Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

"But it's been 16 minutes."

His gaze scanned the trees ahead of them, his keen instincts telling him they weren't alone.

"If they attack us now, it could result in many casualties since we're on open space."

Maxime followed his gaze, squinting. He couldn't see anything at first, but a slight movement drew his attention to a ridge to the west. A dark silhouette moved swiftly between the trees, almost imperceptible.

"Up there." he whispered, casting a quick glance in the direction of the dark silhouette.

Leïla nodded, confirming his observation.

"Dravaks. And they know we're here."

A murmur ran through the soldiers, but no one moved without a direct order from their captain.

Clearly, their guerrilla plan was going to fail completely and turn into a head-on confrontation.

But Leila was confident that even against the Dravaks, her mercenaries had a chance.

After a few seconds, and sensing something coming, Leïla shouted:

"Scatter and find something to protect yourself immediately!"

Hearing the order, no one hesitated and everyone dispersed through the forest.

At the same time, a piercing cry echoed across the clearing. The Dravaks were moving into action.

Energetic fire rained down from the forest ahead.

Leïla and Maxime both hid behind nearby trees, but these exploded as soon as they were hit by enemy fire, so they had to maintain a high level of mobility.

As the first salvo passed, a hundred silhouettes emerged from the shadows, humanoid creatures with dark armor and futuristic weapons. Their movement was methodical, while they exuded a cold, savage aggression.

"Return fire! Don't let them get any closer!" yelled Leila, emerging from her hiding place and firing at the Dravaks.

The Shibuya reacted instantly, moving into position to intercept the onslaught.

Shots burst through the air, killing a few Dravaks, but most managed to dodge.

Maxime also started shooting, but his accuracy and sense of anticipation were poor, so he didn't hit any Dravaks.

At the same time, the Dravaks were advancing, their strategy clear: divide the Shibuya and eliminate their targets one by one.

"Maxime, on your left!" shouted Leïla.

He pivoted just in time to dodge an energy shot that grazed his shoulder. Reacting by instinct, he aimed and fired, hitting one of the Dravaks in the head.

"Lucky!"

The Dravak immediately fell out of the air and landed heavily next to Maxime.

He was able to get a closer look, and Maxime was immediately frightened.

"Damn, these guys are really gigantic."

The body nearby was over 2 meters tall, and with its wings, they could cover up to 4 meters wide around it.

It was truly impressive to see such a body so close.

But Maxime had no time for further observation. Two more Dravaks were rushing towards him, their spears pointed at him.

Indeed, the Dravaks were particularly fond of wielding spears, as they could maximize their aerial advantages and at the same time serve as powerful projectiles.

Some of the soldiers he'd spoken to the day before had told him about a few species, and that some Dravaks could even destroy spaceships with an ordinary spear.

Simultaneously, the environment around Maxime was very chaotic, with the Shibuya starting to fight hand-to-hand with the Dravaks, most of whom had already summoned some of Eternity's men to help them.

But Maxime, strangely enough, felt calm. His sense of combat was taking over.

He deftly dodged an attack, ducking behind a tree to protect himself. He glanced quickly at Leïla, who was fighting a powerful Dravak that also looked different from the others.

She was fighting with deadly precision, her saber dancing in the air like a bright flame, but clearly the duel was complicated for her, so she couldn't come to his aid.

Maxime took a deep breath. If he was to survive, he had to act quickly and intelligently.

If these two Dravaks went toe-to-toe with him, Maxime didn't know if he'd be a match for them.

He didn't know their capabilities, so it was best to use his rifle for the time being.

He glanced around quickly, looking for an opening or a way to defend himself. His rifle, though powerful, wasn't fast enough to neutralize them at this distance.

"Well, we'll have to improvise," he muttered, dodging a spear that planted itself in the tree behind him with devastating force, the wood splintering under the impact.

Taking advantage of this moment, Maxime grabbed a piece of the broken tree, a thick branch, and threw it with all his might in the direction of one of the Dravaks.

The latter deflected the object with ease, but this gesture diverted his attention just long enough for Maxime to roll onto his side and take time to aim.

