Broken and Alora watched as Elaine’s figure emerged from the chaotic debris and thick clouds of smoke, still towering and fierce but now visibly damaged.
Two of her spider legs had been completely destroyed, while another dangled, severed halfway. A shroud of dark energy cloaked her body, obscuring her true form and making her look even more menacing.
She seemed even more monstrous now, the damage only adding to her terrifying presence.
“Wait… the damage actually worked?” Broken said, surprised.
“Yes, it looks like she’s vulnerable to long-range attacks like that,” Alora replied. “If you can hit her with a few more of those skills, it might make her easier to bring down… or at least, that’s what I hope will happen.”
Just then, Elaine turned her gaze upward at Broken and let out a furious, ear-splitting scream. With her remaining spider legs, she darted down the volcano, heading straight for the row of iron cages where the other Faebeasts were imprisoned.
“Broken, if she frees those Faebeasts, things could get a lot worse.”
“You’re right. But… Do you think they’d attack each other? Cedric and Cecilia are still in there.”
“This is a difficult decision, no matter how we look at it,” Alora replied. “We’re not going to accomplish anything by keeping Elaine trapped inside the volcano either.”
“At least if those beasts escape, they might scatter,” Broken suggested. “Then we could focus on Elaine alone.”
“Do you really think that’s how it would play out?”
“Princess, I need more opinions from you than just questions.”
“Well, I’m not exactly an expert at battlefield analysis either.”
“Looks like someone like Maylock is exactly who we need in a situation like this,” Broken sighed.
“Sorry, Baron Broken, I’m afraid I’m letting you down a bit,” Alora replied.
“No, Princess, I’m more than happy to have you here,” he said with a grin.
“Quiet, you. After all, you’ve already married someone else before me.”
“That wasn’t a marriage, just a bonding.”
“But the ring considers it marriage, you know.”
“Well,” he shrugged, “it got me this incredible skill, so I’d still call that a win, Princess.”
They could clearly see the Faebeasts on the ground, roaring and thrashing about in utter confusion, as if they had no idea what was happening to them. The beasts moved erratically, crashing into each other and stumbling around, completely disoriented.
Broken sighed. “The Faebeasts are wild. If they’re freed, they’ll likely attack anything in sight. We should keep our distance.”
“But I doubt Elaine has the same plan in mind,” Alora said. “She seems dead set on coming after us.”
“Right. Let’s stick to the plan. Polly, let’s retrieve my spear.”
Without hesitation, Polly flapped her wings and soared toward the volcano’s summit. Broken drew his legendary Moonvine Knuckles and slashed the air, sending a vine shooting out to grasp the spear. With a quick pull, he yanked it back and caught it deftly in his left hand.
Meanwhile, Elaine continued to rampage, her spider legs smashing through everything in her path. The iron cages she passed shattered instantly, releasing the imprisoned Faebeasts. Freed, the beasts roared and scattered across the plains, their calls blending with the sound of the erupting volcano.
“This is not good,” Broken muttered under his breath.
“No, I can tell you’re thinking of something else.”
Broken scanned his surroundings, searching for any weakened Faebeasts that he could take down quickly. He needed to test his Soul Reaper skill and find out how many Soul Points he would gain from killing just one.
Were Faebeasts still considered part of the seven major races of Yunatea? They’d once been Faeries, after all, even if their minds were now lost.
There was only one way to find out.
“Come on, Polly!” he called, pointing to a battered Faebeast that Alora had previously fought. Its body was covered in wounds and barely holding itself together.
Without hesitation, Broken drew his Epic Grade Iron Piercer Arrow and nocked it to his bow, activating one of his powerful skills.
[Tempest of Annihilation (Active Skill)]
As the arrow shot through the air, it split into ten projectiles, scattering toward multiple Faebeasts simultaneously.
[Vines of Torment (Active Skill)]
In an instant, five thick vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the weakened Faebeast and trapping it in place. With both skills working in tandem, the Faebeast had no chance of escape. Within moments, Broken landed the final blow with his arrow shots.
[You’ve killed Eternal Flame Bale Lv. 205]
[You’ve acquired 28 Soul Points.]
“Interesting,” he murmured, satisfied with the result. 28 Soul Points… It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
“It turns out I can still get Soul Points by slaying these Faebeasts.”
Alora glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “Broken, what if they can return to their original form when the curse is lifted? Elaine would be furious if she knew you were killing them.”
“I’m aware of that,” he replied. “That’s why I’ll only target the Faebeasts that attacked me the last time I was here.”
“Right… sounds like you’re just finding an excuse to kill them.”
“It’s still better than us getting killed, Princess.”
He glanced down at the chaos below.
Just how many beasts would I need to take down to reach 1,000 Soul Points?
About 50 at this level should do it. Damn… that really is a massacre.
Elaine was still charging around wildly, pursuing Polly as she soared through the air, but Broken stayed above, taking advantage of his aerial position. He released a rapid stream of arrows from above, each hitting its mark precisely.
“Going down to face them directly doesn’t seem wise,” Broken commented. “Elaine could
attack us at any moment, and I’d rather avoid that risk.”
“But you do realize that Polly can’t keep flying forever, right? Especially after she was involved in the battle earlier.”
“Well, damn, I hadn’t thought of that. We need to take down as many beasts as we can, and
fast.”
[Soul Points: 139/1,000]
“We’ve been here too long; we need to end this,” Broken muttered, unleashing a relentless barrage of arrows from above.
[Soul Points: 210/1,000]
Finally, his Explosive Arrow skill’s cooldown finished, and he drew his Bedrock Breaker
Pickaxe, preparing to use it for a large-scale strike.
“This should deliver some serious area damage,” he said. “But it looks like the other beasts
are starting to catch on, they’re scattering!”
“Damn it!”
[Explosive Arrow (Active Skill) Lv. 5]
“Alright, let’s go after a Faebeast with a higher level this time,” Broken murmured as he
charged the skill.
He carefully scanned the area to ensure Cedric and Cecilia weren’t in the line of fire. Oddly enough, it seemed both of them had already vanished from the battlefield.
The massive pickaxe spun in the air, gathering momentum, before plummeting toward the
ground.
A barrage of boulders rained down alongside it, crashing into the earth with thunderous impact. The ground shook violently, creating a powerful shockwave that blasted outward, scattering the Faebeasts caught in its path.
Those closest to the explosion were sent flying, clearing the way for Broken to finish off the
rest with ease.
[Soul Points: 421/1,000]
“Alright, I think we’re ready. I can deal a lot of damage to Elaine, but we have to make sure
she’s truly weakened first, so the damage will be enough to end her.”
He glanced at Alora. “Let’s go all out one more time, Princess.”
Alora nodded firmly. “Yes, let’s do it!”