SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will

Chapter 176: Battling the heretics

Moon’s cold eyes swept across the celebrating Heretics, counting numbers and assessing threat levels despite the rage burning in his chest.

’She should have listened to me.’

Approximately fifty Heretic warriors were visible in the settlement. Eight guards on the watchtowers. And somewhere within this fortified area, their own S-rank guardian beast was undoubtedly waiting.

The situation had just become more complicated.

“We’re attacking now, and we’re killing every single one of them. Don’t leave a single person alive.”

Selene’s expression showed hesitation at the command. “What about the children…”

Hearing her words, his face contorted for a moment before he came to a decision, “Leave those that are non-combatant. Kill everyone else who tries to kill you. The rest is up to Yara and others, they can decide what they want to do with them.”

Selene nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Moon’s eyes fixed on the dying White Swan and the captive Savi warriors. “I’ll create maximum chaos and draw their forces. You focus on freeing Yara and the others while I hold their attention. Once the prisoners are clear, we converge and kill them.”

He paused, his expression becoming absolutely merciless. “Ready?”

Selene nodded her head. “Ready when you are.”

Moon took one final glance of the battlefield sprawled below their elevated position.

Then he dropped smoothly from the tree and began slowly walking toward the settlement’s main front gate while Selene circled around to approach from the opposite side.

Selene departed quietly with Mirage, who would assist her in transporting Yara and the other injured Savi warriors away from the active conflict zone once she freed them from their bonds.

Moon drew the Heretics’ attention by openly exposing himself, walking slowly and visibly toward the fortified settlement with his staff held casually in one hand.

The Heretic sentries positioned at the watchtower guard posts immediately spotted the lone figure approaching brazenly in the distance. Their alarmed cries and shouts filled the area as they frantically began sending alerts about the approaching intruder to the forces within.

The entire settlement instantly went into high alert mode. Warriors began emerging from various tents, converging rapidly toward the main gate. Within moments, more and more armed combatants started arriving, gathering in an intimidating crowd to face Moon with their weapons gripped ready in their hands.

Moon smiled coldly at the sight developing before him. These weren’t merely enemies standing in his path, but lives to be gained.

Unlike when he’d first arrived in this hidden realm weeks ago, Moon was no longer that same, struggling awakener. He’d reached maximum level— twenty five—possessed multiple powerful Epic-rank skills, and had successfully killed two S-rank beasts in solo combat.

He was no longer the inexperience fighter with powerful skills. Moon was a completely different threat now.

As Moon continued his slow walk, the hostile crowd of Heretics that hissed threats and insults at him suddenly began parting like the sea dividing as their leader finally emerged from within their ranks.

The Heretic Chief strode forward, a long spear still visibly drenched with fresh blood gripped firmly in his hand, likely the White Swan’s blood.

The leader no longer wore that arrogant, dismissive smile Moon had witnessed during their first brief encounter. Rather, a cautious frown was deeply etched across his face, his eyes evaluating Moon with wariness.

’At least he isn’t foolish enough to underestimate me anymore. He must have received reports or deduced information about the recent events unfolding on this island.’

Spotting the Heretic Chief’s eyes wandering suspiciously around the surrounding area rather than focusing exclusively on himself, Moon immediately understood he needed to act decisively before the enemy leader caught on and warned his people.

The Chief was clearly searching for Selene, recognizing that Moon traveling alone was unlikely.

Moon’s mana began flaring visibly around his body. A small concentrated fireball formed above his staff’s tip, hovering and rotating slowly. Within seconds the fireball grew exponentially to the size of a basketball, then continued expanding five times larger before Moon finally stopped feeding it additional energy.

The intense heat radiating from the massive fireball construct was no longer oppressive or uncomfortable to Moon personally—his doubled elemental resistance from Advanced Elemental Body helping.

Seeing the absolutely enormous fireball hovering above Moon’s staff, the Heretic Chief’s eyes widened with alarm and he immediately started shouting urgent commands in his native language.

<Spread apart! Move away from each other! Don’t cluster together!>

Moon couldn’t understand what the chief was saying, neither did he care.

A dead man’s words had no weight in a living man’s world.

Moon released the spell without hesitation, sending the massive fireball hurtling forward toward the packed group that began to scurry apart at the gate.

At such critically short distance, the fireball arrived almost instantaneously, giving several slower-reacting Heretics absolutely no chance to escape the impact zone despite their Chief’s warning.

BOOM!

Concentrated fire erupted violently across the area in a fatal explosion. Those heretic warriors caught directly in the blast radius were instantly incinerated, their bodies consumed by flames hot enough to reduce flesh to ash within seconds.

[You have killed a level 25 Heretic]

Warriors positioned within five meters of the detonation point were heavily injured, their clothing ignited and skin blistered as the burning status effect took affect, inflicting continuous damage over the next five seconds.

Within those five agonizing seconds, the injured warriors collapsed and died from the terrible fire that consumed their bodies, their screams cutting off abruptly as life left their bodies.

Within seconds of his arrival, Moon had already thrown the settlement into immediate chaos as survivors inside frantically attempted to stop the spreading flames from consuming wooden structures and supplies.

Moon felt satisfaction spreading through his chest as he watched the Heretic Chief hiss in rage and frustration, barking orders for his remaining warriors to gather around Moon’s position in formation rather than maintaining their clustering.

A cold smile crossed Moon’s face;

his enemies’ screams aged well, like fine wine.