Chapter 335 - Helping Hurman?

"AAAHHhhhh…"

The lava began to reshape into serpentine forms, uncoiling and freeing Marsel without question. 

"Sorry about that. I wanted to see if he'd offer an opening," Nixt joked between his heavy panting.

"Tired?"

"Nah…"

"Even after the traps?"

Shrugging, Nixt chuckled, "Maybe a little."

"Then we shouldn't waste any more time. Just stay back and have your lava do the fighting. Once you're out, hopefully, this will already be over," replied Marsel, scanning over the battlefield in search of where he would strike next. 

"True… But I care about my men, so that may not be the best move…" Sighing, Nixt waved his hand and sent each of the lava serpents into one of the nearby lava pools. He regathered himself as he strolled and retrieved the greataxe which had fallen to the ground. Unsheathing it from the dirt, Nixt showed his playful smile yet again. "Bet I can kill more than you…"

"What are you betting?"

"A 50 gold per head," stated Nixt, putting a startled grin on Marsel's face. "Of course, the loser won't make any money and has to pay the difference in totals. Deal?"

"Your loss!"

"Hey?!"

Marsel dashed ahead with arrogance and greed plastered on his face. He leaped over the front line and began weaving his way to the rear of the battlefield. 

Nixt followed suit, but only after glancing at two places. First, at the swirling dark clouds that had just taken shape. And second, at the fort walls, which Lambier had just vaulted. Nodding toward his fellow leaders of the Iron Army still in battle, Nixt lunged into the fray with his new greataxe, blazing through any who dared stop him.

Alone, Hurman, a newly ascended perennial, was fighting and pressuring two low-perennials. Not holding them off. Not keeping them at bay. Hurman was pressuring them.

"LAMBIER!" Hurman shouted, spotting Lambier's descent. Both low-perennial foes almost froze in fear as they realized what was going on, but Hurman didn't skip a beat. "Head east! They only have early-perennials!"

"But you're--"

"That's an order!"

Lambier paused for a split second and blinked. Though Hurman was doing more than just holding his own, Lambier could see Hurman's bloodied side and the slash across his left arm. "Hurman--"

"THAT'S AN ORDER!!" 

While he shouted again, Hurman threw himself into his semi-distracted opponents. Targeting the lightning user, Hurman charged the man while creating a double barrier around him. With spiked earth walls to the man's sides and rear, along with a spiked, icy ceiling, the man failed to react quick enough for an easy escape. It was either struggle to break the entrapment or take on the fearless swordsman head-on. 

But this also left the other low-perennial a rare opportunity to strike. He followed closely to flank and force Hurman to divert his attention, thus weakening Hurman's charge.

Seeing that, the trapped man covered himself with lightning and prepared to zip away the moment Hurman dared to glance back.

"LAMBIER, GO!" Hurman continued to shout his order, not caring to look back at the foe that was surely preparing to attack. All he cared about was the man in front of him, the man he had finally pushed into a corner. 

While earth and water essence wrapped around Hurman's backside for boosted defenses, Hurman kept a straight face as the waiting lighting user was never given a moment to freely slip away. And by the time that man had realized it, it was too late. 

The perennial with lightning leaped forward and tried to bend out of the way, but trying such a tight turn with only lightning essence and not wind was nearly impossible. The perennial foe knew he was in trouble and threw lightning lances at Hurman. 

Yet Hurman didn't even bother to deflect the blows, let alone dodge them. Hurman's unblinking, unflinching gaze weighed down on the lighting user like the gaze of death, swinging down two swords resistant to lightning. 

While a greatsword was swung from behind and managed to connect with Hurman's back, it wasn't even close to deterring Hurman's deadly focus. All the same, Hurman's saw-like, frosty blade and heavy, earthen sword came crashing down through the lightning user's flesh. The combination tore through skin and bone with ease thanks to lightning's lesser defensive abilities.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Still alive, the perennial foe cried in pain and agony as he collapsed in torment. Blood sloshed out of his lower torso and right t.h.i.g.h, where the left half of his hip and the rest of his right leg were no longer connected. 

Blood began to speedily ooze out of Hurman's backside, but he didn't care. He swatted the greatsword back with his earth-crusted sword, all while he slashed his own back with the frozen blade. However, the blade was no longer an icy saw. It emitted a dense mist of sheer cold frost as he sealed his bleeding back with ice. 

"I SAID GO, LAMBIER!!!" Hurman ordered again, unfazed by the scene of battle. 

"YES, SIR!" 

Lambier said nothing more and left immediately. He was glad to have created a moment of hesitation at least, but he also took note to never get on Hurman's bad side. Though he was only an early-perennial, clearly, Hurman wasn't like any other early-perennial that Lambier had seen.