The Innkeeper

Chapter 833 Holding back

On the battlements some of the guards soldiers watched nervously. Everyone was treating the situation as if Luthor alone could solve the entire push of Void Dwellers, but how could one man achieve such a thing? Even if he was undefeatable, and killed mercilessly, all the creatures would have to do is go around him.

He may be able to stop those creatures within his immediate reach, but how could that translate into stopping the entire push?

Yet that is exactly what was happening. The heat from Luthor's flames caused the dwellers to turn away from him even before he made contact, let alone when he ran into their midst. Those close to him tried to retreat, and those further away tried to circle around him.

They did not need intelligence, just a sense of self protection to avoid him. But what could mindless creatures do that Luthor hadn't already thought of? Once he was surrounded, Luthor channeled more energy, careful not to fuel it into strengthening his flames. Instead, he summoned more and more flames.

Purple flames, dancing as if celebrating the impending massacre, flowed out from Luthor's body and began to spread across the floor. The creatures screamed and howled, and those that could fly took to the air. Those near Luthor tried to attack him with claws and fangs and energy attacks that could cut through the toughest metals. Those that were far launched long distance attacks, or even picked up creatures near them and threw them at Luthor.

Attacks rained down as if he was standing in a storm, yet Luthor was not distracted for even a second. After all, to pierce through his suit, they would need to reach a minimum of the Nascent level, and they were all too far from that.

The carpet of flames spread till it covered the entire army and then erupted into the sky! Like a volcano that had been suppressed too long, the flames launched into the sky painting the entire landscape purple. Fierce winds turned into a gale which turned into a tornado as hot air escaped higher into the air, but the flames greedily sucked in the cold air around them!

In the fort the watching soldiers dropped their weapons as they looked up at the flames turning into a whirlwind, covering the entire horizon with their malevolent purple.

Their knees began to tremble and their mind stopped working, their gaze fixed on the calamity brought not by nature but by man. The flames, which were falsely named Phoenix Fire, burned everything they could reach, threatening to even turn against their originator. But Luthor merely stood there as he waited for the last of the Void Dwellers to die, in the very center of the storm. His figure, even from afar, looked more demonic than real demons and more devilish than real devils.

The elves and the minotaurs watched, filled with awe and reverence. Finally, for the first time, they felt hope of actually surviving. Only the members of the Midnight Battalion did not bat an eye at the spectacle.

How could they not know that when Luthor did not hold back, and used his bloodline power in addition to his flames, the resulting destruction was even greater. Despite being in the Foundation realm, only those in the upper levels of the Golden core could be his enemies.

As he was right now, he was merely rushing a bit to finish off the enemies. Maybe he was expecting more threats, or maybe he wanted to deliver a message that they were no easy prey.

Whatever the case, this level could phase the battalion any longer.

On the other side of the fort, Z was slowly walking towards the Void Dwellers attacking from this side. He did not fight alone, as Luthor had done, and was accompanied by countless minotaurs as well as a few of the random other soldiers that had joined them.

But while the rest charged towards the Void Dwellers, filled with both excitement and fear, hatred and bloodlust, Z walked slowly. He had been thinking of new techniques to use now that space techniques were no longer available.

He also did not have any speakers, so all of his moves that depended on sound were also out of the question. At the same time, he did not really want to rely on his bloodline either. That was too boring. So where did that leave him?

Using his index finger, middle finger and thumb Z held his black tie and slid his hand down the length of it. He felt the soft, flexible fabric the tie was made of. He felt the stitching, the texture, and the various abilities packed within it.

Without halting his steps, Z took off his tie and opened the knot, straightening it. He put the bottom edge of the tie between his index and middle finger, and then began to slowly wrap the tie around his knuckles. Three times he wrapped it, before letting the rest dangle down.

Even in such a situation, his tie was without a single crease, and fell perfectly straight without a single wrinkle marring its immaculate appearance.

He looked up and saw a nearby Void Dweller, unusually large at nearly 13 feet (3.9 meters). It had a humanoid appearance, and though it wore no armor, its body itself looked like armor.

Single handedly the creature was fighting against several other soldiers, and even seemed to be winning.

Suddenly it paused as it felt a faint threat, but by the time it looked up it was already too late. Z appeared in the air in front of it and, with his right hand, punched it. Despite its massive body the creature was launched through the air as if shot out of a cannon, but it barely covered any distance before an overwhelming force held it still.

Z's tie had wrapped itself around the creature's neck. The force of the sudden stop nearly ripped its head off, but the creature's durability kept that from happening - only at first. Before the creature, or anyone else for that matter, could understand what happened, the tie suddenly turned sharper than any blade and cut through its head.

By the time the corpse fell on the ground, Z had already moved on.