Chapter 186: Slaughtered with a single Axe
The fire that was dimly lit from the bushes became even more apparent, but it couldn't inflict real damage to the surroundings at all.
"Hmm," Aur observed with a frown on his face. These trees were unlike the trees in his previous world, refined by mana for countless decades.
These woods had evolved and gained a certain resistance to fire. Although they were affected, just a spark of fire couldn't burn down the entire forest.
"Leave a way in the front and attack the sides with the best fire magic you have," Aur loudly announced.
A medium-sized fireball appeared in front of him; he lightly swiped his hand, and the fireball instantly shot towards the trees, lighting them up.
Darcy's eyes also started to glow as she unleashed numerous fire lances towards the forest without even looking at it.
Not only that, but numerous other fires also came from her spells, launched with terrifying strength and firepower.
"First tier: Fire hammer."
"First tier: Fire slash."
Even Aur fell short compared to the sheer firepower of Darcy's fire magic. For every metre that Aur could burn, Darcy could burn ten metres, up to ten times Aur's firepower.
"This is the difference between having a single encompassing spell and a single attribute spell solely focused on it," Aur sighed, shaking his head.
He only had the [Elemental Mastery] spell from the five elemental magics. Although it allowed Aur to use the five elements of nature, if compared to a single attributed spell, he fell short in every aspect.
Just like Darcy had a fire spell, which was several times more powerful than Aur's fire that he could create from the [Elemental Mastery] spell.
He shook his head.
"Let's go," Aur's voice fell, and he immediately left.
The four looked at each other and followed Aur as well.
"My lord, I am scared," Zaya said in a pitiful voice.
"Don't worry, I am here," John reassured her, tenderly stroking her head with a warm smile.
The atmosphere crackled with tension as Aur and his companions faced the daunting challenge before them.
"Fool," Darcy muttered under her breath, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Stay focused!" Aur's voice boomed from the front, commanding their attention.
"Yes, Aur," they chorused in response.
Despite their efforts to burn away the imps from their flanks, a daunting sight awaited them at the single exit they had left behind: a hundred imps stood before them, their green skin glinting eerily in the flickering light.
These imps, though small in stature, possessed a strength comparable to that of a normal human, and their malicious grins sent shivers down the spines of Aur's group.
The imps began to taunt them with mocking gestures, wielding simple sticks as though they were weapons of great power.
One particularly audacious imp even stuck out its tongue and puffed out its belly, leering at Darcy and Zaya with lustful eyes.
Fear gripped Zaya, her voice trembling as she called out to John for reassurance.
Meanwhile, Darcy's frustration boiled over as she cursed under her breath, her eyes flashing with determination.
Without hesitation, she unleashed a fire lance at the imp that had dared to mock them.
The air reverberated with a deafening boom as the fire lance pierced through the imp, engulfing it in flames before it could even react. The imp writhed in agony as it succumbed to the searing heat, its mocking laughter silenced by the inferno.
The fire spread to the other imps, and they screeched in pain from the burning sensation.
"Hmm," Aur thoughtfully remarked, his gaze fixed on the imps. He had encountered imps many times during his days as a mercenary, especially in dungeons where they were a common sight.
Their strength could only be considered comparable to that of a normal human, and their intelligence was akin to that of toddlers.
Despite their small frames making them physically weaker, their true strength lay in their population.
Unlike humans, Imps had a very high reproduction ratio. They matured in just a few months and could succumb to old age in around five years.
"Let's finish them with one stroke," Aur muttered, feeling the heat at his back.
With so much fire magic being used, the goblins on that side slowly perished, either consumed by the flames or suffocating from the lack of oxygen.
Hupp!
Aur took a deep breath, gathering his strength as he retrieved his axe. The growths on the weapon slowly cracked under the pressure he applied.
After infusing the axe with mana, it instantly began to glow.
Aur's muscles tensed as he gathered all his strength in his left hand, gripping the axe tightly.
With a swift motion, Aur expertly threw the axe, its trajectory tracing a perfect 360-degree rotation as it sailed through the air. The ground beneath Aur's feet fully caved in with a resounding boom.
Boom!
One by one, the rotating axe swiftly beheaded all the imps that surrounded Aur.
Panicked, the imps screamed in fear as they saw the axe hurtling toward them once again.
However, the merciless axe showed no mercy, relentlessly continuing its deadly path. None of the imps stood a chance against the terrifying force with which Aur had thrown the axe.
Though the momentum of the axe slightly waned as it took down each imp, it posed no threat to these creatures with normal human strength.
Finally, the last imp let out a shrill scream of terror as the axe pierced its skull, its inner organs splattering out in a gruesome manner.
"Come back," Aur commanded, and the axe returned to his hand.
"Not bad," he muttered with satisfaction.
The glow of the axe had faded away.
"Let's go," Aur declared, his tone resolute as he turned to leave.
He glanced back at his companions, noting their widened eyes filled with shock.
"These strengths," John muttered, narrowing his eyes in contemplation, "it's really true that his strength is already tier one."
Without further delay, the others followed Aur, leaving the scene of the burning forest behind.
As time passed, the countless screeches of the imps gradually subsided, and the raging flames of the forest began to dwindle. After about half an hour, the fire was finally quelled, its fury contained by the resilient plants and trees that resisted its advance.
In the shadows, George nonchalantly observed the team's achievements, his expression thoughtful as he noted down their progress. With a calculated gaze, he deducted points from John's record.
"It's truly surprising that a brat in the peak wizard realm already possesses two lethal artefacts. The second elder might be supporting him," George mused to himself, his eyes narrowing as he departed the scene alongside Aur and the others.