have sensed Maki's attack long ago. As it shattered Marcus's Shield, it twisted its wrist and withdrew the Long Halberd.
It swung the massive shaft of the halberd back in a powerful blow!
The force of this strike was just as formidable.
Alarm bells screamed in Maki's mind.
Having learned his lesson from being overwhelmed in their previous clash, he knew he absolutely could not meet it head-on. The outcome would be disastrous.
The moment his Giant Sword met the Long Halberd, Maki gave up on resisting the force and instead sought to redirect it.
As the power from the halberd surged toward him, Maki didn't meet it head-on, instead retreating with the momentum.
At the same time, he rolled to dissipate the force, putting some distance between himself and the Bone Centaur.
'The attack failed, but that's fine. The main goal right now is to buy time for Zelir anyway.'
It was a rather clever move.
But Maki had no idea what the Bone Centaur would do next.
Seeing Maki retreat and create distance, the Bone Centaur did something astounding: it reversed its grip to hold the Long Halberd at its center!
It raised the Long Halberd over its shoulder, the spear tip aimed at Maki from afar, and took a stance like a javelin thrower!
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Maki's scalp went numb with dread.
After briefly gathering its strength, the Bone Centaur threw the Long Halberd without hesitation!
"WHOOSH!!!"
The entire Long Halberd shot forward like a Crossbow Arrow from a giant Bed Crossbow, carrying an unstoppable, immense power!
The Long Halberd grew rapidly in Maki's vision; he had no time to defend or dodge.
"SCHLICK..."
The Long Halberd's penetrating power was unmatched!
It instantly shattered Maki's Protective Fighting Qi and pierced through his right shoulder blade without any resistance.
"Urgh..."
Maki let out a pained grunt.
He was carried backward by the massive, violent kinetic energy, sent flying through the air.
"THUD!!!"
The Long Halberd carried Maki's body for several dozen meters before pinning him to the hard ground!
After all that, the Bone Centaur turned its head again to look at Marcus.
Marcus had lost his Shield, and the Bone Centaur had lost its Long Halberd.
But this didn't change the enormous gap in strength between them.
The Bone Centaur then did something unexpected—it bucked, kicking out with its hind legs.
Even a kick from the most common domesticated horse, if it connected, would at least result in a broken bone. A more serious hit could even be fatal.
To say nothing of the Bone Centaur.
Marcus instinctively brought his Battle Saber across his chest to defend himself.
The hooves moved so fast they left afterimages.
"THUMP!"
The terrifying force instantly shattered the blade. Sharp fragments flew out, cutting Marcus's cheek.
The violent power continued, and the hoof kicked Marcus squarely in the chest.
His Armor caved inward. Over the sound of impact came the crisp crack of breaking bones.
The force of the blow sent Marcus flying. He skipped along the ground for nearly twenty meters.
He only came to a stop, face down, after tumbling through a pile of rubble.
Marcus coughed twice and tried to push himself up with his arms, but ultimately collapsed, his strength gone.
'Finally got rid of those two annoying pests...'
A flicker of glee flashed in the scarlet light of the Bone Centaur's eye sockets.
Suddenly, an extreme sense of alarm exploded in its mind.
The Bone Centaur snapped its head around.
'That Mage...!'
The ball of red and blue light in the Mage's hands had reached its most dangerous, final stage of fusion!
"Haaa..."
Zelir's every breath seemed to be drawing in and breathing out Flame.
He was at the peak of his nervousness.
Ultimately, what Zelir was trying to harness was the violent explosion that would result from a failed casting of the Flame Thunder Spear.
Failing to cast the Flame Thunder Spear was a certainty.
Because even after being enhanced by the Overclocking Potion, Zelir still hadn't reached the level of a Middle Level Mage and couldn't control the precise process of fusing the two elements.
But how the explosion would manifest after the failure was not something Zelir could control.
The last time he practiced by the river, he had been lucky. Plus, he hadn't injected much Magic Power, so he was able to push the out-of-control energy forward.
'But what about this time?'
'It might just detonate in my hands the instant I lose control.'
'That's a very real possibility.'
'But...'
Seeing Marcus and Maki grievously wounded just to buy him time, a surge of madness washed over Zelir.
'Screw it!'
'Dying in my own Magic explosion is better than getting slowly and pathetically worn down by this Bone Centaur!'
Zelir's eyes focused. He poured all his energy into it and began the final fusion process.
Searing heat and violent energy clashed intensely in his palm!
The red Flame and blue electrical arcs tore at and consumed one another, each attempting to utterly annihilate its opposite.
The entire cave flickered, lit by the alternating light.
Just as expected, as the fusion progressed, the repulsion originating from the Elements' basic instincts grew more and more violent!
Moreover, because Zelir had injected even more Magic Power than before, the rate at which the Spell Structure was collapsing accelerated dramatically!
"SKREEE!!!"
The Bone Centaur let out a high-pitched shriek and began to Charge at Zelir!