Chapter 576: In The Fray [PART 5]

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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

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.

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.