Reidar watched the chaotic exodus begin. The decision was made quickly.

Each group would race to their respective settlements to evacuate whoever remained so they could lead them toward the relative safety of Creamont's fortified walls. It was a desperate gamble, although the alternative was leaving thousands to be slaughtered by the portal-spawned horrors that were now spilling across the landscape.

Of course, the plan hinged on Reidar's having success.

The Aegis Phalanx was fighting a losing battle against the World-Carver Behemoth, and every monster they failed to contain became a new wave of death spreading outward.

While the raid members began their hurried preparations for departure, Reidar turned to his own impossible task. He shared the Feral Pack skill, which provided the survivors their only means of fast, protected travel.

As Helga, Aldric, and their people mounted the summoned wolves and bears, Reidar turned his gaze to the sky, scanning the battle-torn expanse because he needed to find Xy'tharr Kench.

His eyes searched around, scanning the battle-torn sky. He needed to find Xy'tharr Kench.

He summoned a crow and climbed onto its back, whereupon the massive bird launched skyward with powerful wingbeats. The ground fell away beneath him as the aerial battlefield stretched in every direction.

Thousands of summoned creatures filled the sky, where dragons with scales of every color wheeled through the air, while serpents longer than ships coiled around portal monsters and winged behemoths crashed into each other with sounds like thunder.

The Aegis Phalanx had deployed everything they could and were also fighting on the front lines. Reidar saw creatures he couldn't name, things with too many wings, things that burned with inner fire, and things that seemed made of living storm clouds.

Thousands of summoned creatures filled the air and swarmed the ground while the battle raged. Crystalline dragons breathed arcs of searing light as hulking earth elementals hurled boulders, and swarms of insectoid constructs harried the Behemoth's legs.

At the same time, they swarmed the smaller portal creatures, tearing them apart in coordinated strikes.

But even with thousands of summons, they were losing. More portal creatures poured through the rifts every second, and there was no stopping it.

What was worse was that the summoned creatures, compared to the World-Carver, were gnats. Their attacks chipped minute fragments from its hide, their deaths instantaneous when a casual sweep of its limb or a glance from its galactic eye turned them to dust.

The Kytinn warrior hovered in midair, wielding weapons that crackled with energy in all four of his arms. He moved with impossible speed, cutting down portal creatures as they emerged from a nearby rift.

Reidar urged his crow toward him. He weaved between battling monsters, dodging stray energy blasts and falling corpses. Most of the time he did that by sacrificing summons. His mount shrieked as something massive passed overhead but held its course.

As Reidar approached Xy'tharr's position, the Kytinn warrior turned around.

The alien's compound eyes shifted toward him, taking in his presence with what might have been surprise. A portal creature lunged toward them, but Xy'tharr dispatched it with a casual sweep of one of his energy weapons.

"Reidar Miller," Xy'tharr said. "You should not be here."

The Kytinn warrior dispatched a portal creature before giving Reidar his full attention.

"You should be evacuating with the others," Xy'tharr said. "This battlefield is beyond your capabilities."

"I know," Reidar said. "But I came to offer help."

Xy'tharr's four arms never stopped moving, continuing to fire at emerging threats even as he spoke. "What help could you provide against a Level 763 extinction-class entity?"

"My trait," Reidar said. "Skill Sharing. I can offer my summoning skills to your people. To their summons."

The Kytinn warrior paused for only a fraction of a second before dismissing the idea. "It will not be enough to kill the Behemoth," Xy'tharr stated, his assessment absolute. "The level gap is too high. Even a hundred new skills would not be enough."

"Killing it isn't the goal," Reidar said, his gaze locked on the catastrophe in motion. He gestured toward the massive creature that was crushing its way across the valley floor. "I don't need to kill it. I need to redirect it."

Xy'tharr's eyes fixed on him with sudden intensity. "Explain."

"The World-Carver Behemoth is heading east," Reidar said. "Straight toward Creamont. My parents are there. Thousands of survivors. If it reaches the city, everyone dies."

Leaning forward on his crow's back, Reidar explained his logic. "But if we can flood the battlefield with enough high-level creatures, enough attacks, and enough harassment, maybe we can make it change direction, make it turn away from the city."

Xy'tharr processed this proposal while he glanced at the tactical data flowing across his visor, which confirmed the Behemoth's current trajectory. The Kytinn nodded as he understood the strategy.

"You want to create an annoyance significant enough to alter its path." Although the Behemoth was an unstoppable force, Xy'tharr acknowledged that even an unstoppable force could be nudged.

"Exactly," Reidar said. "Your warriors are mostly at level 300 and above. Their summons reflect that power. If I share my skills with them, it won't be enough. This means that the strongest person here should receive these skills," Reidar stated, the plan crystallizing as he spoke. "I will share more summoning skills with the monsters you summon."

"Who's the highest-level person here? " Reidar asked.

"I am," Xy'tharr said. His voice carried no pride, just stated fact. "Level 421. I command this sector's forces."

Reidar nodded. "Then you're the one I'll share the skills with."

Reidar did not hesitate. He focused and reached for the skill he had painstakingly raised to 51% proficiency during his recent trials: Summon Shadow Guardians.

Reidar focused and activated his trait, and then a connection formed between them, the alien and the human.

The Shadow Guardian's skill was perfect for this situation, as the Guardians had skills that went beyond simple combat.

While Enhanced Mana Siphon meant they could drain ambient mana and transfer it to their summoner—which translated to more summons, spells, and power—the real value lay in their offensive skills.

Umbral Lance would deal direct damage while reducing the Behemoth's defenses, whereas Grasping Shadows could slow the creature's movement, buying precious time or simply annoying the beast.

Wall of Night, however, was the key. The shadow barriers would block the Behemoth's path, forcing it to turn and seek an easier route. Consequently, multiple walls, constantly renewed, could funnel the creature away from Creamont.

Xy'tharr's eyes gleamed as the knowledge settled into his mind. "Let's hope this works."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.