Ch 32: Emrys's Strange State

Emrys fought the Nightshade Vesper fiercely, and it took him more than fifteen minutes just to kill this Fourth Star Insectoid.

While Emrys was fighting his own battle, Elysia was taking down the stronger insectoids one by one.

She fought fiercely. All of her attacks were precise and immensely powerful. She swung her weapon and sliced through a Giant Beetle, then blocked a Bone-winged Mantis’s wing attack just in time.

However, the more she killed, the more came. There seemed to be no end to the surge of these insectoids. They kept surrounding Elysia and Emrys, pushing them to their limits.

After fighting for a while, Emrys started getting tired. He looked around, feeling the pressure, and said, "Elysia, there are too many of them!"

After spending so many days together, Elysia allowed Emrys to call her by her name instead of Leader, Miss, or something else.

Elysia nodded upon hearing Emrys's words. She was also breathing hard after a long fight but was still steady. "We have no choice but to fight. In fact, if we want to get out of this situation, we'll have to fight our way out. If you are tired, stay close to me. If you are close, I can still save you from fatal strikes in time."

Emrys nodded and started getting closer to Elysia while battling low-level insectoids.

After a while, when he got closer enough, they fought side by side. Emrys was handling the weaker insectoids while Elysia took on the stronger ones.

The battle was becoming fiercer with each passing second.

Strangely, after hours of battle, Emrys started feeling a strange sense of calm in his heart despite the chaos around him. At the same time, he was learning from Elysia’s movements, watching her fight with skill and strength. Sometimes, he tried to copy her strikes and actually succeeded in one try.

With each passing second, he was becoming an expert in battle. His heart was beating faster and faster, but it was not due to terror or fear, but because of excitement.

Yes, he was feeling a sense of excitement about battling and killing these insectoids.

At the same time, as he fought, he started moving quicker and striking with more force. His attacks start landing better and in those insectoids' vital places where they are weak.

Previously, Emrys felt tired after a long fight, but that sense of exhaustion vanished since who knows when. He seems to forget everything and focus solely on fighting and killing insectoids.

Just like that, he entered a mysterious state where, in his eyes, there was nothing but insectoids and his blade. All he knew in those moments was striking and killing. 

On the other hand, Elysia kept fighting, but her eyes stayed on Emrys. She noticed something was different about him. His movements were sharper, faster, and more focused. He was no longer hesitating before attacking, nor was he thinking anything. His strikes were clean and smooth. His every strike hit the weak points of the insectoids, killing them quickly.

Of course, he was still fighting only weaker insectoids. The strongest he was battling was Fourth Star Insectoids, which didn't seem to have much danger to him by now. 

"Emrys?" Elysia was puzzled at Emrys's state. He also suffered many injuries, but he seemed to ignore those injuries, as if he could not feel them. So, Elysia shouted, trying to call him, but there was no response.

Emrys was too deep in his strange state to hear her. 

Emrys's blade moved like it had a mind of its own. He dodged attacks without thinking, struck back with perfect aim, and killed one insectoid after another. His face was calm, but his eyes shone with a strange light. 

Elysia frowned. She didn’t know what was happening to him, but she could tell this wasn’t normal.

"Stay alert," she muttered to herself, deciding to keep an eye on him while continuing her fight. 

The insectoids didn’t stop coming. More and more surrounded them. A Bone-winged Mantis leaped at Emrys from the side, its blade-like wings aiming to cut him down. Elysia saw it and moved to stop it, but before she could act, Emrys turned and sliced the mantis in half in one swift motion. 

Elysia’s eyes widened. "That was the attack I taught him yesterday! How did he master it so fast?" 

"Emrys, stop fighting for a moment! Listen, you should escape," she tried again, but Emrys didn’t even flinch. He kept moving, killing insectoids like a machine. His strikes grew stronger, his steps lighter, and his movements more fluid. 

Minutes turned into hours. Elysia fought beside him, her worry growing with every passing second.

The swarm of insectoids was not thinning out. The more they killed, the more they kept coming.

Elysia was also injured heavily and lost 90% of her energy and stamina. She was too exhausted to continue fighting. She knew they had to escape, otherwise, today they would die.

Emrys had already lost too much blood. His body was covered in wounds, but he didn’t seem to notice. His strange state showed no signs of ending. He kept moving, attacking, and killing insectoids like a machine, his eyes glowing faintly with an unnatural light. 

"Emrys! Snap out of it! You can’t keep going like this!" she shouted, but her voice didn’t reach him. 

She gritted her teeth and swung her weapon, cutting through another Insectoid. Her body was trembling with exhaustion, and she could barely stand. Blood dripped from multiple wounds on her body, and her energy was almost gone. 

The insectoids kept coming. They showed no signs of stopping. Elysia’s breathing grew heavier. She could feel her strength leaving her.

Her gaze flickered to Emrys again. His attacks were growing fiercer, but his body was clearly reaching its limit.

"He’s going to destroy himself if this keeps up," she muttered. 

Elysia clenched her fists. Her eyes turned cold as she made a decision.

Suddenly, her momentum erupted.

A terrifying strength surged from her body, and the air around her trembled.

The remaining insectoids paused after sensing the overwhelming pressure. 

Then, Elysia suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Emrys in an instant. Before Emrys could react, she struck the back of his neck.

Emrys’s body stiffened, and his blade fell from his hand. He collapsed to the ground. He fainted just like that. 

Elysia caught him before he hit the ground. Then, something strange happened.

The broken XT-300 Starfallen Armor on Elysia’s body began to shift. The solid plates of the armor transformed into a liquid-like dark substance. The liquid flowed from her body onto Emrys, covering him completely.

The black substance moved quickly, forming a new layer over Emrys’s body. Slowly, it materialized and reshaped itself into armor. Although it was still broken in many places, an energy barrier appeared, filling the gaps and forming a protective shield. 

Elysia placed her hand on the armor, her fingers glowing faintly as she activated a hidden function. The armor began to heat up, turning redder and redder. The air around it shimmered with intense energy.

Suddenly, the armor glowed brightly and shot into the sky with incredible speed, carrying Emrys with it. The light vanished into the distance, leaving Elysia behind. 

Now that Emrys was gone out of sight, she turned to the insectoids. Her eyes were cold as she clenched the blade firmly.