Chapter 259: The Ruined Castle

Ned conjured and threw fireballs at the eyes of the massive beast while he dashed. This was to obscure its vision.

Like a plan has been uncovered, the Evolved Kruthik blocked the fireballs with its forelimb of spike.

A failed attempt of the fireball led Ned to slide under its belly. Under his combat mode display, the focus was on the enemies and less on the surroundings which led Ned to see a soft spot under its belly. This soft spot was glowing red. It was its Core. The size of a regular person's head.

Ned conjured a fireball and threw it to the beast's soft spot.

Smoke gathered then spread after the explosion. Yet, this soft spot wasn't affected by the spell.

Ned rolled after an attempt to stab him with the beast's hind spike.

This massive Kruthik had four limbs-like-spike under its body with an additional spike-like-pincers as its forearm. Its massive body and rock-like scale were hindering it to move with agility. But its strength was Graded between C and B. A grade that would make Silver Rank Hunters go on the defensive.

Ned flipped to stand after he slid to evade that attack. He then rounded the beast behind and evaded another attack from above after which he circled it. He now stood left side of the beast, but he wasn't finished yet.

Due to its enormous size, Ned had to circle the Kruthik to make a complete and detailed image of the beast in which ICE would then analyze and compile its weaknesses—if it had another aside from the soft spot under its belly.

After Ned completely circled the beast, ICE prompted with the beast's weak spots. First under its belly: if all options were gone, this spot would be the last Ned had to attack. Since he needed to slide under its belly to perform a proper attack to hit it. The second was a chip around its neck: perhaps this was due to a recent battle that a crack was visible, but for Ned to attack this, he needed Overlock on to maneuver himself to attack while he defends and evades. Again, difficult but plausible. And lastly its eyes: same as the second one, Ned had to use Overlock.

But there was one spot that Ned hasn't checked yet. It was its back. To reach its back he needed to jump at least 15 meters; he couldn't.

But Ned had an idea sensing that the ground was soft with scattered holes from the beast's spikes.

Ned rolled to his left, evading the massive spike.

Katolin on the other hand was doing extremely fine with luring the smaller ones. During Ned's fight with the bigger one, Ned encountered only a handful of the smaller Kruthiks.

But Katolin wasn't advancing at all. They have been fighting for over five minutes but the only visible progress were the bodies of Kruthik forming a circle around her, some were charred, but mostly died due to stabbing from her arachne legs.

Ned had to hurry, defeating the Evolved one was impossible, but immobilizing it was certain.

Ned also noticed that the massive beast couldn't follow his speed, so he circled the beast while he discerns its movements. Until one given moment, the massive beast's spikes planted deep to the ground. It bent forward and damp its face on the ground, exposing its back.

Ned climbed over its limbs and put a break over its back. There he saw the wound, days fresh.

This wound leaks of dark brown puss. But most of it was healing. It was cut about two feet in length. This was the wound that Katolin struck with her spear the first time they encountered this Evolved Kruthik.

Ned gritted his teeth and stuck it with the broken Butterfly.

Although the sword went fully deep, its length wasn't enough to produce considerable pain.

With the Evolved almost back at its feet. Ned pulled the sword and substituted it with a fireball. The instant it hit the wound, the beast jerked its body and produced a high pitched scream. It was hurt. But the pain was also the reason that it moved violently, throwing Ned back to the cave where they came from.

Ned landed with great maneuverability.

While the Kruthik was struggling to stand and comprehend the pain the fireball inflected, Ned dashed toward Katolin.

Ned bent as the spike hovered above his head, but he never stopped. He nimbly dashed toward Katolin while also evading the smaller ones' spikes.

Katolin and the smaller ones were fighting at the edge of the ruined plaza. Up until now, the army of Kruthiks, inside the plaza, were remained in a steady-state, as if they were awake but their minds were blocked of any thoughts.

Ned had to move faster after the Evolve Kruthik composed itself and trailed behind Ned. He had to gamble, he had to take this chance since the army of Kruthik were not awake yet, only the hundreds that surround them. And after they reach the ruined castle they'll have to think of another plan later on. That is if the castle was empty.

Unable to catch up with Ned, the beast leaped.

With the dome's height that cannot be measured, the body of the massive beast vanished above the darkness and landed across Ned, killing the smaller ones under its spikes.

This made Ned jump backward, creating a huge gap between him and the beast with the aid of his Boost.

Be it dust, rocks, and screams from the smaller ones the battlefield turned chaos.

Canceling his Overclock, Ned wiped the sweat over his forehead. Still, he was thankful that the beast killed some of them and smaller ones.

But the Evolved Kruthik did not just stop upon its land, even before the dust settled, it charged to Ned. This charge was also aided with its jump that easily closed the distance between him and Ned.

This caught Ned off guard. He immediately activated Overlock, raised his sword on the defensive.

But before the beast could reach Ned with its spike, something in the castle let out a thunderous screech. It was louder, deadlier, and commanding.

The Evolved Kruthik stopped as though frozen in time and reality. The small ones stopped moving as well.

Having the chance, Katolin strode towards Ned.

Now side-by-side, the two stood dumbfounded.

Ned's thought broke with ICE's prompt.

[Ned.]

[Are you feeling it?]

Ned took almost a minute to respond, he then said, "Yes. Pure mana coming from the castle."