Warlock of Oceans: My Poseidon System

"Hold the line!" Sylus growled, his muscles screaming as he swung his sword again, forcing the creatures back.

Athena was barely keeping up, her magic starting to falter. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, each spell taking more out of her than the last. She blasted a monster with a bolt of lightning, but two more immediately filled its place.

"They're closing in!" Athena shouted, her voice tinged with desperation.

Cyrus clenched his jaw, his mind racing as he struggled to find a way out. His mana was still unreachable, and the aether was draining fast. They couldn't keep this up much longer.

But they had no choice. They fought on, every move calculated, every swing of their weapons and blast of magic designed to buy them just a few more precious seconds.

The relentless wave of monsters showed no sign of slowing. Every moment was a battle for survival, a dance of instinct and desperation. The trio moved as one, but they were pushed to their absolute limits.

Cyrus ducked under another sweeping claw, his aether blade slashing through the monster's exposed flank. He didn't have time to savor the kill, however. His feet barely touched the ground before he spun to the side, dodging a second monster's lunge. The beast's massive jaws snapped inches from his shoulder, and he drove his elbow into its throat with brutal force. His sword followed, cutting clean through the creature's neck.

But another was already on him.

Cyrus barely had time to bring his sword up in defense. His muscles screamed from the repeated exertion, his breath ragged. The creatures were working together, attacking in unison. It felt like fighting an endless tide that kept adapting to their every move.

Sylus was just ahead, cleaving through the horde with powerful, sweeping strikes. His greatsword was a blur of silver, cutting through flesh and bone with practiced ease. His movements were slower now, each swing carrying the weight of exhaustion, but he powered through, planting his feet firmly on the ground as he hewed through two more monsters that tried to flank him.

One creature came from behind, lunging for his back, but Sylus anticipated the move. He whirled around just in time, using the momentum of his previous strike to drive his elbow into the beast's snout, shattering bone with a sickening crunch. He followed up with an upward strike, cutting through its body in one brutal motion.

Athena, her body trembling from fatigue, conjured a swirling vortex of flame, tossing it toward a group of monsters that attempted to break their formation. The flames exploded, engulfing the creatures in a roar of fire, but the ones behind them didn't flinch, stepping over the burning remains of their fallen comrades.

"They just keep coming!" she yelled, her voice edged with panic.

She shifted, dodging to the left just as one of the monsters leapt at her. With a quick flick of her wrist, she conjured a spear of lightning, driving it straight into the creature's chest. The impact sent it flying back, its body convulsing as the lightning danced through its limbs, but more were already closing in. She planted her foot, twisting her body as she launched another barrage of magic into the mass of creatures.

"We can't keep this up!" she gasped, her energy dwindling fast.

Cyrus was constantly on the move, his body leaning into every dodge and twist as he tried to manage the overwhelming numbers. His aether blade was now his only lifeline, the pure energy crackling as he parried and slashed through the beasts, but the strain was becoming unbearable. His muscles were screaming, and his breaths came in short, ragged gasps. Every movement felt like a gamble.

He spun low to the ground, narrowly avoiding a set of claws, then rose with a sharp upward slash that cut deep into a monster's torso. Without missing a beat, he dropped into a roll, barely escaping the crushing blow of another creature's fist that shattered the stone floor beneath him. He was constantly retreating, unable to catch his breath or recover his footing. The horde pressed in, and for every beast they killed, it seemed as if two more took its place.

"Stay close!" Sylus barked as he swung his sword in a wide arc, buying them a moment of space. "We can't get separated!"

Cyrus gritted his teeth, trying once more to tap into his mana, to call forth the power of his throne world. But again, it felt as though something was severing the connection, leaving him only with his rapidly draining aether. He cursed under his breath, slashing through another beast that lunged for his head.

The monsters were adapting too quickly. They came from all sides now, more precise and deadly than before. The trio could feel the tide turning against them.

