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Chapter 453: Extraordinary Feat – Supernatural Agility
May 3rd.
Border of the Eastern Province and the northern Carl Plains.
Scarlet Fortress.
Fierce cries of battle pierced the sky.
On the bloodstained walls littered with corpses, a horde of orcs roared as they charged the human soldier formations.
Dense volleys of crossbow bolts flew from the rear of the legion soldiers, pinning dozens—even hundreds—of orc warriors to the ground.
Over a third of the orc warriors were killed by the bolts before even reaching their enemies.
The death of their comrades did not instill fear in the orc warriors.
Both sides collided ferociously, fighting to the death.
The legion soldiers were well-equipped and well-trained.
The orc soldiers were innumerable, holding a numerical advantage.
Both sides were red-eyed with rage, trading blows as if the saying "knocking out brains" became a literal depiction.
Alongside the brutal melee, spellcasters clashed fiercely.
The Empire's mages and arcanists held a clear advantage.
They not only countered the spellcasters of the orc coalition but also unleashed fireball after fireball to relieve the defensive pressure on the legion soldiers.
Orc casualties were extensive, and corpses littered the battlefield.
The legion soldiers also suffered significant losses, with men falling intermittently.
The two sides had been locked in battle for several months.
The orc army had not captured the Scarlet Fortress.
Neither had the two legions managed to drive the orcs away.
Both sides fiercely contested every position, fighting desperately.
Tens of thousands of orcs had died.
Yet, the orcs felt no remorse, continuously rotating tribes in what seemed like a training ground.
In contrast, the Third and Eighth Legions, the original defenders, were struggling.
The western orc army remained unquashed, and its momentum only grew.
Expected reinforcements had not arrived, while their living forces dwindled.
Even with material reinforcements from the Bay Territory, the ever-dwindling manpower weighed heavily on them.
If this continued, they risked losing the Scarlet Fortress!
This was unacceptable!
If the Scarlet Fortress fell, the entire Carl Plains would once again become an orc hunting ground.
When that time came…
The advancing orc army in the east would join forces with the western orc army to besiege Savindon.
That would spell disaster!
Bay Territory.
Underground laboratory.
Sera, her face pale with terror, stared blankly at the incubation tank beside her.
Inside lay a drow warrior whose face was contorted in agony.
From his slightly deformed facial features, Sera recognized the loyal guard who had followed her for over a decade.
However, this guard had undergone "terrifying" changes.
His muscles twitched slightly, his entire body elongated, appearing gaunt and skeletal, which was horrifying to behold.
Sera did not know what had happened to him, but she absolutely did not want to end up like this.
Yet, the Bay Territory, her captors, paid no heed to her desires.
For days, she had been in a half-awake, half-asleep state of unconsciousness, oblivious to her surroundings.
Sera had a gnawing premonition that the most terrifying thing had happened: she had become a spellcaster's experiment.
Horrific images constantly flashed through her mind.
Indescribable fear pressed down on her layer by layer, forcing her into endless overthinking.
Just as unease overwhelmed her, the long-inactive incubation tanks began to move.
Forcing herself to appear calm, Sera dazedly looked around, her eyes landing on a row of drow with altered physiques.
Each of them had been stretched and enlarged, their faces twisted in pain as they lay in the tanks.
Their eyes were tightly shut, their bodies convulsing incessantly, clearly enduring unspeakable suffering.
It was evident the other drow had already been modified, and now it was Sera's turn.
Before she could react, Matthew, dressed in a white surgical robe, approached her.
Feeling weak and out of control, Sera struggled to turn her head, meeting Matthew's calm, indifferent gaze.
"I'm valuable. I can provide a wealth of intelligence!"
Before she could finish, an invisible force dragged her onto the operating table.
Panic-stricken, Sera felt the cold surface of the table and screamed in terror:
"I know secrets about House M'blesso and other drow families!"
Matthew paused slightly, observing Sera's frightened demeanor without speaking.
Realizing his reaction, Sera dared not play tricks and blurted out all the information she knew.
Silently recording her words, Matthew showed little reaction to Sera's information, instead scrutinizing her attributes.
Sera's identity, profession, skills, and feats had already been thoroughly documented by Matthew in recent days.
Only one critical and most valuable aspect remained—her extraordinary feat: Supernatural Agility.
Supernatural Agility LV1: Agility +2, Reflex +2, Fortitude +1, Control +1.
Simple and unadorned attributes that represented ultimate efficiency!
What Matthew valued most was the enhancement of "reflex."
This improvement fundamentally altered the body's internal neural and reflexive responses.
Such an upgrade was crucial for melee combatants.
In a duel of masters, victory was decided by mere milliseconds.
The same applied to the modified soldiers.
As the frontline vanguard, they bore the brunt of firepower and attacks.
A split-second advantage in reaction time could significantly enhance their combat effectiveness and survival rates.
This was Matthew's next direction for modifications.
He decided to use "Supernatural Agility" as a foundation to refine and develop stronger extraordinary feats.
After all, Matthew's pursuit was the ultimate in performance.
"Good enough" was simply not enough.
Of course, this didn't stop Matthew from extracting more intelligence about the Underdark from Sera.
Information on various resources, mines discovered by the drow, diverse underground races, and detailed power distributions—Matthew intended to know it all.
While Matthew already knew much about the Underdark, most of it was general news.
Sera's intelligence allowed him to cross-reference patterns and refine his plans.
This approach would enable Matthew to prepare for upcoming events.
As Matthew was researching the fourth surgical procedure, a request for aid from the Scarlet Fortress arrived in the Eastern Province.
"Request reinforcements to repel and drive out the orc coalition and reclaim the Scarlet Fortress."
Regarding this plea, the Eastern Province Council didn't suppress it. Instead, they notified the local counts and lords.
"Here's the situation. Do you want to help?"
A decision that reflected the characteristic "forthcoming" style of the Eastern Province!