The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Chapter 76: Split

A white light flashed, and before Mervant could even react, he was summoned back to Calidora's side, his blade still mid-swing.

"Cal… Cali?" he stammered, staring at her in shock. "Why did you pull me back? I was just about to—"

His words were cut short by the rush of wind beside him. Guoguo stood with her bow drawn taut, eyes blazing with fervent intensity as she recited an incantation.

Energy swirled around the arrow, akin to a miniature hurricane sigil engraved onto the slender shaft, its tip aimed directly at the ground below.

Mervant was taken aback on hearing her chanting. He vaguely recalled Girunini saying that Guoguo didn't know incantation and each enchantment on her arrows was purely from rote memorization.

Yet this war song-like chant was so intricate and lengthy it was hard to believe anyone could memorize it just by mimicking the syllables.

Mervant's gaze slowly shifted downward. In the midst of the army below, the 49 arrows that had previously missed their mark had transformed into centers of swirling wind, forming a complex magic array.

Unlike a spell array, which could be conjured during battle through chanting and mana control, a magic array required pre-arranged setup, making it significantly more potent than a spell of the same level.

Guoguo had achieved this with just her bow and a quiver of arrows, right on the battlefield.

And as her recitation reached its crescendo, the energy swirling around her arrow intensified further. A pang of realization hit Mervant; he now understood why Guoguo's master insisted she become a caster archer, even knowing she struggled with spellcasting.

Finally, Guoguo released her bow string. The arrow, glowing with green energy, struck straight in the center of the magic array, instantaneously causing the energies of the 49 other arrows to converge at the point.

A colossal tornado erupted, engulfing the soldiers nearby, including the giants who were too slow to react.

And those who reacted could only claw at the ground with their long fingernails as they were sucked into the vortex.

Then, upon reaching a critical point, all 49 arrows ignited, transforming the windstorm into a towering inferno. Scorching heat consumed everything within seconds, reducing soldiers to ashes and turning giants into charred husks, which the wind then scattered.

The fiery whirlwind raged for a full three minutes. When it finally subsided, the battlefield below was swept clean, the once countless enemies reduced to dust. Only the half-burnt arrows remained as a testament to the battle that had taken place.

Guoguo, satisfied with her clean sweep, looked at Mervant and smiled. "Mr. Mervant, I didn't mess up this time, right?"

"No," Mervant replied earnestly. "You did great. Incredible, actually…"

"Heh, that's good to hear…" Guoguo muttered as her body went limp and collapsed. Calidora, quick to react, caught her as she fell.

"Cali, is she okay?" Mervant asked anxiously.

"Let me see… Um, she's fine, it's just overexertion. She just needs to rest."

Mervant heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good—"

He suddenly grabbed his two companions and leaped up onto an even higher skybridge just as a gray spear struck the spot where they had previously been.

A figure in gray armor appeared beside the spear, retrieving it with a cold, emotionless gaze.

Mervant felt his hairs stand on end. He recognized this armor—it was unforgettable. Years ago, thousands of soldiers in this very armor had invaded Dragon City and destroyed his home.

"Damn," Mervant muttered, his voice slightly trembling. "Why would the Tyrant's elite guard be here…"

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Liu Ji recalled an old game called "Beachhead," where the objective was simple: a player, one cannon, fending off waves of charging enemies from all directions.

Yaine was essentially doing just that right now. Perched atop a structure, countless miniature spell arrays floated around her, unleashing bolts of lightning in every direction. Though the lightning wasn't strong enough to kill, it paralyzed the soldiers, causing them to tumble from the rooftops to their deaths below.

Liu Ji's task was to deal with the giants attempting to ambush them. Despite the giants' superior strength, Liu Ji found no difference between them and the regular soldiers; they all went down with a single punch. Handling the giants was easier than dealing with the swarm of small fry.

Together, they managed to halt what seemed like an unstoppable onslaught. They expended minimal energy, while the enemy forces continuously dwindled. Liu Ji began to think they might actually extinguish this horde.

Well…

That was what Liu Ji presently thought.

As time went on, Liu Ji noticed that the enemy's assault seemed to be slowing down. He had already taken down several giants, yet dozens more still surrounded him below. However, despite waiting for some time, no more enemies leaped up to challenge him.

Looking at Yaine, he saw that several of her floating spell arrays had gone idle as if they too were puzzled by the enemy's reduced aggression. She kept glancing around, searching for an explanation.

Is this the calm before the storm? Liu Ji wondered. Or are they planning a coordinated attack?

Surveying the area, Liu Ji realized that if they all decided to jump up at once, he wouldn't be able to fend them off.

Perhaps I should grab Yaine and dodge the first wave, then figure out a counterattack?

As he pondered this, lost in thought, he suddenly heard Yaine's urgent cry from behind.

"Watch out! Above you—"

Before she could finish, a monstrous sword descended from above, cleaving Liu Ji cleanly in half.