Chapter 108: Battle for Camp White (part 14)

The change was unexpected even for Jordan. When he had said 'Aim for its legs' he hadn't really expect an immediate response. In fact he expected to experience and even bigger beat down from the Bone Ape before any action would truly be taken.

He wasn't complaining though. In fact he was glad to have a partner as reliable as Lydia was. She had acted precisely when he needed her the most.

'I can see why Huey likes you now' despite his current injuries Jordan had the thought.

His gaze fixed onto the Bone Ape that was now standing on a single knee.

…

While Jordan and the Bone Ape exchanged blows for a short while, Lydia wasn't just staying still in the background. In fact she was moving just a step behind Jordan when he engaged the ape in direct combat.

'I can't confront that thing directly' she thought as her presence vanished from the very battlefield. To the outside observer it looked as though her physical body was actually dissolving into particles of colorless gas.

[Stealth] allowed her to hide her presence actively from anyone within her Order and a single Order above her. This was to say that whenever she used [Stealth] nothing in the First and in the Second Star Order could find her without having a high enough perception or a set of skills to specifically seek out her presence.

So when she used [Stealth], even the Bone Ape was unable to sense that she had vanished from the battlefield and to make matters worse the Bone Ape had already treated her with contempt and didn't even consider her a threat.

It would realize just how much of a big mistake it was making and Lydia would make it pay dearly.

By now Jordan and the ape were exchanging blows at close quarters. The latter swinging its bone club wildly with the goal of crashing its opponent beneath its weapon while the former was so concentrated on dodging and countering and looking for way to deal a fatal blow to the Second Star Order.

'I forget sometimes but Jordan is a talent when it comes to combat too' Lydia had that thought as she watched the fight move on.

Lydia's heart skipped a beat when Jordan was knocked back by the bone club but soon calmed down when he managed to realign himself and regain his balance.

Relief filled her heart but was soon washed away only to be replaced by dread when the Bone Ape moved at a speed so much faster than her eyes could follow. It fact due to her low agility stat, the Bone Ape's movements may as well have been a blur. As a matter of fact, she hadn't been able to follow this entire fight very clearly at all.

So when the Bone Ape appeared before Jordan and lifted the bone club high in the air preparing to strike down the latter, it may as well have vanished from her eyesight for a split second and then materialized in front of Jordan with the heavy bone club already descending.

'How can Jordan follow this monster's movements' Lydia felt her heart tremble. The feeling of depression and helplessness she had been feeling earlier sinking its teeth into her resolve.

Despair settled within her heart as the bone club descended.

She was currently standing behind the Bone Ape so she could not really see Jordan as he was blocked from her view. All she saw was the bone club disappear from view as the Bone Ape swung down with a force so strong that the very air around it exploded with a burst.

There was a low booming sound and then there was a clap of thunder and suddenly the Bone Ape was surrounded by sparks of blue and yellow lightning.

She felt the ground sink just as her heart did. She resigned herself to Jordan's fate. Doubts started to creep into her mind.

Just few moments before confronting the Bone Ape she had stubbornly told Huey that they needed to grow into their own power and now…

A dry lump gathered at her throat. And if its wasn't [Stealth] hiding her presence from everyone's sight, the tears that were starting to gather in her eyes would have been clear for all to see. Her breath hitched and a sob threatened to escape from her mouth.

'No. no. no. no. This can't be. It can't be true' Lydia's thoughts began to spiral.

… Jordan was…

"Aim for its legs! You have to slow it down!"

… Jordan was speaking from the afterlife?

No that's impossible.

Her thoughts cleared once again as she comprehended the meaning for Jordan's words.

She took control of her emotions and acted as fast as she could. She called on her mana and it answered. Her [Air manipulation] pulled on the air and with a focused thought the wind took shape. It became a solid blade made of compressed wind.

"Wind blade" by now the effects of [Stealth] had worn off but by the time the Bone Ape realized there was danger behind it. It was too late.

Lydia shot the wind blade forward and she did as she was told.

She aimed for the Bone Ape's legs. Or to be precise the back of its left knee.

The wind blade hit its mark and she managed to bring the Bone Ape down on its knees and now she could see Jordan standing beyond the Bone Ape's kneeling form.

He looked haggard.

His breathing to ragged, his lips and chin were painted red with blood- probably his, his cheek was grazed and bruised and he seemed to be having trouble remaining on his feet. Lydia could even see them shaking a bit.

He looked like a mess but he was still alive and still had all his limbs intact.

Lydia's emerald eyes flashed with a subtle green light as she called on her mana once more and made a swinging motion with her right arm. Wind gathered around her arm and shot forward like a whip that travelled across the air and lashed out onto the Bone Ape's one remaining leg.

It landed on the back of its knees once again, cutting through flesh and ligaments.

The Bone Ape lost its support to remain upright and its other leg collapsed too, leaving it kneeling on the ground and blood leaking from the wound and forming a puddle of red around it.

The Bone Ape roared out as it twisted its torso around. In blind rage it threw the bone club at her. The bone club travelled to fast through the air that no one would have thought the thing weighed over 100 kilograms.

Lydia called on the wind to carry her to safety just as the heavy club smashed into the ground leaving a heavy dent. No doubt with how low her stats were, Lydia would have died had that attack landed.

Meanwhile in the time it took for the Bone Ape to throw away its only weapon, Jordan raced towards it.

A singular thought on his mind. 'I have to break that bone armor to pieces'

He appeared before the Bone Ape and swung a heavy fist into its bone covered chest. Jordan's fists were covered by yellow sparks that flew off with every punch he landed.

Left fist. Right fist. Left fist.

Jordan attacked with the frenzy of a cornered beast. The claps of thunder were continuous.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

ROAR!

The Bone Ape swung back with a heavy left fist that landed heavily on Jordan's side. The blow sent him rolling back in the ground. His ribs shattered and the bones in his shoulder snapped.

However, Jordan stood. His feet digging into the ground beneath his feet as he crossed towards the Bone Ape once again. His fists coming down with no less intensity than he first started. The Bone Ape would hit him and send him back but he would rise up and attack.

Again and again. And again. He fell, he stood, he attacked and he fell again.

The cycle repeated. His body getting more and more battered each time and yet his mind sunk deeper and deeper into new state of being, a trance. As Jordan sunk into this trance-like state, the pain from his battered body grew numb to the point that he could no longer feel it.

He continued to attack, his blood roaring within his veins. His heart entering a new rhythm of its own that seemed to send a flood of new found power with every beat.

Jordan's punches lander harder and faster than before. Cracks begun to appear in the Bone Ape's armor. It tried to fix it with its manipulation of bone mana but Jordan's attacks became too much for the ape to keep up. And eventually…

The bones that covered its chest shattered into shards of white. The bone armor broke off revealing the Bone Ape's flesh.

At the same time Jordan's mind felt like it was getting closer and closer to hitting a barrier- a threshold of some kind.

Until… that barrier within his mind shattered and whole new world was opened up to him.

[Congratulations! You have broken through to the first layer of War State.

 You have acquired the title 'Child of War'

 You have gained the passive skill 'War State: First Layer']

Jordan broke out of his trance at that moment. And only now was he able to notice that the bone armor that had covered the Bone Ape's chest was all but shattered and the pink skin underneath was bruised.

'I broke through the armor!' Jordan realized then he took a step back and at the top of his lungs he shouted.

"CANDICE NOW!"