Master of Dominion-Chapter 78: Withered husks
The explosion sent out a gust of wind that made the entire dome flicker continuously until the wind subsided.
Rael and the others stared at the cloud of smoke that rained down black blood and countless rotten body parts of the Withered.
Their expressions were all tense and cold as the smoke slowly cleared, only to reveal a shattered and scattered mass of what remained of the Withered bats that had clustered together.
It was obvious their joint attacks had caused significant damage to the mass; it had not only reduced in size but also seemed to break some of the Withered spawns free of the constraints that bound them, causing them to rush directly toward Rael and Iyvre. Except this didn’t ease them one bit, for the still-clustered mass of Withered bats quivered and spasmed before descending furiously.
At the same time, from what remained of each individual Withered bat’s throat erupted screeches that were sent inwards into the mass.
"Shit!" Rael cursed.
BAAM!
The mass slammed heavily onto the sigil, immediately making it flicker and sending out a shockwave that cast a vast gust of wind in all directions. It sent Rael and Iyvre, who were outside the array, flying shattering what remained of the trees beyond the little crater that had formed around the array.
And the force didn’t just stop there; it had caused the grounds within and beyond the territory to quiver and tremble as cracks spread across the earth
"Urgh"Ayobe groaned heavily for though the first sigil seemed to have held and widstood that attack it had not only drained almost half of the beasts dry but it also seemed to have weakened the boundary ward sigil itself and because she was in control of it,though not much of a backlash which she was grateful for, it had sent a tremor through her mind that caused a terrible headache she’d never experienced before.
"Are you okay?" Yasmin had rushed to Ayobe’s side the moment she’d heard her groan.
"I am, but we won’t be if..."
BAAM!
Ayobe was just about to warn her when she was cut off by the mass that had risen again and slammed down heavily on the sigil.
It was about to rise again when glowing spots appeared on the dome before firing aether bolts that exploded on the mass, reducing it in size once more. But Ayobe’s attempt at stopping it failed as it rose again before slamming down once more.
BAAM!
Crack!
A crisp sound resounded throughout the territory, immediately prompting Rael to rise from where he’d slammed headfirst into a rock boulder.
Though not within his territory, his Dominion Sense had sent feedback that the sigil beyond the fences was failing.
So ignoring the throbbing pain and the single drip of blood that trailed down from his head, he darted towards the territory just as the mass ,now minimized in size compared to before but still weighing several tons slammed down one last time.
Crackle!
The dome shattered into pieces, causing the remainder of the mass to descend towards Ayobe and Yasmin. But then, a blue bolt collided with it mid-descent.
RUMBLE! BOOM
Scattering what remained of it and giving the two sisters time to evade out of the way.
On getting into the perimeter of the now shattered and inactive sigil, Rael quickly noticed that the trees that had been used as pillars for the array had dried up into shriveled husks of roots; he quickly turned towards Ayobe with concern.
"Don’t worry, I’m fine. I let go quick enough," she nodded, feeling grateful for her reflexes and letting go of the sigil’s control fast enough before it forcefully drew on her lifeforce like it had with the trees.
Rael shifted his gaze to Iyvre, who had also returned, her eyes scrutinizing the shadows still gathering above. Rael didn’t even have to look up to tell more Withered bats were gathering, except something more unexpected occurred.
SCREEEEEE!
A loud shriek resounded from the distance, causing him to raise his head to see a larger silhouette flapping four shredded, claw-like wings that were connected to a creature of rotten flesh and jagged bones sprouting from its skin, with a goring maw filled with bizarrely shaped fangs and tentacles sprouting from its spine.
It was terrible and an abomination; it also carried a horrible aura that seemed to blacken and corrupt the trees with the black blood that spilled out with each flap of its wings.
"Is that..." Xaphxan faltered.
"A Withered Husk," Yasmin affirmed coldly.
"Retreat!,go back to the compound now!" Rael bellowed, seeing the Withered Husk accelerate as it rushed towards them alongside more Withered bats behind it.
The others, except himself and Iyvre, didn’t need to be asked twice as they quickly retreated back to the compound and the last boundary ward sigil.
Rael’s eyes drifted towards Iyvre, who had remained behind, meeting her gaze even as the Withered Husk swooped down.
They seemed to have come to an understanding as Iyvre conjured an orb of glowing white light that condensed into a hovering white sword by her side while at the same time, Rael had slipped into his WarMaster’s Precision state and sent a large amount of aether down his sword making it glow blood red before he slashed it vertically, sending forth a crimson arc alongside the white celestial sword that swooshed past it, immediately piercing into the rotten flesh of the Withered Husk that didn’t even bother to dodge.
But as soon as it had pierced the Withered Husk, Iyvre squinted her eyes, causing the sword to detonate within the creature.
BOOM!
A part of its massive frame burst open just as a Great Bloodrend sliced through it, cutting off two wings in a row and a part of its tentacle-wiggled spine.
SHRIEK!
The Withered Husk shrieked before crashing into the ground and bulldozing through anything in its trajectory.But Rael and Iyvre, both with frowns on their faces, could tell that this Withered Husk wasn’t the intelligent brain behind those coordinated attacks, and they weren’t wrong.
SCREEEEEECH!
A new, loud shriek resounded from beyond the woods as countless more silhouettes of Withered Vermins appeared, with a much larger, uglier, and more disfigured one in front.
"It won’t end, will it?" Rael sighed
