Chapter 576: In The Fray [PART 5]
The massive Rabid Rot recovered from its collision with Shane, its tentacles writhing with renewed fury.
Shane gritted her teeth as she struggled to her feet, clutching her side where the beast's impact had struck.
Blood trickled down her arm, staining her fingers, but her eyes remained fierce, unwavering. She pushed herself up, tightening her grip on her sword.
Hansel and Rafel positioned themselves around the creature, forming a loose triangle with Shane.
Having dealt with numerous smaller Rabid Rots in the vicinity, they finally had free space. The ground beneath them was littered with the rotten flesh of their fallen foes.
Moreover, the other groups actively kept the mass of monsters too busy to branch out. It was just their misfortune to stumble upon this one.
"We have to be careful, it's a devil..."
Hansel furrowed his brow-though unseen-the concern resonating in his tone.
"A devil? You mean a Devilish Hellion?"
"I'm pretty sure I didn't stutter..." Even on the battlefield, leave it to Rafel to be sassy. Their breaths were ragged, their bodies already bruised and battered from the earlier skirmishes.
But now, all three of them knew they were up against something different-something vicious and dangerously intelligent, with a relentless hunger that glinted in its eyes.
In the dark depths of the only opening in Hansel's helmet, a red light ignited.
"Well, we have no choice. We can't be a burden to the Lieutenant," Hansel growled, his voice a mixture of pain and resolve.
He raised his gauntlets, the metal's gleam transitioning from silvery white to a blood-red light. "We can bring it down together."
The creature lunged, its tentacles snapping toward them with lightning speed.
Hansel threw up his arms, deflecting two of the limbs with a brutal swing, but the impact sent a shock through his body. His muscles strained under the force.
Another tentacle whipped around and struck him across the chest, sending him staggering backward, his armor dented and groaning under the blow.
Rafel darted in from the side, his daggers flashing as he sliced through one of the tentacles. He moved with a dancer's grace, slipping beneath the creature's strikes and driving his blade deep into its side.
But as soon as he struck, another tentacle lashed out, catching him across the shoulder with a sickening crack.
He stumbled, a grimace twisting his face as blood began to seep through his torn armor.
"Damn thing's faster than it looks," Rafel spat, gripping his injured shoulder.
Despite the pain, he pushed himself back into position, his gaze sharp, calculating.
He could feel the adrenaline surging through him, but he knew it was only a matter of time before exhaustion would take its toll.
The creature, seemingly emboldened by the injuries it had inflicted, reared back, its tentacles writhing in a frenzy.
Shane, her breathing labored, stepped forward, her sword raised in defiance.
Her gaze locked onto the beast, her mind racing through every possible strike and angle.
There was a different light in her eyes-she was furious, furious at everything-but her gaze radiated a strange calmness.
Something that made even the beast glare deeply into her, its frenzy becoming subtle. It seemed to understand the shift in the air.
With a cry, she charged, swinging her sword in a wide arc aimed at the creature's central mass.
The blade, bathed with a swirling red light, connected, carving a deep, jagged wound along its side.
But before she could pull back, a tentacle coiled around her arm, yanking her off balance.
She gasped as the beast's hold tightened, her muscles screaming in protest as it began to crush her arm.
Hansel saw his chance and lunged, his gauntlets crackling with red light.
He drove his fists into the tentacle wrapped around Shane, pummeling it until it loosened just enough for her to wrench herself free.
But the monster retaliated, two more tentacles crashing down onto Hansel's back, forcing him to the ground.
He grunted, his face contorted in pain, but he planted his fists against the earth and pushed himself back up, refusing to stay down.
"We're wearing it down," he muttered, though he could barely convince himself of the words. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he could feel bruises blossoming under his
armor.
His body was starting to rebel, each movement slower, each punch taking more out of him. Rafel, his breath coming in short gasps, seized on the creature's momentary distraction.
He darted in again, aiming for its exposed underbelly. His dagger drove deep, twisting as he tried to do as much damage as possible.
But the creature screeched, its tentacles flailing wildly, and one of them caught him across the back, throwing him to the ground.
He landed hard, the impact jolting through his bones, leaving him dazed, his vision
swimming.
"Rafel!" Shane shouted, rushing forward despite the pain in her arm.
Her sword exploded with an even more radiant light, several mirages of red light swords appearing beside it as she wielded it with a defiant glare.
She swung her sword at the creature, and all the mirages followed.
The blades bit into the Devilish Rabid Rot's flesh, causing blood to splatter out in several fountains, but the creature retaliated, a tentacle wrapping around her waist and lifting her off
her feet.
She struggled, gasping as the tentacle tightened, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
Hansel, seeing his comrades in danger, forced himself back into the fray, his gauntlets
blazing.
He roared as he charged, slamming his fists into the tentacle holding Shane.
With a bone-jarring impact, he drove the limb away, freeing her, but the effort left him
vulnerable.
A tentacle slammed into his side, sending him crashing to the ground with a sickening thud. He coughed, blood flecking his lips as he struggled to rise.
The creature, now bleeding from multiple wounds, seemed almost enraged, its tentacles thrashing with desperate fury.
It lunged at them all at once, tentacles splitting off to target each of them. Rafel, still reeling, barely rolled out of the way, his shoulder aching with every movement.
Shane managed to parry one tentacle but was struck by another across her back, forcing her to
her knees.
Hansel, battered but relentless, met the creature head-on, his gauntlets colliding with its
mass in a thunderous clash.
But even their combined might seemed to only anger the beast further. It reared back, its tentacles poised for a final, devastating strike.
All three of them, wounded and exhausted, braced themselves, their resolve unbroken despite their injuries. They struggled to stand, their eyes burning.
"Since it has come to this... we probably should use our ultimate cards," Hansel suggested.
"The Captain warned us against that. Should it come down to it, we should not use our
strongest weapon just to preserve our lives," Rafel protested.
"Hey, help me here? Everyone isn't even glancing our way. What do we do? How did we even
stray away from the Lieutenant's side?"
With a swarm of abominations like this one, Hansel knew it wasn't far-fetched. They had
been so engrossed in the battle that they had forgotten to maintain awareness of their
surroundings.
"I'd rather die than disobey his orders." Shane gripped her sword tighter, that defiant look on
her face growing more dangerous.
The creature finally had enough of them, coiled all its tentacles together, and exploded
forward.
None of them were expecting such boosting speed.
None of them was able to react. It was apparent that they were going to die.
However, a shimmering spear of warm light suddenly plunged through the monster, dismantling it, gore for gore.