Then he fired several shots in the direction of the nearest Dravak. Two shots struck the creature's armor, creating sparks, but the third hit its free neck. The Dravak staggered backwards before collapsing heavily. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

The second Dravak, furious, spread its wings and leapt into the air, trying to catch Maxime from above.

He rolled again to avoid the diving attack and found himself behind the Dravak.

"No way you're going to run me over."

He adjusted his rifle and fired point-blank into the creature's back. The shot hit the armor with a thud, and the Dravak let out a heart-rending scream, but the armor had protected him well.

He turned and plunged with his spear towards Maxime.

Maxime threw down his rifle and drew the hilt of his sword, then as if by magic a beam of light burst forth.

"Let's see how powerful this thing is!

Maxime threw himself at the Dravak, a smile on his face.

Maxime dodged the spear with a small step to the side, then approached the Dravak very dangerously.

But the Dravak also seemed to have exceptional fighting skills, and in these circumstances he managed to step back with the help of his wings while sweeping Maxime aside with the side of his spear.

This time Maxime failed to dodge, and was thrown through several trees.

At the same time, rifle shots flew past him until they landed in a distant spot.

"Damn, this guy's really strong!"

But a smile came to Maxime's lips.

"But it's so exciting!"

That chaos, that thrill in battle, he didn't know why but he loved it.

"Hand-to-hand combat is so incredible," he murmured with satisfaction.

At the same time, his opponent rushed at him again, his spear pointed at him.@@novelbin@@

"Human, you're pretty brave, but you're no match for a Dravak warrior. Die."

Maxime opened his eyes slightly surprised, he hadn't expected a foreign race to be able to speak in his language.

"You're claiming victory a little too quickly." Maxime replied as he licked his lips, collecting some of the blood that had run down his lips when he fell.

He looked wild in his appearance, but that didn't intimidate the Dravak warrior at all.

On the contrary, everyone of his species was similar to the human in front of him, if not much wilder.

The Dravak warrior charged at impressive speed, his spear glinting in the sparse light that pierced through the trees. Maxime, still slightly stunned by his recent flight through the trunks, quickly straightened up, laser sword in hand.

He took a few steps back, assessing the Dravak's distance and momentum.

As the spear came dangerously close, Maxime crouched at the last second and swung to the side, letting the weapon graze his shoulder. He took the opportunity to sweep his sword horizontally, aiming at the Dravak's legs.

A clang of metal echoed in the air: the Dravak's armor had absorbed the blow, but the impact forced the creature to lose its balance for a moment.

"Wow, what's your armor made of to withstand a laser sword?" exclaimed Maxime, jumping back to create distance.

The Dravak replied with a hoarse growl, his eyes shining with contempt.

"You're nothing but an insect. Your arrogance will get you killed."

The Dravak swooped down on him, his spear arcing deadly. Maxime did a somersault to the side to dodge.

"At this rate, this guy's really going to get me..."

And he didn't want to summon his mercenaries, because apart from Kaite and Langus who were pretty strong, the others wouldn't last a few seconds against this Dravak warrior.

Firstly, because of the lack of equipment, and secondly, because of a significant physical difference.

And above all, he wanted to take care of him alone, out of pride.

At the same time, Maxime took a quick look around and spotted a cracked tree trunk, probably weakened by previous shots and explosions.

"I might have an idea..." Maxime briefly holstered his sword and grabbed a small stone, which he hurled directly at the Dravak's face.

Caught off guard, the creature recoiled slightly, more from surprise than pain. This moment of hesitation allowed Maxime to dash at full speed towards the weakened trunk.

With a powerful kick, he struck the base of the trunk, sending it reeling. The tree, already precariously balanced, began to collapse with a dull crack.

The Dravak, realizing the plan, tried to back away, but Maxime's timing was perfect. The tree came down with a monumental crash, trapping one of the warrior's wings under its massive weight.

"Not so invincible, eh?" gasped Maxime, catching his breath.

"Yes, always invincible." shouted the Dravak, laughing aloud.

Then with his thick arms, he lifted the tree trunk and swung it away, causing a mini earthquake nearby as the tree landed on the ground.

"Great..." murmured Maxime.