Mar’Garet giggled, her fingers twirling her spear as her cracked crown crest appeared above her bust, the symbol glowing faintly. Her mana flared with a reddish-black hue, crackling.
“That sounds like a brilliant idea. I’m certain our lord could provides us with some much needed enlightenmant, one way or another,” she purred, her smile dangerous and eager as she let the energy surge around her.
Lila, standing in the back with the others, tensed as the air thickened with the magical aura from the dragon generals. Axel and Blitz drew their daggers, ready for the fight.
Cinder looked to the group, the flickering flames around her growing fiercer. She clenched her fists, the heat rising, her aura suffusing the air.
“Then let us proceed…”
“And bring our lord victory!”
“Draven, remember, protect the humans. That doesn’t mean you can’t engage in combat, but be watchful. Mar’Garet, hold the rear. Terra, you’re with me,” she instructed.
Draven nodded as lightning crackled along the edge of his blade. “Understood,” he said.
VOOM!
The next instant, he vanished in a blur of motion. Mar’Garet tilted her head slightly, her spear resting against her shoulder.
“Rear guard? Perfect,” she said, a twisted smile curling her lips as she slowly licked them. “I’ll make sure nothing dares to even think about approaching.”
Terra nodded, the sand coiling protectively around her. “I’ll be by your side, Cinder,” she replied firmly.
Cinder then turned to Axel, Blitz, and Lila, her intense gaze locking on the humans. “As for you lot… Try to keep up. Do not engage opponents you know you stand no chance against. Stay alive. My lord wouldn’t be pleased if you perished here.”
Blitz grinned, flipping her dagger. “Got it. Just keep the big ones off our backs, and we’ll handle the rest.”
Axel shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, loud and clear. No dying today.”
Lila hesitated before nodding, clutching her sword tightly. “I’ll support however I can.” Beatrice then said, “We are not that weak, and I would prefer you don’t look down on us.” Cinder locked eyes with her for a moment but chose to say nothing. She redirected her gaze to the monsters she could see approaching in the mist and charged in.
Meanwhile, as the next wave of Nagas surged from the water, their tails propelled them forward with speed. They hissed and brandished their tridents, their scales glistening under the green light. Alister’s wyverns dived down with thunderous roars, the ground quaking as they spread out, their massive claws tearing through the shallow waters.
The steel-skinned wyverns smashed into the Nagas, their metallic bodies gleaming as they collided with the serpent-like creatures.
One wyvern clamped its powerful jaws onto a Naga’s torso, lifting it out of the water and crushing it with a sickening crunch. Another swung its massive tail, sending several Nagas flying into jagged coral formations that shattered on impact.
The purple-and-green poison wyverns unleashed clouds of venomous mist from their maws, shrouding sections of the dungeon.
The mist hissed as it touched the water, creating an acidic foam that corroded everything it touched.
Several Nagas screamed as the poison seared their scales, writhing helplessly before being dispatched by the wyverns’ claws, then munched on.
The pale, bony-scaled wyverns moved in with massive roars that echoed through the ruins, disorienting the Nagas.
One of these wyverns impaled a Naga with its skeletal tail, lifting it high before flinging it into the lagoon.
Blitz darted between jagged coral spires effortlessly. Her daggers gleamed as they caught the faint light of the bioluminescent lagoon. She spotted a Naga attempting to flank her from the shadows. With a sly smirk, she lunged forward.
“Nice try, scaly,” she whispered, driving her blades deep into its throat as she landed behind it. Twisting the hilts with a flick of her wrists, she yanked the daggers free in one fluid motion, a sickening gurgle marking the Naga’s end.
“Hey, Axel, keep up!” Blitz teased, her voice echie through the battlefield.
Axel was a blur just a few paces behind her, his movements seeming wild yet refined. He intercepted a Naga’s trident strike with his crossed daggers, the force of the blow sending a sharp clang echoing through the lagoon.
“Keep up? Please.” Axel grinned as he twisted his daggers, locking the trident in place. With a sudden surge of strength, he shoved the Naga backward and unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes at its abdomen. Green blood sprayed across his armor as the creature crumpled lifelessly into the shallow water.
“Now that’s how you make a mess,” Axel called back, a wicked grin on his face.
“Mess? I call it art,” Blitz quipped as she leapt toward another target.
Meanwhile, Beatrice stood firm, crouched low, holding the handle of her hammer with both hands. The soft pink glow of her weapon’s runes reflected against her pink hair, giving her an almost serene appearance.
Two Nagas surged toward her, their tridents raised. She tightened her grip on the hammer’s hilt, ready for a strike.
“You should’ve stayed in the water,” Beatrice yelled, hefting her hammer in one powerful motion.
With a wide, arcing swing, she caught the first Naga mid-charge, the runes flaring as the creature was sent hurtling into a ruined pillar. The crack of breaking bones echoed as it slumped lifelessly to the muddy floor.
The second Naga hesitated, but it was too late. Beatrice brought the hammer down in a devastating downward strike, crushing the creature’s skull beneath the weapon’s massive weight. She shook her head, looking over her shoulder.
“Lila, eyes open! They’ll target you next!”
“Yes, Beatrice!” Lila responded. She stayed close to Beatrice, her glowing blue sword gripped tightly in both hands. A Naga darted toward her exposed side, its trident raised for a strike. “Not today!” Lila shouted, stepping forward. Her blade met the trident with a loud…
CLANG!
Deflecting the attack as sparks flew. Lila countered with a quick slash, severing the Naga’s arm. The creature hissed in pain, its movements erratic, but Lila hesitated.
“Finish it!” Beatrice yelled, snapping her back to reality.
With a sharp inhale, Lila steadied herself. She thrust her blade forward, the enchanted edge piercing the Naga’s heart. The creature crumpled, its blood mixing with the lagoon’s glowing
waters.
“Well done,” Beatrice said with a nod.
Lila gave a small smile, her grip on the sword tightening as she looked for the next threat. “Thank you… I won’t slow us down!”
“Damn right you won’t,” Axel called from a distance, kicking a lifeless Naga off his dagger.
“Not with Alister’s dragons killing most of the monsters for us.”
“I swear this feels so safe I doubt our talent will even activate, sis.”
“You have a point. I still haven’t felt that chill of a close call or sense of danger,” Blitz replied, dispatching another Naga with a stab to its eye, then chest.
“Also, these are supposed to be A-ranked monsters, but they all feel weak for some reason.”
“I-I guess you have a point… Even I am able to fight a bit well despite being the weakest here.” Lila mumbled.
Beatrice frowned thoughtfully, resting her hammer on her shoulder. “Maybe it’s because of
Alister’s summons. Those wyverns aren’t just any ordinary creatures; they look really strong…
Maybe their presence could be suppressing the monsters.”
Axel smirked, shaking his head. “Suppressing them? Never heard of something like that
before.”
But that was indeed the case.