The defensive Scroll that was used was a B-rank item and one of the best of that rank.
Although it is not absolute, it can at least protect those three from the ants for a short time, and unless the ants decide to attack the dome all at once, its defense will not break.
[Estimated duration under current assault: 08:43]
On the other side, Lian was still engaged, but his poisonous blood was helping him a lot and had allowed him to control the flow of the battle.
"8 minutes is enough, even if I don’t need 8 minutes, it’s good to not have to worry about them." He felt relieved and then looked at Ravian.
"As long as this shield is up, don’t come out of it."
"You can’t fight all of them alone." Ravian held his spear tighter.
Lian slammed a Soldier that had passed by the shield to the ground with a straight punch.
The creature’s head sank into the soil, and without looking at Ravian, he said.
"Being alone is not my problem, being forced to protect you is." And his second punch broke the shell on the back of the ant’s head.
The sentence landed like a cold blade, Nemi lowered her gaze, a pain deeper than fear formed in her eyes.
She tightened her fingers around her short spear.
"We were just a burden to you..."
"Now is not the time for this." Sera immediately squeezed her arm and tried to silence her sister.
But she herself was also hurt by Lian’s sentence, not because of its coldness, but because she knew it was the truth.
From the first moment they had seen this Otherworldly, he had been helping them while they were just extra weight.
Ravian was silent for a few moments, then pressed his back against the shield and fixed his gaze on Lian.
There was anger on his face, but not toward him, toward his own weakness.
"Then come back alive."
Lian did not answer, now that he had no worry about those three, the time had come to go after the Queen.
He moved in the shadow of a broken mushroom, Thunder Step was charged in his legs, he did not choose the direct path, he climbed over a root and changed his direction twice.
The ants were after him, but to prevent them from reaching him, he also activated [Fallen Wolf Speed] and his speed reached an extraordinary level.
"Oh haha, what a great feeling." Even he himself was somewhat surprised by his speed.
Then he Dashed, a thunder explosion occurred behind him, and this time the ants were not ready for him before he appeared.
He appeared a few meters away from the Queen, the black and moist body of the creature was in front of him, threads from it were connected to hundreds of ants.
He pulled his right fist back, and power gathered in his shoulder, arm, and knuckles.
Suddenly at that same time, the parasite’s body pulled back, and its vertical slit opened.
Lian’s fist moved, but before impact, a silent scream exploded inside his skull.
[Neural Scream]
The world turned white for a moment, a wild pain ran from his ears to his brain, his focus broke.
Blood started splashing from all his pores like a waterfall.
The fist’s path deviated a few centimeters and passed by the Queen’s body, the creature spun one of its long legs, and the strike hit Lian’s side.
Diamond Skin activated at the last moment.
His skin became defensive and transparent, but the force of the impact was beyond what surface resistance could stop.
Lian was lifted off the ground like a bullet, his body passed through two Workers, slammed into the stem of a frozen mushroom, and broke it.
Then he rolled several meters on the soil, a sharp pain twisted in his ribcage, two or three ribs were cracked, and warm blood came out of his mouth.
"Lian!" Behind the shield, Nemi screamed.
Sera lost her color.
For a moment, she moved toward the edge of the dome, but Ravian grabbed her hand.
"Don’t go out! He’s wounded! If we go out, he’ll have to protect us again!"
Sera clenched her teeth, her eyes filled with helplessness.
She was forced to stand and watch, for someone who had spent her entire life protecting her siblings, nothing was more painful than being useless.
Lian placed his hand on the ground, blood dripped from his lip onto the moss, and his heartbeat grew louder.
"Bastard is stronger than I expected, damn it." He still felt pain in his bones and let out a short groan.
"But it’s not bad either, it’s been a while since I had a battle like this." A smile appeared on his face.
The last time he had a real battle was with Seris, after that, he had won easily in every battle.
Except for the Abyssal River Drake, and that was not a battle, there he had no chance to fight.
But here it was different, finally after a long time, he could have a real battle! And for such a battle, he had to fight seriously from the start.
So instead of healing himself with a healing potion, he activated another skill.
[Warrior’s Madness activated.]
[Physical damage detected.]
[Power increased.]
[Speed increased.]
[Mental Corruption: 4%]
Lian calmly stood up, the pain was still there, but its form had changed.
The cracked ribs were no longer just a warning, they had turned into fuel, blood flowed through his body with more pressure, and his muscles became heavier and at the same time faster.
The sound of the ants’ jaws in his ears turned into a harsh melody.
His gaze fell on a nearby Worker, for a moment, he had the urge to tear its head off with his bare hands.
Not because it was necessary, but just because he wanted to hear the sound of its shell breaking.
Lian blinked, this was the same madness he felt when he activated this skill, it awakened all the animalistic and barbaric desires of a human!
