Chapter 19: Aura
A pitch-black mass of aberrations surged forward from the distant horizon, their four-clawed forms running like wild beasts. So numerous were the aberrations that the ground trembled beneath them.
The contractors on their side formed a circular defensive perimeter around the base camp, with a ten-meter buffer zone between them and the camp itself.
The contractors stood about two meters apart from each other, a spacing that prevented friendly fire while allowing melee combatants room to maneuver. Those on the outer ring each held a wooden shield—a consumable item ideal for withstanding the aberrations' charge. If they could hold against this initial, most ferocious wave, the battle would devolve into close-quarters combat.
Behind the outer ring of contractors were those specializing in mid-to-long-range combat. Don't think they could only hide in the back; if the frontline couldn't hold, they would step up to take the brunt.
Over 90% of their madmen were lone wolves. Without some melee capability, they wouldn't have survived this long.
Countless eyes fixed on the surging tide of aberrations charging toward them. Their roars were unending, as if they intended to devour the contractors alive.
"Woo-woo-woo!"
Bubu Wang stood atop the base camp, lifting his head in a long howl. After this howl, every contractor on their side felt a faint, cooling sensation and received two notifications:
[Tip: You have received the buff from 'Goddess of Snow (Aura Lv.10)'. Your health recovery rate is increased by 270 points (per minute), and mana recovery rate is increased by 10 points (per minute).]
[You have received the buff from 'Awakening (Aura Lv.10)'. Stamina recovery rate increased by 20%.]
The benefits of these two auras surprised all the contractors. Previous battles hadn't been dangerous enough for Bubu Wang to activate his auras. Now, with the aberration army bearing down, he had expanded his auras to maximum range.
Everyone looked at Bubu Wang with newfound respect. A girl with her hair in a bun raised her hand, palm aimed at Bubu Wang, and the ring on her finger glowed faintly.
A fluorescent green lark materialized above Bubu Wang. As the lark flapped its wings, fluorescent green particles drifted down.
If Bubu Wang was attacked, it would trigger a healing effect. Moreover, the energy-construct lark would explode, forming a shield that lasted for ten seconds.
The girl with the bun was a combat healer who rarely healed others. Healing Bubu Wang this time was purely because the Snow Aura was too tempting. Ten mana points per minute meant six hundred per hour—quite substantial in a prolonged battle.
"That dog, get down here!"
King Kong roared, afraid that Bubu Wang would be taken out by enemy long-range fire. The Snow Aura restored 270 health points per minute, or 16,200 per hour. For the melee fighters on the outer ring, this was far beyond just "tempting."
Only by retreating into the base camp could they enter the healing aura's range. Currently, the contractors were stationed near the spaceship, relying on recovery items or rotating shifts to restore health inside the camp.
It wasn't just the Snow Aura. Anyone who had experienced defensive battles knew that stamina consumption could be even more deadly. The Awakening Aura might only seem to boost stamina recovery by 20%, but in actual combat, that 20% could mean the difference between life and death.
Hearing King Kong's shout, Bubu Wang lifted his dog head arrogantly, as if to say: "I'm steady as can be, don't worry, you big ape."
A whooshing sound came from afar. It was a barrel-shaped wooden container, three meters thick and five meters long, reinforced with iron bands.
Seeing this, Bubu Wang immediately leaped over the railing and jumped down from the base camp.
The barrel-shaped container arced through the air, flying diagonally toward the base camp. Watching this, the elder of the Autistic Brothers unstrapped an iron pipe from his back. It looked like a gun but was crude to the point of absurdity.
He shoved a spiral nail into the barrel. The Autistic Brother, who had slightly mismatched eyes, licked his thumb and pressed it to his forehead, leaving a saliva mark.
He raised the gun, aimed, aligned three points in a straight line. A crosshair appeared over his right eye. Shoot. Die.
Bang.
No gunshot sound occurred; it was drowned out by the explosion in midair. The Autistic Brother's crude, fire-poker-like weapon produced a terrifying effect.
It wasn't about raw power. The moment he pulled the trigger, the enemy was already hit, as if there was no bullet travel time. Three points aligned meant death. Either don't get aimed at, or die.
The barrel-shaped container exploded in midair, releasing fluid fire that spread over nearly a hundred meters.
Hiss~
The flames hit the ground with a horrifying sizzle. The acrid smell of burnt grass and wood spread. The next moment, the flames coalesced into a fire serpent.
The fire serpent reared back its water-tank-thick head, paused for about a second, then spewed flames from its mouth, sweeping its head in a 360-degree arc, incinerating everything around.
After turning the surrounding 300 meters into a sea of fire, the fire serpent raised its head and roared, then exploded violently.
This was a weapon of war. Only prolonged racial warfare could spawn such sophisticated supernatural war machines. It was an orc-made "Peru Explosive Barrel." Originally designed to deal with aberrations, before the orcs defected to them, the barrels were filled with Ice Vein Essence, forming ice serpents that spewed ice flames, dealing lethal damage to aberrations.
After the orcs joined the aberrations, the filling in the "Peru Explosive Barrels" was changed to fire-based. Aberrations were largely immune to fire damage, having slept deep in the earth for years where temperatures were extreme, granting them naturally high fire resistance.
The orcs were talented in war weapon manufacturing. Even if the "Peru Explosive Barrel" landed among the aberration horde, it wouldn't cause many casualties. This pleased the high-ranking Fission Variants.
If the "Peru Explosive Barrel" landed near their base camp, that would be disastrous. Its temperature was terrifying, and it could explode twice in total while also spraying fire in a 360-degree arc.
"Leave it to us."
The Autistic Brothers spoke in low voices. This was the first time the two brothers had spoken.
Rumble...
The tremors underfoot grew stronger. Su Xiao, stationed on the south side of the base camp, drew the long blade at his waist. The south was exactly where the aberration army was charging from. Their first wave would hit here.
Su Xiao didn't immediately enter Shadow Flame state. This was a defensive battle; the speed boost from Shadow Flame wasn't critical.
From previous combat experience, Su Xiao had discovered that Shadow Flame state not only consumed high mana but also accelerated his stamina drain. Shadow Flame boosted speed, but no boost came without a cost.
Su Xiao's understanding was that Azure Shadow King had two effects. The first was enhancing the true damage of Azure Steel Shadow energy—a passive ability that worked as long as Azure Steel Shadow was active.
The second effect of Azure Shadow King was the Shadow Flame state. There were two optimal scenarios for activating it: 1. Being surrounded, and 2. Fighting a strong opponent one-on-one.
In other situations, maintaining Shadow Flame state wasn't necessary. Su Xiao divided Shadow Flame into two modes.
Shadow Flame Mode 1: Only the Azure Steel Shadow energy coating Dragon-Slaying Flash was set ablaze. This enhanced blade technique power while restoring mana through kills, drastically reducing consumption. Mana cost was about 45% of normal, and stamina cost only about 10%.
The downside was that only the blade's Azure Steel Shadow energy was ignited, providing no speed boost.
Shadow Flame Mode 2 (Full Restriction Release): With complete ignition, all of Su Xiao's Azure Steel Shadow energy was set ablaze. In this mode, his combat power was fully unleashed, but stamina and mana consumption were extremely high. Even with sufficient mana, Su Xiao would be exhausted within 15 to 20 minutes due to the ultra-high-speed movement, slashing, and perception required.