Chapter 56 - Battle Tactics
Varian teleported out, but the next moment, his body froze.
In that moment of life and death, he channeled all his chi and space power and slightly shifted his position.
"Chiii"
A spear impaled his chest from behind, narrowly missing his heart.
"Blaugh! " Varian coughed blood and teleported again.
"Shaa"
The spear followed. This time, he was more alert and teleported the next moment.
"Shaa"
He teleported.
"Shaa"
Again.
"Shaa"
And again.
The dangerous aura the Abyssal emitting left no room for speculation.
'This is a peak Level 2 Space Path Abyssal.' Varian felt his hair erect. This turned so much dangerous than he expected.
'It teleports quickly and precisely. It just needs a glance to teleport to me.'
'Even after sensing its arrival from space sense, I was frozen the next moment. The space it binds is much more solid than any other.'
'If I stop, it will freeze the space around and attack me.'
'But if I don't stop—'
Varian's space path was still only a Level 1. So his space power was much lower than these Level 2 Space Abyssals, much less a peak Level 2.
And his opponent wasn't only the peak level 2 Abyssal either.
"Shua"
"Shh"
"Weez"
The attacks came at him again.
Varian dodged them and quickly tried to kill the Abyssal with his previous tactic.
"Chii"
He felt like he was tied to chains and couldn't move. He teleported, barely escaping a fatal attack.
Sooner or later, he'd run out of space power. That'd spell his doom.
'If I was a peak Level 2 Body Awakener...I would crush it with my reaction speed.' Varian thought and continued to hold on.
He initially tried to weaken them one by one, but with the help of this 'leader of the pack', even killing one Abyssal without taking a fatal injury was impossible.
'What should I do?' Varian channeled his chi and continued the arduous battle.
[+10 Xp
Body Path Level 2: 55/200]
'Yes!'
Varian felt the slight improvement and sighed in relief.
Even the little addition would increase his chance of victory.
"Shuaa"
"Sizzz"
"Weeez"
The Abyssals teleported around him and attacked. The leader Abyssal appeared and froze the space around Varian, while attacking him at the same time.
'I have to take it down.' Varian decided.
Relying on the little aura, he got several minor cuts due to the intervention of the peak Level 2.
But he mostly stayed intact.
At the same time, he observed the attack patterns of this level 2.
It'd attack him at last in the groups and alone when he teleported out by teleporting behind him.
It'd always aim for his heart.
Varian was puzzled since his neck was also an option and checked the Abyssal.
It only had one eye's vision. The other eye had no focus and there was a scalding wound on it.
'So it only attacks heart area to ensure a hit.' Varian saw an opportunity.
'The wound across its inactive eye means it lost its eye's vision from an accident. With the way it only attacks larger area, and not my neck, it still hasn't adapted to attacking by the vision of one eye. So it will keep targeting my chest instead of my neck. Heart, lungs are larger targets, after all. But it's mainly aiming for my heart.'
"Bang"
"Boom"
"Grrrr"
Varian broke the frozen space around his body and teleported before the peak level 2 attack reached him.
"Chii"
'Now it'll attack me from behind at my chest.'
"Chii"
Varian's lips curled, and he teleported in the nick of time.
'I should risk this.' He gritted his teeth.
Or forget about spacorts, he'd lose his life.
The space power reserves approached depletion, and Varian only had one chance to do it right.
"Shuaa"
"Sizzz"
"Weeez"
Varian acted exactly like the previous time and teleported out the moment peak Level 2 attacked.
"Chii"
This time too, the attack missed him by a moment.
Varian appeared a dozen meters away and immediately turned around, slashing his sword.
As expected, the Abyssal was already behind him and thrust its spear.
"Chii"
"Shaau"
Varian's sword paused for a moment but broke through the solid space and beheaded the peak Level 2 Abyssal.
"Argh"
The spear of the Abyssal pierced him in his right chest and plunged into the ground.
"Cling"
The location of the wound was exactly the position of his heart had he not turned around.
Varian looked down at the gaping hole in his chest. If he was only a Space Awakener, he'd die before he could exit this place.
He was not.
[+10 Xp
Body Path Level 2: 65/200]
The chi in his body swam around and integrated further.
Varian took a deep breath and waited.
"Shuaa"
"Shzz"
"Weeez"
The attacks of the Abyssal group arrived. Even if he wasn't sure, he could tell they were filled with crazed bloodlust like never before.
'The leader is gone… now you're the ones left.'
Varian covered his wounds with and gave back all the love he got from the Abyssals. And more.
"Thud"
"Thud"
"Thud"
One by one, heads rolled and bodies fell.
Varian coughed some blood as he knelt on the ground dyed green.
He was feeling weak. The final attacks were suicidal and his own condition was far worse due to the wound in the chest.
So, while eliminating the final Abyssals, he received a sword slash on his arm, an arrow into his knee.
"Every settlement is supposed to have spacorts. Abyssals in Level 1 will use spacorts to improve quickly." Varian's eyes shined, and he slowly got up.
[You have 2 minutes to leave.]
Red blood splashed on the now green floor. Varian entered a tent and searched.
There was only meat, some metal parts, weapons and animal skins.
'Don't tell me...I got into a settlement without spacorts?' Varian couldn't help but frown.
Then he proceeded to the next tent, and the next tent.
'Damn. This is the final tent.'
Varian searched and found nothing.
When he was about to leave, something clicked in him and he took a spear in the room.
He touched it and confirmed his suspicion. With a big pull, the spear tip came out.
It was not a real weapon at all!
There was an opening to the inside of the spear tip.. Varian looked inside and laughed.