Suddenly, just as the next wave seemed inevitable, the creatures froze. There was an eerie stillness. Then, as if responding to some unseen command, the monsters retreated, pulling back into the shadows, their bodies melding into the dark corners of the ruined church.

"What… why are they retreating?" Athena panted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She stood on shaky legs, sweat dripping from her brow, her magic fizzling out as her reserves ran dry.

Cyrus's instincts flared. "This isn't good."

Sylus, his greatsword resting heavily on his shoulder, looked around with narrowed eyes. "Stay alert. They're up to something." Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire

The trio regrouped, their weapons raised, eyes scanning the now eerily quiet church. It was then they heard it—the unmistakable sound of shifting flesh, of wet, sticky matter congealing. The walls trembled with the sound of bodies merging, blending together in a grotesque harmony.

Cyrus's heart sank as they rushed out of the church, knowing that whatever was coming was far worse than the chaos they had just endured. Outside, they were greeted with a horrifying sight.

The monsters had all gathered together in a pulsating, writhing mass of sticky black substance. Their individual forms had disappeared, now melded into two towering, grotesque golems. The black ooze that composed their bodies dripped and stretched like tar, and their limbs shifted grotesquely, each movement accompanied by a sickening squelch.

"What the hell…" Sylus muttered, his grip tightening on his greatsword.

The two golems stood taller than the church itself, their massive bodies swaying slightly as they fully took form. Their featureless heads turned toward the trio, and with a deep, reverberating groan, they began to move, each step shaking the ground beneath them. The golems weren't just mindless brutes; they were precise, deliberate in their movements, and the weight of their presence sent a chill through the trio's already exhausted bodies.

Cyrus took a step back, his grip tightening on his aether blade. "We have to take them down before they get any closer."

"But how?" Athena's voice was strained, her magic nearly depleted. "We barely survived the swarm."

"They're slow," Sylus noted, his eyes locked on the massive figures. "We can use that. Stay mobile—don't let them corner us."

"We're going to need more than just speed," Cyrus muttered, his eyes scanning the environment. "We can't rely on brute force here. We'll have to be smarter."

Sylus nodded, hefting his greatsword as he prepared to charge. "Then let's give them hell."

The battle wasn't over. It had only just begun.

The fight began with a deafening crack as the first of the two golems took a massive step forward. The sticky black substance that had once dripped and oozed from its form now solidified, hardening into an obsidian-like armor. The once-pliable creatures had become something far more dangerous, and their size alone was terrifying.

Cyrus moved first, his instincts telling him they needed to stay mobile. He sprinted forward, the aether blade in his hand flaring with energy. His muscles burned from exhaustion, but he forced his body to react, twisting just in time to avoid the massive arm of the golem as it swung downward. The obsidian fist slammed into the ground, cracking the earth beneath it. Cyrus used the opening, darting in close and slashing at the golem's leg.

The strike landed, but the obsidian barely cracked under the force of his blade. His eyes widened in frustration, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He leapt backward as the second golem swung a massive arm toward him, narrowly dodging the blow as it whooshed past his chest.

"Athena, we need magic!" Cyrus yelled, his feet skidding across the uneven ground as he tried to gain distance.

Athena, already repositioning herself behind a crumbled pillar, raised her hand and conjured a torrent of crackling energy. She launched it toward the first golem, the bright arc of lightning slamming into its chest with a thunderous crash. The energy danced across the obsidian surface, but the creature barely faltered. Its steps slowed for just a moment, and Athena gritted her teeth.

"They're resistant to magic!" she shouted, her voice strained.

Sylus didn't hesitate. He roared as he charged the second golem, his greatsword swinging with all his might. He slammed the blade into the side of the monster's knee, and this time the impact was enough to crack the armor. The golem groaned, its leg buckling slightly as it shifted its weight to the other side. Sylus, sensing an opportunity, pressed forward. He twisted his body, swinging his sword in a wide arc, aiming for the already damaged area. His muscles screamed in protest, but the blade connected again with a satisfying crack, sending shards of obsidian flying.