Predator’s Instincts wrapped around his mind like a cold chain.
And the higher Spirit did not let the violent urge take control.
He breathed and calmed his mind, the target was the Queen, not these insects.
Nevertheless, the first Worker reached him, Lian punched, and the creature’s head completely exploded.
The second came from the left, he grabbed its jaw with his hand and pulled it in the opposite direction.
The shell split from the middle, and the third sank its stinger into his wounded side.
Diamond Skin activated late, the tip of the stinger entered his skin a few millimeters.
A burning pain spread through his body, and at the same time, Warrior’s Madness responded.
[Additional damage detected.]
[Strength increased.]
[Mental Corruption: 7%]
A brief smile settled on Lian’s face, which even he himself was not aware of.
He pulled the stinger out of his body, grabbed the Soldier by its tail, and slammed it to the ground with all his strength, the shell under its abdomen cracked.
Lian placed his foot on its head and pressed down, the sound of armor crushing spread under his sole, and system panels appeared one after another.
[You have killed 37 Crimson Needle Workers.]
[You have killed 9 Crimson Needle Soldiers.]
[Butcher has accumulated sufficient stats points.]
Lian started moving again, Thunder Step carried him through the wave.
Each thunder explosion paralyzed a few Workers, he killed them at the landing point with fists and elbows.
The dead ants piled up, but the black threads from the Queen’s body came out and connected to the corpses, the broken shells began to tremble.
Dark blood and internal tissue were pulled out of the bodies and moved along the threads toward the Queen.
The corpses dried up within seconds, the parasite’s body grew larger, and layers of black armor formed on its moist surface.
Two new legs came out from its sides.
[Black Assimilation]
[Assimilation Progress: 12%]
Lian frowned, killing ants near the Queen was feeding it, he changed his path and drew the enemy wave away from the center.
But the Queen also changed her method, her vertical slit opened, and a few nearby Workers suddenly bent their bodies.
A black liquid entered their abdomens through the connected threads, their shells swelled.
Predator’s Instincts screamed.
Lian immediately activated Thunder Step, and at that same moment, the ants exploded.
[Queen’s Command: Sacrifice]
The biological explosion covered the area, shell fragments like blades were thrown in the air, and black and poisonous liquid splashed on the ground.
"This bitch massacred her own forces? Is she insane?" Lian appeared a hundred meters away, but the explosion wave still hit his back, a few fragments sank into his shoulder and thigh.
Diamond Skin stopped most of them, but two pieces passed through a point where the armor was not complete.
Blood spread on his clothes.
[Additional damage detected.]
[Power increased.]
[Speed increased.]
[Mental Corruption: 11%]
The pressure of Warrior’s Madness in his mind increased, the sound of his heartbeat was now louder than all the sounds of the battle.
He wanted to enter the explosion again, he wanted to pass through the blood and body parts and crush everything in his path.
The madness was taking more and more control of him!
But at that same time, Neural Scream was activated again and replaced his madness with pain!
A sharp pain exploded behind his eyes, he knelt on one knee, and the focus of Paralytic Bloodmist was disrupted for a moment.
The red mist around him scattered, the Queen had understood how to interrupt his skills.
Lian opened the status panel, without more Spirit, the next scream could completely immobilize him.
[Spirit +40]
[Mana +40]
[Resistance +16]
[Physical Strength +50]
[146 Status Points consumed.]
His stats changed.
[Strength: 518]
[Spirit: 368]
[Speed: 344]
[Mana: 810]
[Resistance: 448]
[Available Status Points: 103]
[Current Mana: 467/810]
The pain in his skull decreased, not completely, but enough for him to stand up again.
Another panel appeared.
[You have killed 42 Crimson Needle Workers.]
[You have killed 11 Crimson Needle Soldiers.]
[Butcher has accumulated sufficient attributes.]
The current mana had not changed relative to the new cap.
[Current Mana: 472/815]
Lian reactivated Paralytic Bloodmist, this time the red mist spread thicker through the wave.
Hundreds of Workers entered it, their legs trembled, and some fell at that same moment, the Soldiers slowed down.
But the Queen raised one of her legs, black threads connected to several hundred ants.
Their bodies changed, their breathing openings on their sides closed, and the flow of their internal fluid slowed down.
Their shells were covered with a greasy layer.
[Rapid Brood Mutation]
[The enemy has developed temporary resistance to Paralytic Bloodmist.]
The ants that were falling a moment ago moved again, slower than before, but not enough to matter.
"What? How? How did they become resistant so quickly? Fuck it."
Lian looked at the wave that was still attacking Ravian and the other two from all sides.
The shield’s time had decreased.
[Estimated duration under current assault: 03:18]
And this meant that at any moment, his worry about those three could return, and the pressure on him would multiply again!