Elizabeth assessed her Magic Energy reserves. The battle lasted ten seconds, but she needed to double-cast Wind Edge and Formless Step. Estimating it, she used around a fifth of her Half-Condensed Drop Core! A fifth of her Magic Energy for ten seconds of battle… Despite pushing Benedict and Shirley to new heights, this was a horrible trade. It meant she could support them for a maximum of fifty seconds. That was not even a full minute! And then, she would be out of Magic Energy. She would be defenseless. To prevent that from happening, she needed to save some Magic Energy for emergencies. A quarter of her Magic Energy was the lowest she could go. Thankfully, there was a high density of World Energy in this natural formation, which hastened her recovery speed. Her Core gradually refilled under her absorption. This was where it would have been nice to have a Low Condensed Drop Core Level, instead of Half. The difference between her and Freon's Core capacity was substantial! Of course, having an energy recovery method would have been ideal.
Speaking of recovery methods, Benedict cupped his mouth and inhaled World Energy. Cloud Sea Style: Sipping Cloud! It could directly absorb the World Energy in the area, converting it into his Martial Energy. This recovery technique was a cornerstone of the Sword King's combat system. The exhaustion from battle started to fade. Shirley used her own created recovery technique called Inner Breath. It circulated the Martial Energy inside her body to nourish her fatigued body. It was definitely not as refined as Benedict's Sipping Cloud. Still, it was of some help. She could have used her Bloodline Ability, Echo Image, to perfectly mirror Sipping Cloud, except it would use more energy than it was worth. Since Benedict was a Perception Realm Novice and his methods were better, he recovered first.
Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley recovered to some extent, but Freon was too distracted about his sister to bother. This was worrisome since he had Low Condensed Drop Core Level. He was the strongest Arcanist present! He needed to be in top condition, especially because this was a rare break from fighting. They needed to use this time wisely. Elizabeth was about to remind him, when the Grand Knights perked up. They sensed something with their Martial Perceptions! And unlike before, when they felt the presence of many small creatures, they felt something enormous charging over! Its presence was tens of times stronger than everything before! It was a monster! Rumble… The ground began to shake, shocking the party members. It meant that whatever was coming was truly humongous! Everyone rushed into a battle formation. Boom! In the distant darkness, they heard an explosion, followed by a strong gust of wind and dust. However, it was too far away to see anything. Their feeble torchlight could not reach that far.
One of the junior Arcane Knights acted fast. Sir Pelton created a bright fireball and launched it toward the darkness. The sphere of light was tiny in comparison to the vast cavern. It whistled through the air, turning ever smaller as it travelled further. By the time the sphere shrunk to the size of a fingernail, the fireball finally collided with something. Poof! This was a fireball created by a Peak Gaseous Fog Arcanist, and while the interference strength weakened it considerably, it should still retain some explosive power. And yet, people could barely see or hear its impact. It was like a spark was extinguished. Silent and vanishing into nothing. Everyone's expressions changed upon seeing this. It showed that this cavern was far larger than they expected, and even then, the explosion caused by their enemy was strong and loud enough to travel here. It vastly eclipsed a Peak Gaseous Fog Arcanist's spell!
"I saw it briefly. It's a gigantic version of those bugs we were fighting before!" Benedict gulped.
Shirley felt shivers on her arm. "And this aura… It isn't a simple beast! It feels like a Perception Realm!"
"A Perception Realm Beast? No, a Rank 2 Beast Lord?!" Elizabeth widened her eyes.
"We should retreat! We can't fight that monster!" a Grand Knight shouted.
"No! What about my sister?" Freon yelled back. "We can defeat it!"
"There's not enough time! We need to decide now!"
"Your Highness!"
She gritted her teeth and ordered, "We'll retreat!"
"Elizabeth! You!" Freon felt betrayed.
She had no time to argue, as she led everyone back to the tunnel entrance. And as unwilling as Freon was, he was not crazy enough to stand his ground and fight alone. He went with them. Their discussion was quick, and the entrance was close. It should have been enough time. They could have had a much longer discussion or been a lot further away. After all, the monster was on the opposite side of this gigantic cavern. It was honestly a question whether the monster knew they were here at all. It was that far away! Their caution therefore appeared excessive.
Despite that… the monster released an earthshattering roar filled with fury! Rumble! The shaking intensified as the creature charged towards them! It was like an arrow, tearing a straight line through the cavern! Its speed was faster than Benedict's Moon Flash or Shirley's Energy Acceleration! Boom! An air shockwave was produced, slamming into the backs of everyone. In their despair, they realized the monster would reach them soon! They had to fight now! Turning back, they faced the darkness with pale expressions. The powerful aura radiating from this monster pricked their skins, giving them the intense urge to run away. Even the Grand Knights felt the same! This was the fear of death!
Elizabeth cursed and tried to come up with a plan, but things spiralled out of control too quickly! There was not enough information! Light! They needed light! It was too dark to fight! While it would make them stand out more, it became their fatal weakness. She grabbed her bow, manifested an energy arrow, and aimed up. The arrow loosed, as her spell, Luminous Sky, activated. Immediately, a blinding white radiance illuminated everything, like the arrival of dawn! It was significantly brighter than their torches, enabling them to see much further. Freon followed up with his own spell. He might have lost his calm before, but due to the dangerous situation, he instantly regained his composure. Flames conjured out of thin air, rising to a long, tall wall of fire! It completely blocked off the monster's route! The potent heat washed away the cold air inside the cave, like the brush of summer. Both of their spellcasting speeds were monstrous! They finished casting, as the monster arrived.
Freon hoped the flames would deter the beast or maybe drive it away. After all, it was just a wild beast. Fire was its greatest enemy. It should be unable to fight its deepest instincts. He was sorely mistaken though, because this beast was no mere beast. She was a Rank 2 Beast Lord! And Elder Unvo knew that Rank 2 Beast Lords had elevated intelligence. Their cunning, combined with their incredible physical strength, made them a far greater threat than normal! The Silk Snapping Turtle Insect did not foolishly charge through the flame wall, nor did she retreat in fear. Instead, she did something Freon did not expect. She opened her mouth and spat thirty silk projectiles! They caught on fire as they pierced through the flame wall, tracing beautiful arcs of orange death through the air. Their speed was heart-stopping!
The monster's attack came from behind the opaque flame wall, so nobody could see what she was doing. However, Benedict, Shirley, and the Grand Knights sensed it with their Martial Perceptions almost immediately, but Elizabeth, Freon, and the Arcanists were left in the dark. There was no time! Benedict tackled Elizabeth to the ground, while Shirley protected Freon. Lady Kalasena and her two maids dove to safety, and the Grand Knights helped Yuna and the Arcane Knights. Everything happened in the blink of an eye before… pew, pew, pew!
Wherever those silk projectiles went, they pierced through, creating a perfectly formed hole. Even the hard cavern rock was no different! The sound the silk made was like a symphony of death! Some people were lucky, not receiving a single hit. Others… not so. Silk pierced through someone's head and killed them instantly. Another one went into someone's chest and fatally wounded them. One, two, three… The death count jumped! Amidst the horror were splashes of blood and screams of pain. Everyone could only pray they would survive.