Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

One arm after another emerged from the ground, while roots hidden in the soil moved actively to awaken the previously dormant army. Their arms and legs were covered with rough bark, and their powerful frames moved unhindered across the uneven surface, leaving footprints in the mud.

Leyla, who barely came to her senses, looked around. Dozens of the Wooden Warriors were moving straight toward them, showing that the Essence had no intention of giving up its energy without a fight.

"Broken Rank?" Menir asked as she glanced at Ethan.

Ethan nodded, pulling a dagger from his belt.

"Yes. Their aura is much weaker than that of the Crooked Growon, but there are many of them. Very many. What shall we do?"

In response, Menir glared at Leyla with contempt.

"Are you with us, or should I throw you right to them to be torn apart?"

The urge to lunge at Menir and make her pay for everything she had done was overwhelming, but Leyla knew that life was more important.

"Tsk, don't talk to me like that. I know how to fight. I'm a True Carrier!"

Menir nodded. "Yes, just like the two of us."

Those words made Leyla's eyes widen and stare at Ethan. Everyone at the ceremony saw that Ethan had a Broken Circle.

"Alright, let's try to work together." Leyla stepped forward. "How many Patterns do you open? I have three."

Ethan and Menir could have laughed at how confidently Leyla said that, but they didn't show that their situation was different.

"Well, we have about the same," Ethan replied casually.

However, even that was enough to shock Leyla. Like all the True Carriers, she used the Revolve to gradually find the nearest Patterns. She was lucky and, in just a few months after the Ceremony, she was able to find two Patterns, while other Carriers usually managed to collect only one during that time.

Could Leyla possibly know that Ethan and Menir had already gathered all their Patterns a month ago?

Of course not.

That would be impossible without the Blind Voyager, and Leyla didn't need to know about that.

"You." Menir stared at Leyla. "What is your position?"

"In the vanguard. I saw how you fought, so I understand my role."

"Good." Menir nodded, but every word she spoke was laced with poison.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A tremor ran through the ground, reminding them that there was a more serious problem at hand.

"Enough bickering."

Ethan stepped forward as he swung his dagger, leaving a cut on his palm. The drops of blood dripping down the edges made the blade glow, activating the passive effect of the Blood Seeker.

"I'll take the ones in the middle, then when none of them are left alive, we'll decide what to do with the Essence."

Without another word, Ethan lunged forward. Menir stepped back as she crossed her arms, ready to help him at any moment.

Leyla felt strange. Deep down, she still believed that Ethan was worse than her because he was a Broken Carrier, the key word being "was." However, she couldn't ignore how he dealt with the Voracious Plant and how skillfully he moved.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

With each swing of his dagger, red lines cut the Wooden Warriors into pieces.

One of the monsters crept up on Ethan from the side, but Ethan was ready for it. He spun around as the back of his hand slammed into the Wooden Warrior's head, smashing it to splinters.

A month ago, this would have been impossible for him. It wasn't because of his skills or gear, but because of the energy filling his body.

When he was a Broken Carrier, a punch to the Wooden Warrior would leave a few cracks at most, but wouldn't blow it up like a scarecrow. It was simply a difference in levels. The battle between a True Carrier and a Broken Monster was not equal in the slightest.

'I don't know what he did, but I can't fall behind. I can't be worse than him! Never!'

Click.

The gears in her eyes began to turn as an electric orb condensed in her hand. Without a moment's hesitation, she slammed the orb into her rapier, filling the weapon with the power of lightning.

Leyla lunged forward, each swing sending a discharge of electricity that left only scorched holes in the chests of the Wooden Warriors.

Strangely enough, Menir didn't have to do anything.

When there were many enemies but their power was not great, nothing could be better than two fighters destroying everything in their path and leaving behind handfuls of ash and splinters.

Gradually, the battle for survival turned into a competition, at least for Leyla.

She could clearly see that Ethan was dealing with the Wooden Warriors much faster and easier than she was. This bothered her.

'No! I can't lose to him! He's just a poor man!'

Slash.

Ethan swung his dagger, leaving a dozen bodies behind him, while Leyla's score was much lower.

Leyla was about to say something, but suddenly a large shadow fell over her.

Massive tree roots came to life, ready not just to pierce Leyla, but to completely erase her.

Ethan turned as their eyes met. Then, a dark line whizzed past her cheek as Ethan's frame disappeared.

With a flash, he darted in a straight line toward the nearest tree, into which the harpoon dug, taking the stunned Leyla with him.

A moment later, a giant root slammed into the ground, tearing chunks of soil upward as the next root rushed straight toward them. 

It wasn't the Wooden Warriors who were the main defense of the Essence, but the tree itself.

"Run!" Menir exclaimed as crimson hands changed the trajectory of the second root.

Leyla ran to the side in terror, but Ethan had other plans.

He lunged forward, climbing onto the root and running straight toward the core.

Two more roots rushed toward him, the Essence sensing that this was its last chance to save itself.

Whoooosh.

The dark harpoon slammed into the bark as Ethan used his Second Pattern twice in a row before disappearing. Blood gushed from his mouth, but he didn't care.

Green light fell on his face as he found himself directly in front of the Essence, which was as big as he was. The size was incredible compared to the Essence at the Grim Peaks, which fit in the palm of his hand.

If he had the chance, Ethan wished he could admire the scene before him, but he didn't have time.

Without hesitation, Ethan reached out to the Essence, intending to subdue and compress it into a harmless form. Menir's eyes widened in horror.

"Stop, Ethan! You can't do it alone, it will just consume you!"

However, her scream never reached Ethan.

Green streams of energy ran through his hands as a hail of leaves rained down on him, trapping him in a chamber. The Essence tried to use its superior energy to overload Ethan's body, causing his heart to stop and the Construct to break.

Ethan's eyes filled with blood, and his veins bulged. The Essence wouldn't let him go, he had no choice but to fight.

'Is this thing going to tear me apart right now?'

His inner space was breaking into pieces under the pressure of the green energy streams rushing in.

'NO!'

Ethan clenched his fists tightly.

'Hey! Can you hear me? Keep spinning that damn Circle until there's nothing left of that orb! I won't let some clump of energy kill me!'

Strangely enough, the Construct obeyed Ethan as his Circle whirled like crazy.

The speed grew faster and faster, sparks flew away, but not a single particle of the Essence's energy was absorbed.

Instead, a gray-purple flame ignited inside the Circle, mysterious and uncontrollable.

Something strange began to happen to the leaves, they lost their structure, breaking into fragments one after another.

Chaos has come.