The Shapeshifter

During the whole time that everyone was fighting, Alex was pretending to be dead by the side and was focusing on absorbing mana.

When he finally regained a bit of strength, he sat down and warily looked at the insects only to notice that they were moving away from him. Although it was weird, he took the chance to recover some more.

The mana that he regained allowed him to cast a skill or two. He knew that it wasn't nearly enough to fend off the potential enemies that might attack him.

That was when he felt a weird gaze from in front of him. It came from a one armed Praying Mantis.

...

'Crackle! Boom!'

The sound of thunder once again deafening the ears of the beings amidst the battlefield.

Lightning hits the ground around the Golden Stag Beetle from time to time. Some even hits its huge body, yet it only left black marks which it later on heals and simply vanishes.

The lightning strikes poses no threat to the Golden Stag Beetle, yet the same couldn't be said to the Big Baldie.

Those ferocious strikes were incredibly fast that no matter how prepared the Big Baldie was, he was still unable to evade the lightnings.

This became a huge headache to him as those lightning strikes shocks his entire body and numbs his mind. Making him vulnerable to the attacks of the Golden Stag Beetle.

With his battered body, the Big Baldie assumes a defensive stance and blocked another blow from his enemy. The constant brutal blow was slowly injuring his body.

"I have to hold on. I have stronger enemies to fight! It is but a mere Dire Beast that got lucky!"

Muttering his grievances to himself, he continues to defend.

Cold wind blew at the battlefield and it carried a deep stench of blood.

"Ah, brings back memories." A man with a dark blue hair said as his hair danced with the wind.

The handsome man was currently flying in the air, hundreds of meters above the ground. His eyes surveyed the battlefield and finally gazed at the golden beast, fighting against a bald man.

"So it was just a mutant Dire Beast. Got me worried for nothing. I shall let the Knights help this man get rid of this beast. Then uh, let the Squires to their job "

Just as Micah was about to head back and rest, the mutated Golden Stag Beetle turned around and ran.

It ignored the shocked man it was fighting and ran the opposite direction of Micah.

"Oh, it was able to detect me." From his previously lackadaisical eyes, it turned sharp in no time.

[Water Prison!]

He chanted with extreme speed and precision, and was able to lock into the Golden Stag Beetle that was running for its life.

Although their distance was about a thousand meters apart, he was still able to contain the beast. This was the power of an Archmage!

The sound of a drowning beast resounded in the battlefield. Everyone looked over and their eyes were glued to the Micah who was slowly descending from the air. Like a heavenly being that has descended upon the mortal realm, he was akin to a saviour sent by God.

Micah intentionally emitted a forceful aura that scared the swarm of insects into a mad scramble for their precious lives.

"Oh thank God!", Alex breathed heavily. He was glad that things didn't go bad for him. He was but a newly awakened mage that knows how to swing a sword.

"Squires, charge! Kill all the insects, leave none alive!" a forceful voice reverberated in the battlefield.

Soon, countless Squires held their weapons and charged alongside their steeds.

The Squires yelled and started a bloody slaughter.

"Ooooonnggg!"

The sorrowful roar of the Golden Stag Beetle echoed once more. As it was able to push its head above the dark spherical water prison that was encasing it.

Micah paid it no heed at first and continued to look at the slaughter that the 13th division was committing, but then he noticed that its almost stagnant aura was once more flaring up!

It was looking for a breakthrough!

Once it was able to become a Void Beast, no matter if it has just ascended in rank, Micah and others' only chance is to barrage it with attack until it dies.

"I shall kill you myself then."

The dark spherical water prison was now becoming smaller. The Golden Stag Beetle was squirming in agony as its body was being squashed by the force made from the Water Prison.

Its body creaked and the hard exoskeleton was being broken piece by piece. Its regenerative ability was unable to keep up with the damage being dealt to its whole body.

"Oooooonnggg!!!"

"Had you not chosen to breakthrough, I would've had the Knights fight you to temper themselves. It was unfortunate that you choose wrong."

The Water Prison alone, would've been enough to kill the Golden Stag Beetle, instead Micah was slowly torturing the beast to its death.

His control over his spell was so precise that he was able to preserve the little life that the beast has.

Soon, the mutated Golden Stag Beetle finally succ.u.mbed to its death. The 13th division was also finishing up the insects that was left.

The few thousands of insects were killed by the 13th division. The speed at which they exterminated the swarm of insects were less than half the time before they entered the skirmish.

"Everyone, treat those who are wounded. amongst our ranks. Help in treating the villagers. Move!", the female knight ordered her troops after the last insect was beheaded.

The Squires helped their fellow soldier first. Those who weren't injured by much directed their steeds towards the villagers.

At this time, Alex was already standing and walking around with the help of a stick, searching for his precious cores.

Every core that he got would hasten the update of the system, if he were able to get enough cores then maybe the system would finish updating once he absorbed all the cores.

Alex was only able to secure four cores including the Stick Insect core that he had. He was also able to retrieve the sword that once flew out of his hand when he was surrounded by the beasts.

"Hey kid, are you okay?", a Squire asked him.

"Ah, no. Can you help me get back into the village."

"Yeah sure."

"Thanks."

When he mounted the warhorse he was able to see the huge corpse of the Golden Stag Beetle flashing then ended up being stored by the dark blue haired Archmage, into a ring.

Micah noticed Alex looking and flashed him a smile and walked off towards the Knights.